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Son of a Son of Isildur 
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29th-Jan-2005 12:01 am
daisy_knotwise had been kicking this idea around since the first of the LOTR movies came out, but nothing had quite come of it. And late last night, I pulled out my Guild 12 and was playing a bunch of songs. I grabbed the Jimmy Buffett songbook because Gretchen had asked me to work up Cheeseburger in Paradise (which I'm making some progress on). When I was done with that, I flipped pages and found the lyrics and music for Son of a Son of a Sailor.

By the time that Gretchen finished scrawling the lyrics we wrote, it was past 1 AM. And it is either a bad thing or a good thing, depending on exactly how you feel about Lord of the Rings and Jimmy Buffett.

Words by: Gretchen and Bill Roper
Music by: Jimmy Buffett (Son of a Son of a Sailor)

As a son of a son of Isildur,
I went out to live in the forest.
The thought of the crown was just bringing me down
So I ignored all the voices in chorus.
I lived off the land just the way that I planned
And wandered the fields as a Ranger
Wherever I’d go, well then, no one would know
Me as anything more than a stranger.

I’m a son of a son, son of a son,
Son of a son of Isildur.
Son of a sword, easily bored,
A much better fighter than builder.

I was caught in a spell cast in Rivendell
By a woman I still see in visions.
She’s the daughter of Elves and she told me herself
She’d be making a mortal decision.
And I know Lady G from Lothlorian sees
All the world there reflected in water.
So I’m rejecting the woo that poor Eowyn threw
‘Cause I know that G’d know if I caught her.

March off to fight all the Orcs in the night
With the fellowship we have assembled.
Hobbits and Dwarves and ghosts from the wharves
And the Ents making Saruman tremble.

I’m a son of a son, son of a son,
Son of a son of Isildur.
So let Arwen know that my death wasn’t so
‘Cause I know if it was, it’d’ve killed her.

I’m a son of a son, son of a son,
Son of the last king of Gondor.
But it won’t mean a thing if we can’t break the Ring
And Mt. Doom is too damn far to wander.
Comments 
29th-Jan-2005 06:54 am (UTC) - Sweet
it_aint_easy
Nice, Bill! A surprising tune choice for Aragorn's story (to me), but it really works. (Yeah, I know, it's mostly for a laugh, but like most good funny songs, it's got a little behind the jokes, too.)
29th-Jan-2005 05:15 pm (UTC) - Re: Sweet
billroper
Thanks! Gretchen had locked onto the tune as suitable a while back, but once we'd seen all three movies (and actually picked up the guitar), the lyrics just started falling together for us.
29th-Jan-2005 08:09 am (UTC)
tigertoy
If I actually knew the original, I bet this would be really funny. I've osmosed a fair number of Jimmy Buffett songs over the years, but not that one.

You'll just have to sing it at Cap.
29th-Jan-2005 11:18 am (UTC)
filkertom
WHAT!? Paging Steve Simmons....

Nice work, Bill. Might I ask you to do it at CapriCon?
29th-Jan-2005 05:15 pm (UTC)
billroper
Sure! There are some advantages to being married to a Parrothead...

(And even more advantages in being married to Gretchen...)
30th-Jan-2005 11:26 pm (UTC) - This is Simmons, checking in
scs_11
That's a keeper, Bill.

I can seek Mike Longcor singing it in a skit. We'd have some little kid follow him around carrying a crown and repeated saying "Excuse me, sir, is this your crown?"
29th-Jan-2005 09:12 am (UTC)
jalapenoman
Nice. Not too many laid back tributes to "The King" outside Tom Smith's ode. Just don't do a parody for each of Jimmy's hits....your fans would be called...

Parodyheads.
29th-Jan-2005 11:32 am (UTC)
filceolaire
Oh NO!

I don't know the original so that is going through my brain

to the tune of 'Son of a Preacherman'

and it doesn't scan!!!!
29th-Jan-2005 08:42 pm (UTC)
daisy_knotwise
No, no. If you use that tune it would have to be a song for Arwen.
...The only boy who could ever reach me
was the true king of Gondor, man...

Ok, I'll stop now.
31st-Jan-2005 02:13 am (UTC)
andpuff
Ouch.

And hehehehehehe.

But mostly ouch.

(am totally ignoring little voice in head that's saying, "that's so funny, I wonder if Gretchen plans on finishing it...")
31st-Jan-2005 05:23 am (UTC)
daisy_knotwise
I'd have to track down the real words first 'cause I don't know it well enough it sing it full through.
We'll see...
GHR
29th-Jan-2005 01:15 pm (UTC)
braider
Wow. That's really funny. And disturbingly good.
29th-Jan-2005 01:35 pm (UTC)
msminlr
And I know Lady G from Lothlorian
Sees all the world there reflected in water.

Isn't there an excess syllable in that second line, compared to the other verses? (I'm not familiar with the original either.)
29th-Jan-2005 05:17 pm (UTC)
billroper
Typo. Sees should be in the line above. So correct is:

And I know Lady G from Lothlorian sees
All the world there reflected in water.

Thanks!
29th-Jan-2005 03:03 pm (UTC)
bedlamhouse
We're going to have to kill you now.

It's nothing personal, you understand. Just business.
29th-Jan-2005 05:18 pm (UTC)
billroper
I kind of thought you'd say that.

At least we didn't pick on a Harry Chapin song... :)
30th-Jan-2005 04:35 am (UTC)
billroper
By the way, over dinner, Gretchen noted that Gollum's song would start something like "All my life's this circle", but I stopped her.
29th-Jan-2005 03:22 pm (UTC)
pheltzer
That's just brilliant. Completely works for me as a LOTR and a Jimmy Buffett fan.
29th-Jan-2005 05:00 pm (UTC)
gorgeousgary
ROFL! Nicely done!

And I'm sure my lovely Parrothead better half will be willing to give bedlamnhouse a hand
29th-Jan-2005 07:17 pm (UTC)
catalana
That's just *wrong*...
29th-Jan-2005 09:44 pm (UTC)
jennlk
That is just so wrong....that it's very, very right. I must hear this at Cap.

Kudos to you and daisy_knotwise.
30th-Jan-2005 04:22 am (UTC)
exapno
Just found a missing Buffett album this afternoon, and of course had to listen to it....so that tune's fresh in my head
With new lyrics to run ALL night *grin*

only 1.5 weeks until capricon! :)
30th-Jan-2005 03:43 pm (UTC)
phillip2637
"And it is either a bad thing or a good thing, depending on exactly how you feel about Lord of the Rings and Jimmy Buffett."

I like both and still think your song is brilliant. Somewhat disturbing, however, is the other song that the second-last line suggests: It Don't Mean a Thing (If We Can't Break That Ring). :-)
30th-Jan-2005 04:54 pm (UTC)
daisy_knotwise
Ok, A swing version...
That could work.
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