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Ruxendil_Thoorg
Dor-Lomin
Nov 17 2011, 4:12am
Post #1 of 15
(836 views)
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Song parody/tribute: THE GARDENER [Simon and Garfunkel, the Boxer]
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It's been a while since I posted a song parody/tribute. Here is one I came up with this evening.
THE GARDENER, by Simonwise and Gafferuncle
To the tune of The Boxer, by Simon and Garfunkel
Source song, audio with lyrics: http://www.youtube.com/...&feature=related
Or just the lyrics: http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/7344/
I’ve been just a good boy,
Swear I heard no story told,
Only trimming these here hedges,
Heard no more than hums and mumbles
That’s a promise, yes!
No lies or jests!
Though I did hear something ‘bout a Ring,
A Dark Lord and the rest….
Then we left our homes
And my family
I was no more than a boy
In a world of swarthy strangers
In the bustle of the Prancing Pony
Hiding scared,
Laying low,
Seeking out the higher quarters
Where that “longshanks” said to go,
Cringing from the faces
Only death would know.
CHORUS
Lie-la-lie….
Trudging through the dead men’s Marshes
We came looking for the way
But we got no farther,
Without Gollum on his leash,
We wouldn’t have a clue.
I do declare
There were times I thought with longing
Her with ribbons in her hair.
CHORUS
Then we clambered up a winding road
I wished that we were gone
Going home
Where the Slinker and the Stinker
Weren’t a peeve to me
Leading me
Far from home.
In the clearing stood the gardener
And the Spider with him played
Still, he dodged every reprisal
When all seemed lost while lying down
he stabbed up ‘til it cried out
In its anguish and its pain.
Is it leaving? It is leaving . . .
But the journey still remains . . . .
CHORUS
"That doesn't make much sense to me. But then again, you are quite small. Perhaps you're right."
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Elvenhome
Nov 17 2011, 12:17pm
Post #2 of 15
(700 views)
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Wow.
"The Boxer" is one of my favorite songs from my girlhood. I first heard it in 1974, in the moonlight in Corsica, of all places. I spent the summer with a German family, visiting the boy who had given me my first kiss and my first heartbreak. Some people in the next bungalo had the "Bridge of Troubled Waters" LP and played it over and over. The German boy wrote out the lyrics of "The Boxer" for me one night as we sat on the front porch looking out over the ocean. It always made me cry.
Your version is brilliant, and made me tear up too. Thank you for sharing it!
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"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large wastebasket. Dora was Drogo's sister, and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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acheron
Mithlond
Nov 17 2011, 2:08pm
Post #3 of 15
(638 views)
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That is fantastic. *applause*
There is another verse to The Boxer that's not on the Bridge Over Troubled Water version, if you wanted to write another verse. (Yes, I'm just trying to get more amazing lyrics out of you...  ) After the "workman's wages" verse, where the BOTW version has just the flute(?) solo:
Now the years are rolling by me
They are rockin' evenly
I am older than I once was
And younger than I'll be and that's not unusual.
No it isn't strange
After changes upon changes
We are more or less the same
After changes we are more or less the same
For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much -- the wheel, New York, wars, and so on -- while all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man, for precisely the same reasons. -- Douglas Adams
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sherlock
Mithlond
Nov 17 2011, 2:50pm
Post #4 of 15
(610 views)
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And I enjoyed the original somg video, too. I'd forgotten what a great song that is!
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Otaku-sempai
Elvenhome
Nov 17 2011, 5:11pm
Post #5 of 15
(621 views)
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A fine effort!
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost.
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sador
Gondolin
Nov 17 2011, 5:25pm
Post #6 of 15
(602 views)
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"The Appendices (and Prologue) gave Tolkien an outlet for explanations he couldn't fit into the text, and therefore made the text that much simpler and free of burdensome explanations. It's very hard for someone who creates a world from the ground up to refrain from overexplaining what he or she has created; the Appendices, and what is more the promise that someday The Silmarillion might be published, may have helped Tolkien exercise ruthless restraint."
- Curious
The weekly discussion of The Lord of the Rings is back. Join us in the Reading Room for the discussion of the appendices!
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Nov 17 2011, 5:27pm
Post #7 of 15
(608 views)
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and using one of my favourite songs. Wow... *cuts, pastes* This one's getting shoved between the pages of my FotR. MORE!!! MORE!!! Finish the tale!! ;)
Thank you so much :)
*still humming tune*
I really need these new films to take me back to, and not re-introduce me to, that magical world.
TORn's Observations Lists
Unused Scenes
(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Nov 17 2011, 5:33pm)
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Tweezers of Thu
Ossiriand
Nov 18 2011, 12:42am
Post #8 of 15
(633 views)
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This is your best yet.
Between the years 1968 and 1972, a novel and a record album exerted significant influence on my adolescent mind: The Lord of the Rings and Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Waters." This is a marvelous confluence of the two.
Loved the youtube video. Sigh. I love living in Boston, but I miss NYC.
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Ruxendil_Thoorg
Dor-Lomin
Nov 18 2011, 4:22am
Post #9 of 15
(736 views)
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First of all, thank you to all those who responded above for saying such nice things! I'm humbled and touched, especially where the parody appeared to have resonated on a personal level. I didn't expect such a warm reception, to be honest. But I'm learning that in writing parodies, the choice of source song has a lot to do with the success of the parody, especially in this case. It goes to how great S&G were/are, and how strong their song is.
So anyway, I was inspired by comments and suggestions above to expand on the parody. I wanted to utilize the 'extra" verse as someone pointed out, plus utilize the "lie-la-lie" parts to add content, plus some small changes. (I'm nervous in posting this. I hope I'm not ruining it, especially after such positive feedback before. For those who don't like this extended version, there's always the theatrical... I mean, the original, version posted above.) Here it is (the new parts are in bold):
THE GARDENER: SPECIAL EXTENDED EDITION
I’ve been just a good boy,
Swear I heard no story told,
Only trimming these here hedges,
Heard no more than hums and mumbles
That’s a promise, yes!
No lies or jests!
Though I did hear something ‘bout a Ring,
A Dark Lord and the rest….
Then we left our homes
And my family
I was no more than a boy
In a world of swarthy strangers
In the bustle of the Prancing Pony
Hiding scared,
Laying low,
Seeking out the higher quarters
Where that “longshanks” said to go,
Cringing from the faces
Only death would know.
CHORUS 1 (to the tune of the “Lie-la-Lie” part)
Time to time,
Time to find one of the Nine’s
Sly design:
“Should be mine!” did cross the line,
Find it’s time to
Fly.
Trudging through the dead men’s Marshes
We came looking for the way
But we got no farther,
Without Gollum on his leash,
We wouldn’t have a clue.
I do declare
There were times I saw with such longing
Those ribbons in her hair.
Now his pain has sunken deeply,
Frodo walked unevenly.
He was older than he once was,
Though young as eyes can see.
‘Twas quite unnatural.
Now we’ve gone estranged.
All the changes upon changes
He’ll go more and more deranged.
For his burden, he’ll go more and more deranged.
CHORUS 2:
Time to time
Time to hide from flying eyes
Time to bide
Bide our time, high time to hide
Bide our time to
Fly.
Then we clambered up a winding road
I wished that we were gone
Going home
Where the Slinker and the Stinker
Weren’t a peeve to me
Leading me
Far from home.
In the clearing stood the gardener
And the Spider with him played
Tried to parry the reprisals
When all seemed lost while lying down
he stabbed up ‘til it cried out
In its anguish and its pain.
Is it leaving? It is leaving,
But the journey still remains . . . .
CHORUS 8x:
Time to time,
Time to slide right by the Eye,
Find a guise,
Time to climb, time to remind
Of a brighter
Time,
Time to climb high, try to climb
Time to ride,
Time to ride, my time to climb
Find the slimy
Guide,
Timing’s tied up by the guide
Fight the guide,
I will fight the slimy guide
While you try to
Climb,
Climbing high, fly right inside,
Time is nigh,
Time is nigh, the Eye to die,
Find you right
Inside,
Right inside, you’re standing by,
By the side,
Heard you cry: “The Ring is Mine”
Gone before my
Eyes,
Then the guide came sidling by,
Slimy guide
Tried to bite, he tried to bite,
Then I heard you
Cry,
While the guide with eyes a-wide
Held it high,
With delight, bright with delight
Jumping with
Delight,
You’re alive, you’re by my side
And he slides
off the side, down to the bright,
Got you by my
Side.
"That doesn't make much sense to me. But then again, you are quite small. Perhaps you're right."
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Lissuin
Doriath
Nov 18 2011, 6:56am
Post #10 of 15
(641 views)
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Better and better! Your effort is much appreciated!
[In reply to]
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Your choice of The Boxer with its poignant darkness was so right for Sam's tale. My favorite story combined with my favorite group from my teens. For my 17th birthday my boyfriend surprised me with an S & G concert at UCLA. Thrilling! The lads were superb. One of the best memories of my life.
Bravo!
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Elvenhome
Nov 18 2011, 12:41pm
Post #11 of 15
(612 views)
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and the additions/amendments are wonderful.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large wastebasket. Dora was Drogo's sister, and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Alassëa Eruvande
Doriath
Nov 18 2011, 3:26pm
Post #12 of 15
(601 views)
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with the chorus additions. (Although the theatrical edition is good, too!)
Keep 'em coming!
And suddenly the Tornadoes saw afar off a greenlight, as it were a cloud with a living heart of flame;
and they knew that this was no vision only, but that PJ had made a new thing: The Hobbit, the Film that Is.
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Nov 20 2011, 2:11am
Post #13 of 15
(619 views)
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First (one) is great - (but) what is this?
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(Couldn't resist a little "Figwit" there...)
Love it!*applause* Especially the way you worked the continuing chorus into the storyline. That song does lend itself very nicely to Sam's saga! 
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
"It struck me last night that you might write a fearfully good romantic drama, with as much of the 'supernatural' as you cared to introduce. Have you ever thought of it?"
-Geoffrey B. Smith, letter to JRR Tolkien, 1915
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Ruxendil_Thoorg
Dor-Lomin
Nov 21 2011, 2:41am
Post #14 of 15
(602 views)
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...for enjoying and for the kind feedback! I enjoy paying tribute to Tolkien's works and its film adaptations, by finding a connection between that and a song that I like. I'm glad and grateful when others can enjoy them with me.
I was a bit nervous about this one, especially the final 8 "Chorus" sections. That's a lot of assonance for the human ear to endure (ai-yai-yai!), thank you for not finding it annoying! 
I'll soon be posting another one that I wrote shortly after this one, based on the Council of Elrond scene. I hope you'll take some time to check it out.
"That doesn't make much sense to me. But then again, you are quite small. Perhaps you're right."
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Nov 21 2011, 5:20pm
Post #15 of 15
(602 views)
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It's strange what an effect his has... just as foreboding, dangerous, and uplifting as the story itself.
Really... this is fantastic!!! Thank you so much for filling in the corners, Ruxendil_Thoorg. *cuts pastes again* Wonderful!!
I really need these new films to take me back to, and not re-introduce me to, that magical world.
TORn's Observations Lists
Unused Scenes
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