Mary's Songs
It's always cool when your party Bard has a Phd in music and is a pretty awesome composer and performer to boot. Thanks to the addition of a new computer with a killer soundcard to my household, I've been able to convert these songs to MP3.
I'm a big fan of the Blues so naturally this is one of my favorites.
By Mary Crowell
Chorus:
cm6 Eb/Bb fm/Ab G7
You look new here to this place;
cm6 D7 G7
It¹s an ever-hungry city of Greed.
Cm6 Eb/Bb G7 cm6
No one really cares about re-li-gion or race.
Fm6 G+7 cm6
Your coin will serve your need.
There¹s some facts that you should know.
For a silver I can tell you the rules.
Always tip the waiter -- make a friend not a foe.
Never flash your jewels.
Verse:
fm6 cm6
In Athkatla you must hide
fm6 Bb G7
Your Magic awe-in-spir-ing.
Fm6 cm6
The mage¹s guild can-not abide
Ab7 G7 cm6
Another wizard¹s scrying.
Chorus:
Woe to those in this wicked town
Who don¹t choose to spread their gold.
No one will help you when you¹re going down.
Even charity is sold.
No one really gives a damn
If you¹re in misery.
You¹ve gotta pay the money to each sir, miss, or ma¹am.
Their friendship isn¹t free.
Verse:
In Athkatla there¹s love to buy
If you¹ve got plenty of gold --
Clink, plink, handshake, now, don¹t be shy --
A tear, a kiss, she¹s sold.
Chorus:
Never give your love away.
There are those who will cut you down.
The rest are gonna wonder why they¹re not s¹posed to pay --
Must be new here in this town. [Repeat and fade out]
Copyright 2001 by Mary Crowell
This is often sung when bards gather together to share songs and stories, as an unofficial opening and closing piece; it is technically difficult and open to much improvisational addition, so many bards will use it to show off their proficiency with their preferred instrument.
Music by Mary Crowell
Lyrics by Karen Murphy
Sing to the Empires that laugh at your stories
And sing to the people who cry at your tales.
Wander through worlds of odd people and creatures,
Travel far seas with strong winds in your sails.
Burn under suns in a hundred wide deserts,
And freeze through the winters in forests of pine.
Bask in the praise of each city's fair nobles,
And drink your fair share of each city's strong wine.
Charm all the folk who will pay for your playing
And laugh with the ones who can only give smiles.
Live in each day as if out for its glory
And you, bard, will know the true worth of your trials.
This is generally performed as an a cappella choral piece during the Ceremony of Vestments, where novices become full priests of the war god, and as a full orchestral piece with chorus during the Memorial to Heroes. It is based on the strictures of Tempus and is often used to train initiates. The MP3 attached to this piece is instrumental only. As soon as a willing choir can be located we'll see about an update.
In the meantime, the first jerk who makes a comment about dialing down the center...or worse....Carrot Top, will have three ticked off Tempestians and their GM over to redecorate their house....
Music by Mary Crowell
Lyrics by Karen Murphy
Chorus:
Know the code, let Tempus lead you
Know the code, let Tempus guide you
Know the code, know the code, oh Priest of War.
Verses
Never start the righteous battle
You know many other ways
To serve the ancient Lord of Conflict
Than just letting passions blaze.
No you never start a battle
But be certain when they come
That while you hesitate to start them
You are quick to finish one.
Honor all that you come facing
In the tide of battles long
Whether cross the bargain tables
Or in battle-memories song.
Do not hate the one who partners
As your enemy today.
Hatred eats away the mind
And lets the beast within hold sway.
[Chorus]
Kill not innocents in battle
As they are not meant to be
Caught between the blades of warriors
Seasoned deep in battle's sea.
Do not kill the fallen warrior;
For as those you spare death must
He will often tell to others
Of your honor and your trust.
Know retreat holds not dishonor;
Not all battles can be won,
Such say those who fight with wisdom
And we pray their wills be done.
Even better are the soldiers
Who cause battles to be waged
Over tables filled with papers
Where no blood is e'er engaged.
[Chorus]
See the one who stands agin ye
As not evil in his mind
For he seeks war with a purpose
You should work hard to divine.
Find the true form of each battle
Whether arms, or wit, or words,
That will bring the game its ending
And let Tempus' praise be heard
Hold the lands of those who battle
As possessions beyond price
Know their sacrifice to Tempus
Is a coward's last device.
For the rage of war recedes
And in the end the fields must grow,
As the knowledge and the wisdom
That a Priest of War must show.
[Chorus]
Know the code, let Tempus lead you
Know the code, let Tempus guide you
Know the code, know the code, oh Priest of War.
While on the trail of a "mad bomber" mage Jolie (Mary Crowell) realized that the Bomber may be watching the party. At a performance in the Traveller's Rest she performed the following song in an attempt to get a reaction.
It did.
Music and Lyrics by Mary Crowell
VERSE 1
We're following a trail of your device
Relying on riddles and throws of the dice,
Wisdom our treasure and rubies our gain.
Your words have helped us, and yet they're our bane.
VERSE 2
One could have warned us, but we didn't hear.
He couldn't listen; we were blinded by fear.
Wisdom comes slowly, and that is a shame.
Your crystal warnings are never the same.
CHORUS:
Don't leave us hanging
In the place where the souls are bound.
I'm petrified of your opinions,
And the questions all around.
VERSE 3
Your letters provide us with choices to make.
I'm looking at options. Which one do we take?
Flashes of insight appear in the eyes.
Will we choose right, or will we choose wise?
VERSE 4
You and your puzzles, they put songs in my head.
I'll dance to your tune -- I'm so easily led.
Music's the answer the question you pose.
But you ask another, and so our quest goes.
CHORUS:
Don't leave us hanging
In the place where the souls are bound.
I'm petrified of your opinions,
And the questions all around.
Upon arriving at the Crawford house, Jolie (Mary Crowell) prepared a piece to entertain the family with the Raven motif. I decided that the song was too good to just be a song for the Crawfords so I wrote a storyline so it figures into the lore for Team 2.
By Mary C. Phillips Crowell
Verse One:
Am9 C/G D/F# F
Black wings beat. They¹re near the glass of my window.
Am C/G D/F# E
Shattered sound jars something in my mind.
Am C/G D/F# E
As I watch them flying high and low,
F D G Am
Playing games with others of their kind.
Chorus One:
D7 C D7 F D7 C D7
Ravens, adorning their wings with shards of night.
D7 C D7 F Am
Ravens, travelling farther in their flight.
Verse Two:
Am9 C/G D/F# F
Pictures tumble down like rocks and boulders --
Am C/G D/F# E
Magic messages which cloud my mind.
Am C/G D/F# E
Thought and mem¹ry sit up-on my shoulders
F D G Am
See what¹s seen by others of their kind.
Chorus Two:
D7 C D7 F D7 C D7
Ravens, searching for secrets in the night.
D7 C D7 F Am
Ravens, gathering wisdom in their flight.
Verse Three:
Am9 C/G D/F# F
Beats his wings. And now we have a shore-line.
Am C/G D/F# E
So it¹s said in the collective mind.
Am C/G D/F# E
Making worlds, he is a bird di-vine,
F D G Am
Bringing water to the human kind.
Chorus Three:
D7 C D7 F D7 C D7
Raven, gathering people in the night.
D7 C D7 F Am
Raven, yes it is he who sets things right.
Verse One Reprise:
Am9 C/G D/F# F
Black wings beat. They¹re near the glass of my window.
Am C/G D/F# E
Shattered sound jars something in my mind.
Am C/G D/F# E
As I watch them flying high and low,
F D G Am
Playing games with others of their kind.
When I initially added some of the info on the great houses I e-mailed my HTML files between 2 computers and the code got completely mangled. I left the inactive links in place while I rewrote the pages. Life, as usual, got in the way and there was a stretch where there were few additions to the site. As a joke Mary wrote the Not Found JBrewer blues. Now she wonders why it takes me so long for me to update the site but doesn't realize the wonderful attention that my inactivity gets me. =-)
By Mary C. Phillips Crowell
G7
Got a certain web site that I'm checkin',
But it has got nothin' new.
C7
Got a web site that I'm checkin',
G7
But it has got nothin' new.
D7 C7
There were s'posed to be some new links.
G7
I've got the page-not-found blues.
Chorus:
G7
When you want the new additions,
You can click on 'what's new.'
C7
When you need to know the new stuff,
It will give you a clue.
D7
But, I'm so tightly wound
C7
'Cause this page is Not Found.
G7 D7 G7
JBrewer want you help me get a grip on my blues.
G7
I hear the data got corrupted,
And it's slowing things down.
C7
I hear the data got corrupted,
G7
And it's slowing things down.
D7 C7
So now the files are screwed and missing,
G7
And I'm wearing a frown.
Chorus again
G7
It seems he's busy every weekend,
And it's getting him down.
C7
Yep. He's busy every weekend,
G7
And it's getting him down.
D7 C7
There's always work or guests or gaming.
G7
Or he's gone out of town.
Chorus one last time.
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