A song for Severus?

[mary_j_59]

Here is the entry that I posted on Snapedom today for the Snape in Love challenge-

Hi - yes, it's still Lent, but it's Sunday, and something inspired me to write this song. It's sung by Severus (aka Michael Griffin) for his son's band's album - at Christopher's request. The marvel is that his dad agrees!

I will link to an mp3 of the tune later, if I can manage it:



The Blackbird
My lady's eyes are emerald,
Her kirtle is of flame.
I have died for love of her,
But she never knew my name.

The blackbird sings upon the bough.
He sings so merrily.
Yet never did a man return
Of all that company.

The lords and nobles ordered men
To fight in all their wars.
My lord it was commanded me,
But I served my lady's cause.

We who were but common folk,
We did not dare to shirk.
Some of us fought for Lancaster
and others fought for York.

I bore my lady's banner.
I held her standard high,
And on her crest, a blackbird rose
High up into the sky.

The armies came together
And steel on armour rang.
And over all that fearful din
The merry blackbird sang.

The blackbird sings upon the bough.
He sings so merrily.
Yet never did a man return
Of all that company.

My lady's eyes are emerald,
Her hair, it is a flame.
I have died for love of her,
But she never knew my name.

(words and music, Mary Johnson, 2008 (or Michael Griffin, 2017!). Britpicking welcome as always!)

And here is a link to a mac homepage where you can download an mp3 of me singing it!
http://homepage.mac.com/mekj1/FileSharing9.html

Enjoy! But, as I say on the page, please don't modify the file in any way or distribute without my permission. Thanks!

Comments

[arcanetrivia]

Ooh, nice lyrics. Doubly nice since so much fan poetry (which is not the same as song lyrics, but you know what I mean) is so pitiful.

I like the subtle references and allusions, although I'm sure I'm mistaking them so I don't want to say what I think I see. :o

My brain wanted to set this to "Barbara Ellen", but I assume your tune is original and I like it too :)

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the comment - actually, I'm still working on the tune, (which, so far as I know, is original). I love the lyrics to "Barbara Allen", but I'm not sure I know the actual song?

And I'd be interested to hear what you think you see! At this point in his story, Severus isn't really too aware of them consciously, but his "lady" is quite obviously Lily, and the lord who commands him, Dumbledore. I was thinking of this as an actual folk song from the west Riding, and the unconscious alteration is the last verse. It strikes me that Severus is just that kind of guy - he has a bad tendency to put his ladies on pedestals. That's just the way he is.

I do think song lyrics ought to be poetry, at least of a sort. And my sister is absolutely brilliant with a certain type of nonsense verse. Have you visited the Gringotts Grrls page yet?

[arcanetrivia]

At this point in his story, Severus isn't really too aware of them consciously, but his "lady" is quite obviously Lily, and the lord who commands him, Dumbledore.

That much was obvious. No, I meant the War of the Roses, Severus himself as a "black bird", that sort of thing.

I do think song lyrics ought to be poetry, at least of a sort.

They are, of a sort. They're deceptively simple. Not all poetry can be sung, and I personally find it terribly difficult to write song lyrics.

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

well, you were right about all those! Are you English, btw (I forget)? Because, as an American, I wasn't at all sure about including the War of the Roses - it seemed too easy to get it wrong.

And Severus as the blackbird - yes. I do still think of canon/Severus as the phoenix/griffin. But, when we lived in England, I came to love blackbirds and feel about them much as I do for our bluebirds: sweet, gentle creatures with lovely songs. And endangered by careless humans. That, too, seems to fit Severus, for he's the only person in canon who actually sings (and it's a healing song), and he really does seem like a gentle soul compared to the marauders, or, indeed, most of the Gryffindors. Though there are a lot of people who don't understand what I'm talking about when I mention Severus's deep gentleness and purity of soul. I really do think it's right there in canon, though, however much Rowling tries to deny it.

[arcanetrivia]

well, you were right about all those! Are you English, btw (I forget)? Because, as an American, I wasn't at all sure about including the War of the Roses - it seemed too easy to get it wrong.

Heavens no, I'm from California. (Dude.) I have kind of a mishmosh of spelling preferences because I am used to my fiance's Canadian spelling, though.

I don't really know what the deal was with the War of the Roses, but hanging around SCA folks (my mother) and assorted geeky intelligent types, you pick up snippets now and again.

I came to love blackbirds and feel about them much as I do for our bluebirds: sweet, gentle creatures with lovely songs.

I like blackbirds, too. I imagine the ones we have here in California are different from the European ones, but they're quite common and still one my favourite birds. The males especially have this lovely blue-black colour and sort of defiant, bad-attitude look in the eye. ;)

Though there are a lot of people who don't understand what I'm talking about when I mention Severus's deep gentleness and purity of soul.

*strikes own breast gently* Anyone who doesn't has either not spent enough time with him, or is willfully blind, IMO. There's reason why the first icon I made, last August when I was lit with a strange fire to do something, was this:

[jodel-from-aol.livejournal.com]

First the kirtle, and then the hair. Oh. Okay, she wears a skirt to match her hair...

(Yes I am teasing you.)

Nice little ditty. And very traditional.

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Well, knowing what we now know of Lily, why wouldn't she wear a skirt to match her hair?!

(But, actually, that's meant to be an unconscious slip on Michael's part. ))

[anne-arthur.livejournal.com]

Just a belated comment to say that I liked this! And the Wars of the Roses would probably be used in this sort of way in an actual song. (I tend to know Scottish songs rather than English ones, but they do seem to have this sort of reference to past battles, and very much this emphasis on the common man being the one doing the dying too!) Nowadays they seem to be mostly an excuse for white roses to feature on everything in York - and for York City Archives to have a portrait of Good King Richard III where you might have expected one of the current Queen!