Ratty Christmas Mix No. 1

I won't do a full-out Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs again this year, but here's a nice Christmas mix, more probably to come:

Spotify Mixtapes: Gay Your Life Must Be, Volumes I thru X.

Hello. I have a series of fifty Spotify Mixtapes called Gay Your Life Must Be. Now, these mixes MAY NOT BE FOR EVERYONE, although there is a wide variety of songs on them. Therefore, in conclusion, if you wish to listen to them, I will put them up ten at a time here now. They can also be found on my Spotify profile here. Some have been appearing for awhile at The Manna Tease tumblr. The Flying Guacanos art is by Liam Golden.

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.

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Two Feet Tall - Lyrics & Chords

Here's a new song I wrote in Tahoe last week, and took a quick youtube of my initial practicing of it. It started out as a folk song, but evolved of its own volition into folk-reggae.

Two Feet Tall - Lyrics & Chords

E Esus E F#min B7
She was fated to be eliminated.
Esus E F#min B7
She was bloated the day she was promoted.
A Bsus C#min
She was flailin’ like a Palin,
Dmaj7 A
And shining like a nickel,
Bsus C#min
And feelin’ like New Zealan’,
Dmaj7 B7sus6 B7 B7sus6 B7
While mining for a pickle.

She was grumpy and dressing pretty frumpy,
She was angry at silly Lily Langtry.
She was diving off the ivy,
Then crashing on the pavement,
And sobbing like a robin
Dmaj7 B7sus6 B7 B7sus6 D7/B  
While splashing cross the raiment.

G F#min
I love a girl who’s only two feet tall,
Bmin7 D7/B
Her eggs are barren, but she cares about toaster ovens.
G F#
I like the curls that hide her prayer shawl.
Bmin7
Her legs are buried deep in the earth’s crust,
D7/B B7  D7/B B7
And I lost in her bust.

She was psychotic, and half-auto-erotic,
She was mothering, so much so she was smothering.
She was flying neath the oceans,
While hiding from the fighting,
And crying crystal potions,
Confiding in the lightning.

I love a girl who’s only two feet tall, &c.

She was gorgeous as Florida’s mortgages.
She could plagiarize, and she had a teenager’s thighs.

She’s stalling to be famous,

She photo-bombed on Fox News,

She’s crawling to Uranus,

With Pluto on her socks and shoes.

I love a girl who’s only two feet tall, &c.
I love a girl who’s only two feet tall, &c.
© 2012 The Manna Tease

Parting Glass - Lyrics and Chords - & rats drinking whiskey

I had the beautiful classic Ronnie Drew song "Parting Glass" in my head last week, so I plucked out this version:

Since many of the chords I found online were unsatisfying, here are the chords as I'm playing above if anyone wants to use this version:

Emin  G  C  G                        Emin        D 

Of all the money that e'er I spent 

G                        Emin          G    D 

I've spent it in good company 

Emin  G  C  G                       Emin       D 

And all the harm that ever I did 

Emin  C  G       D       Emin 

Alas it was to none but me 

         G  C  G                         G  C  G 

And all I've done for want of wit 

Gsus  G          Emin         G             D 

To memory now I can't recall 

Emin  G   C  G             Emin         D 

So fill to me the parting glass 

Emin               C       G   D           Emin 

Good night and joy be with you all

If I had money enough to spend 

And leisure time to sit awhile 

There is a fair maid in town 

That sorely has my heart beguiled 

Her rosy cheeks and ruby lips 

I own she has my heart enthralled 

So fill to me the parting glass 

Good night and joy be with you all

Oh, all the comrades that e'er I had 

They're sorry for my going away 

And all the sweethearts that e'er I had 

They'd wish me one more day to stay 

But since it falls unto my lot 

That I should rise and you softly call 

So fill to me the parting glass 

Good night and joy be with you all

Furthermore, here's a video of my rats cuddling in my lap & drinking my manhattan:

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Eurovision 2012 Lyrics - Special Illustrated Booklet "ALL THE LYRICS"

We created this useful Eurovision 2012 lyrics booklet for our secret society, the SO LUCKY Eurovision Watching & Wagering Society, & drew some illustrations for the winning songs while watching the semi-finals the last few days. WARNING: some of the drawings are a little naughty or crude.

Download or print this booklet here: Eurovision 2012 ALL THE LYRICS

Sometimes those Scribd docs make the font look weird in the preview, but it should be fine if you download it or print it out. The lyrics were copied off the internet, all of the songs are obviously copyrighted by the original lyricists et cetera - this document is for personal, non-commercial use only. The final show is Saturday May 26th, 2012, at NOON U.S. Pacific time and can be watched here. (That link sometimes doesn't work, but should work when the show starts.) Here's the full line-up:

1. UK - Engelbert Humperdinck - "Love will set you free"
2. Hungary - Compact Disco - "Sound of our hearts"
3. Albania - Rona Nishliu - "Suus"
4. Lithuania - Donny Montell - "Love is Blind"
5. Bosnia & Herzegovina - MayaSar - "Korake ti znam"
6. Russia - Buranovskiye Babushki - "Party for Everybody"
7. Iceland - Gréta Salóme & Jónsi - "Never Forget"
8. Cyprus - Ivi Adamou - "La La Love"
9. France - Anggun - "Echo (You & I)"
10. Italy - Nina Zilli - "L'amore è femmina (Out of Love)"
11. Estonia - Ott Lepland - "Kuula"
12. Norway - Tooji - "Stay"
13. Azerbaijan - Sabina Babayeva - "When the Music Dies"
14. Romania - Mandinga - "Zaleilah"
15. Denmark - Soluna Samay - "Should've Known Better"
16. Greece - Eleftheria Eleftheriou - "Aphrodisiac"
17. Sweden - Loreen - "Euphoria"
18. Turkey - Can Bonomo - "Love Me Bacl"
19. Spain - Pastora Soler - "Quédate conmigo"
20. Germany - Roman Lob - "Standing Still"
21. Malta - Kurt Calleja - "This Is the Night"
22. Macedonia - Kaliopi - "Црно и бело"
23. Ireland - Jedward - "Waterline"
24. Serbia - Željko Joksimović - "Није љубав ствар"
25. Ukraine - Gaitana - "Be My Guest"
26. Moldova - Pasha Parfeny - "Lăutar"

Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs: XXII thru XXIV.

I didn't quite get caught up for the last couple chocolates of our Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs. See you next year! It's time to put away the Christmas songs until they start playing far too early in the calendar next year.

Here's three last good songs to fill in the gaps:

That's from Duke Ellington's very cool versions of tunes from the Nutcracker Suite, his Toot Toot Tootie Toot (Dance of the Reed Pipes.) (The links are to Spotify.)
This guy Dan Hicks seems to have released dozens of Christmas jug band songs, & his voice is very comforting.  Here's his "Somebody Stole My Santa Claus Suit." (The version on Spotify from Hicks' album Crazy for Christmas is more mellow.)

And we'll finish this late advent calendar with the American folk song "Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over," sung here on the soundtrack to Cold Mountain by Jack White of the White Stripes. (Great album, by the way!) Till next year...

More spotify playlists & mixtapes to come! One last time, here's the link to our Infinite Playlist of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs (listen on random!)
And these days, we blog more at the simpler Manna Tease tumblr blog, where I've also been posted mixtapes & Manna Tease videos.

Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs: XXI. De Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy

Hello again - only a few days left of the Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs. This song, a traditional from Trinidad called "De Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy" or "Glorious Kingdon," from an old Kings Singers' Christmas album, has a hilarious rhythm track. This is the only video of it:


You can hear the rhythm better in the studio version, on Spotify here. And here's our Infinite Playlist of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs (listen on random!)

Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs: XX. Christmas in New Orleans & also Harlem

Quickly catching up with the Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs. Louis Armstrong takes us to both New Orleans and Harlem for Christmas:



I think "Christmas Night in Harlem" is catchier, but they're both awesome. (Is "lit up like a Christmas tree" a subtly subversive innuendo?) Here's Christmas Night in Harlem on Spotify, and here's Christmas in New Orleans. Here's the Infinite Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs Playlist (Listen on random!)

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: If that playlist is too wide-ranging & chaotic (& contains more than a few annoying songs) I have created a much more digestible christmas playlist centered on some albums of doo wop & blues songs: Christmas Blues, Doo Wop, & Big Band Epic Playlist (listen on random.)

Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs: XIX. Best Christmas Ever

This song is better for the strange vocal stylings of Ronnie Spector (formerly of the Ronnettes & Phil Spector's  prisoner wife) than for any quality songwriting:
Here's two shaky live videos from 2010:


The studio version is better & weirder, available on Spotify here. Here's our incomplete Infinite Playlist of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs (listen on random!)

Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs: XVIII. Homeless Wassail

And here's the Manna Tease singing the song "Homeless Wassail":

Please "like" the Manna Tease on facebooks.
Homeless Wassail is a song by Ian Robb, but we heard it from a Christmas mix in a beautiful version by Finest Kind. The only cover on Spotify is by Broadside Electric. Here's our full Infinite Playlist of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs (listen on random!)
Lyrics:

HOMELESS WASSAIL
(Ian Robb)
"Wassail, wassail,all over the town,
Our cup is white and our ale is brown"
But huddled on the iron grate
we poor and hungry curse our fate. 

No wassail bowl for such as these
No turkey scraps, no ale nor cheese,
This Christmas Eve our heart's desire
Is a bottle of gin and a trashcan fire. 

Good Christian, mind, as home you go
With dreams of holly and mistletoe
That the holly bears a dreadful thorn
For those who wake to a frozen dawn. 

Oh, where is He, that holy child
Once born of Mary, meek and mild?
And whither peace, goodwill to men
Now and forevermore, amen? 

All ye who dine with face aglow
In Reninensi atrio (in the Queen's hall---Latin)
Pray pause awile at pleasure's door
And sup some sorrow with the poor. 

"Wassail, wassail,all over the town,
Our cup is white and our ale is brown"
This cold and hunger, pain and care
Sweet Jesus Christ, it's hard to bear. 

copyright Ian Robb/SOCAN 

Chords as we play them:
amin G emin
amin emin/B C D
amin G emin
amin emin/B C D 

C G emin
amin emin/B C D
C G emin
amin emin/B C D

Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs: XVII. Christmases in Heaven

If you ask Siri, Apple's virtual assistant, "What is the meaning of life?" she gives a couple of different answers, including "42" & "Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try to live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations." I think there was an article on Slate about this, where the author was touched by this practical advice from artificial intelligence. The writer was pointed out in the comments by people who recognized it as a quote from the anti-climactic postscript to the last Monty Python movie The Meaning of Life.
The scene immediately before this advice, the "Afterlife" section of the movie, contains the following strange Christmas song, imagining every day to be Christmas in heaven, complete with classic movies on television:


I had never heard this longer version that's on Spotify, which has a long coda about "Fishmas in Heaven." This verse is not in the movie: "It's Fishmas in Heaven / You are home with God. / And lot's of dace & carp & bream / And halibut and cod."

But if you need more Christmas in Heaven, there's also a soulful take on this concept, with versions by James Brown & B.B. King! Here's Billy Ward & His Dominoes:

And here's our Infinite Playlist of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs (listen on random!)

Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs: XVI. Bethlehem & Sherburne

Speaking of sheep, Nahum Tate's "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks" is one of the most frequently set texts for carols. (I've always loved the juxtaposition of the mundane "all seated on the ground" with the glory shining all around, but I suppose that's the point.) The common setting in my caroling book is by Handel, and I think there's another old common British church hymn called "Winchester Old." The version I know best is Sherburne from the Sacred Harp, & it's also one of my favorite tunes in that book. This is the great Alan Lomax "field" recording:

Here's that recording on spotify. I found several other decent versions of that on spotify, here, here, & here. I really like this medley by the Western Wind called Three Settings of "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks." The excerpt of Sherburne is in this video:

The other setting in the Sacred Harp, Shining Star 461, doesn't appear to be on Spotify. (Will Fitzgerald has a nice round-up of Christmas tunes from the Sacred Harp here.)
However, William Billings, the great Sacred Harp composer, did set the words also, and the tune Bethlehem is published in the Norumbega Harmony. Here's Anonymous 4 singing it on spotify, & here's the Norumbega Harmony - two pretty tame versions, but still pretty. Here's a the Western Wind again:

I've also set the Tate text several times, here. & here's our incomplete Infinite Playlist of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs (listen on random!)

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: XIV. Hot Christmas

This year's Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs wouldn't be complete without a selection from The Squirrel Nut Zippers masterpiece & overlooked holiday album Christmas Caravan.
"Hot Christmas" is more of an instrumental, if you consider the only lyrics are "Hot Christmas / Hot Christmas / Hot Christmas." But what does it mean!?

Here's Hot Christmas on Spotify. And here's our epic Infinite Playlist of Non-Overplayed Christmas Carols (Listen on Random!)

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: XII. A Five Pound Box of Money

Halfway thru: Day 12 of the Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs! This is exactly what I want for Christmas: A Five Pound Box of Money. Exactly how much money is in a five pound box of it is never divulged, but if it's full of Ben Franklins, it could be a heavy load:

Here's the Pearl Bailey song on spotify: A Five Pound Box of Money. (That's a great compilation, called Doo Wop Christmas.) Here's our Infinite Playlist of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs (listen on random!)

Advent Calendar of Non-Overplayed Christmas Songs: XI. The Bitter Withy

This English folk band Kerfuffle's "Midwinter album" Lighten the Dark is amazing, my favorite new discovery in this non-overplayed Christmas music project. Here's them playing The Bitter Withy live:

I love the "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" in that funky mode in the middle (technically overplayed, it's true.) It seems Kerfuffle has broken up & the sexy accordion player has joined the girly band Lady Maisery. Here's the spotify link for their awesome take on I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In, & here's The Bitter Withy from Lighten the Dark. Here's our lengthy spotify mix Infinite Non-Overplayed Christmas Playlist (listen on Random!)

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: IX. Brand New Christmas

Now, here's a strange chocolate for the advent calendar... What was Hot Chocolate thinking when they wrote a Christmas song with the lyric "We need a brand new Jesus"?

I agree with youtube commentor Xtronicus who wrote "THE MOST PROFOUND SONG EVER WRITTEN?"
Here's Brand New Christmas on spotify, & here's our epic spotified mix Infinite Non-Overplayed Christmas Playlist (listen on random!)