revenge of music as the written word

MAESTRO IF YOU PLEASE (PART TWO)

                This has been long in coming. I have been busy or putting it off. I don’t really have an excuse for waiting so long to post this beyond laziness. May was a busy month, but beyond that I can’t offer a good reason for the long break.

                As promised this is a short, unfinished song I wrote about Alaska, but first a bit of an explanation.  This is probably one of the more elaborate songs I have written. I imagine myself singing it and all the lines that are in parentheses (  ) are sung by female backup singers as if echoing my voice.  Though as you will see, they aren’t really. My family and I went to Alaska to visit my cousins. Some of them have since moved.  This is one of the longest trips I’ve ever taken by plane and it was a rarity that we would travel so far.  I’m not sure how we afforded it, but we did. And now, the song:

ALASKA SONG [it doesn’t really have a title]

[slow tempo]

Some people sing of a girl they love,

Some people sing of the stare up above,

Some people sing of the sky, oh so blue,

I’ll try to sing a good song for you.

[up the tempo]

My cousins live in Alaska,

In the sun they do not bask-a

I know  the money can be quite a task-a,

But somehow got to Alaska

(ba da ba da da da)

We went to alaska in an aeroplane (airplane)

We could not a afford a whirlybird (helicopter)

We could not afford a private jet (we’re not rich)

So an aeroplane is what you get (not a pauper)

[Next part spoken like a storyteller or a historian In the style of Monty Python and the search for the Holy Grail.]

                Yes Mike and his family went to Alaska in the June of 2007 just before the summer started to get scorching hot.  It was him, one of his brothers, his parents, and his four grandparents spending some time together in Alaska to have some fun and visit his cousins.  But how did they live in Alaska? I’m glad you asked.

[back to singing]

My cousins live in Alaska,

In the sun they do not bask-a,

I know the motor home life can be quite a task-a,

But that’s how we lived in Alaska.

When in Alaska we rented a motor home (mobile home)

It was an eight sleeper (eight people)

That’s  right, eight entire people in one mobile home (motor home)

Then we bought a six one which was cheaper (two went home)

[spoken again this time like an old cowboy story]

Mike’s family rented an eight person motor home in Alaska for the first seven days then the parent’s of Mike’s father went home. This was the plan all along.  For the remaining time [7 days] it was only six people, so they rented a cheaper motor home.

[end]

That was as far as I got in that song.  It’s a true story.  I enjoyed spending time in the motor home with everyone, though some people had told me it would be hell (pardon my French).  I can’t say that any of the memories were better than another, but two which significantly stand out in my mind right now are as follows.  When my Mom’s dad stole a peanut-shaped plate from a restaurant for my Dad’s mom (she wanted to buy one, but they weren’t for sale) and then my Mom’s father took it back the next morning, correctly assuming that my Dad’s mother would feel guilty, that’s one of them.  And then after watching “The producers without my Dad’s parents, my mom’s father was singing the song “Make it gay” (while in the restroom at a stop, my Dad joking said that he had called my grandfather a crazy person or said something to the effect of “stay away from me”) and I don’t know how long it had been since my grandpa had last sang, but the next day (per my request) my grandma and grandpa performed a song in two part harmony.