Wonderlust

Those Who Wander

Green Lungs

This is a song for the Profound Decisions' live-roleplay system Empire.

It was recorded on my digital dictaphone in my front room in one take, so it is very rough. And I was improvising the guitar for the most part.

Lyrics:

Miaren, Miaren,
Will we meet again,
At journey's end,
Miaren?

Oh dream, oh jewel,
Of Terunael,
Do tell me when,
Miaren.

How I recall,
Your towers of yore,
That once filled the blue skies,
Now ruined and worn.

But then, Miaren,
We'll see you again,
In new Seren,   
Miaren.


Oh new, Seren,
Our only haven.
From you we will,
Rebuild.

Our dream, our jewel,
Of Terunael,
Begins anew,
with you.

But oh... the road,
Calls ever to roam,
And walking the long trods,
I long for my home.

But then, Seren,
I'll see you again.
At Journey's end
Miaren

 
But the road, but the road,
Calls ever to roam.
And walking the long trods,
I long for my home.


But then, Seren,
I'll see you again,
When journey's end,
Miaren.

When journey's end,
Miaren.

Miaren

LYRICS

When I was just a bravo,
And yet to make my name,
I longed for reputation so I played the Reaper's game.

I drank and fought for money,
I doubled down for show,
And earned my reputation because:
You reap what you sow!

I'm a Crimson Reaper, I'm
Black and red and bloody fine,
Sing our tales of blood and wine,
Brash and bold until I die!

By blade or winter magic,
We take our weight in gold,
And live life hard and fast until the Reaper takes its toll.

By cutlass, coin or cunning
Our reputation grows!
Nothing given, always earned
'Cause you reap what you sow!

I'm a Crimson Reaper, I'm
Black and red and bloody fine,
Sing our tales of blood and wine,
Brash and bold until I die!

We're friends in every nation's eyes,
(I'm a Crimson Reaper, I'm!)
Packing thrones and rich in pride,
(I'm a Crimson Reaper, I'm!)
Drinking, fighting, shaking dice!
(I'm a Crimson Reaper, I'm!)
Dashing, daring, dressed so nice,
But cross us and you'll pay the price!

I'm a Crimson Reaper, I'm
Black and red and bloody fine,
Sing our tales of blood and wine,
Brash and bold until I die!

I'm a Crimson Reaper, aye!
Cross us and you'll pay the price!

Crimson Reapers

Written by myself, Rhi, Val and Jake

Capo 1st fret
Ooo/Chorus: Cadd9-D-Em-A    Verse: Cadd9-D (A) 

(Ooooo….)

Once Upon a Time
There lived a timid bard 
She sang along with lovebirds
Her chords written by the heart

Guarded was this melody 
yet despite her fierce defence
Along came a brave young man,
gallant, without pretence 

Watching from a distance,
she strummed at her guitar,
and t'was her heart's melody
she sang from afar

If I am just your Songbird
I shall vow upon my death 
I'll drown the world in sweet melody 
I shall sing until my final breath

If that is what you ask of me 
If I am just a pawn  
Then I'll sing my pretty songs for you
Till the rising of the Dawn 

(Ooooo….)

His tales are bold and daring
As she writes them for the stage
But she kept his gentility,
His sorrow and his rage

My soul has an affliction,  
She cries, that wasn’t meant to be 
Composing heartaches into harmonies 
Just to hold you close to me 

‘Cus, if I am just your Songbird
I shall vow upon my death 
I'll drown the world in sweet melody 
I shall sing until my final breath

If that is what you ask of me 
If I am just a pawn  
Then I'll sing my pretty songs for you
Till the rising of the Dawn 

“I'd take any test of adour
Be the canary in a cave 
If I had wings I'd fly and scout ahead 
If it was your life I'd try and save 

But for now, I'm just your Songbird 
Making music from a cage
The nightingale in a tower
Just a tale upon a page”

But the bard kept her distance
and he could never hear
the sweetness of her melody
or see the trails of her tears

So now you share her secret,
the yearning that she cries,
and she asks of you, her lovebirds,
"Let me sing my last reprise..."

I know I'm just your Songbird
To you that's all I’ll be 
My worth is in my final breath
Once I've sung your last melody

Little do you ask of me 
Though I beg to be your pawn
I can be more than a songbird
For you, my Sun of Dawn
 
That, if I am just your Songbird
I shall vow upon my death 
I'll drown the world in sweet melody 
I shall sing until my final breath

If that is what you ask of me 
If I am just a pawn  
Then I'll sing my pretty songs for you
Till the rising of the Dawn 
(Ooooo…. x2)

Songbirds Lament - Empire LARP Song

A song for solemn farewells.

LYRICS

Sail on, sail on, gentle brother
Let a lantern light your way.
Now you don't have to fight any longer,
And your debts have all been paid.

So go on to the maze, you'll be welcomed
As the hero you became.
And your soul in my heart lives forever,
And I'll I never let you fade.

So sail away a lonely day
Until we meet, we meet again,
O sail away unto your calling,
O sail away
(x2)

I know in my bones there's an answer,
For the reason we're undone.
And I still hear your voice in a promise,
That you'll miss me when I'm gone.

But in life we still remain, to cast away the pain
And fall into the hole you left behind,
And I think "What would you say?"
With a smile upon your face,
Praying that we meet again someday.

So sail away a lonely day
Until we meet, we meet again,
O sail away unto your calling,
O sail away
(x2)

And we'll meet again someday,
When a lantern lights your way.

Sail Away

Wrote this one bloody ages ago, but it made its proper Anvil debut at E3 2023 during the Virtue's Roar performance. The recording lacks a certain something compared to the live performance (such as another 15 bards all playing along).

This is another one that started off as an idea for a filk that I couldn't actually make work, but i liked some of the lyrics i had and so I just rewrote the music around it. 

The sharp eyed/eared may hear the ghost of the original inspiration in the lyrics of the second verse, especially if they are of a musical theatre persuasion. ;) 

My thanks to Emma for providing the epic backing vocals for this one (and for the gift of the portable studio device it was recorded on).

I still suspect that the scream at the end is too much, but it continues to make me smile and so I'll continue doing it in the field whenever I have the voice to belt it out. 

FUN FACT: The final vocals for this were recorded in my car after I drove to the middle of a building site with my porta-studio as I was too self conscious to the shouty-screamy vocals at home where the entire neighbourhood would hear.

What We Came For

A song for star-crossed lovers, will-they wont-theys and passing ships in the night.

LYRICS

I met with a cambion
Was she Marcher or a Freeborn?
I don't know.

She looked in disguise,
But still her eyes invited me,
To see her show.

She told me she was leaving then she'd gone
If don't find the words to say then I would sing this song:

Come my love let's away together,
Dance all night for the world to see,
Tip our tankards in every bar,
So come, come and run away with me!

We'll up Highguard, down to Wintermark,
Then hit Navarr where the drink's on me
Take my hand 'cause the night's not over,
Come, come and run away with me!

I asked her "what's your poison?"
She said "Something with a taste you can't ignore"

I asked her what's her fancy
She said "Something that'll leave me wanting more"

She told she me was leaving then she'd gone
If I don't tell her how I feel, I'll never live this down.

Come my love let's away together,
Dance all night for the world to see,
Tip our tankards in every bar,
So come, come and run away with me!

We'll up Highguard, down to Wintermark,
Then hit Navarr where the drink's on me
Take my hand 'cause the night's not over,
Come, come and run away with me!

I'll never live this down...

Come my love let's away together,
Dance all night for the world to see,
Tip our tankards in every bar,
So come, come and run away with me!

We'll up Highguard, down to Wintermark
Then hit Navarr where the drink's on me
Take my hand 'cause the night's not over,
Come, come and run away with me!

Journey On

Come And Run Away With Me

A song to commemorate the end of a special story in the world of Empire LRP. To all those who were part of it, lived (and died) it - it was a blast.

LYRICS

Gather round dear listener for a tale of blood and steel,
Of the ones who went to Tromsa and to the Jotun battlefield,
Where the block they call the Bannermen had a mission in their sights,
To take Mathilde Fisher's flag and end the Bregas fight!

Well Amberlain and Guildenstern stepped forward to parley,
They met the Jarl of Tromsa and the terms of war were made,
Black Vigil and the Hartell had formed a fighting line,
To take Mathilde Fisher's flag and end her grand design!

Right now I'm finishing the fight,
Charging with the bannermen the end is in my sight,
Hartells to my left and all the Vigil on my right,
Weep Mathilde Fisher 'cause it's time to say goodnight.

We've come to take your banner,
We've come to take your flag,
The block they call the Bannermen,
Has come to take your flag,
We marched right into Tromsa to put you in a bag!
Where the Fishers cried and the Jotun died,
To the lantern and the stag.

Well the Fishers pined to the Jotun line to fortify the gate,
General Amberlain's got a patient game and she told us all to wait,
We heard the cry "Mass Weakness" and the Fishers dropped and fled,
Get an apple down your gullet son 'cause you're gonna wind up dead.

While the Bannermen pushed forward and toward the Jotun shields,
They saw Mathilde's banner flying over Jotun steel,
The captains made the kill command and we brought the rogues to heel,
The priest of courage grabbed the flag and sprinted through the field.

Right now I'm finishing the fight,
Charging with the bannermen the end is in my sight,
Hartells to my left and all the Vigil on my right,
Weep Mathilde Fisher 'cause it's time to say goodnight.

We've come to take your banner,
We've come to take your flag,
The block they call the Bannermen,
Has come to take your flag,
We marched right into Tromsa to put you in a bag!
Where the Fishers cried and the Jotun died,
To the lantern and the stag.

The Fishers' chants fell silent,
Mathilde's claim was dead,
We got revenge for Bregasland,
And put her dream to bed.
What's left of 'Tilde Fisher?
A rotten bloody flag,
Passed between the drunkards of the Blind Eye and Black Rat!

Oh! We came and took your banner now,
We came and took your flag,
We came and took your banner now,
We came and took your flag,
Woah ho! There goes the "Queen of Bregasland",
Pay the tithe and say goodbye,
Your field has now been dragged.

The Bannermen

I want a puppy!

Video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsKMYlI3dtQ

Read along! The story can be found here: http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Paulie%27s_Puppy

Paulie's Puppy by Mmpratt99

Lay Me In Fire

Award winning composer, sound designer and multi-instrumentalist based in Wiltshire, England - Silgor designs sound and music for use in television, film and video games.

Whilst adept at synthesiser programming and song writing in several genres, he is best known fantasy orchestral soundtracks and as a pioneer of "medieval tavern rock". His latest music offerings come include the album "Journey On" which helped to earn him the "Bard of the Year" award at the 2024 UK LARP awards following support from music and fantasy fans.