Tag Archives: song lyrics

Magnificent – Lyrics without a Melody

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I enjoy writing lyrics. I started this when I was in Ireland, and I finished it up (at least for now) just this evening.  Who’s going to put it to music? What’s it about? Picture a boy who walks through the jungle two hours one way to attend a small village schoolhouse. Certainly, it’s a true story.

Magnificent
lyrics by Mark W Sasse
1
Calloused hands of only twelve,
Dining on scraps and banana rows
Too many mouths, and not enough time,
but he smiles and laughs through his daily throes
Magnificent.
2
Tire tread sandals, half torn to shreds
from the rugged path he’s learned by heart,
three days a week if time to spare
he walks the mountain path to learn his part
Magnificent.
chorus
And the modern world nods its head
at the glitz and glamour and vapid threads,
That saturate our well-lived lives while he walks the jungle trail
magnificent
3
He’s late of course, ‘n has no books,
But eyes peer round at the blackboard lesson
language and numbers elude his grasp
he’ll fail his exams with or without this session
cause he’s one day closer and two hours farther from …
magnificent
chorus
And the modern world nods its head
at the glitz and glamour and vapid threads,
That saturate our well-lived lives while he walks the jungle trail
magnificent
bridge
The distance is not the problem cause he has the strength,
and time is not the issue cause he has all day
it’s not the humble school house without materials
it’s not government promises which always feel betrayed
it’s not the the blanket statement from ignorant city folks
Or his uncle who thinks it’s silly he gets nothing for his walks
It’s not the village children who have a head start
or nature which pounds his every inch when monsoon season stalks
The problem issue lies much deeper
Hidden in the human condition,
a failure to recognize that which truly is …
magnificent
4
The jungle trail welcomes the math
two trees multiplied by twelve ants,
a glorious quorum of learning begins
a history re-imagined by a small boy’s pant,
reborn each day by two hours of walking towards …
magnificent
chorus
And the modern world nods its head

at the glitz and glamour and vapid threads,
That saturate our well-lived lives while he walks the jungle trail
magnificent
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“I Got Me a Girl”: Lyrics and Video from “A Tad of Trouble”

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It’s no secret that I love writing lyrics. Here’s a particularly fun song from our recent musical. Lyrics below and a Youtube video of our opening night performance.  Enjoy!

“I Got Me a Girl”

Lyrics by Mark W Sasse

Music by Hui Min Tang & Mark W Sasse

Oh, I got me a wish that this day would end,

with a large battered fish and a pint with a friend

It’s a fine, fine world to forget all your cares,

in a battered saloon where nobody stares

Oh, I got me a girl, who is pretty and smart,

but her brains aren’t important if she has a heart,

and her heart’s not important if she knows how to cook

and if her food is that good I don’t care how she looks

OBEDIAH

I got me a cart that I push all the day

I look for said fools who can spare me some change

and I pinch the wallets from all the fine folks

so I have me some money for drinks with me blokes

EVERYONE

Oh, I got me a wish that this day would end,

with a large battered fish and a pint with a friend

It’s a fine, fine world to forget all your cares,

in a battered saloon where nobody stares

WILVER

I got me a boy who doesn’t say much

and wife who worries about such and such

so I escape with me wallet and small spending change

to my kin at the bar where I’m never to blame

EVERYONE

Oh, I got me a girl, who is pretty and smart,

but the brains aren’t important if she has a heart,

and her heart’s not important if she knows how to cook

and if her food is that good I don’t care how she looks

2:08 – A record (plus lyrics for a new song)

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We had our first of three all day Saturday rehearsals before the big show. It also signified the first time we did a complete run-through, which is always a big deal, and I’m happy to report that the show will go on!

Actually, for a first run-through, it was quite superb – not for how clean it was because it was not remotely clean – a lot of dropped lines, missed lines, mangled lines, missed cues, missing props and nearly everything else that can go wrong did go wrong.

But for a first run-through, we clocked in at 2 hours and 8 minutes. Excellent!

I’ve had comparable run-throughs in the past which lasted an excruciating 3-4 hours. I really wanted it to flow and see what we could do, and I was happy with where we are at with still 16 days before dress-rehearsal.

It was also the first time we added our “Irish Saloon Song” called “I got me a girl” and it was an immediate hit. Here are the lyrics written by yours truly:

Oh, I got me a wish that this day would end,

with a large battered fish and a pint with a friend

It’s a fine, fine world to forget all your cares,

in a battered saloon where nobody stares

Oh, I got me a girl, who is pretty and smart,

but her brains aren’t important if she has a heart,

and her heart’s not important if she knows how to cook

and if her food is that good I don’t care how she looks

I got me a cart that I push all the day

I look for said fools who can spare me some change

and I pinch the wallets from all the fine folks

so I have me some money for drinks with me blokes

Oh, I got me a wish that this day would end,

with a large battered fish and a pint with a friend

It’s a fine, fine world to forget all your cares,

in a battered saloon where nobody stares

I got me a boy who doesn’t say much

and wife who worries about such and such

so I escape with me wallet and small spending change

to my kin at the bar where I’m never to blame

Oh, I got me a girl, who is pretty and smart,

but the brains aren’t important if she has a heart,

and her heart’s not important if she knows how to cook

and if her food is that good I don’t care how she looks

We’ll do a double run-through next Saturday and at that point we should be ready to soar. I can’t wait. “A Tad of Trouble: A Musical”.

a tad of trouble flyer 2a

On the First Day of March

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Back in September 2008, I was beginning to undertake writing my second play — this one which would incorporate some music. “A Tad of Trouble”  was born and performed for the first time in May 2009. Six years later I am re-staging it with lots new music and an updated script. It’s a fun story of a troubled, mute boy who is given the gift of song by his guardian angel. The first song I wrote for this piece was called “On the First Day of March” — its the piece where the angels realize that the boy can hear her when she sings. So on this first day of March 2015, here are the lyrics that I wrote once upon a time. Enjoy.

 

On the first day of March the harrow lies still

And the leaves long impacted wait the robin’s clear shrill

And the snow half-melted hints to warmth yet to come

In this dim barren world I know good is not done

 

On the first day of April as the rain sloshes down

And the wheels of the carriage are stuck flush to the ground

And the driver hurls curses at his horses undone

In this mud maddened world I know good is not done

 

For the mud gives way to the soft fertile ground

And the air in full blossom bring the birds back around

Long fasting, fresh finches wing their hopes to the sky

 

While fields of green splendor spread their life far and wide

Life whispers then roars out the name of the one

Who anchors the stars and gives warmth to the sun

Mid-March has no answer for the goodness that comes

And it reminds me my work here on earth is not done

 

On this first day of March while the tricksters still rule

While they scam and they laugh making peasants poor fools

And they cling to their money like a prodigal son

Even then I still know that good is not done

Even now I still know that good is not done