The Ballad of High Noon

Do not forsake me, oh my darlin'
On this, our weddin' day
Do not forsake me, oh my darlin'
Wait, wait along

I do not know what fate awaits me
I only know I must be brave
And I must face a man who hates me
Or lie a coward, a craven coward
Or lie a coward in my grave

Oh, to be torn 'tweenst love and duty
S'posin' I lose my fair-haired beauty
Look at that big hand move along
Nearin' high noon

He made a vow while in state prison
Vowed it would be my life or his'n
I'm not afraid of death but oh
What will I do if you leave me?

Do not forsake me, oh my darlin'
You made that promise as a bride
Do not forsake me, oh my darlin'
Although you're grievin', don't think of leavin'
Now that I need you by my side

Wait along,(wait along) wait along
Wait along, wait along
(Wait along, ,wait along, wait along, wait along)

Sung by Tex Ritter in the film High Noon
Written by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington

Song for the Mira

Out on the Mira one warm afternoon,
Old men go fishing with black line and spoon
And if they catch nothing they never complain,
I wish I was with them again.

As boys in their boats call to girls on the shore,
Teasing the one that they really adore,
And into the evening the courting begins,
I wish I was with them again.

Can you imagine a piece of the universe
more fit for princes and kings?
I'll give you ten of your cities
for Marion bridge and the pleasure it brings

Out on the Mira on soft summer nights
Bonfires blaze to the children's delight
They dance round the flames singing songs with their friends;
I wish I was with them again.

And over the ashes the stories are told
Of witches and werewolves and Oak Island gold
The stars on the river they sparkle and spin;
I wish I was with them again.

Can you imagine a piece of the universe
more fit for princes and kings?
I'll give you ten of your cities
for Marion bridge and the pleasure it brings

Out on the Mira the people are kind,
They'll treat you to home-brew and help you unwind.
And if you come broken they'll see that you mend
I wish I was with them again.

And thus I conclude with a wish you go well,
Sweet be your dreams, may your happiness swell,
I'll leave you here, for my journey begins,
I'm going to be with them, going to be with them,
I'm going to be with them again.

Allister MacGillivray


There is a beautiful scene in New Waterford Girl in which a group of Nova Scotian kids sing this around a campfire. (It may sound cheesy but it was actually very heart-wrenching.) Thanks to Sarah for showing me the movie. It was interesting.

Rehearsing for battle

Fantasies of violence,
Breaking bottles on the wall,
Hungry for the motion, for the action,
For it all.

Road noise on the night street,
See the taillights through the blinds,
Out there where your dreams slide,
Toward the night side,
For it all.

For it all, for it all,
What you're aching for,
Where the magic's real and you're like a fire in the sky,
when the deal calls for a sacrifice
And you know you cannot die.
For the edge the best ones live on,
For it all.

You want to be a hero
With the axe about to fall,
You'd buy it for the love and for the glory,
For it all.

You want to dress in black,
And lose your heart beyond recall,
Hunt a dream through rain and thunder,
On your honor
For it all.

In your head, no car is fast enough,
In your heart, no love is true.
Will it ruin all your solitary fancies
If I tell you that it isn't only you?

Keep your ankle off the tailpipe,
Keep your bootheels off the street;
We'll hit the throttle, hit the redline,
We'll find the edge,
We'll make it sweet,
We'll go for it all.

~
"For It All" by Eddie and the Fey
(or, alternatively, performed by Emma and Cats Laughing)
from WAR FOR THE OAKS
by Emma Bull
pg 227-229


Sorry, the Scribblies have enraptured me this past week. Must have something to do with rereading Tam Lin. I'm enjoying it much too much. Mix that with the GG Season 2 and I won't need to leave the house for days! (Well, or until tomorrow when I have to leave to take some pictures...)

P.S. The photos are by fakeplasticstars

Seven Songs

I've been tagged by the Spark (gracias!) and the Claw.*

First, a preface: I'm sure I'm not the only one who's ever noticed that music is very definitely not just poetry put to music. You can't always read lyrics and get a feeling for the song. Sometimes the lyrics aren't anything special at all and yet hearing them sung is incredibly moving. (For example, a lot of Radiohead lyrics sound like something an angsty teenage boy might have written and yet put into the context of the music, they can sound extremely heart-wrenching/edgy/elegant/you-decide.)

That said, you sometimes start to realize this when you try to share a song with another person by just giving them the lyrics to read. Its usually just not good enough. Its one of those (rare?) cases where the words don't convey all that's being said.

Anyhow, whether or not the following are exceptions to this rule, you may decide.

I
Running Up That Hill
by Kate Bush
"And if I only could,
I'd make a deal with God,
and get him to swap our places."

II
Where Do We Go From Here?
from Once More With Feeling (BTVS)
"Understand we'll go hand and hand,
but we'll walk alone in fear."

III
Thinking About You
by Radiohead
"Been thinking about you, and there's no rest,
should I still love you, still see you in bed."

IV
The Bleeding Heart Show
by The New Pornographers
"We hunched together in one chair out on the deck
In snow that froze and fell down on the modern set
It looked as if I picked your name out of a hat
Next thing you know you are asleep in someone’s lap "

V
Your Ex-Lover Is Dead
by Stars
"There's one thing I want to say, so I'll be brave:
You were what I wanted,
I gave what I gave,
I'm not sorry I met you,
I'm not sorry it's over,
I'm not sorry there's nothing to say"

VI
No Man's Woman
by Sinead O'Connor
"I don't wanna be no man's woman,
I've other work I want to get done."

VII
Sometimes Always
by The Jesus & Mary Chain
"I won't get on my knees,
don't make me do that please."

I tag:
Sarah (because she really needs to start a blog!)
Jared
Karina
Colin

_____________________________
* It almost sounds like a pub name, doesn't it? The Spark & Claw. Or a bookstore...

I Don't Wanna Grow Up...

When I’m lyin’ in my bed at night
I don’t wanna grow up
Nothing ever seems to turn out right
I don’t wanna grow up
How do you move in a world of fog that’s
always changing things
Makes me wish that I could be a dog
When I see the price that you pay
I don’t wanna grow up

I don’t ever want to be that way
I don’t wanna grow up
Seems that folks turn into things
that they never want
The only thing to live for is today…
I’m gonna put a hole in my T.V. set
I don’t wanna grow up
Open up the medicine chest
I don’t wanna grow up
I don’t wanna have to shout it out
I don’t want my hair to fall out
I don’t wanna be filled with doubt
I don’t wanna be a good boy scout
I don’t wanna have to learn to count
I don’t wanna have the biggest amount
I don’t wanna grow up
Well when I see my parents fight
I don’t wanna grow up
They all go out and drinkin all night
I don’t wanna grow up
I’d rather stay here in my room
Nothin’ out there but sad and gloom
I don’t wanna live in a big old tomb on grand street
When I see the 5 oclock news
I don’t wanna grow up
Comb their hair and shine their shoes
I don’t wanna grow up
Stay around in my old hometown
I don’t wanna put no money down
I don’t wanna get a big old loan
Work them fingers to the bone
I don’t wanna float on a broom
Fall in love, get married then boom
How the hell did it get here so soon
I don’t wanna grow up


Lyrics by Tom Waits by way of Zota

If you wanna see Tom Waits sing it (although I like the version sung by Holly Cole better)

On this half lit day
With your crown beneath your wings
Ev'ry word just echoes
And the empty world sings

Where have you gone, my feather light heart?
I never imagined I could leave.

In the glistening
Of the lost and open sky
Tiny piece of you sits
Simple wish waits for reply

Where have you gone my feather light heart?
You mustn't forget what love can see.

"Where" by Lisbeth Scott


(It sounds much better put to music.
I emailed my cousin today. Cross your fingers for me.)

Goldenrod and the 4H stone
The things I brought you
When I found out you had cancer of the bone

Your father cried on the telephone
And he drove his car into the Navy yard
Just to prove that he was sorry

In the morning, through the window shade
When the light pressed up against your shoulder blade
I could see what you were reading

All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications you could do without
When I kissed you on the mouth

Tuesday night at the Bible study
We lift our hands and pray over your body
But nothing ever happens

I remember at Michael's house
In the living room when you kissed my neck
And I almost touched your blouse

In the morning at the top of the stairs
When your father found out what we did that night
And you told me you were scared

All the glory when you ran outside
With your shirt tucked in and your shoes untied
And you told me not to follow you

Sunday night when I cleaned the house
I found the card where you wrote it out
With the pictures of your mother

On the floor at the great divide
With my shirt tucked in and my shoes untied
I am crying in the bathroom

In the morning when you finally go
And the nurse runs in with her head hung low
And the cardinal hits the window

In the morning in the winter shade
On the first of March, on the holiday
I thought I saw you breathing

All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications when I see His face
In the morning in the window

All the glory when He took our place
But He took my shoulders and He shook my face
And He takes and He takes and He takes

SUFJAN STEVENS


(This is an absolutely beautiful, moving song. But you really have to hear it sung; the words don't have quite as wonderful a flow when just read.)