Wednesday 9 October 2024

Uke-song, The non-hunter's martial melody: "PEN OF RABBITS"

Harlech castle, Wales

PARODY-LYRICS
ORIGINAL SONG: "Men of Harlech", traditional Welsh hymn
PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, August 2013.














Charlotte Church, child diva
 sings "Men of Harlech"








PEN of RABBITS

(to the traditional tune of "Men of Harlech")

Welch rare-bit / rabbit
Singable Introduction:
Still today caer Harlech perches,
Dominating YouTube searches - 
Startling, stirring  [1], song of Church's
Steals your breath away.

Here’s a song about Welsh Rare-bit [2],
Squarely dealing with the hare-bits -
Seen on fare-bills quite a fair bit,
Patrons seem perplexed.

Rabbit Welsh – offensive nomen-
-clature used by Saxon foemen ?
“No Welsh eats, but cheese and dough, man,
‘less they poach some game.” [3]

Meat-free choice? – Just ask your hostess,
Beer-and-cheese-melt over toast; its
Celtic fans applaud and boast, it’s
Cambria’s national meal.

Some meat-shunners might eschew it
Thinking it a hunter’s stew – but 
It lacks lagomorphs [4], that’s true – Bugs
Outwits Elmer Fudd!

Hare terse-verse is Nash’s [2]                 
Rare-bit search is Brasch’s [3]
‘HoJo’ wrote the spoof ‘Woad Ode’ [5]
Coniglio [6] penned some flashes.

Hail a dish that harms no hopsters
Not how Newberg hassles lobsters,
Fwycassees can fweak out sqwabsters -
Free the Cornish hen!

Easter rabbit hunt, New Zealand
Sadly, elsewhere, butchered rabbit
Satisfies game-lovers’ habits;
Easter special – Braised Brunch-Basket
Bunny-love abused.

Hard life in the burrows,
Where bereavement’s thorough;
Peters sad, their mom or dad
Got skewered for lunch ‘al burro’.

Hail a world that harms no hopsters,
Fricassees make quail no squabsters,
Calves should escape escalope, sirs !
Peace in field and warren !



[1] Charlotte Church aged 13, recorded the traditional ‘Men of Harlech’ 1998.
[2] Ogden Nash’s 2-line poem, ‘The Rabbits’
[3] Dr R. Brasch discusses the origins of ‘Welsh rabbit’ in ‘How Did It Begin’ , MJF Books, 2006.
[4] herbivorous mammals in a zoologic order which includes rabbits and hares.
[5] Best-known spoof  - a Boy-Scout song based on the ancient British tradition of fighting naked in woad dye -  by Eton housemaster W. Hope-Jones, ‘HoJo’, published 1921.
[6] Coniglio = rabbit  (Italian) 










Performing Notes

Enjoy chord-charts and lyrics at the Corktown Ukulele Jam songbook:
Corktunes: Pen of Rabbits

[C] Here’s a [F] song ab[C]out Welsh Rare-bit,
[F] Squarely [Dm] dealing [G] with the [G7] hare-bits -
[C] Seen on [F] fare-bills [C] quite a fair [F] bit,
[C] Patrons [G] seem per[C]plexed. [F] [C]

[G7] Hare terse-verse [G7sus] is [G] Nash’s           
[C] Rare-bit search [Csus] is [C] Brasch’s 
[C] ‘Ho[Csus]Jo’ [C] wrote the spoof ‘Woad Ode’ 
Coniglio penned [Csus] some [C] flashes.

final verse:
[F] Hail a [C] world that [Dm] harms no [C] hopsters,
[F] Fricas[Dm]sees make [G] quail no [G7] squabsters,
[C] Calves should [F] escape [C] es[G]ca[C]lope, [F] sirs !
[C] Peace in [G] field and [C] warren ! [F] [C] 

To play with a 'chimier' sound:

[C] Here’s [G7] a [F] song [G7] ab[C]out [G7] Welsh [C] Rare-[C5]-bit,
[F] Square[Am]ly [Dm] deal[Dm7]ing [G] with the [G7] hare-[G7sus]-bits -
[C] Seen [G7] on [F] fare-[G7] -bills [C] quite [G7] a [C] fair [F] bit,
[C5] Pat[C]rons [G] seem per[C]plexed.  [F]  [C]


Related Palindromes: 

Ate plate, elk cub, ergo ogre, buckle et al. - PETA.  

Sleep, eels. 

Step on no pets.

Meet animals; laminate 'em.

Pure talk. A yak later up.



  



Monday 29 July 2024

Uke-Song (palindromic, traditional): "SIN and REDEMPTION"








PARODY LYRICS
ORIGINAL SONG: "He's Got the Whole World In His Handstraditional spiritual, first published in 1927.
PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, May 2016, subsequently upgraded. To return to the corresponding post on "Daily Illustrated Nonsense" (and to see the lyrics without the chord-chart indications) click HERE.



SIN AND REDEMPTION

(to the tune of "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands")

















The Palindromic Nature of Sin


0. Dennis never even sinned. 


1. Dennis sinned.

2. Dennis and Edna sinned.
    Dennis and Edna dined. Enid and Edna sinned.

3. Dennis, Enid and Nadine sinned.
    Dennis, Nora, Aaron sinned  

4. Dennis, Enid, Andy D., Nadine, sinned.
    Dennis, Nell, Edna and Ellen sinned.
    Dennis, Rod, Enid and Edna dined or sinned.

5. Dennis, Nell, Edna, Otto and Ellen sinned.
    Dennis and Ed, Nadine, Enid and Edna sinned.

6. Dennis, Nell, Edna, Eva, Dave and Ellen sinned.
    Dennis and Ed, Nadine, Eve, Enid and Edna sinned, 



etc. 




Saturday 20 July 2024

JUL 20, the start of a hiatus

 

PLEASE NOTE THAT GIORGIO WILL BE TAKING A MUCH-NEEDED VACATION.

REGULAR NEW POSTINGS ON THIS BLOG (as well as our related blogs "Edifying Nonsense" and "Daily llustrated Nonsense") WILL LIKELY RESUME IN THE LATE FALL OR EARLY IN THE NEW YEAR. 

PLEASE CHECK BACK THEN, FOR NEW MATERIAL (although the old stuff, as detailed in each post's righthand column, remains available for nostalgic review). 

HAVE A GOOD SUMMER !!!  

Disappointed readers may be partly cheered by two exceptions:

 --the submitted palindrome thread on "Edifying Nonsense" has been honored by our contributors, and prepared new posts will be automatically displayed starting on the 25th of each month until the end of the current calendar year.

--  on "Daily Illustrated Nonsense", there will be a new palinku verse posted on the 17th of each month, also until the end of the year.

Friday 19 July 2024

Uke-Song: "RELIC SUBMARINES", in the style of The Beatles

                                                                                           
SONG with UKULELE-CHORDS: 
U.S.S. Clamagore at Patriots Point
(background: Arthur Ravenel Bridge, in fog)



ORIGINAL SONG:  "Yellow Submarine", The Beatles 1966, with lead vocals by Ringo Starr.
BACKGROUND: Giorgio's substitute lyrics draw on his personal experience as an occasional denizen of South Carolina. With prominent tourist sites for the display of submarines from the Civil War, World War II and the Cold War, Charleston SC and the adjacent suburb of Mt Pleasant seem like a grim version of the Beatles' fantasy "land of submarines".

PARODY COMPOSED: Dr. G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, December 2018. For further discussion and illustrations of submarines in Charleston, South Carolina, check our sister blogsite "Daily Illustrated Nonsense", by clicking HERE(You can also find a simpler version of the parody-lyrics for this song displayed without the chord-indications, should you desire.)

SONGLINKS: Giorgio's other satire lyrics substituted to Beatles' songs include "Vonnegut" (Imagine); "Saturday Night" (Yesterday); "Brennan's Tweet" (Let It Be); "Jake" (While My Guitar Gently Weeps).
Another song posted here relates to nuclear brinksmanship during the cold war. You might enjoy Giorgio's "Broken Arrow", to the tune of the Eagle's "Desperado". 

RELIC SUBMARINES

(to the tune of "Yellow Submarine")

UKULELE-FRIENDLY FORMAT, and guitar, too!

(Click on any chord-chart slide to move to 'song-presentation mode'; then navigate through thumbnails at bottom of page.)



























ORIGINAL SONG-LYRICS 

















Saturday 29 June 2024

Uke-Lament for the Undefended Border: "AN ALIEN HEADING SOUTH"


PARODY-LYRICS, subbed into 2 songs.
ORIGINAL SONG#1:  "Mr. Spaceman" , The Byrds, 
1966 -  verses 1,2, and 10.
ORIGINAL SONG #2. " Englishman in New York", Sting, 1987 - all other parody verses.
PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, November, 2014.

Lexicon:
Pair-ody = satirical lyrics substituted into a mix of 2 original songs
DHS = Department of Homeland Security
CRA = Canada Revenue Agency
BNL = Barenaked Ladies, a well-known Canadian band




ALIEN HEADING SOUTH

(to the tune of "Mr Spaceman")

 Woke up this morning, an odd taste in my mouth, and 
Then I realized we were due to head south,
 Warm U.S. cottage, with dual-cit. spouse - 
hope they won’t keep me out.

Hey, DHS-man, I really hate to ask -  I'd 
like to stay the max.
Hey, DHS-man, won’t you please let me in for 6 months.

(to the tune of "Alien in New York")

Hey, Mister Inquisitor, I’m just a snowbird-visitor,
I'm sure that I am not the only one;
I’ve sent “Closer Connection”-form, in IRS’s direction, for
I plan to live and die a native son. 

You’ll find no trace of felony, of villainy or zealotry
I’m not the sort who plans to overstay.
ISIS I repudiate, I file my taxes never late,
In fact I’m on good terms with CRA. 

I don't drink Starbuck's, just Tim Horton's, Sir,
Always a donut on the side,
I take my hockey gear everywhere I walk,
I’m myself, a trailer-park Canuck.    Whoa-.

 –oh, Not some alien: visiting Canadian
A Canadian with his puck. Whoa
–oh, Not some alien: ally, friend, and then some
A Canadian with his puck.  

If music makes the man, and threats you rate,
Then I'm the zero of the day,
I play my Lightfoot, Twain, Dion and Stompin' Tom
BNL, Avril, Biebs or Buble.
  
I'll trade my "loonies" at your banks to shop,
I won’t take anybody’s job, 
I’ll hide my views on climate-change and gun-control,
And no one should take me for a snob.  Whoa


 –oh, Not some alien: passported Canadian
 A Canadian with his puck. Say 
–eh, Not some alien: ally, friend, and then some
 A Canadian with his puck.  



(to the tune of "Mr Spaceman")
Hey, DHS-man, I know the rules can change; I
won’t do anything strange.
Hey, DHS-man, won’t you please let me in for a while.


(to the tune of "Alien in New York")
Say, "eh", Not some alien: visiting Canadian
A Canadian with his puck. Say 
–eh, Not some alien: ally, friend, and then some
A Canadian with his puck.  













UKULELE-FRIENDLY FORMAT
(Click on any chord-chart slide to move to 'song-presentation mode'; then navigate through thumbnails at bottom of page.)