The Dying Californian - Lyrics & Chords - The Blue Myself

This is my version of "The Dying Californian," a traditional American folk hymn. It's another homemade demo recording under the name The Blue Myself (a band alternately known as Friends Around the Campfire, Wizard Pit, Sandy Mary, and, very rarely, Pandoraz Kunt - an offshoot of The Manna Tease created for songwriting / workshopping purposes.) I used my Les Paul, my turtleback mandolin, and an ancient Yamaha PSR-500M for the recording.

The melody follows roughly the same shape as the folk hymn (410 in the Sacred Harp, pictured at the very top), but this version is in D minor key (what Nigel Tufnel calls "the saddest of all keys") and in a loping 4/4. 

The chords are basically:

Dmin / / Gmin / / Dmin / /  Bb / A7 / Dmin

In the Sacred Harp, the words are credited to "Ball & Drinkard, 1859" - my favorite lyrics-writing duo since "Koch & Tokup." 

Lay up nearer, brother, nearer,
For my limbs are growing cold,
And thy presence seemeth dearer
When thy arms around me fold.  

 I am dying, brother, dying,
Soon you will miss me in your berth,
And my form will soon be lying
Beneath the ocean's briny surf.  

 Hearken to me, brother, hearken,
I have something I would say,
Ere this veil my vision darken
And I go from hence away,  

 I am going, surely going,
But my hopes in God are strong,
I am willing, brother, knowing
That He doeth nothing wrong.

Please "like" The Blue Myself on facebooks:

Happy Boxing Day from the Manna Tease: The Fa-la-la-ing is Coming

Is today the day you're supposed to get two turtle doves? Also, why is the writer of that song so obsessed with giving birds to his paramour? They're kind of messy, high maintenance pets.

I never put up this other video we shot of my one-minute christmas carol, The Fa-La-La-ing is Coming. Until it comes next year, happy Boxing Day from The Manna Tease (please "like" us on facebooks!)

Lyrics & chords to "The Fa-la-la-ing is Coming" here. Goodbye.

Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs: XV. A Buggerer's Christmas

Brought to you by itwaslost's Very Special Department of Arnophilia & The Blue Myself's One Minute Christmas Carols - we present A Buggerer's Christmas.

The Blue Myself on facebooks here. More One Minute Christmas Carols.

Lyrics & chords:

A Buggerer's Christmas

Bb-dim Esus7 E7
If you see a stranger in your manger,
Bb-dim Esus7 E7
Your babe is not in any danger.
A F#min D
Ever stop to think that maybe,
Dmin A
They weren't looking for a baby?
E F#min
Fa la la, faaaa.
Bb-dim Esus7 E7
The shepherd's run in adoration,
Bb-dim Esus7 E7
Not to Mary's son, but to his barn companions.
A F#min D
We all need some warmth this winter, I feel ya,
Dmin A
'Tis the season for arnophilia.

A F#min
It's a buggerer's Christmas
D Dmin Bmin E A
All we like sheep, we've gone astray, Christ was born today.

F#min
You'll find me in the crèches.
D Bmin E A
We're rolling in the deep, we're rolling in the hay.

E F#min

Fa la la, baaaa. 

©2011 The Manna Tease

Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs: XIII. Christmas with Andrew Jackson

Another One Minute Christmas Carol for day 13 of our Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs:

The Blue Myself on facebook here. "Christmas with Richard Nixon" here.
More One Minute Christmas Carols.

Lyrics: (same chords as Christmas with Richard Nixon.)

Christmas with Andrew Jackson 

In 1814 this house was burned by Limeys,
But now let’s decorate with candles & pine trees.
Let’s challenge Charles Dickens to a duel,
And use your cabin’s logs for fuel.
John Calhoun & Floride croon,
Christmas with Andrew Jackson,
Christmas with the Cherokee & the Whigs, Ho ho higgy,
The feast will have piggy, and the pudding will be figgy,
Christ was born today.
Old Hickory’s first lady was guilty of bigamy. 

©2011 The Manna Tease

Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs: X. The Fa-la-la-ing Is Coming

This song speaks for itself: The Fa-la-la-ing is Coming!

The Blue Myself is on facebook here.
Lyrics & Chords for THE FA-LA-LA-ING IS COMING:

Dmin Bb
Remember, remember
F C C#aug Dmin
The fifth of November used to be November,
Bb F
But November is the new December
C C#aug Dmin
Did you hear a bell from a sleigh?
Dmin Bb Dmin
It’s coming, it’s coming! The fa-la-la-ing.
Bb
The fa-la-la-ing is coming.
F C
Ba-da-boom ba-da-bing,
C#aug
Christ was born today.
Dmin Bb F C C#aug
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Dmin C
It’s the fa-la-la-ing for sure,
Bb
It’s clawing at your door,
Amin
It’s sawing thru the floor.
Gmin
It’s gnawing with its den-ture,
F
It’s drawing a pic-ture
C C#aug
That Christmas is only seven weeks away.

More from The Blue Myself's One Minute Christmas Carols.

Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs: VI. My Fiancée Ran Off With A Christmas Elf

Welcome back to itwaslost.org's Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs. The last few days I've had a project of writing & posting one minute songs called The Blue Myself's One Minute Christmas Carols. This one is a parody of the one-joke novelty song genre, called "My Fiancée Ran Off With A Christmas Elf."

Here's The Blue Myself on Facebooks.
A funny story about this song. Within an hour of writing it & posting this on youtube, I was walking to work & I got a voice mail from my mother saying "I'm really worried about you, call me." I couldn't think why, & when I called she said, I don't know, recently Lauren hasn't been singing with you in your songs & you're calling yourself "Blue" & now you have a song about your girlfriend leaving you. I told her, don't worry, The Manna Tease is still together, The Blue Myself is just a side project for novelty songs, none of these songs are autobiographical. Then she said she didn't think the songs were funny: "I don't remember laughing."

Lyrics & chords:

My Fiancée Ran Off With a Christmas Elf 

E D A E
My Fiancée ran off with a Christmas Elf,
C#min G# A B7
I guess you could say she stooped to the lowest shelf.
C#min G# A E
She said was going to leave, and she was gone on Christmas Eve,
D A E
My Fiancée left me alone Christmas Day. 

I regret being a nerd, I regret being a slob.
Her new boyfriend might be indentured, but at least he’s got a job.
He might be small of stature, but at least he looks up to her.
I’ve no more Fiancée, Christ was born today. 

My Fiancée ran off with a Christmas Elf,
I guess I’ll sit here crying, drinking eggnog by myself.
All I want for Christmas is to punch his stupid little face.
All she wanted was an iPod, but she got a tripod.

©2011 The Manna Tease 

If E is a tricky key & you want to sing it in a lower Elvis-y voice, try these chords:
C  Bb  F  C
Amin  E  F  G7
Amin  E  F   C
Bb  F  C


More The Blue Myself's One Minute Christmas Carols.

Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs: IV. Christmas with Richard Nixon

Listening to hundreds of Christmas songs has poisoned my creative juices, & I started writing some short ones which I'll call "The Blue Myself's One Minute Christmas Carols." The first one, written & recorded quickly yesterday, is called "Christmas with Richard Nixon". (You can hear the common cold in my voice.)

It's fitting that my highly conceptual concept band The Blue Myself should put out a Christmas album as its first endeavor. 

Lyrics & chords:

Christmas with Richard Nixon 

D Emin A
My wassail cup is filled with gin & vermouth,
D Emin A
‘Tis the season to be jowly & uncouth.
F# Bmin
God bless the master of this house,
G A D
Was that a break-in or a mouse?
F# Bmin A
Red phones ring, & the children sing, 

D F# Bmin G
Christmas with Richard Nixon,
D F# Bmin G
Christmas with the jews & the gays, Ho ho hey,
D Bmin7
The snow would be grey if there weren’t no EPA.
Emin A
Christ bas born today,
A A7 D
But I saw Mommy kiss a commie. 

©2011 The Manna Tease