“Walkabout,” by Julia Ecklar
Thanks to animatedamerican for helping me parse the lyrics. The chords are my attempt at transcription, and I’m not at all sure about them. I think Ecklar has it capoed to something silly like F# minor, which didn’t help.
Am
You’re different than them, Max
C
You give their heroes all back
Am
You find the truth inside the bronze
C
That forge the brand new tool
Am
But our lot in life is to live
C
To forget and never forgive
Em Bm
And I’ve found I’m no exception to the rule
I’ve long outlived that crap, mate
Seen the difference one man can’t make
Seen the truth behind the smoke that stains
Beneath the blood that pools
And my trust in truth has hit dirt
I’m so tired now I can’t hurt
This hero’s not so different, not so cool
Am
I’ve grown cruel
Dm Am
So show me what’s so different about one sad and frightened man
Dm Em
And find me one hero in this wasted, withered land
Am
No exceptions to the rule that says that heroes suffer best
Em Am
Well who suffers for the heroes who have suffered for the rest
I’m the first to say Fate owed us
It’s a shame that no one told us
That once Fate has dealt her hand in spades
You might as well just fold
Now I walk the dismal highways
And deal with the long hours my way
Forgive me if they’ve made me harsh and cold
No one mourns the lonely hero
No one sees me off when I go
No one limps beside the fighting cock
Who’s been both bought and sold
And the world turns up her dead eyes
On the pain the trust and the lies
Are there no more heroes left to help keep hold?
I’m so old
So show me what’s so different about one sad and frightened man
And find me one hero in this wasted, withered land
No exception to the rule that says that heroes suffer best
Well who suffers for the heroes who have suffered for the rest?
Apparently, this is based on something by Seanan McGuire, and maybe it makes more specific sense if one has read this thing by Seanan McGuire, but out of context it’s just haunting.
Lyrics, chords, and sheet music available here
(if this doesn’t play from your dash, try going to the permalink. I’m not sure what’s up with the file, but sometimes it’s finicky.)
I said I would do the thing and I have done the thing.
Mage Warden singing to a romanced Alistair.
(Original song by Death Cab for a Cutie, backing track from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWXrcwwKkq0)
So a while ago I wrote a filk song about a relatively unloved character in an obscure comic book, to the tune of the random folk song that was stuck in my head at the time, “The Lowlands of Holland.” If you don’t know the song, it’s not relevant, but it’s a nice song.
…and then yesterday somebody left me alone in a recording studio.
Forgive my somewhat unsteady guitarring, and the fact that the scansion may or may not entirely hinge on a mispronunciation of one Arabic word.
Anyway, Al Jabr is the character sometimes referred to as “medieval Muslim Tony Stark,” this song is basically fanfic about what happens in the distant future when everyone on your superhero team but one is immortal.
Who doesn’t want a song about Squirrel Girl, right? Big ups to friend-of-the-site Erica Henderson on the Marvel gig. If you don’t remember, she did the last Rap-A-Thon poster for me (image), and she’s just a generally cool lady. Also big ups to Ryan North, who I don’t know personally, but whose work I love. If you haven’t checked out Marvel Comics’ Squirrel Girl, you should. It’s great. I wish Marvel would do more of this kind of stuff, it reminds me of the Marvel Adventures comics that used to be around. There was some great stuff in that series.
I’m generally done touring for a while. But I got some interesting shows on the horizon: This Saturday: Collector’s Corner – Baltimore, MD (info) March 27: Rutgers Geek Week – New Brunswick, NJ (info) April 4: UCLA Geek Week – Los Angeles, CA (info TBA) April 10: Univ. of North Texas GeeKon Event – Denton, TX (info TBA) April 23: The Symposium – Cleveland, OH (info) April 24: ICE Comic Expo – Chicago, IL May 2: Super-Fly Comics FCBD! – Yellow Springs, OH
Come out and say hi!
If there be anything here That cometh not in the name of the powers of light Then in the name of the powers of light let it be gone
This is an odd song – hard to parse, kind of urban fantasy, and probably about knocking California into the ocean or something. I like it a lot.
By Leslie Fish, lyrics and chords available here. There are…way too many chords in this song. Fish has a “one word, one chord” style of text-setting, but this is an extreme example of the trope.
According to the liner notes for Avalon Is Risen, the chorus has been effectively used as a banishing ritual.
