The Private's Lament

The companion piece to the Turret Gunner's Farewell. This one's about my other great uncle, who fought in WWI and lived to tell the tale. (A bit more downbeat than TGF, and a bit of creative licence taken regarding his hometown.)

(Get Flash to see the track player.)
posted by LN (10 comments total)

Instead of making another weird bug-eyed emoticon, I'd just like to thank you for these songs. Both are in my top 10* and I hope there are more to come.

*No small feat, considering how many awesome songs have been posted to MeMu. Again, thanks so much!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:10 PM on August 20, 2007

You have a lovely voice, clear and honest delivery, and, with these songs you've posted to MeFi, a very rare talent for writing interestingly and evocatively about long-past historic times. Bravo!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:12 AM on August 21, 2007

Thanks, flapjax and Alvy! This is just my own way of chronicling the stories of my family. There is more where this came from, I assure you! :)
posted by LN at 10:25 AM on August 21, 2007

You have a beautiful Voice, I enjoyed it very much.
posted by Randy Curtis at 12:06 PM on August 21, 2007

Hey LN, what a beautiful way of keeping your family's history alive. I'm curious as to whether these tales are from journals or were told to you. The details are numerous and fascinating.
posted by snsranch at 6:24 PM on August 21, 2007

The stories are mostly oral, passed down to me through my folks. This is then bolstered with background research; for example, I managed to get the service records of both my uncles, which helped flesh out their stories. For songs where the protagonist is still alive, I just go straight to the source, and ask for as many details as I can.

Picking people's brains is something I'm trained to do from my Uni days; it comes naturally. The beauty is, the more you ask, and the more brains you pick, the more stories start to surface. It's like a fountain! :)

The writing of the Turret Gunner's Farewell involves somewhat of a ghost story, though, which I consider to be immesurably cool.
posted by LN at 5:33 AM on August 22, 2007

Again - this is beautiful. Can I ask whether the tune itself is your own - or is it inherited?
posted by Jofus at 6:01 AM on August 23, 2007

your family is blessed with a bard.
posted by nicolin at 6:10 AM on August 23, 2007

The tune is an old song: "Rounding the Horn". I think it might be English, originally. You can hear it here.

And for those who were interested, the tune to the Turret Gunner's Farewell is "When a Man's in Love He Feels No Cold", originally collected from the singing of Paddy Tunney. Hear it here.
posted by LN at 9:32 AM on August 23, 2007

Lovely, just like the Turret Gunner. I look forward to hearing more!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:45 PM on August 27, 2007