Season 562 - Poetry in Song

[CeeJay]

Luna Tribal 6 Baritone and Generation C tin whistle (not filmed)

Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury
Am
Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote,
G
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
Am
And bathed every veyne in swich licóur
Dm Am
Of which vertú engendred is the flour;
Am
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
G
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
Am
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Dm Am
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,
Em
And smale foweles maken melodye,
Am
That slepen al the nyght with open ye,
Em
So priketh hem Natúre in hir corages,
Am
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
B Em
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
B Am
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
Am
And specially, from every shires ende
G
Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,
Am
The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
Dm Am
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When April with his showers sweet with fruitThe drought of March has pierced unto the root

And bathed each vein with liquor that has power

To generate therein and sire the flower;

When Zephyr also has, with his sweet breath,

Quickened again, in every holt and heath,

The tender shoots and buds, and the young sun

Into the Ram one half his course has run,

And many little birds make melody

That sleep through all the night with open eye

(So Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage)-

Then do folk long to go on pilgrimage,

And palmers to go seeking out strange strands,

To distant shrines well known in sundry lands.

And specially from every shire's end

Of England they to Canterbury wend,

The holy blessed martyr there to seek

Who helped them when they lay so ill and weak.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

This might be low hanging fruit, but what the hell....A song based on the work of T.S. Eliot:

Low hanging fruit would be Dr. Seuss, LOL. I would have already posted something of Geisel’s but The Grinch is just too common and I can’t figure out how to set my all time favorite “Mulberry Street” to music.

 

[Canada Jim]

Spoon River - Michael Peter Smith

Jon Duncan's wonderful rendering of Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology poems put this song in my mind.
Over 3 decades ago, I had a talk with Michael Smith about song writing. Oddly, many of his songs bore little resemblance to the inspiration for the song. When he told me that his song Spoon River was inspired by Master's anthology, I took it out of the library and could find little to remind me of the song, but I loved both and I'm gonna see if Joo is willing to accept it as an entry for this season.
I do play a re-entrant concert uke sometimes Joo.

 

[joo]

It's another new day, dear Seasonistas!
Isn't it incredible how we can meet this way?
Thank you all for your songs and friendship.

Here is another quick one by your host, before she starts her library work for the day.
I recorded this using my laptop camera and it has this weird distorted audio.
I won't redo this. I think it sort of works for the song...

A cover of a song written by Lou Reed, from his album The Raven, released on January 28, 2003 by Sire Records. It is a concept album, recounting the short stories and poems of Edgar Allan Poe through word and song, and was based on his 2000 opera co-written with Robert Wilson, POEtry.

I'm a little balloon and I get puffed up
Squeeze me and bend me it's never enough
Put your lips around me, blow me up
But if you prick me I will pop

I'm a little balloon full and firm
Here is my aft and here is my stern
Here's my lips and here's my hose
Put me down or I will burst
If you prick me I will burst

All entries have been added to the playlist. I will comment on the newest few later.

KEEP THE SONGS COMING!!!

 

[joo]

Spoon River - Michael Peter Smith

Jon Duncan's wonderful rendering of Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology poems put this song in my mind.
Over 3 decades ago, I had a talk with Michael Smith about song writing. Oddly, many of his songs bore little resemblance to the inspiration for the song. When he told me that his song Spoon River was inspired by Master's anthology, I took it out of the library and could find little to remind me of the song, but I loved both and I'm gonna see if Joo is willing to accept it as an entry for this season.
I do play a re-entrant concert uke sometimes Joo.

Yes, Jim! I accept this with open arms, and ears. :----)

 

[joo]

Low hanging fruit would be Dr. Seuss, LOL. I would have already posted something of Geisel’s but The Grinch is just too common and I can’t figure out how to set my all time favorite “Mulberry Street” to music.

oh! I would love to hear that set to music! You can do it, sir!

 

[TCK]

James Dennis Carroll first published his collection of poems, Organic Trains, while still in High School (I believe he was 16).
He wrote this as best I can tell as an installment to his series of now famous memoirs about his miss spent youth (the most famous being Basketball Diaries). Anyway- here we go!

My uke is my standard fare, Kala Baritone. D’addario strings, DGBE. This one is rosewood and spruce top, has a really cool Couch strap, and a pickup for when I need to be louder than I already am

 

[wee_ginga_yin]

I recently watched Stutz a Netflix film by Johna Hill it deals with the tools to combat depression and one of the tools was called The grateful flow developed by phil stutz a psychiatrist in his 70's who has Parkinson's disease... that is why his drawings are all spidery and shakey
I then thought of the 23rd psalm... a poem written by King David and how every verse is being thankful for something... care protection provision. I also introduce my toy plastic uke which I am grateful for.

 

[bobjking]

Not another song from me but we really couldn't have a poetry themed season without a mention of this...

I don't have the time to set this epic to music but if anyone fancies doing it, I'd love to hear it!

 

[joo]

James Dennis Carroll first published his collection of poems, Organic Trains, while still in High School (I believe he was 16).
He wrote this as best I can tell as an installment to his series of now famous memoirs about his miss spent youth (the most famous being Basketball Diaries). Anyway- here we go!

My uke is my standard fare, Kala Baritone. D’addario strings, DGBE. This one is rosewood and spruce top, has a really cool Couch strap, and a pickup for when I need to be louder than I already am

TCK!
So good to see and hear you! I was almost going to type your name in bold and extra-large size font if you had not shown up today!
(i am serious)
I just added your song, and the wonderful Mr. Rob's song to the playlist, but I have yet to watch and comment on them, and the ones from Emba's onwards. Just had a quick listen while I added the songs, all sound so good. I am looking forward to making a cup of tea and watching them soon!

Not another song from me but we really couldn't have a poetry themed season without a mention of this...

I don't have the time to set this epic to music but if anyone fancies doing it, I'd love to hear it!

HAHA!!! I can't wait to hear it!!!
(edit: seriously!)

 

[TBB]

Just wanted to pop in and say, I love this thread SO much! Such brilliant contributions from so many talented people, and Joo’s delightful comments are just a joy to read. I always enjoy dipping into the Seasons threads, even though taking part seems to be beyond me these days, but I think this one is really special.

 

[joo]

Just wanted to pop in and say, I love this thread SO much! Such brilliant contributions from so many talented people, and Joo’s delightful comments are just a joy to read. I always enjoy dipping into the Seasons threads, even though taking part seems to be beyond me these days, but I think this one is really special.

Aww, that's so sweet of you, Victoria! Makes me happy you enjoy this thread.

(You can maybe try setting Pointy Birds to song?)

Thanks for your lovely comment.

 

[joo]

I was a poetry fan/writer of poetry long before I played the ukulele, and I love seeing what everyone is coming up with.

Emba...how about trying an original with your poem? :----)

 

[joo]

I recently watched Stutz a Netflix film by Johna Hill it deals with the tools to combat depression and one of the tools was called The grateful flow developed by phil stutz a psychiatrist in his 70's who has Parkinson's disease... that is why his drawings are all spidery and shakeyView attachment 145504View attachment 145503

These drawings are so cute. The black cloud resembles a soggy sponge. I love that. Thanks for sharing this, Rob. :---D

Speaking of gratefulness, I am grateful for being able to be your host this week.

Here is my wrap-up for today's entries!

Emba - Break, Break, Break, poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson set to music.
I love your voice, and phrasing, Emba. I sang along with you on second listen (this is my third) and in my accent and habits I phrase some words differently from you. (Yours sound better!) I especially love how you sang "fisherman", so nice. I have not read this poem before. What a sad but great poem. Love the title he used. The breaking of waves can mean so many things here...Nature can really bring out something buried deep in us. Like John(jp888then), this does sound like an old folk song to me. I think you've done a beautiful job setting this poem to music! When the tune comes easily it usually is a winner! (From my little experience!) And thanks for sharing about your uke, it looks and sounds lovely. Thank you so much for this song, Emba!

Joo - the way he sleeps is poetry, an original about a stray cat who over-sleeps in strangers' homes
The line "the way he curls up like a baby" is strange 'cos i haven't seen a baby curl up like that...
But it is great that you used the opportunity to make a song. Maybe it's time to adopt the cat.

CeeJay - Cauntebury, the first half of the prologue to The Canterbury Tales set to music
I LOVE the tin whistle! Sounds fantastic. Sounds like gypsy music. (edit: it is meant to sound medieval but your host was clueless) Pardon my ignorance, is this Middle English? The way you sang this? I like it. I don't understand 99% of it but it sounds cool. Thanks for including the English version that I can read and understand! I've never read any Chaucer...I don't think I can handle it.... But I quite enjoyed this, thanks, CeeJay!

Jim Yates covers Spoon River by Michael Peter Smith, which was inspired by (according to Smith) Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology
You have played this before on the Seasons, that was when I first heard this song. This has a very small-town nostalgia feel in its melody and lyrics, which is quite lovely, bittersweetly. Richard Buckner's songs based on the Spoon River poems are very dark and haunting, which sounds and feels closer to the original poems. Like you, I can't feel anything in Smith's song that resemble the poems. But I enjoyed listening and watching you play this, Jim! Thanks for showing us your ebony Leho. It sounds sweet. If you say "leho" in teochew (my Chinese dialect) it literally means "you good!", but it really means "how are you?"

Joo covers Balloon by Lou Reed, from his album The Raven, which was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's poem of the same name
(do check out the original if you haven't heard it, here.)

Dave(TCK) covers People Who Died by The Jim Carroll Band, which was originally a poem James Dennis Carroll wrote
I love this!!! I really was happy when you appeared today. And this song-------such a great song, thank you, Dave!!!! Thanks also for sharing about your uke. Have not heard a Kala that sounded bad. It sounds fantastic and so do you. Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you will bring us more songs this week!

Rob plays his lil' plastic uke and sings Wha is ma shepheard (23rd Psalm old Scottish version)
What a perfect video to share with us this week! I love your little plastic uke. It looks so cute and sounds so cool, especially when you play the blues with it. Thanks so much, Rob! I love this! I love listening to the Scottish language. (The first time someone spoke Glaswegian to me I asked him to slow down, and he did, but I still had no idea what he was saying).

Thank you everyone for your songs!!!

Keep the songs, readings, poems, haiku coming!!!

PS.
back to share a song written and performed by my friend Kelvin 2 years ago. I made some sketches and made this video.

 

[AlanDP]

I have a book called "The Golden Book of Poetry" that belonged to my mother when she was little, and it got passed down to me. My favorite poem by Meigs in that book is "The Road to Raffydiddle," but I did that one a few years ago for a previous season. Here's another one from that book by her that's shorter and has some great rhymes, plus a few made-up words, which she liked doing in her poems. I did some talk-singing for this one, plus some backing vocals and some melodica. Also, it's in Dorian mode.

The Pirate Don Durk of Dowdee

Ho, for the Pirate Don Durk of Dowdee!
He was as wicked as wicked could be,
But oh, he was perfectly gorgeous to see!
The Pirate Don Durk of Dowdee.

His conscience, of course, was as black as a bat,
But he had a floppety plume on his hat
And when he went walking it jiggled - like that!
The plume of the Pirate Dowdee.

His coat it was handsome and cut with a slash,
And often as ever he twirled his mustache
Deep down in the ocean the mermaids went splash,
Because of Don Durk of Dowdee.

Moreover, Dowdee had a purple tattoo,
And struck in his belt where he buckled it through
Were a dagger, a dirk, and a squizzamaroo,
For fierce was the Pirate Dowdee.

So fearful he was he would shoot at a puff,
And always at sea when the weather grew rough
He drank from a bottle and wrote on his cuff,
Did Pirate Don Durk of Dowdee.

Oh, he had a cutlass that swung at his thigh
And he had a parrot called Pepperkin Pye,
And a zigzaggy scar at the end of his eye
Had Pirate Don Durk of Dowdee.

He kept in a cavern, this buccaneer bold,
A curious chest that was covered with mould,
And all of his pockets were jingly with gold!
Oh jing! went the gold of Dowdee.

His conscience, of course it was crook'd like a squash,
But both of his boots made a slickery slosh,
And he went through the world with a wonderful swash,
Did Pirate Don Durk of Dowdee.

It's true he was wicked as wicked could be,
His sins they outnumbered a hundred and three,
But oh, he was perfectly gorgeous to see,
The Pirate Don Durk of Dowdee.

--Mildred Plew Meigs

 

[CeeJay]

This began as a Shel Silverstein poem

 

[TBB]

Aww, that's so sweet of you, Victoria! Makes me happy you enjoy this thread.

(You can maybe try setting Pointy Birds to song?)

Thanks for your lovely comment.

Haha, maybe! Although I’m not sure I could do justice to such exquisite verse!

 

[DelGriff]

Hello, Joo - thanks for hosting this week!

A few months ago I was chatting to one of our patients at work (I’m a dispensing optician), and he mentioned that he wrote poetry as a hobby. He recited some of his work and I liked it. I asked him how he would feel about me setting one of his poems to music - he was genuinely very flattered by the suggestion. So this was the perfect opportunity to do just that. I’ve spoken his words to my music - it somehow worked better like that. His name is Paul Allon, btw.

I’m playing my electro-acoustic Caramel baritone uke with some GarageBand ‘American Tremelo’ effect. It‘s a cheap import from China, but it‘s my absolute favourite uke!

’The Perfect Gem’ by Paul Allon

I used to dream I’d dug up some treasure,
They say, ”It’s the little things in life are nice”,
From caviar and oysters I get no pleasure,
And vintage wine’s just a drink at a dear price.

As a busy child, for collections I’d look,
Matchboxes and stamps, but no Penny Black;
Once a friend gave me his ‘William’ books -
As time went by I lost or gave up that stack.

I know a bit about items of antique,
And at artistic works I like to stare;
But when I come upon something quite unique,
I write about it, why? Because it’s there!

I‘ve studied in recent years the uncommon lot,
All have a rare story in each one of them.
In you, my love, I have hit the jackpot -
And to me you will always be the Perfect Gem!

 

[CeeJay]

The Raven for SoTu 562 Alan Parsons Version.

On the Alan Parsons Project Tales of Mystery and Imagination album, inspired by the same titled volume of work penned by Edgar Allen Poe. Arranged and adapted for solo baritone guilele.......from a gihyuge orchestra ,choir and mega band !!! Introducing Quoth, the raven (apologies to Sir Terry Pratchett). I insist that folk need to hear the album .
By the way, thanks for theseason, my heart sank when I saw poetry as I don't get on with it....well I thought that I didn't but having revisited I have been forced to reassess my antipathy....clearly. Thanks.

 

[joo]

Hello!
It's another new day!
I am later than usual to check in today, partly because I was trying to make a lil' video for you.

I noticed that some of the videos this week have few, maybe 1-2 comments...Um. Some have very few views...
please check out each other's videos and try to comment. :-----)
I know all of us are not professional musicians, but who needs to listen to them when we have us?

Here is a lil' video showing you the poetry section at the primary school library where I am (I like to call myself) chief librarian.
(there is only 1 librarian so I make myself the boss)
I also read some excerpts from a book, about a boy who seems to be forced to attend a poetry writing class.

The 2 poems that the boy's teacher Miss Stretchberry used, which the boy wrote his own versions, are:

The Red Wheelbarrow
by William Carlos Williams

So much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens

Boy's version :
So much depends
upon

a blue car

splattered with mud

speeding down the road.

First stanza of The Tiger
by William Blake

Tiger! Tiger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

Boy's version
Blue car, blue car, shining bright
in the darkness of the night:
who could see you speeding by
like a comet in the sky?

I could see you in the night,
blue car, blue car, shining bright.
I could see you speeding by
like a comet in the sky.

Some of the tiger sounds
are still in my ears
like drums
beat-beat-beating.


KEEP SINGING! and Share your songs here!