December Was Grey

Near Wild Heaven

The Imperatives

February Son

the sea is coming for you
the sea is coming for you
the sea is coming for you
I hope you drown first
the sea is coming for you
the sea is coming for you
the sea is coming for you
I hope you drown first

aquifer's dry,
you're gonna die
the fire too wild too soon
aquifer's dry,
you're gonna die
and you'll take your children with you

red colored sky,
you're gonna die
a pyronimbus in bloom
ashes'll fly,
you're gonna die
and you'll take your children with you

crises stack
on crises stack
on crises that
by Christ you made
Crises stack
on crises stack
on crises that
you made
crises stack (the sea is comin)
on crises stack (the sea is comin)
on crises that (the sea is comin)
by christ you made
crises stack (see us coming)
on crises stack (see us coming)
on crises that you made    
(I hope you drown first)

haligh, haligh
you're gonna die
and you'll take your children with you
haligh, haligh
you're gonna fry
and you'll damn your children with you

the sea is coming for you

In early 2013, Asheesh and I were working on a backup puzzle for the MIT Mystery Hunt (in case a puzzle broke and needed to be replaced). The puzzle was about Asheesh's favorite band, REM, and its many, many cover songs (often from obscure artists, so REM's version was the more popular one).

One of those covers, which we discovered during writing, was the song Favorite Writer, originally by Magnapop. The chorus was something special, and we wanted to share it with others, but knew it would have to wait until after Hunt lest we spoil the puzzle.

Then Aaron Swartz died, right before Hunt, and the song took on new meaning for us. Asheesh cryptically posted its lyrics on his not-a-blog, spoilers be damned. A tiny, private memorial.

It's ten years later. Covering Favorite Writer has been on my todo list for roughly that long. Finally got it recorded. I made a few changes.

Lyrics:

In Kendall Square a cold wind blew
Your favorite writer died
In a car, in a crash
Died in a fire, imagine that

In a car, in a crash
Died in a pyre, imagine that
Engine, engineer

The fire blew the red line out
You limped along with doubt
Hitch a ride, hitch a ride
Your favorite writer died

Engine, engineer
Peaceful pioneers who
Hold me

L. Raphael, who washed his hands
Your favorite writer died
Hacker hype, lackey life
The ace Pilate, imagine that

Engine, engineer
Peaceful pioneers who
Hold me
Well there I'm one stop short for leaving here
Engine, engineer
Peaceful pioneers who
Hold me

Angel, engineer
Peaceful pioneers who
Hold me
Well there I'm one stop short for leaving here
Angel, engineer
Peaceful pioneers who
Hold me

The mighty, the flight-y, the MIT
Still deny what you try, what you want to be
Iconoclast in your past, it's your history
Where'd it go, where'd it go, it's a mystery

The mighty, the fright-y, the MIT
Still deny what you try, what you want to be
How you signed to be blind to your financing
Hey there Joi, get your boy tainting everything

The mighty, the spite-y, the MIT
Still deny what you try, what you want to be
Your seniors and dreamers' evict-ory
All in all we're intolerable anarchy

The mighty, the blight-y, the MIT
Still deny what you try, what you want to be
Why'd he find only silence and sophistry?
We all know, we all know your complicity

The Grey Tide

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