# Songs for a Bard to sing



## Stormborn (Nov 9, 2005)

Thinking about playing a Bard and while I have a fairly large mental collection of odd little songs I was recently trying to put together a list of songs that I could sing while roleplaying my bard.  Any ideas?  We are playing in Eberron but any songs that might work well in a DnD setting would be useful.  Particularly folk or filk songs about war, love, drink, fighting, etc.
Bonus points for  lyrics or links there to.


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## Bloodsparrow (Nov 9, 2005)

I also love to play bards, and I also have a head stuffed full of songs.  But when I'm roleplaying my Bardsong, I will usually compose a hiku between my turns.

This is good because I can make it be about what is actually going on.

As the gentle rain
Our arrows fall upon you
Snuffing out your flame

Giant bug skuttles
The monk quickly jumps aside
EXTERMINATION


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## fusangite (Nov 9, 2005)

Well, the only really successful bard song I've ever seen was in one game where the bard cast Summon Monster I, summoning up the Celestial Badger. He then improvised a group sing-along that consisted almost entirely of the chorus, "Who's got the badger? We've got the badger!"


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## mythusmage (Nov 9, 2005)

Do a google for "ballads" and "folk songs". That should give you tons of material.

In specific songs seach for "Mary O'Meara" and "Lord of the Dance". With the latter you'll want the wiccan hymn and not the dance production.

Sample verse from Mary O'Meara:

Mary O'Meara the stars and the dewfall
Have covered your hilltop with light
The wind in the lilies that blossom around you
Goes bearing your name to the heights
My girl you are all of the night

Sample verse from Lord of the Dance:

I dance in the circle when the flames leap up high
I dance in the fire and I never ever die
I dance in the waves of the bright summer sea
For I am the lord of the wave's mystery.

Good luck.


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## Patryn of Elvenshae (Nov 9, 2005)

"Wiccan" hymn?

To Expand:

I've never heard of this song as a Wiccan hymn, given that it was adapted from a Shaker tune (a Christian sect) (which also also found its way into the famous work "Appalachian Spring"), and the "Lord of the Dance" lyrics were writen by a devout Christian.

Odd the way music changes, eh?


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## MarauderX (Nov 9, 2005)

Cake's "Distance" works well, mostly because, like Cake, you don't have to be able to sing, you can just say the lines in rhythm.  Changed some of the lyrics just in case you aren't playing in Eberron (aka d20 modern).

Reluctantly crouched at the starting line,
Horses pumping and thumping in time.
The green flag flashes, the hands go up.
Churning and burning, they yearn for the cup.
They deftly maneuver and muscle for rank,
Muscles pounding fast in a move to flank.
Reckless and wild, they pour through the turns.
Their prowess is potent and secretly stearn.
As they speed through the finish, the flags go down.
The fans get up and they get out of town.
The arena is empty except for one man,
Still driving and striving as fast as he can.
The sun has gone down and the moon has come up,
And long ago somebody left with the cup.
But he’s driving and striving and hugging the turns.
And thinking of someone for whom he still burns.

He’s going the distance.
He’s going for speed.
She’s all alone
In her time of need.
Because he’s racing and pacing and plotting the course,
He’s fighting and biting and riding on his horse,
He’s going the distance.

No trophy, no flowers, no light spells, no wine,
He’s haunted by something he cannot define.
Bowel-shaking earthquakes of doubt and remorse,
Assail him, impale him with juggernaut force.
In his mind, he’s still driving,still making the grade.
She’s hoping in time that her memories will fade.
Cause he’s racing and pacing and plotting the course,
He’s fighting and biting and riding on his horse.
The sun has gone down and the moon has come up,
And long ago somebody left with the cup.
But he’s striving and driving and hugging the turns.
And thinking of someone for whom he still burns.

Cause he’s going the distance.
He’s going for speed.
She’s all alone
In her time of need.
Because he’s racing and pacing and plotting the course,
He’s fighting and biting and riding on his horse.
He’s racing and pacing and plotting the course,
He’s fighting and biting and riding on his horse.
He’s going the distance.
He’s going for speed.
He’s going the distance.


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## Greg K (Nov 9, 2005)

The movie ,  "The Wicker Man ", has some good songs .  They were supposedly adapted from real English folksongs.   The "Landlord's Daughter" seems like a really  good song for a bard to sing at an inn or tavern. 

Here is a link to  the lyrics for several songs from the movie..

http://dalbeattie.com/scotland-creetown/thewickerman/barsongs.html


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## mythusmage (Nov 10, 2005)

Patryn of Elvenshae said:
			
		

> "Wiccan" hymn?
> 
> To Expand:
> 
> ...




Things do get confused after a couple of decades, don't they? 

The original version of Lord of the Dance did use an old Christian tune, but the original lyrics were done by a pair of (then) young wiccans. The story of the Christian lyricist is the result of confusion with the writer of the Christian song's lyrics. One thing to note about Wicca is that it'll stalk down dark alleys mugging other religious traditions and rifling their pockets for useful bits. Wicca is a gleefully eclectic religion.

When I first heard Lord of the Dance a new tune had been composed, and it had about 15 verses. Since then literally hundreds of verses had been written. With diligent searching you can find dozens of versions out on the web.

LotD is a celebratory song, an observance of the cycle of the seasons. Written for a polytheistic faith it fits polytheistic worlds wonderfully. Especially one where observances are focused on the cycle of life and the local pantheon has a strong matriarchal leader with a pastorally centered consort. Think Tammuz, Adonis, and The Fisher King in the latter case. One who dies in the Fall and is reborn in the Spring.

Ballads for the balcony, folk songs for the cheap seats. With a bit of showmanship a bard should make a good living.


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## ThirdWizard (Nov 10, 2005)

"All Along the Watchtowers" is a very archetypal song. Well, barring the freakishly awesome guitar solo.


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## Rev. Jesse (Nov 10, 2005)

ThirdWizard said:
			
		

> "All Along the Watchtowers" is a very archetypal song. Well, barring the freakishly awesome guitar solo.




Speaking of Bob Dylan, a lot of his songs are pretty easy to sign, if occasionally lyrically complex.  They can be pretty easy to adapt.  To the tune of Highway 61 Revisited:

"Kas said to Venca, 'Get me a sword....'"

(As an aside, be sure to prep Rainyday Woman Number 12 & 35 before fighting the medusa.)

Other options include filk and sea shanties, both of which are actually intended to be easy to modify and perform by people who have no buisness singing.  A simple google search for filk or sea shanties whill bring up plenty of great ideas. 

-Jesse


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## Testament (Nov 10, 2005)

Eberron you say?  I'd look up soldier's songs, especially from either WWI or the Napoleonic era, some great ones from around then.  Some great bawdy ones too.


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## Evilhalfling (Nov 10, 2005)

Ballad of Eskimo Nell 

Cats on the Rooftops 

the Ballad of King John the Bastard 
Bring Me a Sheep.... 

None of these songs would be approved of by Erics Grandmother. 

Our bards fav had was the Lay of Daring Deeds - the only part he sang was the chourus 
"...and they died, died, died, died ..." it was very inspiring


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## Severion (Nov 10, 2005)

Iron Maiden, "Die With Your Boots On", most anything by them works, maybe try some Floyd.


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## Greylock (Nov 10, 2005)

This is why I never play, or should never be allowed to play,  a bard.

Can't sing or perform worth a damn. But it seems to matter immensely to proto-bardic players. Doesn't seem to matter if I can't heal, summon animals, or cast fireballs IRL. But if you wanna play a bard....??


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## Kuld (Nov 10, 2005)

You can always make them up yourself. It doesn’t take as much time as you might think. I used to do it for my bard PC, eons ago, and I still do for a bard NPC I often use IMC. Besides It adds a certain personal element to the character/game that the other players may (or may not  ) appreciate more.


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## MirrorMask (Nov 10, 2005)

Here is an old Irish folk song:

The Isle of Skye

Sing me a song
Of a lad that is gone
Over the sea to Skye

Merry of sail
He sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye

Willow and breeze
Islands and seas
Mountains of rain and snow

All that was good
All that was fair
All that was me is gone

Sing me a song
Of a lad that is gone
Over the sea to Skye

(I could be a little off on the lyrics, but that is how I remember my Irish grandmother teaching it to me.)

-MirrorMask


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## Burrahobbit (Nov 10, 2005)

If you're looking for the lyrics to old broadside ballads and folk songs (or if you just want to go to a website that still has a .midi file playing in the background), this is a very good resource, organized thematically:

http://www.contemplator.com/folk.html

Some of them might not fit the campaign's atmosphere very well, but, even if you don't know the melodies, most of them are pretty easy to fake (or you could pick up a few Smithsonian Folkways albums, which are almost always worth it, anyway).

Public libraries usually have a few cassette tapes or CDs of Irish/Celtic type music (of sharply varying quality) that you could borrow from.
*
Testament's* definitely got an interesting idea with the war and period songs; there's a 2-CD set of the popular music of WWI which I've never listened to, but you could at least find the track list on Amazon and then google the lyrics (it seems to have all the standards). There's also a series of CDs with the songs of the early 20th century (check on Amazon for "Waitin on the Levee" to see one of the series).

In addition to Bob Dylan, a lot of the Band's music has a sort of timeless quality that I could see working.

The 2E Bard's handbook had a whopping four sample songs for bard's to sing, including "The Skye Boat Song" and "The Minstrel Boy," both eminently appropriate. 

And as some have noted, it can be fun to either invent or pull songs from other sources to cast your spells and bard abilties. (Elan the Order of the Stick bard is a good example of how to do this in an incredibly annoying and ineffective way ("Move, move, move, silently down the corridor!!"))

If you've got some small portable music-playing device, a good throwaway gag for your bard is saying "I Inspire Allies" and turn on "Eye of the Tiger."


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## genshou (Nov 18, 2005)

I prefer to make my own songs.  The one I'm about to share with you was actually developed for Pledge of Tyranny, but it'll be a while before it appears in the Story Hour, so you guys should consider yourselves lucky.  This tune is popular among the Dalesfolk, especially itinerant merchants.  The song as presented is the feminine version of the most popular variation.  It is a song which starts out somber and melancholy, but picks up to a lilting, upbeat tempo by the end.  Thrice O'er may not be appropriate for Eberron, as it was inspired by the feeling of camaraderie associated with heroes in the Forgotten Realms setting.

The following is copyrighted to Timothy P. Campbell.  All rights reserved.

*Thrice O'er*
_As penned by Lander the Jaunty of Daggerdale_

_Thrice o'er I pass the road tae home
Thrice o'er me longing waxeth
But still ahead me journey lies
So harrowing, it taxeth

Press oan I must, press oan
Until the shadows o'ercome
And wit' a heavy heart
See the peaks conceal the sun

And in the dark, the dreadful dark
Feel longing fer thee, me love
Thy touch, in the midst of the trees
And earth, seemeth soft as a dove

Without thee, oh me _Theylïôn*_
Me journeys must be the gravest
Wit' every waking moment I face
Think I of the love thou gavest

I travel now tae distant lands
Constant peril me only "friend"
If not fer thee, me _Theylïôn_
Me journeys surely shouldst end

Wit' weary heart, return I now
Me burdens seem so heavy
E'en wit' me best of effort giv'n
Our needs cannot we levy

The road seems longer wit' each step
Thy face I wish not tae view
Me hands again shall be empty
Me pockets still be so, too.

Yet, when I reach our humble door
Thou comest out tae greet me
And wit' thy arms around me thus
Relieve the ache within me

Me journey seems so long ago
When wit' thee be I reunited
Me hopes seemed tae be well restored
When thy face I lovingly sighted

The road again so long shall be
When again I must needs depart
But I fear not, me _Theylïôn_
For thou keepest me in thy heart_

*_Theylïôn_ (which may or may not appear correctly on your screen, it is Theylion with an umlaut above the "i" and a circumflex above the "o", good luck pronouncing it  ) is an archaic elven word which denotes one's lover in a much endearing manner.


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## Sanackranib (Nov 18, 2005)

the "bard" in my game likes to sing the greedy halfling song. its a song set to the "yellow rose of texas" about a halfling who while sitting at a table in an inn is served [well his table is] a plate of pasterys. he smaples one and finds it to his likeing whereuppon he grabs the rest. said action is witnessed by a bard who imediatly breaks out in the "greedy halfling song" and the refrain goes somthing like "if he eats them all he's gonna get fat" so the hafling puts a few back . . . then verse 2 starts somthing about "grubby little hands all over our pasterys . . " its become the "most popular" Inn song in my game   sorry paul if you screw up in front of the bard its his OBLIGATION to imortalize you in song


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## Hussar (Nov 18, 2005)

Here's more songs than you could ever possibly need.

I particularly like this one.  Fantastically hillarious.


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## BullMarkOne (Nov 18, 2005)

Most of my bards are poets, and stick to stuff like Excelsior, Jabberwocky, Charge of the Lightbrigade, The Highwayman.. good classic poetry. Those bards of mine that do sing, sing Greensleeves. Exclusively.

<singing>
Now my friend you've done me dirt.....
<singing ends in a some muffled cries followed by a heavy thump, and then silence>


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## genshou (Nov 18, 2005)

Sanackranib said:
			
		

> the "bard" in my game likes to sing the greedy halfling song. its a song set to the "yellow rose of texas" about a halfling who while sitting at a table in an inn is served [well his table is] a plate of pasterys. he smaples one and finds it to his likeing whereuppon he grabs the rest. said action is witnessed by a bard who imediatly breaks out in the "greedy halfling song" and the refrain goes somthing like "if he eats them all he's gonna get fat" so the hafling puts a few back . . . then verse 2 starts somthing about "grubby little hands all over our pasterys . . " its become the "most popular" Inn song in my game   sorry paul if you screw up in front of the bard its his OBLIGATION to imortalize you in song



...Frank was a halfling?


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