1. |
I'll See You Around
02:09
|
|||
I’ll See You Around
Lyrics and melody by Cat Faber 2019 (just)
There’s a chill in the air, though the weather was nice
Growing over the water, there are needles of ice
The wild geese are crying, as southward they wend
There are so many things that winter brings to an end.
Looking over the water, you’re starting to cry;
You don’t want to do this, and neither do I.
There are tears on my lashes, a hitch in your voice,
But sometimes our natures converge to one choice.
There is ice on the sound; it lingers at noon
And under the branches the birch leaves are strewn
Your heart is your ground; I won’t importune
I’ll see you around, I’ll see you around
I’ll see you around…
But it may not be soon.
Like autumn’s last sunset, this isn’t a fight;
It’s the frozen earth turning her face from the light.
It’s a long time till sunrise. I’ll get there somehow...
But the light of the stars is no comfort right now.
There is ice on the sound; it lingers at noon
And under the branches the birch leaves are strewn
Your heart is your ground; I won’t importune
I’ll see you around, I’ll see you around
I’ll see you around…
But it may not be soon.
|
||||
2. |
Cary Was A Little Girl
01:44
|
|||
Cary Was a Little Girl
Lyrics and melody by Cat Faber 2019
Cary was a little girl;
She liked to color and to dance.
She liked to don a dress and twirl;
Her parents always bought her pants.
Pink was what she liked to wear;
Cary’s clothes were blue and gray.
Cary begged to have long hair;
“That’s not for boys,” her Dad would say.
So much of what we say and do
By rote and rule is summoned forth,
But some of us run deep and true--
A compass always pointing north.
Cary learned to shout and dare,
To ape a boy, but day by day
There grew a pain she could not bear,
Until at last she flew away.
Cary’s parents grieve because
They tried to twist her as she grew;
They loved the boy they thought she was,
And lost the girl they never knew
Cary is a woman grown
She always knew her heart somehow.
She’s neither hidden, nor alone,
And dances when she pleases now.
|
||||
3. |
||||
You’re not the boss of me
Lyrics and melody by Cat Faber 2020
You’re not the boss of me
You’re not the boss of me
Not my teacher, not my preacher, and you’re not my mother either
You’re not the boss of me
I know that I’m not perfect but I try for grace
And I try to make this gathering a friendly space
You’ve no call to walk in here and slap my face
You’re not the boss of me.
I headed for the parking lot when you were through
To cry and wonder what I ever did to you
What makes some people haters, well I wish I knew
But you’re not the boss of me
You’re not the boss of me
You’re not the boss of me
Not my teacher, not my preacher, and you’re not my mother either
You’re not the boss of me
If nobody and nothing’s good enough for you
Not the Muslim not the atheist and not the Jew
Then you’re just a jerk, oh, and a bigot too.
And you’re not the boss of me.
Perhaps there is a fool here, but it isn’t me.
When you represent religion, you should stop and see
Is a messenger of love so hard a thing to be?
You’re not the boss of me.
You’re not the boss of me
You’re not the boss of me
Not my teacher, not my preacher, and you’re not my mother either
You’re not the boss of me
If you want to come and sing then maybe ditch the pride;
You can sit beside an atheist and let it ride.
Bigotry won’t spoil--it can wait outside.
You’re not the boss of me.
If you want to pick a fight, remember, song’s my art
I’ve got a dozen more to write this month, so don’t you start
You think that you’re my match? Oh honey, bless your heart!
You’re not the boss of me!
You’re not the boss of me
You’re not the boss of me
Not my teacher, not my preacher, and you’re not my mother either, honey
You’re not the boss of me
|
||||
4. |
Not Happening
02:51
|
|||
Not Happening. (Ignacia’s Song)
Lyrics and melody by Cat Faber 2020
Now I have joined the Order, your plans you would unfold
This guardian’s no stranger; I know this man of old.
I am glad to have his aid here, our efforts to combine,
But I cannot be a healer and trade his life for mine.
He says he’s done such evil, that all his rights are spent.
To give his life in service, he says he is content.
I don’t care if he is willing, the gift I must decline;
I cannot be a healer and trade his life for mine.
You tell me he’s an Arrow and meant these risks to take,
That no one likes to think it, but sometimes arrows break;
The world lies in the balance, and blood may flow like wine;
But I cannot be a healer and trade his life for mine
I don’t care if I am learning, nor yet if I am young.
It’s not in resignation I nod and hold my tongue
I am not going to argue, about some grand design.
I cannot be a healer, and trade his life for mine.
|
||||
5. |
||||
It Wouldn’t Be The First Time. (Sawyer’s Song)
Lyrics and melody by Cat Faber 2020
If people come with ledgers where our deeds align
I know that there’s an awful lot of red in mine
To pay a debt in blood, well, in my life of crime
It wouldn’t be the first time.
I agreed to be her guard, and it was understood
If she survives to grieve me, I will call it good.
To see myself discarded, in my life of crime,
It wouldn’t be the first time.
She thinks that it’s a secret she does not agree,
But a face is so much clearer than a book to me.
She thinks she can deceive me, in my life of crime
It wouldn’t be the first time
I’m not so unfamiliar with the web we weave
To set before a friend we practice to deceive.
Lying to a woman—in my life of crime
Well, it wouldn’t be the first time.
|
||||
6. |
Fiddle In The Kitchen
00:50
|
|||
7. |
Mackerel Sky
01:26
|
|||
When blue sky peeks through lacy shrouds
Of Altocumulus rippling clouds
That’s a warm front planning to pass on by
Change is coming with a mackerel sky!
Mackerel sky, mackerel sky
Never long wet and never long dry with a mackerel sky!
Trout are jumping, let us all take note
Dress in layers and a waterproof coat
It’s a pretty morning and hopes run high
Change is coming with a mackerel sky
Mackerel sky, mackerel sky
Never long wet and never long dry with a mackerel sky!
My heart is full; it’s like to burst
With a need that feels like a powerful thirst
Way too long it’s been way too dry
Change is coming with a mackerel sky!
Mackerel sky, mackerel sky
Never long wet and never long dry with a
Mackerel sky, mackerel sky
Never long wet and never long dry with a mackerel sky!
|
||||
8. |
Aaron's Song
02:44
|
|||
Honesty should be her due
My lack she’ll surely freely chart
That I made profit of her art
And every word of it is true
Though darkness like a curtain sway
Before her brilliance it must part
As she has entered in my heart
Through gates that cannot bar her way
The wings that span the sky of night
The wings that span the sky of day
The mind that thrills to change’s kiss
And thwarts the crown of the abyss
The eyes that lift to see the light
The hands that gave a voice to clay.
It was for knowledge first and last
The legends and the tales of old
The truth she valued more than gold
And all the treasures of the past
And though I’m well rewarded yet
The richer gem the rivers hold
A treasure-house, whose walls enfold
Gold and lapis, emerald, jet.
The wings that span the sky of night
The wings that span the sky of day
The mind that thrills to change’s kiss
And thwarts the crown of the abyss
The eyes that lift to see the light
The hands that gave a voice to clay.
So if I vanish in my sleep,
Bid her when my deeds are shown
To walk the winding streets of bone
To heights that reign above the deep.
She’ll have the fame that brilliance brings
Once her work and name are known
Though I, of all, will stand alone
Outside the shelter of her wings
|
||||
9. |
That Kind Of Guy
03:48
|
|||
That Kind Of Guy
Lyrics and melody by Cat Faber 2020
I lay out the bricks to the plumbob and string
In a pattern that bonds the whole wall as one thing;
Stretchers lie lengthwise along the whole run,
And the headers that cross bond two layers as one.
By the sweat of my brow while there’s light in the sky
I work for a future no rules will deny;
I’m a plain simple man, but I help where I can.
I guess I’m just that kind of guy
I dream of Kentucky, remembering when,
And sweet as the first time, I kiss you again.
The strength of your arms holds the comfort I seek,
And I wake in the morning with tears on my cheek.
By the sweat of my brow while there’s light in the sky
I work for a future no rules will deny;
I’m a plain simple man, but I help where I can.
I guess I’m just that kind of guy
I stare at your letters and know in my heart
We must soon reach across or risk falling apart
But the city’s not safe and I ask of the stars
Is there anywhere safe for a love such as ours?
By the sweat of my brow while there’s light in the sky
I work for a future no rules will deny;
I’m a plain simple man, but I help where I can.
I guess I’m just that kind of guy
I can’t go to you till this danger is by—
I don’t dare have you here and I can’t tell you why;
I don’t trust a letter my fears to discuss—
Something must break and I’m scared it is us
By the sweat of my brow while there’s light in the sky
I work for a future no rules will deny;
I’m a plain simple man, but I help where I can.
I guess I’m just that kind of guy
Those who would part us can all go to hell;
I have solved bigger problems; I’ll solve this as well.
Bonds are my business; I know all the tricks
Let me set up the plumb bob and lay out the bricks...
By the sweat of my brow while there’s light in the sky
I work for a future no rules will deny;
I’m a plain simple man, but I help where I can.
I guess I’m just that kind of guy
|
||||
10. |
WashYourHands
01:33
|
|||
Wash Your Hands
Lyrics and melody by Cat Faber 2020
Something new is going round
Corona virus inward bound
It’s a little worse than flu
There is something you can do:
Wash your hands, wash your hands,
Use the soap, till white foam stands
You’ve got friends and you’ve got plans
Don’t forget to wash your hands.
Tiny droplets hit the breeze
Whenever people cough or sneeze
They carry virus where they land,
Waiting for your questing hand.
Wash your hands, wash your hands,
Use the soap, till white foam stands
You’ve got friends and you’ve got plans
Don’t forget to wash your hands.
Wash your hands and shake them dry
Before you touch your nose or eye
Soap and water will suffice.
While you sing this chorus twice:
Wash your hands, wash your hands,
Use the soap, till white foam stands
You’ve got friends and you’ve got plans
Don’t forget to wash your hands.
Wash your hands, wash your hands,
Use the soap, till white foam stands
You’ve got friends and you’ve got plans
Don’t forget to wash your hands.
|
||||
11. |
||||
Designers should be wary of the simplest mistakes
And ask the crucial question--what happens if it breaks?
Whether it’s a parachute or just a kind of grout
Bear in mind the failure mode before you try it out
Oh the failure mode of clever’s unpredictable at best
The folks who didn’t get the joke may wind up unimpressed
The hitch with cleverations is they may not always work
And the failure mode of clever—is jerk.
You want to send an e-mail, but it’s to a busy guy,
So you clever up the subject; that will catch their clever eye!
Feeling cleveringent, they will be a better sport—
Instead they just delete it because buddy, life’s too short...
Oh the failure mode of clever’s unpredictable at best
The folks who didn’t get the joke may wind up unimpressed
The hitch with cleverations is they may not always work
And the failure mode of clever—is jerk.
You want to make your song a hit before the beat can drop
You fill it up with clevernesses till it’s fit to pop;
You find your cleverology has filled your heart with glee;
And hope your cleverama will impress your cleveree.
Oh the failure mode of clever’s unpredictable at best
The folks who didn’t get the joke may wind up unimpressed
The hitch with cleverations is they may not always work
And the failure mode of clever—is jerk.
|
||||
12. |
Nopetopus
02:01
|
|||
You’ve been taught to reassure, to flatter and connect
But you’re allowed some boundaries, and those deserve respect.
There’s a thing that you can do, to rise above the fray;
Saddle up the nopetopus and ride that beast away!
Your mom comes to your parties and it’s really getting old
Your roommate keeps the yogurt till it grows all kinds of mold
Or wants you to explain to them why you don’t want to play...
Saddle up the nopetopus and ride that beast away!
Your partner borrows money and then never pays the bills
Your friend is in kitchen and they won’t wipe up their spills
Some stranger’s pressing drinks on you, no matter what you say
Saddle up the nopetopus and ride that beast away!
Some weirdo’s pushing church on you, and wants to give a tour
Some jerk makes little comments pitched to make you insecure
Turn your back upon that creep you’re tempted to fillet
Saddle up the nopetopus and ride that beast away.
|
||||
13. |
Running Away From Eden
01:35
|
|||
Running Away From Eden
Lyrics and melody by Cat Faber 2020
We are running away from Eden
Too quickly to choose the route
With an angel behind
With fire on his mind
Into famine and flood and drought
We will run till our hearts give out
We are running away from Eden
In the harsh unfamiliar sun
We’ve no choice but to go
We believe there is no
Forgiveness for what we’ve done
There is nothing to do but run.
So often it is repeated
We expect it as destiny
We don’t wait to be blamed
But pre-emptively shamed
We deny or attack or flee...
Is it always our doom to be--
Running away from Eden
The tragedy of our flight
Is that sometimes we choose
To make certain we lose
The people who brought us light,
Over things we could still put right.
|
||||
14. |
Skeptic
03:43
|
|||
Skeptic’s Song
Lyrics and melody by Cat Faber 2020
Inspired by Agnes, played by Clio Yun Su Davis in The Red Death
My father once answered my childish appeal
I’ll read you a book, with the choice up to you
Will you have fables, or hear something real?
I thought and I told him “I want what is true.”
(chorus)
This was my compass and this was my star
My guide to the universe since I was small
To follow the answers, no matter how far;
Skeptic, who valued the truth above all.
I know that I’m always the one who objects
To mystics and mediums groaning on cue;
But finding the cause of the magic’s effects
It always turned out to be forces I knew.
Till faced with a being of malice and pride
That I knew couldn’t be, but regardless perceived
Certainty faltered and struggled and died
I saw, and I fell, and I broke, ...and believed.
(bridge)
How do I build when there’s nowhere to stand
Undone by the truth I am driven to know
Logic’s a knife that has turned in my hand
But however I bleed, still I cannot let go.
At the end of the road I have walked since my youth
With confidence shattered and certainty dead
To be true to the child who demanded the truth.
I must go in the end where the answers have led
This was my compass and this was my star
The faith I’d still hold if I only knew how
To follow the answers, no matter how far;
Skeptic no more, tell me, who am I now?
|
Cat Faber Tennessee
I write music about science fiction and fantasy subjects, commonly referred to as "filk."
I write much faster than I can record. Recent songs may be found at my website--the URL is given below.
Streaming and Download help
Cat Faber recommends:
If you like Cat Faber, you may also like:
Bandcamp Daily your guide to the world of Bandcamp