It's Alice Day again

[catsittingstill]

This song was inspired by Elizabeth Barrette's Fledgling Grace series. She is ysabetwordsmith on LJ/DW but if you don't follow her there, you can find her serial poetry page here. She is very prolific so you will have to scroll down a bit to get the Fledgling Grace poems.


Take These Wings
lyrics and melody by Cat Faber 2012
mp3 here

Dm             C                Bb
 The Fledging came by ones and sevens
              C              Dm    Gm
A scourge we might hope to escape
          Bb                  Gm
But over time we all grew feathers 
              C                Bb
Though never flight, whatever shape.
              C                Bb
Though never flight, whatever shape--

               Dm    F                C
   Take these [wings; they're just a burden
                Bb         Gm     C
   That are no key to open sky   
                  F                   Am Dm  
   That mark and mock, that hint and hinder
                 C              Dm
   That all may see and wonder why.
                 C              Dm
   That all may see and wonder why.

The wings of doves, mark Norman children
The wings of crows the Crow attire
A favored few bear wings of cardinals
That mark the holy all admire
That mark the holy all admire--

So some are blessed by confirmation
Of family pride in ancient tales
And some are torn by refutation
Where memory's guide to lineage fails.
Where memory's guide to lineage fails--

Some bear wings of birds before us
No living soul has heard their call
But bitter sings a different chorus
For some are feathered not at all
For some are feathered not at all--

Now some suspect my every kindness
Is just a mask for evil things
What can I do?  Where can I shelter?
I did not ask for leather wings
I did not ask for leather wings--

As is mostly the case, this new song is available at my website, www.hwaet.org.  If you like my music and would like to support it, I have an album, The King's Lute, available at Bandcamp.  If you are choosing a gift for a friend you think might like my music, I hope you will keep me in mind.

Comments

[batyatoon]

I haven't read the series this is based on, but I suppose it was inevitable that this would remind me of "Wings" more strongly than anything else.

(I can't remember: did I ever get the chance to sing my filk of that for you?)

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>I haven't read the series this is based on<<

The first poem written was "The Wingdresser's Kitchen," which turns out to be quite far down the storyline. The beginning of the connected storyline is "Moulting." The prejudice against bat wings is explained in "Fledermäuse." The song references motifs from several other poems, but for a nutshell introduction to the series, those three will do nicely.

>>I suppose it was inevitable that this would remind me of "Wings" more strongly than anything else.<<

Do you have a link to the lyrics/tune?

Re: Thoughts

[batyatoon]

Lyrics right here, sheet music here.

My filk of it is here, if you'd like to see that too. :)

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

These are both beautiful! Thank you for sharing.

I think it's wonderful when one person's creativity inspires another.

Re: Thoughts

[batyatoon]

Isn't it? :) I think it's one of the things I love best about filk.

Re: Thoughts

[catsittingstill]

Me too.

[catsittingstill]

I checked it out where you linked it for Ysabet, and yes, I'm pretty sure you did sing it for me once. It is very poignant.

[randwolf]

That is quite wonderful...but the spirit of Kanefsky spoke in my ears and muttered something about being driven bats.

*laugh*

[ysabetwordsmith]

Good comeback.

[catsittingstill]

:-)

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

This is so beautiful. I am touched by it every time I hear it.

You've got a square bracket here that I think does not belong:

Take these [wings; they're just a burden

Re: Thank you!

[catsittingstill]

I am very glad you like it. There's something about the chorus melody that just gets me right under the breastbone.

Thanks for alerting me to the typo; I'll see about fixing that.