Multi-cultural Mix-up: Robbie Burns Day

POST #67
PARODY-LYRICS

ORIGINAL SONG: "That's Amore", Dean Martin, 1953.

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, January 2015.

KEYWORDS: goldenoldy, multicultural, tribute, seasonal


Explanatory Notes: Robert Burns, born 1759, became Scotland’s ‘national poet’, and a cultural icon at home and among Scottish diaspora around the world. In his short life - he died at age 37 -  he wrote hundreds of well-loved poems and songs; the most famous is Auld Lang Syne, traditionally sung on Hogmanay. Robbie Burns Day is celebrated on his birthday, January 25. 

Robert Burns 

Burns' famous poems include "To a Mouse", "To a Louse", "Tam o' Shanter", "Parcel o' Rogues", and "Address to a Haggis". 

ROBBIE BURNS DAY

(to the tune of "That's Amore")

INTRO (Tremolo)
In Aberdeen and overseas
Kilt-wearers freeze below the knees.....

When friends honor the haggis and flag of St Andrews - 

That's Burns Day.

First you’re piped to your place, they intone Selkirk’s Grace -

The Saltire, or St Andrews cross

Robbie Burns Day.

Cock-a-leekie soup, cook will boast, address-by-the-host,

Offer toasts to the haggis.

You think, “oops!” – dinner-wasn’t-cheap, eat tatties an neeps *,

Hope to sleep through the speeches.

Poems recite – Mouse-that-gets-a-fright, Louse-that’s-in-plain-sight,

Witches’ night – ‘Tam o’ Shanter’

Greed retold, Scotland’s future sold, England’s bribing-gold,

 ‘Parcel o’ Rogues’  - truth or slander?

With slurred speech you sound Scottish, sipped Scotch ‘til you’re sottish - 

That's Burns Day.

Yes, you’ve downed too much malt, might be mostly your fault -

You feel plough'd.

Finally guests’ vote of thanks, you chant, closing your ranks

Like Hogmanay.

Let the world praise today the auld Bard o’ Alloway -

Robbie Burns Day!

Scots Lexicon

Alloway = village near Glasgow, birthplace of Rob Burns 
cock-a-leekie = chicken and onion soup
haggis = a large sausage, usually made with oatmeal and minced sheep offal
Hogmanay = New Year's Eve
tatties an neeps  = mashed potatoes and turnips


PERFORMING NOTES

Bdim7 = 1212; Bbm = 3111

INTRO (Tremolo)

[Fm] In Aberdeen and over[Bbm]seas

Kilt-wearers [Fm] freeze below the [C7] knees.  [C7!]

[C7] When friends [F] honor the haggis and flag of St Andrews -

[Bdim] That's [C7] Burns Day.

First you’re piped to your place, they intone Selkirk’s Grace -

[Bdim7] Robbie [F] Burns Day.
..........

Finally [Gm7] guests’ vote of thanks, you chant, [Bbm] closing your ranks

Like Hog[F]manay.

[Bdim7] Let the [C7] world praise today the auld Bard o’ Alloway -

Robbie [F] Burns Day     [C7]     
Robbie [F] Burns Day     [C7]  
Robbie [F] Burns Day  [C7]![F]!  

ORIGINAL SONG 
(click on any slide to enlarge and arrive in thumbnail mode for singalongs on your computer or phone!)  

The Origins of Trigonometry: AULD LANG's SINE

PARODY-LYRICS

ORIGINAL SONG: "Auld Lang Syne", by Robert Burns, 1788.

Robert Burns

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, January, 2015.

AULD LANG’S SINE

(to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne")

A clever Scot, Auld Simon Lang

Rests in a box o’ pine;

His contributions near-forgot -

‘E invented Auld Lang’s Sine.

Dreamed up the trig’s big Sine, and its

Gude cos’n bright an’ fine;

[One minus (Lang’s-Sine)squared], my dear,

Its square-root – Auld Lang’s Cosine.

And though his mind did grow less clear,   

His concept’s been refined –

One o’er t’other – Tangent, dear

Derived frae Auld Lang’s Sine.

And at the end, his sight grown dim

Ideas still implant –

Turned on its head, Auld Lang’s Cosine,

We know as Auld Lang’s Secant.

His final word, “Cotangent”,

Then his soul was carried up;

So kindly pass the pi, my dear,

And to Lang we’ll drink a cup.


Related Palindromes

T. set stats test.

Crazy Z-arc.

I-pen is rotator: sine pi.


Performing Notes

A [C]clever [Am] Scot, Auld [Dm] Simon [G7] Lang

Rests [C] in a [C7] box o’ [F] pine;

His [C] contri[Am]butions [Dm] near-for[G#dim7]got -

‘E in[Am]vented [Dm] Auld [G7] Lang’s [C] Sine.

A Seasonal Treat: TURKEY LEFTOVERS

POST #64
This blogpost is dedicated to G.D., with best holiday wishes, December 2017.

PARODY-LYRICS subbed into 2 original songs, a pairody

ORIGINAL SONG#1: "The Christmas Song" (Chestnuts...), written by Wells and Torme 1944, recorded by the Nat King Cole Trio 1946.
ORIGINAL SONG#2: "Good King Wenceslas", John Mason Neale 1853, but often now mistakenly referred to as 'traditional'. Neale's piece, (based on accounts of the Bohemian Wenceslas legend, and a 13th century 'spring- carol tune) was highly criticized in the 1920s as "ponderous moral doggerel"; see the interesting description in the Wiki essay.

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, January, 2015.

KEYWORDS: classicsong, traditional, seasonal, pa(i)rody

TURKEY LEFTOVERS

(to the tune of The Christmas Song - "Chestnuts Roasting")

Essay featured in Economist,
Turkeys' origins disclosed -
Centerpiece of each year's Yuletide feast,
Subspecies bred in Mexico.

Dolts like me believed that gobblers and that Mid-East land -
Names were mere coincidence.
Ottomans, trading ships, caravans -
I understand, it now makes sense.

Each year I prove I'm such a goof,
I try create too late a spiffy Christmas spoof,
But with a month's delay I'll get it right
Helped by this article about "Turkey's Flight".

And so I'm offering this paraphrase
Of what the author claimed was true,
French - d'inde, and the Turks call them 'hindi' - what jerks!
While in India, name in Hindi,
And in Portugal's 'peru'.

To the tune of "Good King Wenceslas")



Montezuma once bred fowl tastier than pheasant 
Shipped the Spanish queen a thou - funky kind of present.
Isabella loathed the birds, trimmings too displeased her;
No use for leftovers, she didn't have a free-eezer.

'Turkeys', Moors, then Jews were banned from the royal kitchens;
Legend says that's how began Spanish Inquisition - 
Cortes later sacked the lands of the Aztec ruler.
Phil or Izz-and-Ferdinand ? Can't say which was cru-ueller.

Avian émigrés toured through, crowns of Europe hosting,
Though few of their lackeys knew oven-time for roasting.
Hot or cold and steep or flat, exiled birds were living,
Prospered in those countries that didn't have Thanksgi-iving.

Thus this misnamed flock did cope through the 16th century,
'ventually hens copped some hope with the English gentry.
For some time they settled down,  breeding they found boring,
Westward they shipped out again, restlessly explo-oring.

Turkeys in America, native home  recovered,
Quirky and hysterical history discovered -
Essay we would clearly rank best of the Econ'mist,
Author we should dearly thank-(s)he remains anon-ymous.

For another parody on  "The Christmas Song"  see my earlier posting "The Cynic's Song" here.


PERFORMING NOTES

Bm7 = 2222;  C#m7 = 4444;  E7 = 1202;  Em7 = 1010;  C#7+5 =2112; F#m = 2120;  Dm6 = 2212;  D#m7 = 3324;  C#M7 = 1113;  CM7 = 0002;

A9= 0102;  DM7 = 2224;  D6 = 2222;  Dm7 = 2213;  CM7 = 0002;  C6 = 0000;  Fdim7 = 1212; G#7 = 1323;  Cdim7 = 2323;  AM7 = 1100;  F#7sus = 6677

ORIGINAL SONG-LYRICS

Bocelli and Brightman Sing: Time To Say It. Right

POST #63
PARODY-LYRICS

ORIGINAL SONG: "Con Te Partirò / Time To Say It Right", 1995, best-known version is a duet by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli. 

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, December 2014.

KEYWORDS: modernsong, multicultural

Italophiles like me applaud the absorption of Italian (It.) words into English through exposure to Italian food, coffee, wine and music. However in a few instances one gets rattled by mistakes such as the widespread use of ‘panini’ (sandwich-rolls) and ‘biscotti’ (cookies) applied to the singular items.

WITH TEA JUST ONE ROLL

 /TIME TO SAY IT. RIGHT

(to the tune of "Con Te Partirò")

SARAH:

Quando sola ho bisogno, qui vicino, di 
Mangiar’ un bel panino. 

I don’t know what they might mean, 
Don’t feel so keen when they insist it’s 'a panini' 
Won’t they bring just one roll per me con té ?

Had a nice sandwich  

Last night – prosciutto and formaggi – while at Fiumicino 

Just one filled me up 

More than a raviolo or linguino.

Time to  say It. right: single nouns don’t end in ‘i’

Just one sandwich-roll with my tea; I’ll leave a nice tip for you. 

Con té UN panino –  like ‘vino’ or ‘Dino’ – you ought to know. 

No, no, no, don’t serve it right now – It’s time for transfer-flight. 

ANDREA:

Quando pranzo solo arrivato negli Stati, 

Mi occorre un biscotto 

“You ought to get one free -a biscotti”, they say .

With one hot drink – you’ve got coffee or tea  

Gratuito ‘one biscotti’ con caffé o té, caffé o té…  

Time to say It. right: single nouns don’t end in ‘i’ 
Just one crunchy treat with caffé; I’ll leave a nice tip for you.

Caffé e UN biscotto – it rhymes with ‘risotto’ – you ought to know.

No, no, no don’t bring it right now – they’ve rebooked my next flight.

BOTH:

Time to try  - you bet; ‘cause It. and its rules take work to get.
No, plurals in ‘s’ don’t exist, it’s different from Spanish-

Time to say it right. 

Say It. right!

ENGLISH VERSION:

SARAH:

When alone, no phone, arrived State-side, near here I crave 

A crisp Italian roll’a: 

It’s so unlike a bagel, 

Crust so flaky, and it doesn’t have a hole’a 

Won’t they bring one here, for me, with tea. 

ANDREA:

Hanging with my buds, and checking out the scene, I hanker 

For an almond-flavored biscuit.   

It’s not like a burrito – has no beans   

And they don’t even have to fix it.    
Biscuit for free with coffee; it’s free with tea, it’s free with tea.   

Performing Notes

[G] Quando sola ho bisogno, qui vicino, di 

Mangiar’ un bel pa[F]ni[C]no. 

I don’t [G] know what they might mean, 
Don’t feel so keen when they insist it’s 'a pa[F]ni[C]ni' 
[G] Won’t they bring just [F] one [Am] roll per [F] me con [G] té ?

[C] Had a nice [G] sandwich  

Last [Am] night – pro[F]sciutto and formaggi – while at Fiumi[G]cino 

[C] Just one filled me [G] up 

More than a ravi[F]olo or lin[G]guino.

[C] Time to  [G] say It. [Am] right:[F]  [C] single nouns [G]  don’t end in [Am] ‘i’

Just [F] one sandwich- roll with my [C] tea; I’ll [G] leave a nice tip for you. 

[C] Con té [G] UN pani[Am]no – [F]  like [C] ‘vino’ or ‘Dino’ – [G] you ought to [Am] know. 

[F] No, no, no, don’t  serve it right [C] now – It’s [F] time for [G7] transfer-[C]-flight. 

[D] Time to [A] try  - you [Bm] bet;[G]  ‘cause [D] It. and its rules take [A] work to [Bm] get.

No, [G] plurals in ‘s’ don’t ex[D]ist, it’s [G] different from [A] Spanish-

[D] Time to [A] say it [Bm] right. G, D,  A,  Bm,  G,   D

[G] Say [A] It. [D] right!