After
Spurlock - NICE
Craig of Farrington, cut 10
[I wrote the lyrics in 1988 for a Minnesota lady who took
my proffered heart and as quickly returned it. Lots of
people have recognized it as their story as well. The tune
I chose to use is Bristol Renaissance Faire's
'end-of-the-day' song, "Bring on the Starlight," by
Jerry Spurlock ... hence the title. CMB]
An ancient oak, lush and
shady
Since the year
fifteen-eight-and-eighty
Knows a bittersweet story
Of passion and glory
Of a minstrel who loved a
lady:
Lyric verse in full moonlight ...
('Twas a fairytale so right!)
But happ'ly e'er afters aren't always meant to be;
Beautiful, young, in their
prime,
They'd been sharing fond
looks, words, and time;
With gifts he would shower
Her, use all his power,
Romance her with song and
with rhyme,
Fanning flames soon to smother ...
(She was bound to another)
But basked in the glow ... far too high she let it climb!
She had been charmed by his
art,
But he, dreaming she'd
caught Cupid's dart
Tried to reach out and hold
her;
With suit ever bolder
He practic'lly tore her
apart!
When he woke to discover
He would ne'er be her lover,
He tried to forget ... but the fool had lost his heart!
Fantasy's come to an end:
(Oh, each swore to be the
other's friend)
She'd wear what he gave
her,
He'd cherish her favor,
But could he ... he'd do't
all again!
He would "Bring on the Starlight"
(Make everything end right)
In sweet dreams, the mem'ries still flow!
What a fair time was their time!
(A 'Dreamtime to Share' time)
Yes, the Faire time was a fine time to know!
Yes, the Faire time is a fine time to know!
Delightful Devorah
and
Sinful Saiid
- NAUGHTY Craig of Farrington,
cut 23
[In 1987, I was fortunate enough to find and purchase an
Arabian ud ... the classical instrument of Syria and
a direct precursor of the lute. A Twin Cities musician
friend who played the instrument professionally, Robby
Pearson, helped me write a melody I could learn to play
and use on the street during Middle Eastern weekends at
the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Robby's stage
character called himself Yassir; his partner in the
group they called Oasis, dumbek player Jim Greeney, referred
to himself as Saiid; his then girlfriend, Bonnie, one
of the group's belly dancers, was Devorah. CMB]
Of the millions of
stories that have come from the past,
The number forgotten is
exceedingly vast,
But the tale that I'll
tell you you'll cherish indeed:
Of Delightful Devorah and
Sinful Saiid ...
CHORUS:
Delightful Devorah and Sinful Saiid.
In a small caravansarai
lived a merchant, Yassir;
As a breeder of camels,
he stood without peer,
And of all his
possessions, he cherished the most
Delightful Devorah, his
daughter, his boast!
Yassir had Devorah,
twelve sons and ten wives.
Raising camels afforded
them all very good lives,
But the herd now refused
with the old stud to breed:
For a new one he
must bargain with Sinful Saiid ...
CHORUS: For a new stud he
must bargain with Sinful Saiid.
"I must have Young
Ali," said Yassir. "This I swear:
You may pick of my
jewels; I've precious and rare!"
"Diamonds, emeralds,
and rubies? I haven't the need!
I choose your
daughter!" said Sinful Saiid ...
CHORUS: "I choose your daughter!" said Sinful
Saiid.
"A vow before Allah,
Yassir, you have made!
With a night with Devorah
your debt shall be paid!
You may have Young
Ali, all your camels to breed,
While I breed your
daughter," said Sinful Saiid ...
CHORUS: "While I breed your daughter," said
Sinful Saiid.
"Let her go to the
garden tonight, without fail;
From behind she'll
receive me, I'll lift her blue veil!"
With the dastardly plan
Yassir sadly agreed,
But he'd thought up some
mischief for Sinful Saiid ...
CHORUS: He'd thought up some mischief for Sinful Saiid.
A blue veil on its back,
a young camel, on leash
Yassir led to the garden,
while Saiid smoked hashish,
And Devorah kept dancing,
and trying to impede
All the lustful advances
of Sinful Saiid ...
CHORUS: All the lustful advances of Sinful Saiid.
"Now I go to the
garden," said Delightful Devorah,
"To the depths of
the darkness, to the fragrance of Flora,
Give Ali to my
father; all your dreams I'll exceed!
I'm awaiting your entry, O
Sinful Saiid!"
CHORUS: "I'm awaiting your entry, O Sinful
Saiid!"
Saiid followed after, but
the darkness was deep;
Toward the veil in the
flowers he slowly did creep,
And he clos-ed his eyes,
and he lifted the veil ... ... ...
And a camel got kissed
slightly under its tail.
"You have sinned
with a camel!" cried Devorah in fright;
"By the laws of
Mohammed you're unclean in my sight!"
Yassir rose, in anger,
his voice reached the heights:
"You shall not see
my daughter for a thousand-and-one-nights!"
CHORUS: "You shall not see my daughter for A
Thousand-and-One Nights!"
Fantasy
- NICE Craig of Farrington, cut
8
[I was one lonely man when I wrote this one ... raising my son
alone ... living in a farmhouse in rural Iowa. I had
lots of time to practice, and to write, and to pour over
photos kind people had taken (and gifted me with) of The
Minstrel posing with Ladies of the Faires. Each and
every one was 'mine.' CMB]
Beautiful and very, very
young:
Often to my body you have
clung in a
Fantasy ...
(You and me)
You're a part
Of my heart.
INSTRUMENTAL FANTASY
Though I'm not the man
you're dreamin' of,
Know that every night
we're makin' love in a
Fantasy ...
(You and me)
You're a part
Of my heart.
INSTRUMENTAL FANTASY
Though you're livin' with
another man,
And I'll never have you,
still I can in a
Fantasy ...
(You and me)
You're a part
Of my heart.
Graehling
- Blue Upon Blue Upon Blue, cut 10
[This was a popular song on the streets of The
Minnesota Renaissance Festival in the late '80's ... it was my
attempt to write a song in the Renaissance style, which was at
once bawdy and unintelligible to my young son, Steven, who was
wont to laugh along anyway. Master Graehling Bates was the
name my friend Kim Swanson had adopted for his MRF character.
These days I more often sing it for my friend, Raven, a pewter
smith at Bristol Renaissance Festival, who shares an interest
in 'cherry picking.' CMB]
Graehling travels where
he may,
Picking cherries on the
way:
Young and sweet ...
(What a treat!)
Fast devours what he's
found:
Red and luscious ... ripe
and round ...
Off he'll ride!
(Satisfied.)
CHORUS:
Graehling is my friend, you see:
Saves his 'cherry pits' for me;
Long I savor the 'bouquet'
After Graehling's on his way.
Graehling knows his way
about!
Strong the wall that
keeps him out!
Thick or thin,
He'll get in!
He collects the tend'rest
fruit,
But is loathe to share
the loot:
Eats today
All he may.
CHORUS
Small, delicious stones
divine,
Ripe for making cherry
wine:
Once abused ...
Well reused!
Late from limbs which
Graehling spread,
Fruity 'spirits' fill my
head;
Flavors fine
Now are mine!
CHORUS
Hymn to Venus
- Blue Upon Blue Upon Blue, cut 20
[This one came to me while my son and I were living in a
little house next to the railroad crossing in Waco,
Nebraska, while he was still in high school. With
the exception of my lute, The Night Sky had become my primary
passion, so I wrote the song for the star ... for the
planet ... for The Goddess, who, in many ways, served as 'my lady'
during the mid-nineties. The chant (a collection of
goddess names) was borrowed from a recording by Charlie
Murphy, and inspired me to compose the 'sun chant' below.
CMB]
Don't know very much
about you ...
Can only guess at your name;
Pure beauty is what I see ...
Puts all the others to shame!
Soon you'll go ...
Yes, I know.
You'll return, I never
doubt you,
But, without you,
The night is never the same
'Til you come again ...
Though, dreaming, I've
often seen us
Lost in eachothers' embrace,
I know that can never be.
How could I enter your 'space'
High above,
T'show my Love?
When the whole world
comes between us,
Lovely Venus,
How should I worship 'Your Grace'
'Til you come again?
GODDESS CHANT: Venus, Astarte, Diana,
Hecate,
Aphrodite, Ishtar ... Inanna!
Isis,
Jana, Cybele, Kali-Ma,
Parvati, Mylitta ... Inanna!
This breathtaking girl
... is she you,
Come down from Heaven above
To brighten these darkest
days,
Eternal Goddess of Love?
How divine
Were she mine!
Such beauty could only be
you!
Now I see you,
And here I worship 'Your Grace'
'Til you come again!
[While living in Waco NE, I became friends with Pam, Tony and
the gang at Hunter's Lounge, where gambling is legal in a game
called Keno. The lyrics were inspired by several
regular players, who shall remain unnamed. The same emotions apply
to 'The Game of Love,' don't they? M.O.M.'s Jerry Barry
always liked the song, so I offered it as one of my
contributions to the album. CMB]
I know I won't win ...
why do I play?
What I risk I lose ...
it's always that way!
We all win sometimes ...
that's what they say.
I'm through with this
game! At least for today.
King
Henry's Desire - NAUGHTY
Craig of Farrington, cut 15
[I re-worked a song from one of Ed McCurdy's
Dalliance albums, which he had borrowed from Wit
and Mirth - Pleasant and Divertive - Pills to Purge Melancholy,
a compilation by Thomas d'Urfey, published in the 1760s in
London. I decided to learn it, hoping it would please King
Henry the Only, the long-time monarch of The Minnesota
Renaissance Festival. It did. CMB]
Go through the Faire,
Search everywhere!
King Henry must have his desire:
"A girl that is
sweet,"
But can do well the feat
When lusty young blood is on fire.
Let her body be tall,
Her waist be small,
And her age? "Just above eighteen!"
Let her care for no bed:
For her monarch, she'll
spread
Her mantle upon the green!
Let her have ruby lips,
Probing fingertips,
Silken hair all tied up in a bow,
With the curls Henry
loves
So that ... "What
hangs above
Looks the same as what's growing below."
Let her face be fair,
Her shoulders be bare,
And her voice have a silvery tone!
Let her belly be soft,
But, to mount him aloft,
"She'd better have buttocks of stone!"
Knowin' You
- NICE Craig of Farrington, cut
2
[The words and music came to me during my lonely time, while I
was living in a farmhouse in rural Nebraska. It wasn't
written for anyone in particular, but it has become a favorite
request by brides and grooms; I've sung it at several
weddings. CMB]
Knowin' you
Knowin' you will always
Love me;
Love me the way you do
Today;
Today
brings those things that yesterday
Was missing;
Was missing a good woman who'd love me in spite of
Me;
Me
hoping you'll always be
Lovin' me lovin' you lovin' you
Lovin' me.
Martha
- NICE Craig of Farrington, cut
9
[It was written specifically for Martha Williams, my first
post-divorce girlfriend. I told her it would give
her immortality. CMB]
Gentle,
flowing Martha:
Locks of silk in waves
Envelop me tonight!
Satin your touch
Giving and receiving;
Me sharing all the beauty
in your soul,
Lovely lady mine!
Now hold me
Now enfold me
Now say you might spend the night loving, Martha!
(Gentle lady ... )
[When fiddler Malcolm Smith died unexpectedly in the
autumn of 1996, I had just finished composing the
'sun chant' below. My good friend's short life
and sudden death seemed so poignantly to reflect the classic
myth of the "solar hero" that I felt driven to
fashion lyrics to fit the chant melody. Should you
search for the song on the album, you'll find it in the form
of two simple music symbols: a whole rest with a fermata
above it, which, to me, also seem to display a grave
beneath a setting sun. CMB]
How like The Sun!
Dance Muses
Good new is
Come at last! Now gift with joy
Your golden boy;
Comely and mild,
ecstatic,
Dramatic,
Musical,
'ware of the past,
Eyes
upward cast;
Live in his heart, Love!
Beauty, surround him in all things!
Graces, impart your favors --
Fuse passion to his strings!
Borne by desire tunes
linger;
Skilled fingers
Flesh and fire now writhe in pain,
Now dance again.
Jam! Join the aura
Bass, guitar, dulcimer, drum, lute;
Lauda Cantiga ...
Violin,
cello, harp and flute!
How like The Sun!
In mid-flight,
Beyond bright,
Suddenly, plead as we may,
All colors gray.
He's slipped away ...
Malcolm, pausa
fermata!
We've got our
Memories: Your winsome style,
Your boyish smile ...
Friend, rest awhile!
'sun chant'
- Blue Upon Blue Upon Blue, cut 18
[As civilization expanded from Egypt and the Indus Valley --
northward and westward -- the names various societies chose
to assign to their father gods (whose glorious
attributes are so consistently reminiscent of our
daystar) slowly, almost imperceptibly changed. Note
the similarities between the appellations I have chosen for
this chant. Upon this melody I also imposed
lyrics for my tribute to my friend, fiddler Malcolm Smith.
See 'pausa fermata' above. When searching for
the title on the album, look for a symbol: a circle
with a dot in the center, the astrological symbol for The
Sun. CMB]
Aton, Adon, Atunis,
Adonis, Adonai,
Odin, Wotan, Donar, Danaan!
Dyauspita, Zeuspater, Tiw
Vater, Jupiter,
Deus Pater, Great Sky Father!
Aton, Adon, Atunis,
Adonis, Adonai,
Odin, Wotan, Donar, Danaan,
Sol, Lord, "The One!"
The
time I first did woo her -
NAUGHTY Craig of Farrington, cut 3
[Another song I re-worked from d'Urfey, I call this one
"a lusty song of love for lovers." Many a
willing gentleman has acted out the lyrics as he has musically
wooed his beloved, with the help of this naughty street
minstrel and his lute. Few have kept their composure
through the third verse. CMB]
The time I first did woo
her, I did at distance stand;
Advancing to undo her, I
gently took her hand,
And gently raised it
higher (with pish and much ado)
My lips still creeping
nigher ... and then I kissed it too.
Advancing more to try
her, with Love's enchanting grace,
I drew myself more nigh
her, and gently touched her face,
I set it all on fire
(with pish and much ado)
My lips still creeping
nigher ... and then I kissed it too.
Completely to undo her, I
clasped her in my arms,
And gently whispered to
her, "Reveal to me your charms!"
Her hems she hoisted
higher, and, kneeling by her shoe,
My lips still creeping
nigher ... at last I kissed "it" ... too.
Why do you
call? - Blue Upon
Blue Upon Blue, cut 11
[I don't know where this one came from. Sometimes I just have
to stand back and wonder. CMB]
"I'll
be in the garden."
I went to see if
you were.
Someone said they saw you
Leavin', kissin' the
gard'ner:
Why do you call at all?
"Can't go out
tonight,
I'm not well, and my
car is sick!"
Someone said they saw you
Dancin' with your mechanic:
Why do you call at all?
You always call 't say what you're doin' now;
Someone, somehow, knows who you're doin' now.
"Meet me at the
circus!"
You were nowhere to be
found.
Someone said they saw you
Leavin' and kissin' some
clown:
Why do you ...
Why do you ...
Why do you call at all?
TOP
Mary
Mac - Blue Upon
Blue Upon Blue, cut 4
[Now almost an integral part of The Queen's Feast at Bristol
Renaissance Faire, I learned it from a recording by The
Dust Rhinos, entitled Helter Celtic, which was
given to me by my old friend, Eireanne McKee (Fyne Art),
who heard them perform at the Winnipeg Folk Festival in the
early nineties. Of course, I made a few changes to
the words, to make it mine. It's another old Scotsman's
folksong. CMB]
Well, I know a little girl
... her name is Mary Mac,
Now make no mistake - she's
a girl I can attract!
There're lots of other
fellas tryin' to get up on 'er track,
But I'm thinkin' that
they'll have t' get up early!
CHORUS:
Mary Mac's father's makin' Mary Mac marry me;
My father's makin' me marry Mary Mac;
I've got t' marry Mary, 'f I wan' Mary to take care o' me;
We'll all be makin' merry when I marry Mary Mac!
Well, this little lass,
she's got a lot o' class,
She's got a lot o' brass, 'er
father thinks that I'm a gas!
An' I'd be a silly ass, if
I let the matter pass.
'Er father thinks I suit 'er
rather fairly!
CHORUS
Well, Mary an' 'er mother
go 'n awful lot together.
In fact, you rarely ever
see th' one without the other
An' there's lots o' people
wonder if it's Mary, or her mother,
Or th' two o' them together
that I'm courtin'.
CHORUS
We'll marry on a Monday,
when everything's arranged;
We're lookin' for a place;
our final list, it might be changed,
And we're makin' all
arrangements, just about th' range:
Marriage is an awful
undertakin'!
CHORUS
It will be a grand affair!
(Grander than th' Faire!)
With a coach an' a horseman
for everyone that's there,
An' we'll dine on th'
finest fare; I'm sure to get my share!
An' if you doubt, you
surely are mistaken!
CHORUS "Wanna
try it fast?" "No ... "
CHORUS - Presto!
TOP
The
Swimming Lady - NAUGHTY
Craig of Farrington, cut 8
[An SCA lady I met at the 2001 Louisiana Renaissance Festival (a
great fan of the bawdy song) earnestly requested that I include
these lyrics on the page. It's another of the songs
Thomas d'Urfey published in London in his 1760 collection Wit
and Mirth - Pleasant and Divertive - Pills to Purge Melancholy.
CMB]
The four-and-twentieth day
of May (of all days in the year, sir),
A virgin lady, fresh and
gay, did privately appear, sir.
Hard by a riverside got she
and spied back down the path, sir,
And feeling sure she was
secure, got ready for her bath, sir.
With glitt'ring, glancing,
jealous eyes, she shyly looked about her
To see if any lurking spies
were hidden to find her out, sir,
And feeling well-resolved
that none could see her nakedness, sir,
She pulled her robes off,
one by one, and did herself underss, sir.
Full nude into the stream
she slipped; she looked like Venus glass, sir.
The fishes from all
quarters flipped to see so fair a lass, sir (an ass, sir).
Each fish did with himself
a man, about her all were drawn, sir,
And at the sight of her
began to spread about their spawn, sir.
A lad, who long her love
had been, but could obtain no grace, sir,
Through all her prying lay,
unseen, within a secret place, sir.
Who had often been
repulsed, when he had tried to woo her,
Pulled off all his clothes,
and, furiously, did run and leap into her.
She squeaked, she cried,
and deep she dived, but she soon came up again, sir.
They made it o'er upon
the shore, and then ... and then ... and then, sir,
As Adam and old Eve
enjoyed. (You might guess what I mean, sir.)
Because she all uncovered
lay, he covered her again, sir.
With wat'ring eyes she
weeps, she cries, "I'm utterly undone, sir,
If you will not be wed to
me by dawn of morning sun, sir!"
He answered her: He
would not stir out of her sight till then, sir;
They both joined hands in
wedlock's bands, married, and went to it again, sir.
TOP
Will
you buy a fine dog? - NAUGHTY
Craig of Farrington, cut 4
[This is the first piece of true Renaissance music I ever
performed as a soloist in concert. I was doing
post-graduate work at The School of Music at The University of
Iowa in Iowa City, and had been chosen to sing countertenor with
the Collegium Musicum that summer of 1976. The lutenist's
name was Mark Southard, as I recall. The song (though
unsigned) had been included at the end of Sir Thomas Morley's First
Book of Ayres, published in 1601. The group's
director assured me that the "With a dildo" refrain
is just another type of nonsense singing ... similar to a "Fa
la la." I didn't believe it then
either! CMB]
Will you buy a fine dog?
With a hole in his head:
With a dildo,
With a dildo dildo,
With a dildo dildo dildo;
Muffs, puffs, ribatos, and
fine sister's threads:
With a dildo,
With a dildo dildo,
With a dildo dildo ...
I stand not on
points, pins, periwigs, combs, glasses,
Gloves, garters, girdles,
busks for the brisk lasses;
But I have other
dainty, dainty tricks:
Sleek stones and potting
sticks:
With a dildo dildo dildo,
Diddle diddle dildo ...
And for a need,
My pretty pretty pretty
pods:
Amber, civet, and musk
cods:
With a dildo,
With a diddle diddle dildo,
With
a diddle diddle diddle diddle diddle diddle
Diddle diddle dildo,
With a dildo:
Diddle diddle diddle diddle
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