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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf6RYekCJeg&feature=youtu.be

Following on from the lyric and the audio file I've presented here in recent days, here now is a YouTube by Kim Parker, of my song 'Telling Canterbury Tales' - literature, history, the Occupy movement and church politics all together in one song.

It's very much a companion-piece to 'The Steps of St Paul's', and the audio version is part of my online project 'Songs of Common Ground' on BandCamp.

Please, share and link if you find merit - I'd love for the Occupy movement - LSX and everywhere else that's been 'cleared' or is about to be - and politically-aware Christians both to hear this. Thank you.
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That lyric I posted a couple of days ago: it grew music and I've caught a scratch track. It's now up on Bandcamp as a free download.

http://taliskimberley.bandcamp.com/track/telling-canterbury-tales

You know the drill - if you approve and find merit, copy and link, share and generally point and stare at it... thank you!

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Trawling the net for update and comment in the last two days following the removal of the St Paul's Occupy camp, I found that the good Reverend Fraser had not been silent. St Paul's itself had released a brief statement, visible on its website, on which I shall not directly comment here. I wondered what the leader of the Church, Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, had to say, and looked for his website.

There was no mention on the blog there of the events which had taken place on the steps of the C of E's foremost cathederal, not a word. 

Instead, there was a sermon on lent.

I felt... and feel, that this was a sad omission on his part, and did not display the leadership one might have wished for - especially as his predecessor, Dr Carey, has been vocal on such subjects himself in recent days.

Rowan Williams, you may or may not be a good man, a Christian, and a caring soul; why are you silent when you should have spoken? Did you even know what was happening in your name?



TELLING CANTERBURY TALES

Pilgrims all gathered from far and afield, let me tell you my Canterbury tale...

Tell me, Archbishop, you’re comfortable here

Does the populace ever get frighteningly near?

Are your windows well-soundproofed so all you can hear

Is your voice, telling Canterbury tales...?

So tell me,

What’s the church for with its buildings and treasures?

For visits by those with the means and the leisure

To purchase a guidebook and stroll at their pleasure

While listening to Canterbury’s tales.

Didn’t your man say some things about the poor

Isn’t that what your faith is about, anymore?

Here’s a vast institution, what lies at the core?

Are you telling me Canterbury tales?  

INSTMTL

If the pilgrims rode past your cathedral today

And they wondered whose homes have been tidied away

Would you know? Would you care? Tell me, what would you say?

I’ve no faith in your Canterbury tales...

Tell the Knight and the Franklin, the Monk and the Squire

Tell the Clerk and the Cook and the Reeve and the Friar

That compassion and hope have joined love on the pyre

There’s no justice in Canterbury tales.

            St Thomas a Becket, St David of Kelly, we pray you forgive us our sins

            Jean-Charles de Menezes, & Blessed Ian Tomlinson, when does the rising begin?

            When does the rising begin?

Pilgrims all gathered from far and afield, let me tell you my Canterbury tale...

Now the Archbishop’s writing a sermon on Lent

The Physician and Parson are riding to Kent

There was sanctuary once, I don’t know where that went

But it’s not in these Canterbury tales...

And the Man of Law’s busy, and the Miller’s downed tools

And the Merchant’s convinced that we’re everyone’s fools

And the Pardoner’s sorry... but these are the rules...

And they’re all telling Canterbury tales.

They’re telling us Canterbury tales

I’ve no faith in these Canterbury tales

We deserve better than Canterbury tales

I’ve had enough of these Canterbury tales!

INSTMTL
___________________________________________________________________ 

Words & music by & © Talis Kimberley 29th February 2012

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Yes, I have the music. Yes, I will Bandcamp it as soon as I can. You know the drill, my friends! :-) If you find merit in this, share and link away. Thank you for reading.

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It grew music. Listen to it for free here:

http://taliskimberley.bandcamp.com/track/telling-canterbury-tales
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It's a rare (for me) parody, this - well, a re-write, I suppose, since it's not really meant to be funny...  I originally reworked Flanders & Swann's 'The Slow Train' three years ago, and only performed it once or twice. Well, the recession didn't go away, we aren't out of the woods, and more high street chains are going to the wall. Hands up if any of this surprises you. No? Good. You've been paying attention...

Events of the last week or two have caused me to rework my own reworking somewhat - when life hands me a straight line like the very last name in the song, I have to take it and run with it.

I hope this captures some of the affection and pathos of F&S's original. It's meant with all respect and homage to them.

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THE HIGH STREET        (ttto Flanders & Swann: The Slow Train)


Barretts and Priceless to The Works

Passion for Perfume to Waterford, Wedgewood

Olan Mills; Land of Leather

No more will we browse past jigsaw puzzles and Sticklebricks

On  the High Street, at Woolworths for a quarter of “Pick’n’mix”

No vinyl records, no Ladybird clothes

No gift soaps in lavender, lilac or rose

We won’t be buying again

On the High Street

I’ll travel no more from Whittards of Chelsea to MFI, at

Adams Kids there’ll be no cute dungarees for an aunt to buy

No flat packed wardrobe, no caramel tea

No cafetiere and no lost allen key

We won’t be meeting again

On the High Street

When the rent’s due and the takings plummet

‘Sale’ signs appear

At Zavvi and the Officers’ Club

They came too late that year

Though shoppers shop at Ebay and Amazon

Only discount or second hand prices entice sales from anyone

Nothing is certain, no-one’s secure

And Woolies... is not even there anymore

They’ve all passed out of our lives

On the High Street

On the High Street.

Millets, Blacks, Hawkin’s Bazaar – on the High Street

Peacocks and Bon Marche have gone away...

Thorntons Chocolates – on the High Street

Past Times...

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Well, alright, it's a lyric so far, but you bet I'll be looking for the tune. I'd heard about the panda business, then I read Elizabeth Moon on the subject, and then I followed her link to the Jezebel article, and then my brain went 'ping' at me, which it does periodically. Ranty ranty rant. Ironically, I did write a sweet little song about a red dress earlier today, just as a break from the political polemics.


VICTIMS, PRINCESSES AND BEARS


Here’s to the women of twenty-eleven

The BBC thinks you’re all great;

It’s published the names of its favourite dozen

And that’s caused a storm of debate

It’s not what she’s done gives a woman her worth

It’s who marries her and what she wears

And that explains why more than half of those listed

Are victims, princesses and bears.

Victims, princesses and travelling pandas –

Oh, ladies, don’t give yourselves airs!

That explains why more than half of those listed

Are victims, princesses and bears!

One woman chosen is head of her country

Another aspires so to be

One is an athlete and one is a singer

They all represent you and me.

But never mind science and never mind literature

Honestly, nobody cares

When the chief among women of twenty-eleven

Are victims, princesses and bears.

Victims, princesses and bears, Sweetie!

Ladies, don’t give yourselves airs!

Here’s to the women of twenty-eleven

The victims, princesses and bears!

______________________________________________________________________

Words by & © Talis Kimberley 31st December 2011

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...who seems to like my sound. I shall get in touch with him and tell him about the morse code and the bouzouki, and maybe send him some more tracks - some Hearth and the Hive, some Queen of Spindles...

Mitch Benn often does the musical funny on BBC Radio 4's 'The Now Show', and is a writer and performer of many years' standing. He's included my song 'The Steps of St Paul's' on his latest podcast - available now...

http://www.mitchbenn.com/podcasts#

That song just keeps going, doesn't it? And I sang it AT St Paul's on Monday, which was just an amazing experience - inspiring and wonderful.

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Been too long since I posted here, sorry 'bout that... you know I turn up on FaceBook and Twitter as well these days, right? Well. I've slipped out of the habit of telling you how the gig went here, but just now I'm at the end of the year's gigs and I'm looking sidelong at the things filling up my diary for next year, many of which look like huge fun.

It's been a little while since I posted a new song lyric here as well, and that I *can* remedy, and hereby do so. Green and quirky, just what I like. Guess what I was watching on iPlayer this evening?


DAVID ATTENBOROUGH SAYS
 
 
David Attenborough says the world is warming
And I rather think he knows what he’s about
He’s been showing me the world most of my lifetime
And he seems to think there’s little room for doubt
He’s a first class grade one national institution
(Though I believe that’s not a term he likes to hear)
David Attenborough says the world is warming
And in half an hour we’ll sit and watch ‘Top Gear’.
 
David Attenborough says the sea is rising
And I tend to think that David knows his stuff
He’s been showing me the world most of my lifetime
And he seems to think there’s evidence enough
In his gentle pleasant unflappable manner
In that breathy voice that no-one else can do
David Attenborough says the sea is rising
Now I’ll just re-boil that kettle for a brew.
 
David Attenborough’s shown us this blue planet
Taken all of us on after-supper treks
Shown us reptiles, fish, amphibians and mammals
And how orchids worms and hummingbirds do sex (not altogether!)
If we’ve paid the least attention to Sir David
When we’ve watched him in our sitting-rooms for, so very long
If David Attenborough says we’ve got a problem
How can we be so convinced he’s got it wrong?
 
 
 
Words & music by & © Talis Kimberley 9th December 2011.
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So that was: write the lyric, post the lyric. Find the tune, record the rough, post the rough. Wake up the next morning to find the Youtube as a gift from a dear friend, post that... and scoot off to achieve first airplay on BBC Radio Wilts. Well, THAT was fun! 'The Steps of St Paul's' has clearly gone a long way and been read, seen and heard by very many people. I'm tremendously grateful to all of you who've helped link, share and forward it. Thank you!

It's all quietened down a bit now, for me - though I'm still sending off links to places, and you're all cordially invited to do the same. The vicar of St Johns at Bethnal Green was on Radio 4 this morning suggesting, iirc, that St Paul's open itself up and run a huge night kitchen and shelter and let the protesters inside as it gets colder. I cheered at that. Maybe I'll send it to him?

I let the songs go where they will and never know who will get in touch with me as a result; now I crack on with the next set of jobs, musically, which right now means organising logistics for this year's remaining gigs and firming up the bookings for next year, and more pitches to folk festivals and clubs, literary festivals, and moots...

Oh, and yesterday we finished recording the last material for 'Queen of Spindles' - we're into the mastering stages now. VERY glad about that. Which begs the question, what to work on in my regular Tuesday session tonight?

Well, that's going to be 'start the next album'  then, isn't it?
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpOynViUeDk

Fresh this morning: Youtube by my dear friend Kim Parker - images to accompany my protest song about St Paul's and its response to the Occupy protest at its front gate.

This is my way of supporting the movement. Please, if you will, spread the word again; some people click through a Youtube link more readily than other formats.

I can only thank you for your support.
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http://taliskimberley.bandcamp.com/track/the-steps-of-st-pauls

Hot, hot, HOT off the press. 24 hours ago I hadn't sat down to write the lyric; it's a studio rough of course, but it needs sharing. Please, if you like it, link, share, quote and generally pass it around. Somebody sing it at St Paul's for me!
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