Hermes (Mercury) was the son of Zeus and Maia. He was Zeus' messenger. Hermes is the cleverest of all the Olympian Gods and Messenger of the gods. He wore winged sandals, a winged hat, and carried a magic wand. He was the god of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of orators, literature and poets, of athletics, of weights and measures and invention and commerce in general, of liars, and of the cunning of thieves. He was the guide for the dead to go to the underworld. He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical scale, astronomy , weights and measures, boxing, gymnastics, and the care of olive trees.
This song is dedicated to J.P. ''The Big Bopper'' Richardson, Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens
Hermes' Hunger
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Oh muses help me get this straight
The tale of talented singers' fates
A cursed man; o woe is me
Should I speak falsely of Hermes
When ere such gifted singers fly
Why must tragedy be their plight
The facts recorded of how planes fail
Are more than coincidence; here's one tale
'The 'Big Bopper'' J.P. Richardson
Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens
Are heroes three gave songs to the world
To shake the hips of the boys and girls
Promoters set the gigs and quota
The next show in Duluth, Minnesota
Three heroes many a day forlorn
Tired of buses and never warm
Buddy Holly was in a quandary
He had the talent but had no clean laundry
A single engine plane was charted
Each hero paid their thirty-six dollars
Now who per chance would be in the air
Hermes the cleverest god was there
The heroes souls packed in so tight
Shown like the Christmas star so bright
Who doth this metal raven glow?
Behold three muses of rock n' roll
‘Twould be a gift and gods' delight
To rock the underworld day and night
Please excuse my rudeness sirs
But travel like this is quite absurd
I have some shows you must attend
From Hades to Mt. Olympian
I was the one who gave the lyre
The strings would sing setting hearts on fire
And I can see each in your fashion
You share my love for the strings with passion
For talent like yours the heavens can't wait
Impatience is one of our character traits
The mortals will weep and build a shrine
For you are the muses with gifts divine
Please shed off your mortal skins
There's no time to waste; we must begin
I'll guide souls through the underworld
Zeus' old songs make me want to hurl
And if by chance you thought to refuse
I swear I'll take back the gift of the blues
I'll curse all mortals to count but to three
And only dance waltzes eternally
Now this is but one tale I've told
Those boys gave their souls to save rock n' roll
So raise a toast and say it proud
Rock n' Roll must always be LOUD!
SSG meets Greek tragedy. Neat.
Reads well. I'm not sure that I can hear it as a song, but it makes for great poetry.
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
My wife would be pleased with this . . . she taught Greek mythology.
Waiting for step 2 now . . .
KR2
It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.
James,
I love the Minstrel approach to this. Quite Unexpected
It seems you are a bit wordy in places and some minor editing
might help that.
One example might be:
J.P. ''The Big Bopper'' Richardson
Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens
Maybe something like:
'' Big Bopper''J.P Richardson
Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens
Another might be:
Those boys gave their souls to save rock n' roll
They gave their souls to save rock n' roll
Very minor but might flow more smoothly.
John
SSG meets Greek tragedy. Neat.
I love the Minstrel approach to this. Quite Unexpected My wife would be pleased with this . . . she taught Greek mythology.
Glad I could mix it up for you a bit :D
John,
'' Big Bopper''J.P Richardson
That works for me. :D
jamestoffee wrote:
Those boys gave their souls to save rock n' roll
They gave their souls to save rock n' roll
For a "real" recording, I would probably keep the original, because I intended the last verse to slow down and put more emphasis on each word. I don't know if you heard the Acappella version where I had a more freedom... but for the "Finale" version with only one tempo, yes, your suggestion is an improvement.
Thanks.
James
Interesting...a song about rock and roll, done in a style that you normally think would fit, but it does.
Nothing really I can add, also agree that it sounds a bit to wordy at times, you are singing in almost a certain cadence then it switches up to fit the words in almost.
Nice job!
In Space, no one can hear me sing!
What can I say? Excellent :!:
Ernie
"All battles are first won or lost in the mind." - Joan of Arc
"It took me about 20 years to figure out how to write without inspiration. Thankfully, I got there." - Leon Russell
Well James, I have to say, I really don't know what to make of this. It's by far the strangest, nay, the WEIRDEST, marriage of styles I've ever come across....it's very cleverly put together, but for me there's just too much repetition, musically. That's the only quibble.
I don't know if you've ever tried any open tunings - it strikes me this might work well in DADGAD, where you could introduce a little variation in the verse form. Then again, I think you've already got the right musical backing - it just lacks variation. You definitely deserve all the plaudits going for thinking outside the box, so to speak....
it sounds a bit too wordy at times, you are singing in almost a certain cadence then it switches up to fit the words in almost.
I can see Joe's point there, but I wouldn't worry about it - I tend to stumble over phrasing, too, until I've played a new song quite a few times, and with only a week to work with, there really isn't too much time to rehearse, is there - especially if you're pleased with something you've written, and want to get it recorded ASAP.
On the whole, I think you can be pretty pleased with this one - but it does, for me, definitely need more variety in the music.
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
...for me there's just too much repetition, musically... I think you've already got the right musical backing - it just lacks variation.... for me, definitely need more variety in the music.
Vic,
Thanks for the comments, and I agree what you are saying is very fair.....I have 3 ideas in mind to remedy the music.
#1 On the musical breaks, integrete noteable gtr licks or phrases from the 3 singers but with the classical/lute like style
#2 Extend the main melody line to fit over two verses at a time instead of one.
#3 apply some acapella choir techniques with 3 or 4 part harmonies.
#2 is the most "do"able at this point...#1, #3 would take a bit more time and research...but in all, the fouondation is basically in place.
Thanks again. :D
James
Lute......I was thinking lute. Scrap the Irish thing and do it on a lute.
Don't mind me I'm nutz. :lol:
Stik
"All battles are first won or lost in the mind." - Joan of Arc
"It took me about 20 years to figure out how to write without inspiration. Thankfully, I got there." - Leon Russell
What about an Ocarina? :lol:
Love listening to this though, it's my kind of genre.
In Space, no one can hear me sing!
I'll second the lute!
Lot's of clever lines and it's even in three (or six-eight if you prefer)! I agree with John that there are some rough spots with all the syllables, but I suspect that this is one where every repeated performance will help smooth out the edges quite a bit.
Well done.
Peace
Certainly unique!
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
Interesting interpretation - I like the idea of the more positive spin. Reminded me (incredibly loosley) of the SNL sketch where Jim Morrison starts a band in heaven (Buddy Holly played guitar). This was more light hearted though. I do agree that it gets pretty wordy - you do have a story to tell and I want you to tell it because it is a clever story, but you seem to rush through each verse to save time, but that kind of keeps each verse from sinking in. Also, many of the lines just had too many syllables that you rush to fill in. Maybe more musical variety to allow for more length and listener patience.
jeremy
And my Soundclick Page to listen to my song submissions: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=903876
Jeremy,
Good points. You know this is kind of wierd responding by posting, when we are both online and we could just pick up the campus phone :lol: ...but you might be reading Kathy's lyrics and I don't want you to FREAK OUT :lol:
James
