Today you have, in my opinion, a special treat of a song. "The Mariner's Revenge Song" by The Decemberists tells a funny and tragic story about a man out to avenge wrong done to his mother when he was a boy. I want you to think about how revenge moves people to do things that don't necessarily serve ANY purpose. Also, how does the singer/songwriter use his words and the music to convey strong emotion? What parts of this song intrigue you the most? What, generally, is the plot of this 'story'?
"We are two mariners
Our ships' sole survivors
In this belly of a whale
Its ribs our ceiling beams
Its guts our carpeting
I guess we have some time to kill
You may not remember me
I was a child of three
And you, a lad of eighteen
But I remember you
And I will relate to you
How our histories enweave
At the time you were
A rake and a roustabout
Spending all your money
On the whores and hounds
Oh Ohhhhh
You had a charming air
All cheap and debonair
My widowed mother found so sweet
And so she took you in
Her sheets still warm with him
Now filled with filth and foul disease
As time wore on you proved
A debt-ridden drunken mess
Leaving my mother
A poor consumptive wretch
Oh Ohhhhh
And then you disappeared
Your gambling arrears
The only thing you left behind
And then the magistrate
Reclaimed our small estate
And my poor mother lost her mind
Then one day in spring
My dear sweet mother died
But before she did
I took her hand as she, dying, cried:
Oh Ohhhhh
"Find him, bind him
Tie him to a pole and break
His fingers to splinters
Drag him to a hole until he
Wakes up naked
Clawing at the ceiling
Of his grave
*sigh*"
It took me fifteen years
To swallow all my tears
Among the urchins in the street
Until a priory
Took pity and hired me
To keep their vestry nice and neat
But never once in the employ
Of these holy men
Did I ever once turn my mind
From the thought of revenge
Oh Ohhhhh
One night I overheard
The Prior exchanging words
With a penitent whaler from the sea
The captain of his ship
Who matched you toe to tip
Was known for wanton cruelty
The following day
I shipped to sea
With a privateer
And in the whistle
Of the wind
I could almost hear...
Oh Ohhhhh
"Find him, bind him
Tie him to a pole and break
His fingers to splinters
Drag him to a hole until he
Wakes up naked
Clawing at the ceiling
Of his grave
"There is one thing I must say to you
As you sail across the sea
Always, your mother will watch over you
As you avenge this wicked deed"
[haunting, sailor-esque musical interlude lead by mandolin, accordion and tuba]
And then that fateful night
We had you in our sight
After twenty months at sea
Your starboard flank abeam
I was getting my muskets clean
When came this rumbling from beneath
The ocean shook
The sky went black
And the captain quailed
And before us grew
The angry jaws
Of a giant whale
[instrumental noise]
Oh Ohhhhhhhhhh
[screaming]
Ohhhhh
[screaming]
Don't know how I survived
The crew all was chewed alive
I must have slipped between his teeth
But, O! What providence!
What divine intelligence!
That you should survive
As well as me
It gives my heart
Great joy
To see your eyes fill with fear
So lean in close
And I will whisper
The last words you'll hear
Ohh Ohhhhh"
WORDS OF THE DAY
17. jocular
– joking ,good-natured
18. profligate
– extremely wasteful
19. garb
– clothing
20. discord
– disagreement, strife
"Everybody's worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there's a really easy way: stop participating in it." - Noam Chomsky
Today you are blogging about a song by a very young and talented composer from Vermont. Nico Muhly has already, in his 29 years, composed a huge volume of choral and orchestral pieces- in addition, Muhly has assisted quite a few independent pop and rock artists with arrangements and performances.
"Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught" -Oscar Wilde
Today you have, in my opinion, a special treat of a song. "The Mariner's Revenge Song" by The Decemberists tells a funny and tragic story about a man out to avenge wrong done to his mother when he was a boy. I want you to think about how revenge moves people to do things that don't necessarily serve ANY purpose. Also, how does the singer/songwriter use his words and the music to convey strong emotion? What parts of this song intrigue you the most? What, generally, is the plot of this 'story'?
“Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore." - Cesar Chavez
"Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men." - MLK
“Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.” Thich Nhat Hanh (PRONUNCIATION)
For today's blog I would like you to write about a person/event that has inspired you in some way. I want you to tell me about it/them and tell me why it/they has inspired you so much and in what way. Remember to keep these blog entries approaching 5 sentences.
“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” Anthony Robbins
