Write It to the Tune of ... Poetry Contest

I had considered doing this for sometime, and what the hay, let's go for it!

Take this poem I wrote from the "Famous Quoted Line Poetry Contest."

Night of the Demon

Trying to fall asleep but the reality
There is a nightmare crouched on my chest
Now he could be delusion, a night time illusion
All that I know is that he keeps me from my rest

I put on a CD, of sounds of serenity
Didn't block the eyes of the demon in my view
He digs in his back claws, torments me without cause
I need my sleep but what the hell can I do?

Tossing and turning, my eyes red and burning
There's still the weight of a demon in my view
I'm getting frantic, headed for major panic
Wonder if he'd move on if he swallowed a bullet or two?

Pendragon
(C) 6/25/2013

Now go back, and read again. It is written to the tune of Jimmy Buffet's hit song "Margaritaville" Only the verses, not the chorus. Try singing it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue2-ZVxpVjc

Now this contest is simple. You get a song, if your are not familiar with the tune, post a link to it. You then write a poem that can be sung to the tune given. Could be fun, if you are willing to try.

First song for the first contest:

Have a Nice Day--Bon Jovi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeVWPz-fcR0

I will see what kind of turnout we have, and then post a deadline. What do have to loose? The poem can be on anything as long as it fits the tune. :party:

Fun idea, Pendragon!

Where's this anger coming from? I want to know
Why I lost my heart so many years ago.

Kick me while I whimper on that filthy street
Weak and waiting for a cuter friend to meet.

You crushed me, thought you understood, but I'm still here
Hating you because your wickedness is near.

Oh! Projections of myself are what I push outside.
Yeah! Projections of a demon that you're forced to ride
Heating up your heart, ripping you apart,
Showing you a love you never thought would start.
You had better run away. Get out!
I'll make you stay.
I'll make you stay.


Scream! It doesn't help. It doesn't make me sad.
You're the one projecting. You're the one who's mad.

Take me for a fool that cries pathetically.
You're no prize that's worth some pouting jealousy.

I will leave you when I want. I'm not like you.
When you think you love me, I'll say that we're through.

Oh! Projections of myself are what I push outside.
Yeah! Projections of a demon that you're forced to ride
Heating up your heart, ripping you apart,
Showing you a love you never thought would start.
You had better run away. Get out!
I'll make you stay.
I'll make you stay.


No knight is on his way who cares to help you out.
Delusions are those locks that you complain about.

Get out!
I'll make you stay.
I'll make you stay.

Sorry, YesNo, I think you did a good job, but people have complained that the song is too difficult for poetry writing. So we offer another perhaps catchier tune. This is Simon and Garfunkel, "Sound of Silence."

Please note the poem can be as long as you wish or as short as one stanza as long as it follows the tune.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9voMukBcHi0

Deadline August 15th one way or another...

Pen

No problem, Pendragon. The "Sound of Silence" seems more interesting. Good idea for a contest.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pendragon

...This is Simon and Garfunkel, "Sound of Silence."
....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9voMukBcHi0

...

---

Hello Weber my old friend.
I’ve come to grill with you again.
Charcoal briquettes are piled high.
A gallon of fluid lights the sky.

And the Hickory smoke that is wafting in my face,
I embrace

I hold the tongs of power.

Brats are hot and start to swell.
New York Strip is medium well.
Shrimp on the grill are swimming.
Glazed chicken legs are dancing.

To the tune of the flashing briquettes light,
that sparks the night.

I hold the tongs of power.

http://www.weber.com/grills/series/one-touch

^ :smilielol5:

Hello darkness my old friend
I wake to look at you again
Through the window I hear feet walking
Time to gather up and start hawking
The box of apples on my table, sun or rain
While I strain
To hear the sound of fivepence

Horses clop and cartwheels groan
On the busy streets of stone
Trying not to look too much the tramp
I stand and stretch out a persistent cramp
And my dead eyes seek any hint of the daytime light
But just see night
And I listen for the sound of fivepence

In front of me I hear a jeer
And an apple disappears
But I also hear footsteps stopping
And the sound of precious coins dropping
Gentlemen, ladies fair, working folk all willing to share
I say a prayer
In exchange for the sound of fivepence

We have two wonderful entries! Surely there are more? Anyone? Please?

(to the tune of "Sound of Silence")

Hello Gym, you're not my friend
You're talking-weight-scale oft offends
I want to throw those Yoga Balls at you
And toss my worn Cross-Trainer shoes in too
and the barbells
that are now planted in my chest
I regret
Wait, who's
That new
Fitness trainer?

Suck in my gut, tighten my butt
S'cuse me...gluteus maximus.
Isometrics and Body Mass Index
Bench presses and curls for my biceps
And sit-ups
That's what Middle Management means?
In my dreams
Wait, here comes
That new
Fitness trainer.

From cinnamon buns to buns of steel
"Feel the burn!", the trainer squeals.
"Work those pecs and glutes, those tri's and bi's
Hammies, lats...did you detoxify?!"
My heavy breathing
Is a sound I'd rather hear in bed
That's what I said
Wait, you're not
My friend,
Fitness trainer.

Those three previous entries rock!

Hello, Gotham, you massive mall,
I thought I’d pay you a call:
a city that’s never caught sleeping
though baseball fans are kept weeping
with the price of tickets flying through the roof
and A-Rod still swings under steroid proof
toward pitchers’ mounds, in silence.

Without a ride, I schlepped through town
with waiting cabs nowhere around--
their drivers would rather quaff a poison cup
than lose their fears and pick me up--
while boys in blue all alert and brisk
grabbing a guy to stop and frisk
with no real grounds of violence.

A soothing smoke would calm the dark,
but the city won’t allow it near the park,
and warns that I shouldn’t even think
about super-sizing a cold soft drink
o’er sixteen ounces, despite my mood,
or scarfing down pounds of trans-fat food,
all salted up, in silence.

Time to wrap this contest up, I think.

GG I love that line :I hold the tongs of power..."

Calidore: Very neat description of a coastermonger's life

Melanie: That first line is priceless! What makes it not my friend are the people with perfect bodies complaining about gaining a pound while I'm trying to drop 100lb...

Aunt Shecky (Hi. BTW, long time no hear!) Neat play

But I have to pick one...

Congrats, GilbertGurgle! GG, you had me at "tongs of power"

NEXT!

Well, looky there!
I recall I was actually grilling that evening, it was only natural.
Thanks!

Next song Moody Blues Tuesday Afternoon
Let's see how you handle the "sigh" held through a couple of measures.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7MY1rtPL5Q

Congrats, Gilliatt! Winner hosts the barbeque, I believe. :drool5:

Friday Night Blues

Friday after dark,
I’m just beginning to drink
All of the clouds away—
Not that it matters to me
So long as I don’t have to think—

Tequila is calling to me—
Is there a barmaid anywhere—
Still all the voices that ring in my head
Can’t be hushed by tequila and beeeeeeeeeeeeeer

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, my!

I’m examining myself, trying to figure why
I always drink my way into a clouded, clouded mind
As I grow hazy in this lonesome fog of beer
Come on down and see, and grab a glass of cheer

Friday after dark,
Friday after dark—

Friday after dark
My mind is beginning to grow numb
Now I’m well on my way—
What does it really matter to me
If the whole world thinks I’m dumb?

The bartender is calling to me
“Closing time is drawing near
Can I call you a cab?”
Voices still ring in a drunken haze
But I tell him OK with a sneeeeeeeeeeeeer—

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, my!

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, myyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Pendragon

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gilliatt Gurgle

Next song Moody Blues Tuesday Afternoon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7MY1rtPL5Q

---

Dawn comes, after night.
Yesterday's silent secrets
and unsettled slumbers,
are today's inspirations
with wings unencumbered.

Lost in, reverie.
Rambling through the universe
scattered words like stars,
abstract musings apertif
poetic caviar. (cavi..ahh..ahh..rr)

I'm gathering my thoughts and words to marinate
Externalizing the internal illuminates
Piecing together a mosaic of my mind
When you awaken, follow me and you will find

Dawn comes after night.

Dawn comes after night.

Some day, holding you,
The screams will stop for a while
As a breeze goes by.
We'll cast each other a smile
Calming the victim's cry.

Each day, loving you,
Those dreams we lost when asleep
Stand up with bright, fresh eyes.
Those hopes dropped into the deep
Awaken to help us rise.

We never knew that life could offer us such fun.
We cast our hearts and play. The world has just begun
And in your twinkling eyes I find myself a place
Forgetting all that's near to fill it with your face
Some day, holding you,
Some day, holding you.

Some day, holding you,
The screams will stop for a while
As a breeze goes by.
We'll cast each other a smile
Calming the victim's cry.

Each day, loving you,
Those dreams we lost when asleep
Stand up with bright, fresh eyes.
Those hopes dropped into the deep
Awaken to help us rise.

Congratulations, GG!

Thanks, how about a "moody" poem while you're here?

btw- let's give it another week and see where we stand.

Pendragon

Hilarious with: “Tequila is calling me”, “voices that ring in my head”, “lonesome fog of beer”.
There were couple of spots tripped me up when trying to keep pace with the song.

Melanie
Taking a more sober tasteful approach.
I particularly appreciate the lines…

“…scattered words like stars,
abstract musings apertif
poetic caviar. (cavi..ahh..ahh..rr)…”

I was having difficulty holding out the full measures singing “caviar” without a chuckle.

YesNo
I particularly enjoyed this, the words meshed well with the tune, though I’m still working out my interpretation. What comes across, at first blush, as overall pleasant words expressing desire, love between a couple, there is something sinister or distressing in the words “..the screams will stop for a while” and “…calming the victim’s cry”.

For some reason, the poem led me to this Moody Blues song… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89ulXt7AJBM

The Grammy award goes to YesNo for well meshed words and a poem that has me still wondering.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gilliatt Gurgle

I particularly enjoyed this, the words meshed well with the tune, though I’m still working out my interpretation. What comes across, at first blush, as overall pleasant words expressing desire, love between a couple, there is something sinister or distressing in the words “..the screams will stop for a while” and “…calming the victim’s cry”.

For some reason, the poem led me to this Moody Blues song… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89ulXt7AJBM

---

Thanks, Gilliatt Gurgle! As far as an interpretation, I was trying to suggest the couple was having troubles in their relationship in the first 10 shorter lines that would have been resolved in the longer 4 if they could only figure out how to do that. The ideas in "Never Comes the Day" do seem similar, especially, "If only you knew what's inside of me now you wouldn't want to know me somehow."

The next tune is the Rodgers and Hammerstein song You'll Never Walk Alone.

If was only within the last year that I saw Carousel for the first time. Here are excepts containing the song at the end: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4_NdiPSmbs

Deadline: Oct 12, three weeks from now

Just Because It Is There!

Then the pathway of Everest, made men want to try
Although lonely and afraid of the dark—
When the mountain is defeated, there’s a golden prize
Though some lives might be lost, still embark
Struggle on against the cruel cold
Struggle on through the ice
When your courage fails, think and devise
Climb on, climb on, victory is in sight
And never give up the fight
For the joy of the triumph is nigh

Pendragon
9/23/2013

My Password is “Password”


When you boot up your PC,
set your guards on high,
and don’t be afraid of the troll.

On the track of each site
lurks a nosy eye
that swiftly can snoop into your soul.

Click on to the page,
scroll down past the ads,
yet your secrets will be known.

Log on, log on, on the World Wide Web,
but you’ll never surf alone.
You’ll never surf alone.

How true - You'll have the entire population of Liverpool following you around and whining in your ear :D

Time is up for this contest. Thank you for all the submissions.

Pendragon: Climbing even a small mountain, let alone Everest, would be an impossible task for me with or without the encouragement of the song. The "climb on" fit the spirit of the tune.

AuntShecky: I know someone who actually used "password" as his password and even let me know what it was.

I noticed from the versions of the song on YouTube that Liverpool uses it as a sort of theme song. That kind of surprised me, but it is a nice song, so why not?

And the winner is AuntShecky!

Congratulations!

Congratulations AuntShecky! So clever. YesNo, I'm sorry I didn't participate this time but it wasn't because I didn't want to. I tried to enter several times and I just couldn't get anything to take flight so I finally gave up. Maybe a little fresh air will clear my mind. It was a great song you posted!

That's OK, Melanie. There were two good submissions. There are a few contests I have yet to think of something to write about.

I've been struggling with the muse lately, too, here and in the satire contest. Either the given phrase triggers something or it doesn't. I envy those people who can pull inspiration out of anything.

Thank you very much, YesNo, and thanks to my fellow LitNutters for the comments as well.

Next up-- a haunting theme. Again we're going to tap Richard Rodgers, but this time not Hammerstein but his earlier-- and some would say "edgier"-- lyricist--Lorenz Hart. The song is:

"Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered"

You don't have to write about Halloween, but the "hook" should consist of three adjectives, just as in the original.

The deadline will be Friday, November 1. (Maybe there'll be a couple of reminders posted before then.)
I really hope we will get several entries.

The song originally appeared in a Broadway musical circa 1940, adapted from a novel by the underated John O'Hara. In the movie version of Pal Joey, starring Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak,Rita Hayworth performed a sultry version of the song. It was revived once more in the late 80s when it was featured in a Woody Allen movie.

Sorry that this month's song isn't of more "recent" vintage, but consider where your ol' auntie is coming from. Don't forget-- yours fooly is so out of touch that she thinks "twerking" is wasting too much time on Twitter when you're supposed to be working!

Looking forward to reading your parodies!

EDITED--Oct. 17, 2013, 3:46 EDT
The original posting had an error, in which it erroneously stated that the song first appeared in Babes in Arms, with a later movie version starring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. Actually the song in Babes in Arms which was revived for the movie version of Pal Joey was "My Funny Valentine." Sorry for the confusion!

Despite all that, "Bewitched,Bothered and Bewildered" remains the song pick for this contest."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AuntShecky

"Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered"

---

Were you aware that they were the Bats in Pogo Possum comics by Walt Kelly?

http://nohtv.files.wordpress.com/201...d-deepness.jpg

Thanks for reviving a fond memory, Pen! I purely miss "Pogo," and all of us could surely use some of Walt Kelly's subtle satire these days! Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to your entry.

I finally got the speakers working on the PC ("Pong 3.0") and found several pages of YouTube links to our song. This rendition is by the Velvet Fog, but you can also find versions from many other vocalists, including Ella, the Chairman of the Board, as well as more contemporary artists.

To the tune of "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered"...

Bedazzled, Champagned, and Becupcaked

Bejeweled again, besmiled again
A shimmering, glimmering bride again
Bedazzled, champagned, and becupcaked am I...

I could not think. Too much *clink* *clink*
He whispered, "My dear, please put down your drink"
Befuzzled, beliquored, and begiggled am I...

Tipsy here and tipsy there
Up the stairs to the balcony
Threw my bouquet in the air
And that's the last of my memory

Next thing I know, a cuppa Joe
The honeymoon, Romeo must forego
Beshowered, beflanneled, and beslippered am I.

Way to go, Melanie! Thanks for getting the ball rollin'!

Besmirched, Belittled and Betrayed

After one scathing putdown
Anger rises in my soul
They laugh at me like a clown
The silent dragon, icy cold cold
I tried again and got rejected
Self satisfied hypocrites
One more time I’ve been ejected
Their mocking has left me in a mess

I am mad again, feeling bad again
Do they have to do all this again
Besmirched, belittled and betrayed am I
Countless wounds run deep, keep me from my sleep
They tossed me out upon a garbage heap
Besmirched, belittled and betrayed am I

Cold my heart, but what of it
No one hears my desperate plea
They all laugh but I'll have the last one,
revenge is sweet and then some
And I long for the day when my revenge is done
Besmirched, belittled and betrayed am I

They all laugh, think I don’t know it
But the fools drop clues enough
I'm in pain and I don't show it it
But concealing rage is tough
Lately the familiar sad sensation
Bitter tears run down my cheek
since these half-wit imitations
Put me in this vocal clink

I've cursed a lot, wish things were reversed a lot
But I have to bear the brunt a lot
Besmirched, belittled and betrayed am I am
I will get them in the end, let my sarcasm rip and tear again
And take my bloody revenge of them
Besmirched, belittled and betrayed am I

Pendragon © 10/20/2013

Life's been good and I've done well.
I've had my pick of lusty friends,
But live-in lovers love to tell
Me where my freedom ends.

She would rearrange the place,
Clean or pitch what I hold dear,
But that giggly, bright-eyed face
Made my smile appear.

I'm lost again. I'm tossed again.
With love in control I'd be bossed again.
Light-hearted, light-headed and lonely am I.

It turned out she was not that bad,
Not the way I thought she'd be.
When she left, it made me sad
She was not with me.

I'm me again. I see again
I guess I deserve to be free again.
Light-hearted, light-headed, but lonely am I.

Oh, boy--two more lyricists! Thanks Pen and Yes/No.

Let's see some more LitNutters give this ditty a rip. Deadline is November 1.

After sixty years of “howdy folks”,
Fletchers corn dogs an fritters,
turkey legs and beer provokes
a bad case of the jitters.

Among the west’s greatest creation,
I began life as Santa Clause.
But Kerens Texas Christmas sensation
headed north to the State Fair’s calls.
I stood tall again, bowlegged again,
a maniacal, mechanical man again.
Beloved, but haggard an bedraggled was I

It was 2012 season on my 60th birthday.
faulty wiring developed, insulation did fray
Short circuited, sparked then scorched was I

Lost my skivvies to the flame.
My spurs no longer jingle.
Crowds mourned, such a shame,
among ashes a phoenix does mingle.

It’s 2013, throngs flock to him, each day to him.
Big Tex redux, his new duds cling to him.
Reborn, redressed, rebooted is he.

A stoic icon and he knows it.
Size seventy boots planted fast.
A sail for a shirt, Dickies jeans to fit,
over Dallas his arms are cast.

I’ve welcomed a lot, corn dogged a lot,
watched OU stomp UT a lot.
Big eared, be grinned, Big Texed am I.


Fall of Big Tex 2012

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._retouched.jpg

Big Tex redux 2013

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...g_Tex_2013.jpg

Coming down to the finish line, LitNutters, so if you're thinking of chiming in on this round, now's the time. The winner will be announced tomorrow or soon after, depending on whether this PC ( "Pong 3.0") cooperates.

Well, it's been 24 hours since the Last Call, and since there doesn't seem to be any last-minute contestants,I guess it's okay to close up this round. Not only that, there are high wind warnings here in East Hogwash, my neck o' the woods, making me worry about losing the electricity and/or the cable, so to be safe rather than sorry, here's the result:

All four entries were top shelf. The original lyricist Lorenz "Larry" Hart had a irrepressible (though reportedly prankish) sense of humor, and I'm willing to bet he would have gotten some laughs out of these.

It's great that 3 of the 4 contestants included the "verse" or the opening part of the song, which frankly I had forgotten about, even though right before this round of the contest I saw Pal Joey on tv again and heard Rita Hayworth's rendition of the complete song. I also liked the fact that all four remembered to include internal rhymes which the original lyrics feature.

Pen -- Even though the theme of your parody is poignant, it does not lack for wit "cursed a lot/reversed a lot"--not to mention wisdom: "Concealing rage is tough." Keep up the good work!

Yes/No--The meter and rhyme in the following lines are perfect: "I'm lost again/I'm tossed again/With love in control I'd be bossed again." The irony ranks right up there with Hart's original, and also reminds me of the sarcasm in another standard of the era (by Cole Porter? )--"Everything I've Got Belongs to You."

Gilliat Gurgle--Your originality astounds me! Who would imagine having a man-made object (albeit a Texas icon) as the narrator? It's fun to imagine "Big Tex" actually warbling these lines. He must be a basso-profundo, or at least a baritone. Your lyrics are full of funny lines-- "Lost my skivvies to the flame/my spurs no longer jingle."

and finally, last but certainly not leastMelanie-- You fully captured the wit and the befuddlement, the deliciously perplexed theme of the original lyrics, but you were sure as heck "original" yourself. I was "bedazzed" if not, alas, "champagned." Let's face it, you had me at "becupcaked." This one takes the cake, and you win this round.

Meanwhile Pendragon, Yes/No, and Gilliat G. all have reason to celebrate. *Clink* *Clink* Fine work all around.

Okay, Melanie, you're up next-- Name That Tune!

Thanks for your comments.
The return of Big Tex took the headlines for a spell around here.
btw - Big Tex took a shine to Ella's variant of the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26m8h9DxeTo

Congrats Mellanie