For space is wide and good friends are too few.
I would just like to remind everyone that regardless of your opinion of the Star Wars prequels, they did produce one of the greatest parody songs of all time, which by the way was written entirely before the movie came out using spoilers from pre-Google 1990s fansites.
I’m sure everyone’s heard this song, but I had no idea it was written before the movie came out, and that is amazing.
Exactly what it says on the tin, a Jedi Drinking Song from the Brobdingnagian Bards.
so @paticmak made this lovely drawing/animation of “poe singing space folk songs to the other resistance pilots” and then @soemily activated the SPACE-SIGNALING BEACON OF WRITE A SPACE FOLK SONG
this one turned out like 50% space folk song, 50% blindsided by poe dameron feelings. (surely you, the internet, understand.)
downloadable link here, lyrics below the cut:
THIS IS WHAT I LIVE FOR
I rewatched inside llewyn davis cause of @felloart yesterday, and then i had a dream about poe singing space folk songs to the other resistance pilots…. so now you can have this stupid gif.
THIS ISN’T STRICTLY RELEVANT BUT
This is an old Star Wars filk song by Sheila Willis I’ve been saying I would re-record for a while now. The only other recording I know of sounds like it was a good (probably better) performance, but it’s ancient, and the sound quality is kind of miserable. It seemed like now was the time.
My hands got kind of confused toward the end, but I finished just before the phone rang, so I’m calling it a win.
I heard there was some kind of Star Wars thing happening soon?
(I just looked it up, the movie’s not out until December, but from the way some people I know have been carrying on, you’d think it was next week)
Anyway, this isn’t even about Star Wars. Not entirely, at least. It’s a metaphor.
(Am)Come you knights and come you pilots
(G)With your ships and sabers shining
(Am)Come and stop your (F)children’s crying
(Am)Come and join the (G)Jedi (Am)Queen
(Am)Come with might and come with glory
(G)Set your dreams and wings a-soaring
(Am)Hear the ancient (F)hidden story
(Am)Come and join the (G)Jedi (Am)Queen
(Am)Heard the tales the Empire spread, (G)told you rebels couldn’t (Am)win
(Am)So you locked your(F)doors before them, (Am)made your courage (G)battered, (Am)thin
(Am)Promised you the traitor’s land, (G)wealth and power in your (Am)house
(Am)You don’t even (F)have to fight, (Am)all you do is (G)watch them (Am)die
(Am)Never ask the dangerous questions, (G)such as why you’re off to (Am)war
(Am)Yours is but to (F)follow generals, (Am)going where the (G)trumpets (Am)blow
Chorus
In the battle fought the axis, saw a pilot as he died
Looked into the shattered cockpit, heard my soul in torment cry
For the first time since I started, for the first time in my life
Looked into the enemy’s eye, found that they were just like mine
Lived with evil for so long now, had forgotten and truth and right
Knew my time had come and somehow found a way to join their fight
Chorus
Lying in a blasted tomb with a full moon in my eyes
Had no hope that help was coming, when a flash lit up the skies
Thought it was a battle starship, thought that soon we all would die
Heard the word the emperor promised, knew right then it for a lie
Saw the rebel starships coming, being led by the chosen one
Evil forces lost that morning and a new day has begun
Chorus
“Come You Knights,” by Sheila Willis, performed by Technical Difficulties at the 1986 Worldcon
You might notice that some of the lyrics above are wrong. If you do, please tell me. I transcribed them, and am very unsure about a lot of them. I haven’t been able to find them written anywhere. And I know nothing about Star Wars so I don’t know if anything makes no sense in context. But this song must be good, because I really like it anyway. Thanks to sci-fantasy for correcting a line, and pointing out that it’s sometimes sung as “Rebel Queen” rather than “Jedi Queen.” According to people in YouTube comments, it’s also sometimes “rebel fleet,” so. Take your pick.
Bob Kanefsy’s parody of it is also fantastic, as Bob Kanefsy’s parodies often are (and it’s how I have the chords for this).
Jeff Bohnhoff’s “Midichlorian Rhapsody” performed at OVFF ans winner of the 2014 Pegasus Award for Best Adapted Song
As one of the singers pointed out, “Queen doesn’t even perform this live.” Filkers are not well known for this kind of achievement of actually rehearsing stuff. Be impressed.
Lyrics here
