"I know the secret longings hidden deep within the songs you sing,
"and though I've never loved I must now for the sake of the rising Spring.
"I will fulfill your secret dream from now until the next sunrise
"if you'll consent to let me have, the fire, from your eyes."
If there’s one thing filkers can’t seem to get enough of, besides puns, it’s weird and ominous songs about musicians. “Ballade of the Blue Rose,” by Coral de Chauncey (Wendy Murphy) and Brad of Cambria (Brad Banyan), sung by Clarsa McElhaney. Lyrics and chords available here.
(Series: Filksong Genealogy)
Firstly, above: Leslie Fish’s setting of Rudyard Kipling’s poem “Dane-Geld,” about the dubious wisdom of paying tribute to avoid being conquered by a neighboring country with less portable wealth but better armies.
Secondly, as previously seen on this blog, a classic filksong to the tune of “Waltzing Matilda”: Lee Gold’s “You Bash the Balrog,” a cheerful little ditty about an ill-fated set of D&D adventurers. (If you’ve never heard “Waltzing Matilda,” have a listen here and maybe check out the wikipedia page.)
And finally, below: Bob Kanefsky’s synthesis “Bashing the Balrog,” performed by Leslie Fish.
So the next one is “And the Fans Sang ‘You Bash the Balrog,’” right?
(Dr. Jane Mailander, mashing up “You Bash the Balrog” with Eric Bogle’s “And the Band Played ‘Waltzing Matilda.’” Not sure if there’s a recording of it, I just have the lyrics.)
Whoo. Okay, I’ll be honest, I hesitated to reblog the followup with the full lyrics; I’d forgotten that there are ableist slurs (and what I’m pretty sure is an implied prison rape joke) in the fourth verse. I think last time I heard this sung, the filker either sang something different or skipped that verse entirely.
But there’s no point in denying that like every other music genre and every other fannish community, filk has got some deeply flawed and problematic content, both historical and contemporary. And like every other community, we’re still working out how to deal with it.
I’m gonna compromise in this case, and link to the lyrics instead of posting them.
Folks, our ask box is open; if you have any suggestions about how to deal with this kind of thing in future, I don’t promise we’ll abide by them, but I think we’d like to hear them.
Hey so @choirfly had the best time performing at @housingworksbookstore and we’re happy to share this Chronicles of Narnia parody of Toto’s “Africa” with you! Please subscribe & share if you most likely wouldn’t sell out your sibling for a piece of Turkish delight.
(Series: Filksong Genealogy)
Above we have Rudyard Kipling’s “Boots”, a poem about the endless slog of a soldiers’ march, set to music by (who else) Leslie Fish.
And below we have Bob Kanefsky’s inevitable parody about a different sort of endless slogging: “Bits,” performed by Leslie Fish.
Above: Leslie Fish’s setting to Rudyard Kipling’s “Danny Deever,” a poem about soldiers having to watch a public hanging, framed as a series of questions from a young inexperienced soldier and answers from an older veteran who has seen all this before.
Below: Bob Kanefsky’s “They’re Singing ‘Banned From Argo’,” a similarly framed series of questions and answers about another dreaded ritual.
If you find yourself confused by the veteran filker’s reaction in Bob’s parody, a look at this Fanlore page may be of some help. And if you’ve never heard the original “Banned From Argo” before, run while you still canhere’s your chance!
(Series: Filksong Genealogy)
Firstly, above: Leslie Fish’s setting of Rudyard Kipling’s poem “Dane-Geld,” about the dubious wisdom of paying tribute to avoid being conquered by a neighboring country with less portable wealth but better armies.
Secondly, as previously seen on this blog, a classic filksong to the tune of “Waltzing Matilda”: Lee Gold’s “You Bash the Balrog,” a cheerful little ditty about an ill-fated set of D&D adventurers. (If you’ve never heard “Waltzing Matilda,” have a listen here and maybe check out the wikipedia page.)
And finally, below: Bob Kanefsky’s synthesis “Bashing the Balrog,” performed by Leslie Fish.
(Series: Filksong Genealogy)
Above: another poem by Rudyard Kipling set to music by Leslie Fish: “Song of the Men’s Side,” a mythic story about how humankind rose above its status as prey for wolves by attaining a crucial piece of technology.
Below: Bob Kanefsky’s take on a … loosely related story, which is also about wolves and prey and technological advancements: “Song From the Pig’s Side,” performed by Leslie Fish. (Look at the end of the third verse for a sneaky shoutout to a different Kipling poem entirely – which, yes, has also been set to music by Fish.)
(Series: Filksong Genealogy)
Above we have Seanan McGuire’s “Wicked Girls” (lyrics), performed in concert by the author along with Michelle “Vixy” Dockrey and Tony Fabris, S.J. “Sooj” Tucker, and Amy McNally.
And below, we have Bob Kanefksy’s truly wicked parody, “Save Yourselves!” (lyrics), performed in circle by Vixy and Tony. Yes, that’s Seanan nearby in the circle, and yes, she’s hearing it for the first time.
Submissions for the Contata 8 songbook are officially open! Got a song you want to contribute? Click here to find out where/how to submit it.
Also: this year at Contata we plan to have at least one jam session. Want to suggest a song to play? Watch this space for updates.
Please signal-boost this in your other fannish communities, or wherever else you think appropriate.
The deadline for submitting to the Contata 8 songbook is April 30! Want to have one of your songs appear in our songbook? Now’s your chance. “Um … what kind of song could I submit, if I wanted to do that?”
I’m glad you asked me that, random citizen! It’s pretty simple really: the only major requirement is that it needs to be a song you wrote. (Yes, you can submit on behalf of another songwriter, but only with their explicit permission and ideally only by their request.) “What if it isn’t a new song?”
That’s totally fine; old songs are welcome. “What if I only wrote the lyrics?”
That’s not only fine, that’s a fundamental filk subtype! Just put somewhere in your submission the name of the original tune that your lyrics are meant to be sung to, and credit the original writer. (If you mean that your song is a collaboration with somebody else, then you should submit it jointly with credit to both of you.) “What if I wrote original music for it?”
If you want to include sheet music or chord notation of any kind, and/or a link to a sound file online, that’d be great! “Does it have to be about something nerdy?”
For broad values of ‘nerdy’ and even broader values of ‘have to’, you could say that. If you’ve got any experience with filk, you may already know just how varied song topics get. (If you don’t, you may want to check out a link roundup and sampler here.) “Do I get a copy of the songbook if my song is in it?”
Why yes, you do! All Contata attendees and all songbook contributors will get a digital copy of the songbook. (Contata attendees will also have the option to buy a printed copy for $5.)
Any questions? Our inbox is always open.