mythology & religion

Yehudi Mind Tricks – Benjamin Newman

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I was raised in a desert country
Where the sun burns double and it seldom rains,
So we drew our water from the meager trickle
In the narrow places that became our chains.

Then a cry for rescue was heard in the wasteland,
In the plain disguise of a restless stray,
And this revelation at the edge of freedom:
You have to lose your bearings to find your way.

“Yehudi Mind Tricks” by Benjamin Newman, a gorgeous Jewish interpretation of Luke’s narrative in Star Wars.

Chords, lyrics, and mp3 are all available on Ben Newman’s website.

Banshee – Cheshire Moon

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The only thing certain in each life is death
As sure as each heartbeat and every last breath
The cry of the Banshee each soul must heed
But who in this world calls for me?
Yes, who in this world calls for me?

“Banshee” by Cheshire Moon. I didn’t realize until I listened to this how much I needed Love Songs About Death Omens in my life.

Lyrics and chords available here.

Sisters & Sinners – Leslie Hudson

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Salomé’s waiting tables, platter in hand
While Deborah smokes the courthouse from her mind
Naomi keeps her daughter close ‘little longer than planned
And Leah’s still a lover to the blind
We are all sisters and sinners, trying to unwind
We are all sisters and sinners, girls, by our own design 

“Sisters & Sinners” by Leslie Hudson, a song for the oft-overlooked and misunderstood ladies of Christian and Jewish lore. Leslie says in the song description that the idea came to her one day when she “mused what it might be like to stumble across a pub in limbo frequented by ladies of Biblical traditions.”

Lyrics available on Bandcamp.

All that is Gold – Brooks Williams

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All that is gold does not glitter
All who wander are not lost
The old that is strong does not wither
Deep roots are not touched by frost

So we [dog mod and brain mod] just discovered that Brooks Williams combined Tolkien’s verse with paraphrasing from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and the result is pretty catchy.

Lyrics available here.

(Full disclosure: when we first listened to this, the Christian aspect flew right over our heads and we went “huh, this sounds weirdly like religious music, wonder why?” We didn’t get it until we found lyrics with explanatory notes.)

Filksong Genealogy: Song from the Pig’s Side

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(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.)

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

Filksong Genealogy: December of Cambreadth

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Use your hooves and use your head
Don’t let down the Man in Red 

“March of Cambreadth” (lyrics), by Heather Alexander, is a classic battle song about killing as many people as possible.  “December of Cambreadth” (lyrics), a parody by Bob Kanefsky, is…also about maximization of output, but the similarities end there.  Except that the language is, somehow, equally vicious.
(Series: Filksong Genealogy)

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)