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copyrighted
by David Rood
except as noted.
Sirens
1/12/02Story
Mary Crowell is the piano player who does early jazz filks--we also call her a "tirch" singer and a "chanteuse".Sometimes the snobbish music major in me (two semesters, more than a decade ago) taunts me about not using really interesting jazz chords. This is an attempt to do something in Mary's style.
The difficulty is that hers is a very feminine style, so I had to do something a bit more gender neutral to be able to pull it off. The instrumental verse is important because there's a conceptual space between the third and fourth verses.
Lyrics
(E7+5b9) (E)am dm
(am) The sailors (dm) tell the stories
(E7+5b9) Of maiden (am) voices
Who lure you to your death
In the cold, cold, waters
(A7)
(dm) Their cousins won’t (C) kill you
(gm) But they’ll (C/gm) do (gm) you (fm) harm (Bb/fm) (fm)
(E) When they work their (E7+5b9) charms
Your life is complicated
And they’re watching
When you’re susceptible
They do their witching
They stand behind a lady
Paint her heart in her eyes
Their art is lies
That man is travelling
He loves his wife at home
He would not hear temptation
But then the siren says, "Come"
Her breath brushes hot on his ear
Seducing him to stray
She’s just a touch away
(instrumental verse)
But when a lad is nervous
And seems unwilling
It is a Siren’s chance
For noble dealing
For Siren magic has
This purpose to exist
To grant a lady’s wish
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