Elise Matthesen

Improve ev’ry movie


Look, I don't know what came over me. I saw that quote and all of a sudden it's nearly half past ten and there are bits and pieces of verses strewn all over here.

This filk is once again because of communal_creators, a community of creativity in many directions. Whee!

As has been my recent practice, this filk is written for communal_creators, which is full of lovely creative people having fun. Yay!

I am getting this in after midnight because Reasons. Also, I am in a bit of a mood, so what you get is truly obscure, and might not hit anyone else's bone of amusement the way it hits mine. Also, I miss John Brantner, who would be truly horrified but also probably amused by this. We sang at his house. In the words of the round written by Sherry Wohlers Ladig:

Let us sing a round together
In all seasons willing are we
Every other Sunday to meet with friends and
Raise our voices in harmony
Who's the master of the measure?
In this house who keeps the key?
John Brantner, John Brantner, John Brantner, John B!

Brantner, of course, declined to sing what he called so self-centered a final line, so he substituted:

All sing soundly, all sing roundly, soundly roundly is the key!

For which he was immediately dubbed the Obstinato.

Anyhow, none of that is in this filk, except that John Brantner and his fellow singers introduced me to "Sweet Day" or Laudibus, a setting by Ralph Vaughan Williams of the poem Vertue by George Herbert. This filk is, strictly speaking, a filk of the poem, as the musical version is shortened by one verse, but hey, it still could be sung with the second verse restored. Anyhow, here; there are dead people I miss singing with, and some of them would gently tease about goth tendencies, or about my fondness for the Sabine Baring-Gould version of "Now the Day Is Over," or my love of the Gounod setting of "All Praise To Thee My God This Night" and they'd tell me how they "could practically see Marguerite mounting up to heaven!" and so forth. Anyhow, here. I wrote a filk to a song about death and life, so of course it's a goth filk. I wish those friends were still around to tease me about it, but the older one gets, the more of one's friends join the choir invisible.

Sweet Night, or, Very Very Goff

Sweet night, so deep thy velvet black
The robes of darkest midnight sky
My mordant mood’s worn on my back
So goth am I

Black rose, thy hue somber yet sharp
Bids careless laughter cease its cry
And on harmonium and harp
Sings all must die

Dark road where the shadow composes
The solemn path on which we ride
Our wardrobes show we have black clothes-es
All must be dyed

Only a true and morbid soul
Can love both candle and the moth
Songs must have endings to be whole
Then truly goth


Here's a link to the Vaughan Williams arrangement, with a score card so you can know the players: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAYvC9j29Qc

Anyhow, this is the fifth filk for communal_creators which is being a lot of fun so far.

My Favorite Shells
to the tune of “My Favorite Things”
dedicated to Sharmon of SWF Beach Life on YouTube

Sharmon like shelling and when she sees seashells
She gets excited somewhere there might be shells
She’s in the water or up on the sand
Showing us treasures she holds in her hand

Hello there, beach friends! She wants to invite us
To see shells and critters she hopes will delight us
Shark eyes and murexes, olives and drills
Florida fighting conchs bring on the thrills

Find her on YouTube especially on Sundays
SWF Beach Life can make your days fun days
So if you’re ready to see what’s out there
For us today, she’s got seashells to share

You need shelling
You need beach time
It’s within your reach
Just tune in to Sharmon
She’ll take you along
Oh yes, let’s go to the beach!


This is my filk for the third day of communal_creators which is turning out to be good fun. Also, this time I started earlier in the day by at least a few hours. :-)