Before it recedes too far too fast I want to mention how Steely Dan reminded me about another show I saw not very long ago. It was a year or two ago, another one of those sultry late June evenings, I saw Keith Emerson at a theater in Tarrytown very similar to the Beacon, decedent with post-vaudevillian anachronistic art-demo splendor. Like the Steelies, I saw ELP once before, in a large outdoor summer concert setting, but this show was much smaller and more intimate.<\/p>\n
Keith Emerson is one of my all time musical idols, and the only person I know of who ever led a rock power trio on keyboards instead of guitar. His piano playing, organ, not to mention his pioneering work in synthesizers. Wow! He put on a really good show, revisiting alot of classic ELP material, plus a good helping of newer stuff. He even had is Modular Moog all set up and used it to reproduce a few critical solos from various songs. To this day Karn Evil 9, 2nd Impression remains one of my favorite tunes to play on the piano.<\/p>\n
Around this time we were finishing up the Buzzy Tonic record and tossing around ideas for songs for a follow-up. I thought it might be fun to an album-side-length prog epic, in the grand tradition of Tarkus, Karn Evil 9, 2112, Hemispheres, Close To The Edge or one of those. If you\u2019re a prog fan you\u2019ll know what I\u2019m talking about. But what topic? I’ve always had a thing for Vikings, so the night of the concert I came home and came up with a lyric. The only problem is it pretty much turned out as a recapitulation of the plot of the classic Terry Jones movie “Erik The Viking”. Well I could do worse I suppose; at least it was suitably epic. However, the task of arranging and recording a twenty minute song was rather daunting; as much effort as four or five normal sized songs. So the odds me actually getting around to it any time soon are slim to none. I might do a demo of it someday, but meanwhile, I thought I’d share the lyric with you.<\/p>\n
…<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vikings!<\/strong><\/p>\n I. Overture: Looting and Pillaging<\/strong><\/p>\n (instrumental)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n II. Freya<\/strong><\/p>\n Young men only interested in fighting and killing Look, what do you see? The winter is gone, the summer has come So this is Ragnorok And will the dead ever return?<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n III. Vikings!<\/strong> Erik, What Are You Doing? No wait! …<\/p>\n Harald the Cleric no warrior he Harald the Cleric doesn’t believe Harald the Cleric pilgrim missionary\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n The Voyage<\/strong> Earnestly Erik with Harald the Cleric Many cold days pass on rolling waves The dreaded black sails are drawing near Thorfinn falls, Sven rages on \u00a0<\/p>\n V. Hy-Brasil<\/strong> Welcome, welcome we always welcome friends Tee-tum, tee-tum, tee-tum We come from a land where there is no music Tee-tum, tee-tum, tee-tum, tee-tum And so human blood is spilled Stay calm, stay calm this is not happening It’s all a question of what you want to believe<\/p>\n Tee-tum, tee-tum, tee-tum<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n VI. The Horn Resounding<\/strong><\/p>\n You do know how to play the horn d’you?<\/em><\/p>\n The first note to take you to Asgaard The first note to take you to Asgaard Once you’re in the spell of the horn And she said, \u00a0<\/p>\n VII. Bifrost Asgaard Valhalla (and Home)<\/strong><\/p>\n (instrumental)<\/p>\n Bifrost – Asgaard \u00a0– Valhalla! The second note to awaken the gods<\/em><\/p>\n Bifrost – Asgaard \u00a0– Valhalla! Bifrost – Asgaard \u00a0– Valhalla! Now Fenreya the wolf is gone The realm of earth is not for you …<\/p>\n The third note to bring you home<\/em><\/p>\n Harald the Cleric, blows the horn Look, what do you see? Before it recedes too far too fast I want to mention how Steely Dan reminded me about another show I saw not very long ago. It was a year or two ago, another one of those sultry late June evenings, I saw Keith Emerson at a theater in Tarrytown very similar to the Beacon, decedent … Continue reading “New Lyrics: Vikings!”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zingman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zingman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zingman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zingman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zingman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.zingman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zingman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zingman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zingman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nBut has it always been that way?
\nAn axe age a storm age an ice age
\nBrother against brother in hatred and rage
\nUntil the world is destroyed<\/p>\n
\nI see the world, Freya
\nI see the world<\/p>\n
\nYet Fenreya the Wolf still covers the sun
\nSo the old legends are all true
\nOnce as a child in a dream the sky was blue
\nIt was blue<\/p>\n
\nWhat must I do, Freya
\nWhat must I do?<\/p>\n
\n(including Erik, What Are You Doing? \u00a0Thorfinn Just Said That Sven’s Grandfather Died of Old Age!<\/em> and Harald the Cleric<\/em>)<\/p>\n
\nThorfinn just said that Sven’s grandfather
\nDied of old age!
\nHe’ll have to kill me! \u00a0He’ll have to kill me!
\nNo he didn’t he died in battle!
\nNow he must kill me! \u00a0Now he must kill me!
\nHe died of old age!
\nHe’ll have to kill me! \u00a0He’ll have to kill me!<\/p>\n
\nThere is another way!
\nI’m not afraid of anything<\/p>\n
\nSandals treading in the snow<\/p>\n
\nIn violence and revenge
\nAsgaard or Valhalla
\nCuz he believes in something else
\nOne god or many?
\nWhat does it matter?
\nHe seeks serenity transcendence and wisdom
\nForgiveness salvation
\nYet no one will listen<\/p>\n
\nSandals treading in the snow
\nHe’s sure got a long way to go<\/p>\n
\n(including Sven the Berserk vs. The Dragon of the North Sea<\/em> and Thorfinn Doesn’t Know the Meaning of Fear<\/em>)<\/p>\n
\nAnd Leif the Lucky too
\nSven the Berserk and Sven’s Berserker Dad
\nAll join in the crew
\nKietel Blacksmith, Thorfinn Skullsplitter
\nEven Ivar the Boneless and Snorri
\nStart on their quest in their open long boat
\nThat’s the last we shall see of old Norway!<\/p>\n
\nPuke, puke, puke, puke, puke
\nPursued by Halfdan the Black –
\nThere’s no turning back
\nThe dragon attacks!
\nThe long ship cracks!
\nFrame by frame death by drowning
\nOn the Devil’s doorway<\/p>\n
\nBut Thorfinn doesn’t know the meaning of fear
\nThe battle is joined and Erik brings
\nThe magic from the daughter of the King
\nNow you see me now you don\u2019t ha ha!<\/p>\n
\nThe day won under the sun, but now
\nLoki shows his face, has yet to play his hand
\nWhat does fate have in store for poor Snorri?<\/p>\n
\n(including The Tee-Tum Song<\/em>)<\/p>\n
\nEveryone is friends here in Hy-Brasil
\nBeing nice to each other is what it’s all about.
\nHere in Hy-Brasil
\nA thousand years of peace and love
\nHere in Hy-Brasil<\/p>\n
\nTee-tum, tee-tum, tee-tum, tee-tum
\nTee-tum, tee-tum, tee-tum<\/em><\/p>\n
\nWhere men live and die by the axe and the sword
\nWhere Fenreya the Wolf covers the sun
\nFar from Hy-Brasil<\/p>\n
\nTee-tum, tee-tum, tee-tum<\/em><\/p>\n
\nAnd the land begins to sink beneath the sea
\nMurder tragic disenchants the island’s magic
\nThe end of Hy-Brasil<\/p>\n
\nI repeat, this is not happening
\nSave yourselves! Save yourselves!
\nPanic mongers! \u00a0Who do they think they are?<\/p>\n
\nThe second note to awaken the gods
\nThe third note to bring you home<\/p>\n
\nOver the edge of the world
\nOver the edge of the world<\/p>\n
\nHatred will destroy you
\nHatred will destroy you<\/p>\n
\nYou don\u2019t have to love me
\nBut do you believe that I love you?
\nThen let go, let go
\nLet go<\/p>\n
\nBifrost – Asgaard \u00a0– Valhalla!<\/p>\n
\nBifrost – Asgaard \u00a0– Valhalla!
\nThe gods awake!
\nBetter look out!<\/p>\n
\nBifrost – the rainbow bridge
\nAsgaard \u00a0– the hall of the gods
\nValhalla – the destiny of the great warriors
\nYeah we’re the lucky ones!<\/p>\n
\nBut the fate of man
\nIs in man’s hand<\/p>\n
\nYou’ve crossed the rainbow bridge
\nAnd will the dead ever return?<\/p>\n
\nHe doesn’t believe but he wants to go home<\/p>\n
\nThe sun … !<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"