Sirens
by SJ Tucker
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Digital Album
Immediate download of 14-track album in your choice of high-quality MP3, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire.Buy Now $10 USD or more
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Buy Disc
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The Drowning
01:56
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Go Away Godboy
04:46
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Lady Vagabond
05:27
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Cold Sunshine
03:41
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Storm
04:29
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Carousel
05:51
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Alligator in the House
04:33
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Girl in the Garden
03:21
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Mandolin Holy Man
04:17
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Valkyrie Daughter
11:48
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Goddess
02:43
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about
Sirens, released in 2006, features S. J. at her pixie-punk and pirate best! Her third full-length album, and the most beloved of the lot by many Sooj-fans, Sirens' tracklist crosses realm after realm and tells story after story. We open with an a cappella piece, just as on Sooj's first album Haphazard, and then we take no prisoners, going straight into S. J.'s pagan punk anthem, "Go Away, God-boy!" The surprises continue, with S. J.'s beloved song series The Wendy Trilogy, in which Peter Pan's Wendy learns how to be a pirate and eventually overthrows Captain Hook! This album also features the original recording of Sooj and Betsy's classic tango, "Alligator in the House", and "Cold Sunshine", which was the first Sooj song that Betsy ever wrote a cello part for. S. J.'s home rag, the Memphis Flyer, named Sirens "the perfect mix of witty and weighty", perhaps because near the end we have to grab the tissue box to get through "Valkyrie Daughter", a memorial piece concerning Norse gods and the bond between fathers and daughters.
With S. J.'s customary whimsy and deep doses of truth, Sirens teases the shore of cold, hard reality, dancing on a tide of riddles and fantasies. We hope you like it.
With S. J.'s customary whimsy and deep doses of truth, Sirens teases the shore of cold, hard reality, dancing on a tide of riddles and fantasies. We hope you like it.
credits
released 31 October 2006
Lyrics, music, guitars, bass, and vocals by S. J. Tucker
-Tracks 1,3,4,6,9 and 13 mixed by Jay Kenney, Audiologic Inc, Seattle WA
-Tracks 2 and 7 mixed by Ginger Doss, Eagle Audio, Austin TX
-Tracks 5, 8, 10-12 and 14 mixed by Da'nelle Martin, Tekneek Inc, Denver CO
The Drowning lyrics by Catherynne M. Valente
'Alligator in the House' lyrics and music by Betsy Tinney, Katie Tinney, and S.J. Tucker
Drums on 'Go Away Godboy' by Kenny Sharretts
Backing vocals on 'Lady Vagabond' by Celia
Bodhran on 'Lady Vagabond' and 'Green-eyed Sue/Sue's Jig' by Celia
Cello on 'Cold Sunshine' and 'Alligator in the House' by Betsy Tinney
Mandolin on 'Mandolin Holy Man' by Joe Credit III
Album art by Nitia Cheveallier, Melissa Zagidulin, and Kevin K Wiley
Photos by Kevin K Wiley and Kevin Frost
Design and layout by Kevin K Wiley and S. J. Tucker
Lyrics, music, guitars, bass, and vocals by S. J. Tucker
-Tracks 1,3,4,6,9 and 13 mixed by Jay Kenney, Audiologic Inc, Seattle WA
-Tracks 2 and 7 mixed by Ginger Doss, Eagle Audio, Austin TX
-Tracks 5, 8, 10-12 and 14 mixed by Da'nelle Martin, Tekneek Inc, Denver CO
The Drowning lyrics by Catherynne M. Valente
'Alligator in the House' lyrics and music by Betsy Tinney, Katie Tinney, and S.J. Tucker
Drums on 'Go Away Godboy' by Kenny Sharretts
Backing vocals on 'Lady Vagabond' by Celia
Bodhran on 'Lady Vagabond' and 'Green-eyed Sue/Sue's Jig' by Celia
Cello on 'Cold Sunshine' and 'Alligator in the House' by Betsy Tinney
Mandolin on 'Mandolin Holy Man' by Joe Credit III
Album art by Nitia Cheveallier, Melissa Zagidulin, and Kevin K Wiley
Photos by Kevin K Wiley and Kevin Frost
Design and layout by Kevin K Wiley and S. J. Tucker
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- Track Name: The Drowning
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Carry me down to the water, Oh,
Carry me down to the sea
Dowse my skirts in the water, Oh,
And cut the red sun from me.
Wrap me in flaxen and wool, Oh
Wrap me up in white
Take me down to the water, Oh,
When the day has bled to night.
Give me my sickle and broom, Oh,
And tie my hands to the stake,
Sally me down to the river, Oh,
And take what you're eager to take.
Burn me and beat me and hold back my arms
Still the sun hides its face from me
And when the summer is gone, Oh,
I'll come flying back out of the sea.
Drown me down in the cold tide, Oh,
Hold back my hair from the waves,
And when I breathe my last, Oh,
Bless my bones in their greenwater grave.
Carry me down to the water, Oh,
Carry me down to the sea
Dowse my skirts in the water, Oh,
And cut the red sun from me. - Track Name: Go Away Godboy
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My made-up mind was not put here for you to change
You think that I am your lost cause, so beautiful and strange
Minding my own business 'til you criticized my friends
It's on now, time to go now. Let the heresy begin.
and so I'm screaming
CHORUS:
Go away god boy, your gospel doesn't work on me
You're pestering a goddess, here, I was blind, but now I see
You're stuck inside your holy head, you think that you're in love
Just Go Away, you lamb of god, before I have to crush you like a (bug)
Thanks for the invitation, but I've already thought this through
If I'm not one of the chosen, I won't have to put up with you.
Who wants to go to heaven when your stalker meets you there?
Better a whore of Babylon, baby.
Don't let the front door hit you when you...
CHORUS
Don't try to wrap your head around my heartful of free will
I'll shake you up, I'll tear you down, do my worst and give you chills
I'll hit you right between the eyes; these Boots will come to call.
Don't make me make you sorry you came after me at all.
BRIDGE:
You're pestering this goddess to the ground,
but she will not come down
to what's inside your head.
Go find a willing flock of sheep and preach to it instead
At least that way you're occupied and might not end up dead
and resurrected
Go away, god boy, please don't make me ask again.
I have heard you out, now it's my turn to add a spin
Your holy head is up your ass, your message ringing clear.
Go away, god boy, or it's me and not your savior that you'll fear.
Punk Solo Break
(Hail Mary, full of grace! Save me from the human race!
Hail Mary, wise and meek! Save me from this freak!)
Go away, god boy your gospel doesn't work on me
You're stuck inside your dogma and your Karma's getting messy
your holy head is up your ass, your message ringing clear
Go away, god boy, or it's me and not your savior that you'll
Go away now little boy, or it's girls and not your savior that you'll
Go away god boy, or it's me and not your savior that you'll fear. - Track Name: Lady Vagabond
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Lady on the road, not afraid to let go
I'll leave you just because I can,
and ride alone just like a gypsy man
just Django and the land
I'm not about to let go this road,
at least not until I know.
Miss a beat and you'll not find me
where you did a month ago
Four directions singing, rising,
how this tale unfolds!
Gypsy journey with all the twists
a caravan can hold,
I will break your hungry heart and leave you
Just because I can
ride on alone in my handbasket,
gypsy and the land.
Lady Vagabond hath come and come into her own
Singing Hi, the open road is home!
Wild, I take each mile of road,
as much as I can get
You ask me if I'm lonely.
Well, I haven't felt it yet.
Wild, I'm singing up the moon
and down the winds of change.
Cross-country in this handbasket,
your girl is passing strange
Lady Vagabond hath risen and come into her own
Singing Hi, the open road is home!
I Send my melody line around
and back to chase its tail
gas tank's full, like a head of stories,
and the road will never pale
my heart will never fail
a life that's full can never pale
my voice will never fail.
hear that lonely train whistle wail
Where I have been and where I'm bound
even the angels would not know
All four winds blow steady, singing
Hi, the open road is home
Four directions singing, rising,
Hi, the open road is home
Lady Vagabond has come and come into her own
Hi, the open road is home!
We are home, yeah,
Hi, the open road is home! - Track Name: Cold Sunshine
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under blue and silver sky, far from the sea
snow-laden breezes, wild and free
come to do-si-do my love and me
in the land of the cold sunshine
where the highway runs, a scar, right through the snow
every turn a vista or a glittering plateau
we take the high road
through the land of the cold sunshine
winter clouds shield the trail a while
from the heat beating down in each chilly mile
breathe the freezing crystal air, watch my baby crack a smile
in the land of the cold sunshine
snowfall: the drifters are dancing
the wind farms are waving the winter in
the buffalo roam through a song again
in the land of the cold sunshine
wizard hat peaks all mark our way
gunmetal sky at the end of the day
build ourselves a fire and watch the stars wheel away
in the land of the cold sunshine
velvet sunset mountain light
we follow you west into the night
where a lullabye must be just right
in the land of the cold sunshine
world of wonder, world of white
the land of the cold sunshine - Track Name: The Wendy Trilogy I- Wendy On Board
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I will sing you pirate songs and tell you pirate stories
of Wendy when she'd had her fill of Peter Pan and the other Lost Boys
Now, Wendy never was a girl to go against her friends
But recall when Hook had kidnapped her and promised no good end
Surrounded then by pirates and asked to join the crew,
the story goes she told them no, but not all tales are true!
Wouldn't she rather climb the rigging and wield a cutlass bright,
Wouldn't she rather have her own sweet say o'er wrong and right?
"Your decision, girl," says Hook. "You think you'll pass the test?"
The scurvy crew are sniggering, but Wendy answers "Yes!
You set me any task, old man, and watch me see it through.
You've never known the likes of piracy a girl can do!"
Old Hook, bemused, set Smee to draw a contract, then and there
"Survive, and you're my daughter," says he, "succeed, and you're my heir."
Says Wendy then, "I'll sign, but captain, just be sure you know:
break your word and it's straight to retirement or down to the croc you go!"
Says Hook, "you see you do the same, my girl, no secret plans!
If e'er I find you scheming with that rascal Peter Pan,
it's down to the croc you'll go yourself, or a likewise watery grave!"
But Wendy simply shakes his hand, resolving to be brave.
Says Captain Hook, "I keep my word." Says Wendy, "we shall see."
She signs the scroll Red-Handed Jill and hands it back to Smee.
She sets her jaw and binds her hair, a girl no longer free.
Well, Hook thought he had Wendy, and he thought he'd break her yet.
He set her first to scrubbing pots and swabbing every deck.
"Before you learn the pirate life, you'll do the work that's worst;
we'll not have you soft, Jill. You'll know hunger, work, and thirst!"
So up the deck and down the deck Red-handed Jill did toil
for Hook would never have a future daughter known as spoiled.
She cooks, she cleans, grows strong and lean, and every night she cries.
For old Hook's men keep up their jeers the harder that she tries.
Well it didn't take long, as we knew 'twould be, for Peter Pan to learn
of Wendy's state, and he strove to knock old Hook a nasty turn.
He comes to rescue Wendy, steals out to the ship by night,
and he dries her tears most gallantly in the full moon's yellow light.
"Let's go back to the forest" says brave Peter with a smile.
"Your brothers truly miss you, as the Lost Boys do, and I."
How Wendy longs to take his hand! But she must shake her head.
The tears return; she takes a breath to say what must be said.
"I'm bound to stay here, Peter, and to learn among Hook's men
until such time as they decide to call me one of them."
Peter Pan, he smacks his head to clear his silly ears.
He can't believe what Wendy says, not a word of what he hears!
"But Wendy" Peter says, "This ship is not where you belong!"
Wendy cries "This ship is mine, and Peter Pan is wrong!
Old Hook forgot his mother; well, I'll not forget my own.
It's she who gave me courage and first told me to be strong.
Like you, I'll use my cunning and survive to see the dawn.
And when this scurvy crew's in hand, I'll set a course for home!"
She winks at Peter then, in hopes he'll understand her game,
but Peter flies just out of reach and quickly places blame.
Says Pan, "You have betrayed me. Hook has stolen you away.
And so, I wish you joy of him, until your dying day!"
Says Wendy, "very well, Pan, though I'll never wish you ill.
See that you steer clear of your enemy, Red-handed Jill!"
Peter flies away, a furious star against the black
and Wendy squares her shoulders, though she feels her young heart crack. - Track Name: Storm
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People treat you differently
when they believe you've gone where they could never go
and seen beyond the kind horizon
of the only life they know
The minute you get back to town
your family's turned upside-down
it's better just to keep going
to where no one's eyes are cold
better off just following your footsteps on
I am far from the southland, where I was born
growing steadily care-worn (be the river, not the stone)
Blessed be the bold magnolia, far away from home
dancing in the eye of the storm
Sometimes it's easier just to keep driving;
saunter up to that horizon.
Let nobody's town become your own.
They see a woman on a mission
with a song for anyone who'll listen,
and when the sun is rising, she is already gone.
By the time the dawn has broken, she's as good as gone.
Far from the southland where she was born,
growing secretly care-worn (be the river, not the stone)
Blessed be the bold magnolia far away from home
dancing in the eye of the storm
Better to be the river, not the stone in the middle.
Best to be the changing water, not the pebble dragged along.
Cross the sky; cross the water. You are Mercury's daughter,
and the world will envy you your gypsy song.
Cross the sky; cross the water. You are Mercury's daughter,
and the world will envy you your gypsy song.
You'll be far from the southland where you were born,
growing stubbornly care-worn, (be the river, not the stone)
but blessed be the Bold Magnolia far away from home
dancing in the eye of the storm. - Track Name: Carousel
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you were the ink in my eyes black with blasphemy
from the night before
the sweet sacrifice that you offered was bitter
dark chocolate, savored it down to my core
where I smolder
no wonder
I am frozen today
The carousel runs on, and I hum along
Hum the morning away
Go on and tango the Gorgon to bed, my dear
best be prepared to get all that you bargained for
and when the curtain comes down
these decisions must be made
On the day that the carnival heads out of town
leaving no trace, just a music box melody running down
would you caravan at my side, my love, will you ride?
See how we smolder
no wonder
I am frozen today
The carousel runs on
and I sing along,
dance the morning away, hey
oh, don't trust the sideshow serpentina
shadows run fierce when the curtain comes down
but no fiercer than those you may find
looking into these eyes
Look into my eyes.
Oh, you were the truth of my running mascara
the moment my mask was no more
I offered me up sweet and bitter,
suspecting you'd courage to savor me down to my core
where I smolder
no wonder I am frozen today
the midway is breaking down
do I let this miracle stay, or do I cast it away
No wonder I am freezing, bleeding today
with the carnival I will leave town
like the melody running down
but darling for now
let the carousel play
running away
They will all say
don't trust the sideshow serpentina
shadows grow long when the curtain comes down
but no longer like those you may find
gazing into these eyes
Look into my eyes. - Track Name: The Wendy Trilogy II- Red-Handed Jill
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Soon, Jill had got her days in hand and dried up all her tears,
staring down the pirates' jibes with a quick and haughty sneer.
She often tricks the sailors into finishing her chores
and trades a home-cooked meal to them for lessons, tricks, and swords.
Still, nights, she sits up all alone to greet the stars and think
and one soft eve in Neverland, she spies a star upon the strand,
dancing straight into her hand, and laughs, for here is Tink!
Now Tinkerbell had ne'er approved of Wendy in her way
but faeries love to gossip, and Tink was mad at Pan that day.
Tink listened close to Wendy, who unloaded all her tale
and learning the whole story grew by turns giddy and pale.
She vowed to go to Peter and the boys in dirty throng
to tell them Wendy's one true plan and how they'd done her wrong.
And so the pixie left the ship, lest anyone should see.
Wendy waves her hand and smiles a smile of victory.
Oh, I will sing ye pirate songs and tell ye pirate stories
of Wendy when she'd had her fill of Pan and the other Lost Boys!
One balmy night as Jill sat still a'watching the stars go by
as we knew she would, she catches old Hook in a lie!
Hidden by the thickest mast, Jill hears old Hook and Smee
full plotting Wendy's dark demise with blackest pirate glee.
Says Hook, "we'll madden Peter Pan and get back our wicked lives.
I've a match for Wendy known for murdering his wives!"
Red-handed Jill began to shake and froze where she did stand.
She knew the tale of Bluebeard; would he come to Neverland?
Hook and Smee schemed on and on as Midnight drifted in.
And Jill did quake with fear to learn the Captain's next-of-kin
was Bluebeard, who they'd send her off to marry straightaway.
For now she was Hook's daughter, destined not to have her say.
Hid fast, she overheard them, and her pirate heart grew pale
But ah, our girl is clever, and Bluebeard's another tale.
Recalling their agreement, Wendy steals Hook's chance to gloat.
It's up she comes, her cutlass drawn, and holds it at his throat!
"My duty's nullified, old man, though you would be my father.
Our terms did clearly state ne'er one may plot against the other!.
To retire or to walk the plank, the choice remains your own,
for your ship is mine, dear captain, and we'll see you off at dawn!"
Captain Hook did not take kindly to young Wendy's calling out.
He knocked her down and held his hook beneath her pretty pout.
Wendy's eyes were steady as she cursed that mean old man,
using foulest curses as only a sailor can,
and so Hook missed the entrance of the rascal Peter Pan!
Now, Wendy's picked up fighting rather quickly, it is true,
but if you have two brothers, then, you're brilliant at it, too.
Still she welcomes laughter from behind the silken sails
Captain Hook looks daggers but grows sweaty, drawn, and pale.
It's up beyond the crow's nest Peter yanks his aged foe
Wendy cries, "admit defeat, old man, or he'll let go!"
Hook replies "bad form!" and swears to do sweet Wendy harm
But it's Smee who starts the combat, slicing Wendy through the arm!
It's Peter's hands that slip as Wendy cries out in alarm.
The Croc did circle down below, and to his jaws Hook fell
Where his soul now glowers is a tale we'll never tell
Who cares if Hook's still sailing in the blackest seas of hell?
For Peter smiles at Wendy now, by the light of Tinkerbell.
(Dawn finds the Lost Boys standing guard as Wendy takes her place,
a bandage on her arm, a look of hardness on her face.
Old Smee is piss and vinegar but he quiets to Wendy's whim as she
reminds him he'll be lucky if she spares him, life and limb!
Abashed, Smee swears his fealty. Not so the scurvy crew.
Sweet Wendy stops their mutiny, reminding them full quietly,
"You'd not uphold a captain who brought home-cooked meals to you?
Gentlemen you never were, but pirates indeed you be!
I won the day the pirate way, as seen by Mr. Smee.
You'd not be captained by a girl, but every man take heed:
old Hook said that I must survive, and then I must succeed!
Your captain is Red-handed Jill, who ne'er abides a slave.
Wish it and you are free men, but follow me or leave!")
Thus, Wendy got herself a crew of ruthless men and brave
to terrorize the Lost Boys, but only every Saturday!
I will sing ye pirate songs and tell ye pirate stories
of Wendy when she'd had her fill of Pan and the other lost boys,
of Red-handed Jill who'd had her fill of Pan and his Lost Boys! - Track Name: Alligator in the House
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There's an alligator in the house
A toothy grin appears beneath my chair
A scaly tail goes sliding out of sight
Now it's gone - was it ever there?
Something odd has moved into the house
Reptilian tracks lead underneath our bed
And all the cats are tasty, fat, and scared
Though I doubt we've lost any yet
CHORUS
So what's the big deal? Doesn't everyone
Have an alligator somewhere, somehow?
And maybe this one has always been here,
But I never noticed it till now.
There's an alligator in the house
Just caught her napping in the living room
She was dozing on the velvet couch
And the cats were sleeping there too
There's an alligator in the house
No one seems to mind except for me
Well, at least she doesn't eat the cats
I suspect she'd rather eat me
There's an alligator in the pit
she is dancing wildly with the snakes
to win them over to her cause
she will do whatever it takes
They think I don't see their little smiles
as they plan a reptilian overthrow
but I hear them talking in my dreams
they will not be sad to see me go!
CHORUS
I've begun to worry 'bout my toes
The alligator seems to think they're nice
I've counted all of them a hundred times
But I never got the same answer twice
There's an alligator in my bed
she is not a master of disguise
just a pillow waiting for my head
soft and sweet and hungrily she lies
There's an alligator in the house
Today she joined me for a spot of tea
She helped herself to raspberries and cream
And she didn't leave any for me
Well I thought that I had seen it all
but this alligator proved me wrong
like a lady as she drank her tea
she sang to me this little song:
ALLIGATOR'S CHORUS:
"so what's the big deal, doesn't everyone
have an alligator somewhere somehow?
I know you'd miss me if I went away
though you never noticed until now!"
CHORUS - Track Name: Girl in the Garden
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It's clear as tattoos on your eyes:
a story not heard in the bright palace light
can only be told as a secret of night.
The girl in the garden and I
From a Knife to a Lantern and back, back again,
she closes her eyes and weaves wonders.
They hang in the air, hold my breath like a hunter.
The girl in the garden and I
The stars in their courses will run
and bring their hearts earthward to hear her.
The boughs of the fruit trees bend nearer
to the girl in the garden...
The fear holds us both in its hand.
With every tale on my ear, it comes nearer the shore.
We both dread the day when the words fall away...
and a demon will judge her.
Then I fear that my dear will be gone.
Shed a tear for the girl in the garden,
for all of her years in the garden,
the girl in the garden and I. - Track Name: The Wendy Trilogy III- Green-Eyed Sue - Sue's Jig
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So Wendy'd got herself a crew of ruthless men and brave
and they'd terrorize the Lost Boys each and every Saturday.
One day Wendy says to Peter, "I'd like more girls on my crew."
So Peter goes a-hunting Lost Girls and brings back Green-eyed Sue.
Green Eyed Sue was feisty, quite surly and quite sad
called Suzy Rotten by her mum and tomboy by her dad.
At the chance to be a pirate and call Peter Pan a friend,
Her face lit up, her sadness fled, and she ne'er looked home again.
She proudly followed Wendy, and she ne'er went home again.
Sue becomes first mate, as she's the first Lost Girl to live upon
the ship and give to Wendy all the spirit she can give.
Smee at last retires with captain Jill's reprieve
It's graciously he goes, too wise to show that he's relieved!
Peter keeps a-hunting up Lost Girls for Wendy's crew.
The sailors take vacation time, with nothing else to do!
Sweet Wendy turns each girl into a pirate before long,
by teaching them survival, how to sail, and to be strong.
Wendy's ship, it prospers, and the girls are eating well,
A roving band of sisters, singing songs and raising hell.
The ship is full of pirates, but each one can keep her head.
Due to this small miracle and thanks to Wendy's pirate school,
Brand new tales of derring-do and Wendy start to spread.
Wide-eyed children visit Neverland most every night, but now,
New sorts of fans arrive to see the boys and pirates fight
Kings and queens show up in Neverland from all across the world
To see the only pirate ship that's captained by a girl.
Disarmed by this is Wendy, but she takes it in her stride.
She bows to the queen of Sheba and shows off her crew with pride.
A pirate dropping curtseys is rare, we realize.
But she's sure to come up with a bawdy joke and a twinkle in her eyes.
Lost Girls mind their Ps and Qs with twinkles in their eyes.
Recall now what I've said about how fairies love to gab.
This goes for every one from Tinkerbell to old Queen Mab.
One night on the horizon a new set of stars was born
And Neverland played host to folk who sail in fleets of silver boats
No stars were these, but the royal fleet of Titania and Oberon!
The king and queen of Faerie come to Neverland this night
In shining silver ships that run on mischief and starlight
To meet this human girl-child of whom the tales are sweet
And respectfully ask Wendy if she'll lead their royal fleet.
Well, how can Wendy turn down such an offer when it's made:
To sail the sky with fairies and to lead their gay brigade!
She tells the ruling monarchs that she'll gladly come and play
If her crew may keep their tourney with the boys each Saturday.
Wendy's made an admiral and rules the fairy band,
Diplomat between the worlds of Fae and Neverland.
The crew are full delighted and make magic where they roam
But soon our admiral has thoughts of setting sail for home.
Second star to the right does call, and Wendy hears its song.
She lets her brothers know she's headed home before too long.
They meet with her in secret to tell Peter Pan goodbye.
Peter squares his jaw, and the Lost Boys try not to cry.
Next night the ship sets sail out to the edges of the sky.
Wendy calls her crew on deck and tells them her surprise.
Above old London Town she bids them follow through the air
And invites them home to meet her mum and be her sisters there.
Nearly all the crew let Wendy know they cannot wait
But stoic stand a handful, including the first mate.
Green-eyed Sue before her captain asks to plainly speak her mind:
"It's sooner I'd lay down my life than leave this ship behind!"
"A simple life of growing up is surely not for me.
Working as a sailor's been the first time I am free.
So by your leave dear Captain, I will be a pirate still
And carry on the legacy of our Red-handed Jill!"
Wendy smiles a smile and says "I'll miss you, dearest one.
But as this journey ends I see a new one has begun!
So carry on as admiral and Captain in my stead.
Guide your crew with a steady hand, and always keep your head."
Thus Sue becomes the Captain and begins another tale.
Her bonny crew decide to teach the Lost Boys how to sail.
She rules the fleets of Faerie and she reigns in Neverland,
A pirate queen e'er hatching schemes with Tink and Peter Pan.
Tales are told of Sue and Wendy to keep all girls' brothers kind
Unto their darling sisters. For, if they are a mind
To torment and to torture and to hair-pull and to tease,
One night she might turn pirate and run off to sail the seas!
Not just for bonny brothers are the tales of Green-eyed Sue.
Such warning fables show each mom and dad a thing or two.
If e'er your sweetling makes a cutlass from a cardboard tube,
You'll ne'er berate nor tell her it's a boy's game she pursues.
The freer that you raise a mind, the brighter it will bloom,
And ye'd rather have her home than off to join some scurvy crew
Or sail with the likes of Green-eyed Sue! - Track Name: Mandolin Holy Man
-
Nine old friends drove cross-country
on a mission of blessing and liberty
geared up in the morning and left right there
to sing at the rally in Farragut Square
They can put up a fence and keep out the crowd
but you can't fence in a wall of sound
so we headed downtown to serve it up loud
got pretty wet but it didn't bring us down.
chorus:
METRO into Washington
gonna rock the national phallus down
Drumming at the White House in the rain
and we won't let up until they let us in
me and the mandolin holy man
me and the mandolin holy man
Walking and walking and walking and walking
and walking and walking the long way round
to the giant chalice in the middle of town
better believe our time's well spent
throwing holy water at the monument
gonna drum all night, let em throw us in jail
rockin the Lincoln memorial
chorus: METRO into Washington...
The crowd was all smiles for the fireworks show
we were right there, letting rhythm go
with all the pictures people snapped
prob'ly see ourselves tomorrow on the internet
Sometimes you do good that you'll never see
blasting out negativity
of the overthrow that'll surely come
bring it all back to a goatskin drum
chorus: METRO into Washington...
So it's all the way home on the orange line
the whole band of gypsies and dr. sunshine
victory 100 smiles at a time
and a story to tell for the rest of our lives
we did what we set out to do
made a lot of people happy, too
that's whatcha get when you lend a hand
to the likes of the mandolin holy man
this is land is your land, this land is my land
me and the mandolin holy man
chorus: METRO into Washington...
METRO'd into Washington
we rocked the national phallus down
Drummed at the White House in the rain
and we never let up, soaked to the skin
maybe next year we'll do it again!
spinners and satyrs and kittens and drummers and ryan...
and me and the mandolin holy man
me and the mandolin holy man
this land is your land, this land is my land
me and the mandolin holy man - Track Name: Valkyrie Daughter
-
Valhalla is ever receiving
as her sons are forever at war
but her gates are not barred, as you may have been told,
to the women and children worth fighting for.
Time was that a soldier named for Loki had daughters aplenty.
He reared them up fierce in his pride.
The fairest had just reached her flowering time
when the Norns cut her thread and she died.
Well, he wouldn't take no for an answer,
nor grieve for the rest of his days.
He set off for the wild, with his tears still a-stream,
resolved to petition the Valkyrie.
For the sake of his child, he would enter this plea:
retrieve her and teach her your ways.
So he searched and he strove many seasons
'til the gray had come into his beard.
He returned home to the scorn of his colleagues and friends.
His wife rejoiced quietly for his folly's end
and asked Frigga for strength, that his spirit would mend,
that he'd not prove as mad as she feared him.
Well, a soldier is nothing if not full of pride,
no warrior if not hard and bold,
so he set off again well before winter's end
to the wild, without telling a soul.
In spite of himself, in the snowdrifts he fell
and succumbed to the night and the cold.
Deep in the sleep of exhaustion
the soldier did fall, and he dreamed.
He found himself walking the world of Niflheim
where things are indeed as grim as they seem.
His courage held fast, he continued
to the hall where the mistress of that realm did dwell.
There sat Lady Hel, in her fearsome estate.
He felt his great heart as it skipped a few beats.
Just the same, he bowed all the way down to her feet,
and she grudgingly gave him a smile.
"I know why you've come here, young soldier," she said,
"but you may state your case if you please.
The roads to this realm do not tolerate men
unless they have come to me at their life's end,
but you've conquered your fears and so it appears
your dreams let you here with great need."
"I am nothing to you, O my underworld queen,
but I come for the sake of my child.
I do not beg her back, thus insulting your lands,
but my girl deserves better, at much different hands.
My daughter should ride with the Valkyrie band!
I'll do all that I can just to have this fulfilled!"
The gods are no strangers to bargains.
Traditions with teeth have their time and their place,
but Hel is the child of the Breaker of Rules,
and she had this father's measure, written plainly on his face.
"For the sake of your child, you will strike me a deal.
I will speak with the fierce Valkyrie.
The condition is this, to be sealed with your blood:
No matter your valor, your warrior's fate,
your place in Valhalla is forfeit this night.
You will come, in the end, back to me."
The soldier's eyes clouded, but he cut his own palm
and signed all his honor away.
He thanked Lady Hel for her kindness
and hoped that her rank would hold sway.
"Go now, young man, for your body is cold.
Your time in my realm draws too near.
Return to your wife and your children who live.
Surround them with all of the love you can give.
They think they have lost you, but they will forgive.
Get you home, and banish their fears."
The soldier woke, struggled back fully to life,
and made his way slowly back home.
Treacherous toil of a way that it was,
a goddess had sent him back where he belonged
and no avalanche would slow him down.
It's every hand keeps a family strong.
It's the self who is last to forgive.
He vowed on that day ne'er again to forget
the worth of his loved ones who live.
This time he was lauded upon his return--
the men gave great shouts and his wife a tearful smile.
The village turned out for a great merry feast.
Never again did his warrior colleagues
serve up their scorn. No, they left him in peace,
for his journey was writ in his eyes.
Though he held in his heart now a fine tavern tale,
the soldier did not tell a soul.
Some truths are too fine to mix in with the ale
and he held this one close while so many others were told.
With no way of knowing his lost daughter's fate,
he set all his worries to fade
and threw all his heart into raising the rest.
Thus, a fine generation was made.
The years took their toll, and he took up his cane.
His family still lit his world,
but he onced asked a favor of a wandering bard
that she write a fine song for his lost little girl.
One fine afternoon as the summer rolled on
and the harvest was just at its start,
as he worked side by side with his nephews and sons,
he lost an old war with his heart.
Never to walk in Valhalla, he thought
to find himself deep in Niflheim,
but a wonder occurred as he opened his eyes.
There was his daughter, come down from the skies.
She rode astride with her Valkyrie sisters.
With joy far too great for the dead who arise,
he took her small hand, as if for the first time.
She told him, "oh, father! Goddesses oft change their minds!"
Valhalla is ever receiving, as her sons are forever at war.
But her gates are not shut, as you've heard in this tale,
as was told to a bard by a soldier,
to the Valkyrie daughters worth fighting for! - Track Name: Goddess
-
I'm in love with the goddess who lives down the street
I've got clouds on my agenda and a spring in my feet
and I wonder if she knows.
I am smiling at strangers like I usually will
like a cat with a canary who will surely fit the bill
and I wonder if she knows
What am I thinking? I've got too much to do!
I've got no time to go running after dreams or chasing after you,
but there's this sleepy sense that everything's gonna work out right.
May I visit you tonight? Starlight, star bright!
I am in love with the goddess who lives down the street
The girl may work at Waffle House, but she doesn't miss a beat
so I wonder if she'll hear what I propose.
I just wanna make her happy, no, I don't wanna lay a claim
If there's damage to be done, I am no good at taking blame
and I wonder if she knows.
I am in love with the goddess who lives down the street
I've got clouds on my agenda and a spring in my feet
and I wonder what she knows, if she knows!
I could always buy her coffee, but she'd see straight through the ploy.
I'd love to walk beside her in the place of all those boys,
and I wonder if she knows.
