Eggs and Endorphins

The Ruined Tower
Joshua Kronengold
ttto Under the Gripping Beast
inspired by Horsetamer's Daughter

With a circle made of horses, and a plain first level screen,
I fought and beat the wizards who would rule what they had seen
They granted me an eight domain, which was not theirs to give,
And I shall strive to keep it free as long as I can live

Inside the ruined tower, my horses run and play.
Inside the ruined tower, the wizards stay away.
My people love my power, for it keeps the plains folk free
As I have won our freedom, so shall we forever be.

I know that I grow older, so I search the land for power,
I hate to be the only one--alone within my tower.
But though there's power in the land, there's no one here like me.
No one with strength that's great enough to make the wizards flee.

Inside the ruined tower, I pace upon the straw
Inside the ruined tower, time is an open maw,
For I'm an only child, and I dare not have a babe,
For I would lose my power, and my land would be enslaved.

The years have fallen on me, and I know my sun will set,
But my people still have freedom, for I have not fallen yet,
I know the lords will rule again as soon as I am done.
Each day that I can have is like a year that I have won.

Inside the ruined tower, the horses come and go
Inside the ruined tower, I stand against time's flow
Though he yet hunts my footsteps, still I will not yield to death.
My power keeps my people free while I can take
a breath

This was written this morning, with an idea popping up as we set up for
working on our Band Scramble set. It almost certainly wouldn't have been
finished if it had not been for the enthusiastic help and encouragement from
my insta-band mate, Dawn Jackal.

Hold On
Lyrics: Joshua Kronengold, with help and encouragement from Dawn Jackal, to the tune of "Calm Down," by Kathy Mar

Musicians have invaded, they're everywhere you look
And they speak of each performance from a music theory book
They rant of broken measures, rave of substitution chords
I'd love to find some way say I don't know all those words

Hold on, it's only pitch and rhythm,
Hold on, it's only G and A
Hold on and speak to me in English
Please realize, I'm a filker, and that I just want to play

They sit around for hours as I'm sure you've seen and heard,
But though the music's nice, we cannot understand a word
With meter, modes, and intervals, time: broken, cut, and whole
You work each piece of music 'till it starts to sound like coal
The theory group is growing and the hour may not be long
Before you need doctorate before you sing a song
I'd rather be a maverick and just sing what sounds good
Than have to make my music sound like others think it should

Hold on, it's only pitch and rhythm,
Hold on, it's only G and A
Hold on and speak to me in English
Please realize, I'm a filker, and that I just want to play

One day I'll study theory -- get a doctorate or two,
And throw it all away to talk like normal people do,
I'll make a music language that is clear, concise, and clean,
With terms derived from English and that says just what I mean

Hold on, it's only pitch and rhythm,
Hold on, it's only G and A
Hold on and speak to me in English
Please realize, I'm a filker, and that I just want to play
Please realize, I'm a filker, and that I just want to play