Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: GUEST,DaveC
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 12:45 PM

Agree with Cool Beans -- except to add that as I read through this excellent lyric, I kept hearing Homer and Jethro's 'Sink the Bismark' not the one from the movie.

That business with Bush landing on the carrier has always struck me as a little spooky -- and reminded me of a different lyric.

There is a question about whether GW actually finished his hitch in the reserves and could be considered AWOL. So we get into the war and then he gets out of the fighter, as though he belonged in the flight suit, in a nice military-looking photo-op.

What is spooky to me is that although there are questions about GWB's service record, there are none about his father's. Our former president was a carrier pilot shot down (I believe this was why his plane came down but am not 100 percent certain) in WWII and fished out of the ocean by a sub.

And, oddly enough, W's 2000 Republican rival was John McCain, genuine carrier pilot shot down over Vietnam and a POW for years.

It looks eerily to me like Bush the younger might be trying to somehow measure up or borrow someone else's luster. I don't blame him for wanting a ride in the fighter, I think most of us would like it. But he could have done that any number of times in a low-key manner.

The other lyric? When I think of this incident I seem to hear the Smothers Brothers singing "You buy cowboy clothes, you can be a cowboy too."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: Cool Beans
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 10:47 AM

Ohmigawd! It fits "Sink the Bismarck!!!"

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: GUEST,Jody Gibson
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 01:35 AM

DUNDERBECK......DUNDERBECK........DUNDER-BLOODY-BECK

Bob, your song cries out for the melody to Dunderbeck. With a little "fooling around" It'll fit perfectly.
Besides, somewhere 9in the back of my (ha ha) mind there's a correlatiopn between the text of "Dunderbeck" and your new lyric

Subject: Lyr Add: TURN THE BOAT AROUND (Bob Clayton)
From: GUEST,Songster Bob
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 12:25 AM

Well, I rewrote it a bit (with an able assist on the opening line from K. Westra), and it turns out to be singable to "Oh, Susanna," surprisingly.

Here's the nearly-finished song (no song is truly finished, you know -- some just escape):

Turn the Boat Around

[tune: Oh, Susanna]

Our leader landed on the deck, dressed in a soldier suit.
The fighting declared "over," and victory to boot.
But San Diego could be seen, there in the background,
So the order soon was given, "Turn the boat around."

Chorus:

Someone tell the skipper, "Turn the boat around!"
The compass reads "disaster," you'll run us hard aground.
Hear the people talking, a new course must be found –
Someone tell the skipper, "Turn the boat around."

We set sail a while ago, new skipper at the wheel,
He claimed he'd keep us going straight, we thought that was the deal.
Then he made a hard-right turn, set course for bloody war,
And isn't telling us the truth of what he did it for.

Chorus

He claimed that he'd found danger right there in white and black,
And the home of all that danger was in far-away Iraq.
Weapons, terror, poison gas, newk-u-lar missiles, too,
All waiting, primed and ready, just to target me and you.

Chorus


So off we went, a-shooting, and we tore 'em a new one.
Embedded media and press to show us all the fun.
We never found the weapons, not the poison gas and such,
And the folks whose land we shot to hell don't like us very much.

Chorus


This is called the "ship of state," not another "photo op,"
And when it gets to going, it's damn-all hard to stop.
But if we can turn a carrier just to confuse the press,
Then we can turn this country 'round, and save us from this mess.

Chorus



Copyright ©2003 Bob Clayton

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: Tinker
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 10:19 PM

I "hear" Sweet Betsy From Pike, but that gives a two line chorus... It does give a bit of a frollic, and subconciously I keep hearing the good-byes...

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: mg
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 09:22 PM

I can't make the accent work with background, and also the line about tearing a new one...I can't come up with anytunes..

mg

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: GUEST,Songster Bob
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 05:40 PM

I appreciate the suggestion of "Goober Peas," and it even has connotations I could work into the song, but, sorry, it's not well-known enough. Yeah, for old folkies like this crew, it's known, but I want something really old-standardish. Probably, I should pick a Beatles song, or Eminem (yeah, I know), or one of Paul Simon's hits, and fashion the lyric to that. And I may. It's just that something keeps nagging at me from the lyric I already have, and that nagging feeling is "you can sing it to this tune and EVERYBODY will know it," and I can't think of the tune.

I have this problem when I start with the lyric and not the tune, but it's hard to hum a tune on the Metro, but writing lyrics is acceptable.


Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: GUEST,pdq
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 04:42 PM

"Goober Peas" was a sincere, heart-felt suggestion, Bongster Sob, too bad your Goober lost. 13 more months and you lose again. Sing Away!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: GUEST,Songster Bob
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 04:05 PM

Thanks for the suggestions. I have to admit that "Little Old Log Cabin" appealed to me, but I was hoping for something even more well-known. "Battle Hymn," hmmm? I'll try singing it that way and see.


And for Gargoyle and pdq, I DO see the obvious problem.

... the problem of attracting iggerent trolls.



Did I post "Too Much for the Whistle?" I think I did. That one had several familiar songs that fit. Though it's more fun to sing to "Roll On, Little Dogies," I chose "Red River Valley," since even more know that tune than "Dogies." That is, the "Dogies" version with the two refrains. The other version is probably as well-known as "Red River," but didn't sing as well.

I'm working on the "Bush-War Blues" and "My God, How the Money Rolls In," too. Perhaps I'll post those lyrics under separate threads.

Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: GUEST,pdq
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 03:07 PM

"The Beverly Hillbillies " theme or, even better, "Goober Peas"! However, as Gargoyle pointed out , there is an obvious problem...

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 02:51 PM

I echo Billy - The Wearing of the Green was the one which immediately sprang into my mind, although a couple of lines were a stretch.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: Billy Weeks
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 10:57 AM

Try 'The Wearing of the Green'. Will just need a bit of restitching at the waist and underarm.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: Cool Beans
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 10:39 AM

"The Mason's Apron" would work well; I just sang the whole thing in my head. One caveat: you'll want to add or cut syllables here and there for scansion, especially in the chorus, a la:
"Someone tell the skipper, YOU MUST turn the boat around.''
Good song, Bob. Reminds me of "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: GUEST,Neighmond, the cookie eating heathen
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 03:03 AM

Perhaps "When the work's all done this fall"

Chaz

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 02:32 AM

Great song, Bob!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 12:00 AM

Gilligan's Island....even though the lyrics arn't worthy.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: LadyJean
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 11:50 PM

It needs a march tune. But for the life of me, I can't think of one. I tried "Rally Round The Flag Boys", but it didn't work. Would "Bonny Blue Flag"?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 09:15 PM

I'm with Dave O on this one. I tried Battle of New Orleans- almost works.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: Joybell
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 06:40 PM

I always take a look at "The Little (Old) Log Cabin in the Lane" written by William Shakespeare Hays in the 19th century but used since for maybe hundreds of songs -"Little Joe the Wrangler" "Another Fall of Rain" etc.
It would need a few added bits like -
Turn the boat around - (me boys)- turn the boat around.

On the other hand Battle Hymn of the Republic does fit so very well.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 04:57 PM

Sounds like The Battle Hymn of the Republic, to me, and it would suit the satiric purpose just fine, methinks.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 04:39 PM

Haul Away Joe (with some rearranging and repeating of words)

found here at the Contemplator. I like the Clancy version...this is very close.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: New song needs a common tune
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 07:48 AM

You wouldn't need much adjusting to fit it to "All for me Grog". Or a tune a lot if people have been thinking about the last week or so, "A pub with no beer", which has the advantage of being the first part of Beautiful Dreamer, and so already fairly familiar.

Subject: Lyr Add: TURN THE BOAT AROUND (Bob Clayton)
From: GUEST,Songster Bob
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 01:11 AM

I need a common, well-known tune for this, and nothing is coming to mind. I wrote another parlor-trickle song a few weeks ago, called "Too Much for Our Whistle," and it fit so many tunes I had no problem (I ended up with "Red River Valley").

So what comes to your mind with these words?


TURN THE BOAT AROUND

The president flew to a carrier to show us his allure,
The fighting declared "over," and victory assured.
But San Diego was visible, there in the background,
So the order soon was given, "Turn the boat around."

Chorus:

Turn the boat around, that's what the people say.
The course our leader's setting is exactly the wrong way.
The compass reads "disaster," you'll run us hard aground,
So someone tell the skipper, "Turn the boat around."

We set sail a while ago, a new skipper at the wheel,
He claimed he'd keep us going straight, we thought that was the deal.
Then he made a sudden hard-right turn, set course for bloody war,
And still won't level with us about what he did it for.

Chorus

Turn the boat around … etc.

He claimed that he'd found danger right there in white and black,
And the cause of all that danger was in far-away Iraq.
Weapons, terror, poison gas, "newk-u-lar" missiles, too,
All waiting, primed and ready to target me and you.

Chorus

Turn the boat around … etc.

So off we went, a-shooting, and we tore 'em a new one.
With the press and media riding along, to show us all the fun.
We never found the weapons, nor the poison gas and such,
And the folks whose land we shot to hell don't like us very much.

Chorus

Turn the boat around … etc.


This is the "ship of state," not another "photo op,"
And when it gets to going, it's damn-all hard to stop.
But if we can turn a carrier just to confuse the press,
Then we can turn the country 'round, and save us from this mess.

Chorus

Turn the boat around … etc.



Copyright ©2003 Bob Clayton