Lyr Add: Whoever Invented the Fishfinger (Rosselso

20 Aug 01 - 10:17 AM (#531739)
Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: WHOEVER INVENTED THE FISHSTICK
From: Charley Noble

This is an example of taking one verse from Leon's fine song which solely (LOL) deals with fishsticks and expanding it into 3 verses. I ran across the original song from the singing of Charlie King and thought it might be tastefully reworked for a children's concert. Note the chords should show up in the right place if you copy and paste what's below into Word using a Times font. Any more songs like this around?

WHOEVER INVENTED THE FISHSTICK
(Leon Rosselson © 1981 Adapted by Charlie Ipcar - 1993 Tune: after Too-ra-li oo-ra-li oo-ra-li)

C-----------G------------C
Who-ever in-vented the fish-stick,
F----------------------C
Ought to be trans-mogri-fied –
G------------------------------C
Skinned, mashed and boxed in-to uni-form blocks,
-----D------------------------------G
Then covered with bread-crumbs from col-lar to socks,
G7----------------C----G--C
Froz-en and deep fat fried, fat fried
-----G7----------------C
Yes, froz-en and deep fat fried.

'Cause who'd do that to a fish,
Finning its way through the sea,
Making no sound, just cruising around,
A rainbow of colors, a king to be crowned,
Just riding its flying trapeze, trapeze,
Just riding its flying trapeze?

Now progress is all very fine,
But not when it chops up your dreams;
If you're still afloat, don't miss the boat,
Turn off the TV, deep-six the remote;
Life can be more than it seems, it seems;
Yes, life can be more than it seems!

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23 Aug 03 - 07:22 AM (#1006908)
Subject: Tune Req: Whoever invented the Fishfinger
From: Klavdivs

I first heard this Leon Rosselson song on a Canberra radio folk hour over 25 years ago, never heard it since and I've never forgotten its power. I've also found the lyrics by the way, which are here -

http://sniff.numachi.com/~rickheit/dtrad/pages/tiFISHFIN2.html

But what i have forgotten is some of the melody, namely the bridge and chorus. The dramatic minor feel of the verses has never faded.

Anybody help ? Ta

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23 Aug 03 - 01:21 PM (#1007044)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whoever invented the Fishfinger
From: GUEST

The Seattle Labor Chorus has this song in its repertoire and the music in its files.   I could get it to you by snail mail, but maybe if you contact them, you could do better. It is a very strange, unforgettable song.

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23 Aug 03 - 02:17 PM (#1007070)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whoever invented the Fishfinger
From: Geoff the Duck

Wellsy - you may not have realised, but http://sniff.numachi.com/~rickheit/dtrad/ is a mirror of our own Digital Tradition - in other words the words there have been reproduced from Mudcat. The "sniff" site has added extra value by also including transcriptions of tunes (where available) in a number of formats which can be printed out or imported into MIDI players.
This song has also been mentioned in the following Mudcat thread BLICKY.
Quack!
Geoff the Duck.

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23 Aug 03 - 10:53 PM (#1007192)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whoever invented the Fishfinger
From: Mark Cohen

I have Leon's songbook, "For the Good of the Nation" (Journeyman Press, London and West Nyack, NY, 1981), which includes that song, and 27 others. I bought it when he performed in Seattle back in 1985. If all else fails, I can do it the old fashioned way: xerox the song and mail it to you.

Aloha,
Mark

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23 Aug 03 - 11:03 PM (#1007200)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whoever invented the Fishfinger
From: GUEST

Is it any different than the finger-banging-stink-dinger?

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23 Aug 03 - 11:04 PM (#1007201)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whoever invented the Fishfinger
From: Sorcha

It doesn't look like we have the tune anywhere. Can you add it somehow, Mark?

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24 Aug 03 - 04:49 AM (#1007256)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whoever invented the Fishfinger
From: Mark Cohen

I think I recall that Joe Offer can accept Noteworthy Composer files, so I can "write" the melody in NWC, send it to him in that format and see if he can figure something out. The first part of each verse is in Am, the second part in A, and the chorus is back to Am.

Aloha,
Mark

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Click to play

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24 Aug 03 - 09:39 PM (#1007572)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whoever invented the Fishfinger
From: Joe Offer

Forgive me, Mark. I looked up the song in Bringing the News from Nowhere, Songs by Leon Rosselson. Ayup. Mark has the tune right - looks like it changes key mid-song - to a key with three naturals....
Strange notation.
-Joe Offer-

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24 Aug 03 - 11:06 PM (#1007598)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whoever invented the Fishfinger
From: Klavdivs

tHANK YOu very much folke for the tune, that last minor bit now seeps back through the mists of time in all its chilling drama. Now I'll arrange it for my cheery a cappella quintet.

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25 Aug 03 - 08:37 AM (#1007724)
Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: WHOEVER INVENTED THE FISHSTICK
From: Charley Noble

Here's an afterthought. I was also fascinated by this ditty some time ago but in my arrogant way thought the song should focus solely (!) on fish. Anyways, here's what I came up with:

Leon Rosselson © 1981
Adapted by Charlie Ipcar - 1993
Tune: after "Too-ra-li oo-ra-li oo-ra-li"

Whoever Invented the Fishstick-2



C-----------G------------C
Who-ever in-vented the fish-stick,
F----------------------C
Ought to be trans-mogri-fied –
G------------------------------C
Skinned, mashed and boxed in-to uni-form blocks,
-----D------------------------------G
Then covered with bread-crumbs from col-lar to socks,
G7----------------C----G--C
Froz-en and deep fat fried, fat fried
-----G7----------------C
Yes, froz-en and deep fat fried.

'Cause who'd do that to a fish,
Finning its way through the sea,
Making no sound, just cruising around,
A rainbow of colors, a king to be crowned,
Just riding its flying trapeze, trapeze,
Just riding its flying trapeze?

Now progress is all very fine,
But not when it chops up your dreams;
If you're still afloat, don't miss the boat,
Turn off the TV, deep-six the remote;
Life can be more than it seems, it seems;
Yes, life can be more than it seems!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

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25 Aug 03 - 11:31 PM (#1008116)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whoever invented the Fishfinger
From: Mark Cohen

The three natural signs in the key signature indicates that the key has changed from A major (three sharps) back to A minor (no sharps or flats). If it had changed from A major to Bb major, the key signature at the double bar would show 3 naturals followed by 2 flats.

If you have the old Judy Collins songbook, take a look at the song "Marat/Sade". At one point (p. 176) the key goes from Fm (equivalent to Ab major, 4 flats) to F#m (equivalent to A major, 3 sharps). The double bar there is followed by a key signature that has four naturals followed by 3 sharps.

Note that the use of natural signs in the key signature only occurs once, at the point of the key change. On each subsequent line, the key signature shows the new key.

Does that help, Joe?

Aloha,
Mark

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26 Aug 03 - 12:13 AM (#1008134)
Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: WHOEVER INVENTED THE FISHFINGER
From: Mark Cohen

Since the chords are far from self-evident, here they are, from Leon's book. By the way, Joe, thanks for putting that MIDI in place so quickly. Have fun in Alaska!

Aloha,
Mark

Who[Am]ever in[Em]vented the [F]fish[G]finger,
[Am]ought to be transmogri[E7]fied.
[Am]Skinned, mashed and [E7]boxed into [Am]uniform [E7]blocks,
then [F]covered with [G]breadcrumbs from [F]collar to [E]socks,
and [Dm]frozen and finally [E7]fried.

Because [A]who'd do that to a [E7]fish,
[D]finning its way through the [A]seas,
[D]Colours in [E7]harmony, [A]perfectly [D]poised,
[E]riding its flying tra[E7]peze.

And [Am]progress is [Am9]all very well,
but [Fmaj7]not when it chops up our [E]dreams.
And it's [Am]hard to [E7]feel, at [Am]ease in the [E7]world,
when [Ebdim]nothing is what it [E]seems.

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