Sunday, April 27, 2008

Sea Song



You may like music as files or not, but they at least enable you to shop single tunes from albums you don’t want or need (my God, I’m growing old, albums you "NEED”?). I ended up in the I-Tunes-Store again (!) some days ago, and went looking for cover versions of Robert Wyatt tunes. The most popular one seems to be “Sea Song”, and I’m not surprised, because it’s a beautiful song with nice lyrics.
These versions are on heavy rotation on my I-Pod:
Tears For Fears (“Saturnine, Marshal and Lunatic” -1996)
Dune (”Forever” – 1997)
Aldo Romano/ Remi Vignolo/Baptiste Trotignon (“Flower Power”- 2006)
Rachel Unthank and the Winterset (“The Bairns” – 2007)
Eyes Like Saucers (“Still living in the desert (and mostly inside my own head )”- 2008)
Here you have all kinds! The pop guys in Tears For Fears and even prettier Dune, the jazz people with Romano, the folk scene with Rachel Unthank and the low-fi-not-at-all- slick Eyes Like Saucers. Wow, what a song this is! The lyrics to "Sea Song" (and a lot of others) may be found at Calyx, but I've set it up like it is presented in the cover of "Rock Bottom". Makes it easier for you to sing!
Get an overview of Robert Wyatt covers here, and I’m sure you’ll be able to find my Tears For Fears 7” too. “Sea Song” is the b-side of “I Believe” (1985). I-Tunes sell “Rock Bottom” at this ridiculous price in Norway: 36 NOK (some more than 3 GBP, 7 USD).

SEA SONG
Words and Music by Robert Wyatt

You look different every time
you come from the foam-crested brine
It's your skin shining softly in the
moonlight
Partly fish, partly porpoise, partly
baby sperm whale
Am I yours? Are you mine
to play with?

Joking apart
when you're drunk You're terrific
when you're drunk I like you mostly
late at night, you're quite all right
But I can't understand
the different you In the morning
when it's time to play at being
human for a while
Please smile!

You'll be different in the spring, I know
You're a seasonal beast
Like the starfish that drifted with the tide
So until your blood runs to meet
the next full moon
Your madness fits in nicely
with my own
Your lunacy fits neatly with my own
my very own
We're not alone.

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