Filk for Gigolas Week 2014. Prompt was "The Grey Havens".

TheBalladofGimliandLegolas.wav

Based on "Legolas' Song of the Sea" from Return of the King. I thought it would make a better duet - with a happy ending, of course!

Cover art borrowed from the incredible Ted Nasmith

To the Sea.wav

This is a Harry Potter filk I've been chewing on for a while. It deals with how Snape reacts when Dumbledore, crippled by the horcrux's curse and being pursued by Draco, orders Snape to kill him when the time comes. It also features Ariana, the source of Dumbledore's deepest scars. 

Lyrics can be found on my page at AO3. 

The Sword.wav

This was intended to be a cover of Katy Perry's song "Dark Horse" but it ended up being pretty different from the original... I didn't realize how terrible that song really is until i started to deconstruct it for a cover! This is more 'produced' than my other songs thus far, with some contributions from my ancient keyboard. I resisted the temptation to add cheesy sound effects or lines from the Potter movies. Lyrics are available on my AO3/Tumblr/LJ ;) 

Please forgive my terrible Snape impression XD

Dark Arts

This is a rough recording Arwen's Song - the arrangement was done by the very talented hellofeanor! I thought that folks who are interested in being part of the Elf Choir at DragonCon might appreciate a track they can sing along with that has the lyrics, too. Hellofeanor made some great midi versions of all 3 Elf Choir songs as well. Please contact one of us if you'd like a copy of the sheet music!

Arwen's Song - arranged by Hellofeanor

Lyrics: 

Penseive.Purgative

Memories like wisps of smoke
Curl around my fingertips
Find the truth for which I grope
As the sand beneath me slips

In this silver bowl of mist
I leave my life with you behind
Far away from those who wander
The dark pathways of my mind

But I miss you
Like a flightless bird misses the sky where it has never flown
And I miss you
Like a sightless fish misses the sun which it has never known (never known)

Like a snake that sheds its skin
I will discard these sentiments
Cauterize my bleeding heart
This love my last impediment

But I miss you 
Like a celibate misses the touch which he has never felt
And I miss you 
Like an orphan child misses the home where he has never dwelt

(I miss the love I never knew
The kindness I’ve forgotten
The friendship that I threw away 
The memories gone rotten)

I will rise from this ordeal
With a mind as clear as ice
Though these wounds may never heal
I will make the sacrifice

Penseive.Purgative

This is a quick cover I put together for Ed Sheeran's "I See Fire". I have been working on a more ambitious version of this song with sound effects and more instruments, but it's taking forever so I wanted to do a more minimalist version! I can safely say I'm pretty sick of this song by now, but like all things Tolkien-related, it will always have a special place in my heart. 

Lyrics:
Oh, misty eye of the mountain below
Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls
And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke
Keep watching over Durin's sons

If this is to end in fire
Then we should all burn together
Watch the flames climb high into the night
Calling out father oh
Stand by and we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side (high)

And if we should die tonight
Then we should all die together
Raise a glass of wine for the last time
Calling out father oh
Prepare as we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side
Desolation comes upon the sky

Now I see fire
Inside the mountain
I see fire
Burning the trees
And I see fire
Hollowing souls
I see fire
Blood in the breeze
And I hope that you remember me

Oh, should my people fall
Then surely I'll do the same
Confined in mountain halls
We got too close to the flame
Calling out father oh
Hold fast and we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side
Desolation comes upon the sky

(refrain)

And if the night is burning
I will cover my eyes
For if the dark returns
Then my brothers will die
And as the sky is falling down
It crashed into this lonely town
And with that shadow upon the ground
I hear my people screaming out

(refrain) 

I See Fire - Demo Version

Here's another Potter-inspired filk! This is a cover of "High School Never Ends" by Bowling For Soup. Enjoy!

Lyrics:

Seven years, you’d think for sure
That’s all you’ve got to endure
All the pureblood pricks
On their new broomsticks
So superficial, so immature
Then when you graduate
You take a look around and you say HEY WAIT
This is the same as where I just came from
I thought it was over
Aw that’s just great

The Wizarding world is just as bewitched
With whose blood is pure and who caught the Snitch,
Who‘s in the Prophet, who’s in the closet,
Who‘s got the gold and who scored a witch
And you still don’t have the right look
And you don’t have the right friends
Nothing changes but the faces, the names, and the trends
Hogwarts never ends

Check out the popular kids
You’ll never guess what Bellatrix did
Lucius got caught at a Muggle wig shop
And poor Professor Lupin finally got the chop
And the only thing that matters
Is climbing up that social ladder
Still care about your robes and the broom you ride
Doesn’t matter if you’re sixteen or thirty-five

Lily Evans,
She’s the prom queen
James Potter,
Captain of the Quidditch team
Wormtail, the clown
Padfoot, the quarterback
I’ve seen it all before
I want my money back

The Wizarding world is just as bewitched
With whose blood is pure and who caught the Snitch,
Who’s undercover Dumbledore’s lover,
Who cast a Dark Mark on the Quidditch pitch
And you still don’t have the right look
And you don’t have the right friends
And you still have to take the same shit you did back then
Hogwarts never ends

Hogwarts never ends

The Wizarding world is just as bewitched
With whose blood is pure and who caught the Snitch,
Who‘s in the Prophet, who’s in the closet,
Who‘s got the gold and who scored a witch
And I still don’t have the right look
And I don’t have any friends
And I’m pretty much the same as I was back then
Hogwarts never ends
Hogwarts never ends
Hogwarts never ends
Here we go again

Hogwarts Never Ends

Cover of the Unthanks' song "Magpie", which in turn is borrowed from an old English folk tune. According to English superstition, magpies are birds of omen and prophecy.

Fun fact: I recorded this while waiting inside my car, so please excuse the poor audio quality. 

Lyrics:

One's for sorrow, two's for joy
Three's for a girl and four's for a boy
Five's for silver, six for gold
Seven's for a secret never told
Devil, devil, i defy thee
Devil, devil, i defy thee
Devil, devil, i defy thee

Oh the magpie brings us tidings
Of news both fair and foul
She's more cunning than the raven
More wise than any owl
For she brings us news of the harvest
Of the barley, wheat, and corn
And she knows when we'll go to our graves
And how we shall be born

One's for sorrow, two's for joy
Three's for a girl and four's for a boy
Five's for silver, six for gold
Seven's for a secret never told
Devil, devil, i defy thee
Devil, devil, i defy thee
Devil, devil, i defy thee

She brings us joy when from the right
Grief when from the left
Of all the news that's in the air
We know to trust her best
For she sees us at our labor
And she mocks us at our work
And she steals the eggs from out of the nest
And she can mock the hawk

One's for sorrow, two's for joy
Three's for a girl and four's for a boy
Five's for silver, six for gold
Seven's for a secret never told
Devil, devil, i defy thee
Devil, devil, i defy thee
Devil, devil, i defy thee

Oh the priest he says we're wicked
For to worship the devil's bird
Ah but we respect the old ways
And we disregard his word
For we know they rest uneasy
As we slumber in the night
And we'll always leave out a little bit of meat
For the bird that's black and white

One's for sorrow, two's for joy
Three's for a girl and four's for a boy
Five's for silver, six for gold
Seven's for a secret never told
Devil, devil, i defy thee
Devil, devil, i defy thee
Devil, devil, i defy thee

The Unthanks cover - Magpie

Arranged by me, with lyrics from Susanna Clarke's novel, Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

Not long, not long, my father said

Not long shall you be ours

The Raven King knows all to well

Which are the finest flowers

 

The priest was all too worldly

Though he prayed and rang his bell

The Raven King three candles lit

The priest said it was well

 

Her arms were all too feeble

Though she claimed to love me so

The Raven King stretched out his hand

She sighed and let me go

 

This land is all too feeble

It is painted on the sky

And trembles like the wind-shook rain

When the Raven King goes by

 

For always and for always

I pray remember me

Upon the moors, beneath the stars

With the King's wild company!

The Raven King

This is a really quick cover I threw together of The Unthanks' song "Hawthorn". I did up the strings in Garageband, since I obviously don't have a string quartet at my disposal ;)

This isn't strictly JSAMN-related, but I feel it's a fitting song for Childermass and Norrell's relationship. 

Lyrics: 

Hawthorn white, hawthorn red
Hanging in the garden at my head
Tell me simple, tell me true
When winter comes, what will I do?

I have a house with chimneys four
I have a silver bell at my door
A single hearth and a single bed
"That's not enough," the hawthorn said

I have a Lute and I have a Lyre
A yellow cat sits by my fire
A nightingale to my tree is tied
"That bird looks sick," the hawthorn cried

I have a horse with wings for feet
I have a chicken each day to eat
When I was born, the church bells rang
"But just for time," the hawthorn sang

I have silk and satin spread
That runs blood red round my bedhead
So why is my heart as light a lead?
"There's no love there," the hawthorn said

Hawthorn white, hawthorn red
Hanging in the garden at my head
Tell me simple, tell me true
When winter comes, what will i do?

Unthanks cover - Hawthorn

This is a re-imagining of an old Yorkshire folk song called "The Devil in York", from whom the lyrics and tune were loosely borrowed. The content is based on Susanna Clarke's novel Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I think of this as the song John Childermass sings to his grandchildren, to recount some of the magical hijinks he used to get up to with his former employer. This also might be the sort of thing sung in taverns and ale-houses after the "Miracle of York" occurred. 

Lyrics:

Magicians gathered round in the Old Starre Inn
All on a winter's day
And they'd eat and they'd drink and their tales they'd spin
So the folks all say

They'd articles aplenty to brandish about
All on a winter's day
But of magic among them there was nowt
So the folks all say

Lai di di...

Til one night the youngest of their crew
All on a winter's day
Put a question to them made their faces turn blue
So the folks all say

He asked why magicians neglected their craft
All on a winter's day
And they laughed and they tutted and said he was daft
So the folks all say

Lai di di...

Well the young man went out, for an answer to seek
All on a winter's day
To old Hurtfew Abbey, all sober and bleak
So the folks all say

And inside the library of Mr. Norrell
All on a winter's day
A bargain was struck put an end to their quarrel
So the folks all say

Lai di di...

Then early one morning before the grey dawn
All on a winter's day
The magicians assembled, a doubting black throng
So the folks all say

They all signed away their right to do magic
All on a winter's day
Except John Segundus, who thought it too tragic
So the folks all say

Lai di di...

Far off in Hurtfew, a storm it was brewing
All on a winter's day
Norrell his scandalous magic was doing
So the folks all say

From inside York Minster came cries of fright
All on a winter's day
For the statues inside it had all come to life
So the folks all say

They sang lai di di...

With tongues of dry stone, they each told their stories
All on a winter's day
Of past thieves and murderers, conquests and glories
So the folks all say

Segundus was stunned, and he put pen to paper
All on a winter's day
To tell the whole world of the York Minster caper
So the folks all say

Lai di di...

So if ever you stand in the minster of York
All on a winter's day
And hear a strange sound, like a stone that can talk
So the folks all say

Remember the tale of old Mr. Norrell
All on a winter's day
For with real magicians it does not do to quarrel
So the folks all say!




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