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Y8 W15 - Terra Nova

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(@martin-6)
Honorable Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 418
Topic starter  

Fresh off the keyboard, for your consideration. (Terra Nova was the name of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's polar expedition, 1910-1912).

Terra Nova
==========
[v1]
Our hero's name is Robert Scott
The year is nineteen ten
Location: the Antarctic shelf
The quest: to send five men
To the southernmost extremity
A place they call the pole
Where no man has ever been
In body, mind or soul

[chorus:]
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
Captain Scott could never stop until his deed was done
Come back home, you're a hero in our eyes
The bravest, most determined man alive

Terra Nova, the land that time forgot
Terra Nova this is not

[v2]
Soon a telegram comes in
From the Norwegian Amundsen
His team are making similar plans
The polar race is on!
With ponies, dogs and sleds
Captain Scott's five men set out
The dying sun behind their backs
Banishing their doubts

[chorus]

[v3]
The mercury keeps dropping
As they trudge across the ice
Battling wind and frostbite
Victory at any price
As the pole gets closer
Vicious snowstorms lash the men
Trapped inside their tents for days
Their rations dwindling

[chorus]

[v4]
After two months and sixteen days
Chilled right to their bones
They see on the horizon
A black flag, all alone
At that moment Scott's heart sinks
He knows his team have failed
"Great God! The worst has happened!"
"The Norwegians have prevailed!"

[chorus]

=============================

Historical footnote: in addition to being beaten to the pole by Amundsen, all five of Scott's party died of frostbite/starvation on their way back to the coast. He was/is considered a national hero in Britain due to his bravery and tragic failure.


   
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(@marvelousoptimist)
Reputable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 176
 

Outstanding work. I love historical stuff if the delivery is good (Johnny Horton's "The Battle of New Orleans" is an example of how NOT to do it.. and I love Johnny Horton). But this has a cool feel to the writing and I think it would work well in a sort of anachronistic musical arrangement.

Good stuff!

-marv

Andrew Delaney & The Horse You Rode In On ---> http://www.myspace.com/andrewdelaney

You can and should buy my album "Scoundrels!" in mp3 format on amazon.com or iTunes etc...


   
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(@jamestoffee)
Famed Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 2855
 

Hi Martin,

I agree with Marv. Great job! :D

James

P.S. Thanks for the history lesson as well. I love learning through music. :wink:


   
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(@martin-6)
Honorable Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 418
Topic starter  

Thanks, I wasn't too sure. I'm always frustrated when my songs come out too wordy, and this is one of the wordiest.

If you have any examples of what sort of delivery would be good for this, I'm all ears. I'm not very experienced with the talky/singy numbers.


   
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(@vic-lewis-vl)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 10264
 

Nice one - one of those "Wish I'd Written THAT!" songs. Great take on the assignment - waaaaaaay outside the box! Well written, you think it's a bit too wordy? No, not at all. I can almost hear/visualise this done in an open tuning - open G or open D, maybe like Dylan's "Shelter From The Storm."

Hope you get to record this, I'd really like to hear it!!!

: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.)


   
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