In the Bones of Her Cloak
Copyright 2022 by Mary C Crowell
Inspired by C.S.E. Cooney’s Saint Death’s Daughter

Fm
The Dead come to rest in the bones of Her cloak.
Fm
The Dead come to rest in the bones of Her cloak.
Fm
The Dead come to rest in the bones of Her cloak.
Fm
The Dead come to rest in the bones of Her cloak.
C
The living are dancing—in joy they soak.
Fm
The Dead come to rest in the bones of Her cloak.

Fm
The embers’ flame leaping; fire is stoked.
Fm
The embers’ flame leaping; fire is stoked.
C
After you raise them, ashes are choked.
Fm
The Dead come to rest in the bones of Her cloak.

Fm
In poems and Koans, the Stones and their bones
Fm
All sing to Her In their second voice tones. 
C
In poems and Koans, the Stones and their bones
Fm
All sing to Her In their second voice tones.

Fm
Song loud in her bones
Fm
Blood stinging like beer
Fm
Those bones ring in tones
Fm
For her surge is so near
C
Phalanges in time 
C
All ginger and lime 
Fm
Click tart and the sweet
Fm
Toes tap to the beat.




[Music Interlude]

Fm 
Frozen, sublime,
Fm
Winter’s her time. 
C
Ginger and lime, 
C
Chanting and rhyme,
Fm 
Frozen, sublime,
Fm
Winter’s her time.
C
Chanting and rhyme,
Fm
Dancing!

Fm
The Dead come to rest in the bones of Her cloak.
Fm
The Dead come to rest in the bones of Her cloak.
Fm
The Dead come to rest in the bones of Her cloak.

In The Bones Of Her Cloak

I ran Ari Levitch's most excellent adventure, Shemshime's Bedtime Rhyme (published in Candlekeep Mysteries) for my players this month (July 2022!) To keep with spooky creepy ambience of the adventure I set Mr. Levitch's lyrics to music and recorded the song to play in the background of the game. We had a great time, and having the song definitely helped people keep in character and stay focused and very worried about their situation! Shemshime's Bedtime Rhyme is one of my favorite adventures ever--very near and dear to this bard's heart.

The players had the song memorized by the end of the session. I had hummed it a little during the first half of the session. (Then in the second session, I played the fully recorded version over some bluetooth speakers,)

I plan to bring Shemshime back to haunt them again later in the campaign. He's just too good and scary a villain! Hehe!

Shemshime's Lullabye lyrics by Ari Levitch; music by Mary Crowell

Late in 2022 I became enamored of a duo called Hopetoun Brown (bass clarinet/trumpet and vocals) and have been wanting to transcribe some of the good bass clarinet-ness I have heard. My favorite songs of theirs include "Knitted Into My Bones," and "Dirty Shame."

Anyway, I woke up early some time this past week with a bass clarinet riff in my head, and I actually had the thought to hum it into my voice memo app on my phone before dropping back asleep. 

So today and yesterday, I 1) came up with a vocal counterpoint 2) added some lyrics that fit with the vocal counterpoint, and 3) recorded it into Logic Pro and added some virtual drummer plus a kick and snare via MIDI. 

As so often is the case after a dry spell of song writing, the first song I write once I resume is a song ABOUT songwriting.

Low Reed

Copyright 2023 by Mary C Crowell

FAWM 2023

Every single day starts again.

I just got this one into the can.

Filter out the sound as I write this down

With a pen in my notebook by hand.

Hear a little riff in my dream—clarinet

It’s a bass clarinet

Write a vocal too. Now I

I need the words for what I heard

The notes I wrote full o beams.

I’m reassured. Like little birds

They fly together, a team.

Every single song starts somehow.

I just wrote this, and it will allow.

It allows the bass line the lead.

The low reedy bass clarinet sound avows.

Heard a little riff in my head.

Clarinet; It’s a bass clarinet.

Dreamed the little tune, and I

I didn’t lose the tune. The muse.

The sleepy tune while in bed.

I courted her. Recorded her

Before the melody fled.

Love that low reed

Sound. Oh! Now, I got the song.

Low Reed

Day Seven of Octimbre songs written to a card prompt from Hernandooney's upcoming game Negocios Infernales! (Link to Kickstarter launching on October 10,2023: http://NegociosInfernales.com)
Also I have a Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/DrMaryCCrowell

Lyrics:
Leafer’s Lament
Copyright 2023 by Mary C Crowell
This song uses the Negocios Infernales prompt: “What the Mind Wants, It Must Purchase With Its Body.”

 Verse One:
Gm.                                         D7/F#
My own thoughts keep me bound to you
Eb7                              Gm/D 
Can’t let go—gotta pay that due.
Eb7                                 Gm
‘Dreamed of you on into Fall
D7                                Gm 
And in this grove, I gave it all.

Chorus:
D7                              Gm
I journeyed here to view the change
D7                                      Gm
Of seasons. How they rearrange
         Cm                            Gm
Our world, “Become the strange,”
                D7                            Gm
I say and adorn this naked tree.

Verse Two:
Gm.                                         D7/F#
The ropes have darkened from my sweat
Eb7                              Gm/D
The weather cold, I hang here yet.
Eb7                                 Gm
Above the browns and bloody red,
D7                                Gm
The crunchy leaves, the waiting dead.

Bridge:
        Cm.                         Gm
The winter tree wants leaves
     D7             Gm
Denied by Autumn’s breeze.
    Cm                     Gm
Instead, a gift it receives—
  
     D7                      Gm
Me hanging by my feet and knees.

Chorus:
D7                              Gm
I journeyed here to view the change
D7                                      Gm
Of seasons. How they rearrange
         Cm                            Gm
Our world, “Become the strange,”
                D7                            Gm
I say and adorn this naked tree.

Verse Three:
Gm.                                         D7/F#
This bargain I alone will sign
Eb7                              Gm/D
Long from now in oak and pine.
Eb7                                 Gm
Will you join me in my mistake
D7                                Gm
Or stay among the leaves unraked?

Chorus:X2
D7                              Gm
I journeyed here to view the change
D7                                      Gm
Of seasons. How they rearrange
         Cm                            Gm
Our world, “Become the strange,”
                D7                            Gm
I say and adorn this naked tree.

Tag: 
        D7                                                              Gm
I’m gonna decorate this naked tree by myself.

Leafer's Lament

Here is my 8th song of October (Octimbre)! These songs are all written to card prompts from Hernandooney's game Negocios Infernales. The Kickstarter for NEGOCIOS INFERNALES (which includes the full 70-card Destino deck as its core mechanic) goes live on Tuesday, October 10th!
Check it out at http://NegociosInfernales.com!
Also consider visiting my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DrMaryCCrowell where I am posting all these songs plus a little about the songwriting process.

Lyrics
But here, Who Hears?
Copyright 2023 by Mary C Crowell
This song uses the Negocios Infernales prompt: “Language walks you on its leash.”

 Dm G A (Walk up) 

Who are you to tell me 
how to think?
I guess I’m yelling
But you cannot hear the ink.

Was sagst du zu mir?
Warum bin ich?
They call it L2 interference
A                         
Ich erinnere mich.

Chorus:
I shout pure sound and anger.
As my brain shuts down
The words are but a clangor
And I forget my nouns.
I know not why or where
When you explain
Could you please draw it there
To show my brain?

I study daily orrery’s
But alas I soon forget
The stars and the planets
I’ve not been to yet.

The planets and the stars
The musical spheres
Their dances observed
But here, who hears?

Bridge:
If you’ll but sing
I know that I’ll know
And then I’ll follow 
Where e’er you go.

Chorus:
I shout pure sound and anger.
As my brain shuts down
The words are but a clangor
And I forget my nouns.
I know not why or where
When you explain
Could you draw it right there
To show my brain?


Who are you to tell me 
What to think?
I guess I’m yelling
But you cannot hear the ink.
Warum liebe ich dich?

But Here, Who Hears?

Shoulders of Giants

R&B Legends - incl. Have you seen Her and many more

Give More Power To The People

Here is an early mix of "Why I Was Late" featuring the fiddling excellence of Amy McNally! I'll be recording a studio version of "Why I Was Late" at Mystic Fig Studio in December of 2019 for my upcoming new gaming album! I'm SO EXCITED!!!! Album art created by Wesley Crowell.

I'll be sharing previews of other gaming songs for my upcoming album on my Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/DrMaryCCrowell/posts

Be sure and check out Amy's patreon page here:
https://www.patreon.com/infamousfiddler/posts

This song is one I wrote it for Soulwriters to a couple of prompts actually. Ann Marie O'Connell suggested the following prompts: an explanation about why someone was late to work and an adventurer's shopping list. I used both prompts and also channeled some of the crankiness of Temple Screavy, my were-rat rogue character who seems to be always giving away all her alchemists fire and acid and holy water to the other party members, because she is the one who remembered to buy it between adventures. 

Only somehow the transience of adventurers' pack mules and mounts also figured in the song lyrics. And so you get this!

Week 37 Why I was Late

Copyright 2019 by Mary C Crowell

Halfling rogues are always late.

You hate waiting on us.

You tell us all to hurry up.

Complain about our slowness.

CHORUS:

I know, I am late to the party.

I know, I am slow to the show down.

But I, I was hoping for a pony.

I know, we have got to get moving.

I know we have got a deadline.

But there’s, there’s no pony they can loan me.

Word has gotten around

There are no mules to be found.

You put one in the ground.

Last time . . .

And the time before that [X3]

Pony One was eaten up.

Pony two got fireballed

Pony three? He ran away

Found him in the dance hall.

Pony five fell in a pit

Next one was a kelpie.

Pony seven learned to talk

We heard them yelling, “Help me!”

CHORUS

Every time we come back home

I am out of acid.

Holy water, everything.

Need my shopping basket.

Give me time for stocking up

Get some healing potions.

But the one thing I can’t seem to find?

Some form of locomotion.

CHORUS X2

Why I Was Late (The Pony Song)

Hat Of Disguise

Mary Crowell loves songwriting, gaming, mythology, and being creative! Check out her Patreon page: http://patreon.com/drmaryccrowell for more songs and music videos!

Why I Was Late (The Pony Song)

Dr.Mary.C.Crowell

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