A song you might sing around a campfire if the next morning you’re planning to drive your war rig right through the middle of the Immortan’s army to try to take his stronghold.
I filked this for Wasteland campfire singing and then figured I’d record it in case people wanted to learn it beforehand. So here you go. My singing voice isn’t great and kind of shaky, but I’m still pleased with how this turned out
filk
Everybody Dies – The PDX Broadsides
I love to watch my Game of Thrones – by far my favorite show
But if you haven’t seen it and know nothing like Jon Snow
I’m happy to give you some pointers
Game rules, as it were
The first thing that you really ought to know…
“Everybody Dies” by the PDX Broadsides, a remarkably concise summary of the HBO series.
Roll the Old Shuttle-Ship Along – Araxie Haldane & Nana Graye
@howtotrainyournana and I singing a space filk of the traditional sea shanty “Roll The Old Chariot Along,” written by Nana.
Lyrics:
Oh we’ll be alright with the sunbeams in our sails
Oh we’ll be alright with the sunbeams in our sails
Oh we’ll be alright with the sunbeams in our sails
And we’ll all hang on insideCHORUS:
And we’ll roll the old shuttle-ship along
We’ll roll the old shuttle-ship along
We’ll roll the old shuttle-ship along
And we’ll all hang on insideOh another loop around wouldn’t do us any harm
Oh another loop around wouldn’t do us any harm
Oh another loop around wouldn’t do us any harm
And we’ll all hang on insideCHORUS
Oh we’ll be home-bound with the engine set on full
Oh we’ll be home-bound with the engine set on full
Oh we’ll be home-bound with the engine set on full
And we’ll all hang on insideCHORUS
Oh a night among the stars is a wonder to behold
Oh a night among the stars is a wonder to behold
Oh a night among the stars is a wonder to behold
And we’ll all hang on insideCHORUS
Oh the captain and the crew try and keep us all from harm
Oh the captain and the crew try and keep us all from harm
Oh the captain and the crew try and keep us all from harm
– And we all respond in kindCHORUS
Oh we’ll be star-bound in our souls and in our lives
Oh we’ll be star-bound in our souls and in our lives
Oh we’ll be star-bound in our souls and in our lives
‘Long as stars and souls surviveCHORUS
Secrets Liars & Spies – Leslie Hudson
Welcome to The Redhead League
We’re loosely a collective of
The best and brightest redheads far and wide
Personal objective and collaborative fire
Are the values we espouse, come on inside
“Secrets Liars & Spies” by Leslie Hudson, from her concept album “The Redhead League.” Leslie explains in the album description:
The Redhead League is a concept album based on 9 female redheaded comic book characters: Red Sonja, Medusa, Teela, Jean Grey, Mary Jane Watson, Scarlett, Poison Ivy, April O’Neil & Black Widow.
They’re not superheroes or supervillains. They’re passionate, powerful and occasionally poisonous so don’t piss them off. They’ve got swords and guns and prehensile hair, telekinesis and martial arts expertise, lipstick lips and latex, and they don’t mind getting their hands dirty.
Paper Moon – Seanan McGuire
“Paper Moon” by Seanan McGuire, performed here by Seanan, S.J. Tucker, Vixy & Tony, and Betsy Tinney.
As Seanan explains before performing, “In a dimension very much like our own, Firefly is still on the air and they’ve made spin offs. And I keep writing theme songs for those spin offs.”
My Planet’s Child – Echo’s Children
Oh, I come by it honestly if I am star-beguiled,
For if I am a rover, well, I am my planet’s child.
The very iron in my blood has wandered wide and far–
Forged and flung from the fire’s heart that fueled a foreign star.
“My Planet’s Child,” a joyful song about space exploration by Echo’s Children.
Disenchanted – Cheshire Moon
You can keep my hair
I don’t need it to feel pretty
You can keep my tower
I don’t need it to be strong
I’m racing out to find the place where the sun and the moon
Have coffee when you can’t see either one at all
“Disenchanted” by Cheshire Moon, a song for all the unwilling Rapunzels out there. Lyrics and chords available here.
Hey so you seem like exactly the person to ask: I was struck with the desire to write a comparative paper about filk/folk treatment of the collapse of society, but I mostly listen to filk through my housemate playing it when I’m in the room, and the only artists I know of who do songs about that are Leslie Fish and Talis Kimberley. Can you recommend me other singers who do songs/other songs on a similar theme to like, Serious Steel and World’s End? Thank you for your time, great blog!
Ooooooh man now this is a good question. Fish is definitely your best place to start, since she’s the only one I can think of who did a full ALBUM of post-apocalyptic (and pre-apocalyptic) filk, AND THEN SOME.
Me and the brain mod went through and came up with as many as we could think of, besides everything on that album:
- “No Hurry,” by Vixy & Tony
- “Apocalypse Ballade,” by Araxie Haldane
- “All the Birds Are Gone,” by Talis Kimberley
- “Post-Apocalyptic Blues,” by Dr. Mary Crowell
- “We Protest the Robot Occupation,” Kari Maaren
- “A Lonely Christmas Out Here,” Kari Maaren
- Two (x, x) Seanan McGuire songs, though one’s unfortunately unrecorded and the other is on an album that’s out of print
- “What are We Doing,” by Alexander James Adams
- “Freedom of the Snow,” by Leslie Fish
- “Mount Tam,” by Leslie Fish (about trading one disaster for another)
- “Survivor’s Song,” by Julia Ecklar
- “Tribbles,” by Julia Ecklar LOOK THIS IS DEFINITELY AN APOCALYPSE
As always, everyone can feel free to add! I’m sure there are dozens more, at least.
Seas of Space/Chase the Wind – Araxie Haldane
Hey, you know how I keep telling you that these are partner songs? Here is evidence!
Seas of Space: Tune traditional, lyrics by Suzette Haden Elgin
Chase the Wind: Tune by Donovan Leitch, lyrics by me
Chase the Wind – Araxie Haldane
Written as a companion song to “Seas Of Space,” this is sung to the tune of “Catch The Wind” by Dovovan Leitch (at least the version I learned by ear at my college folk music society; apparently recorded versions are quite different)