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Saturday, April 5, 2014

Surname Saturday: Genealogy Filk

Bill West of West In New England recently announced the Second Geneabloggers' Just Make Up the Lyrics Challenge 

1. Set the names of your ancestors to the music of any song. It can be
any number of names, any song. Just remember to mention what song
you are using so we can all sing along as we read!

More info

While I posted a comment on the first round of this back in 2009, apparently I was unable to come up with a contribution, which surprises me. I love writing filks, and what could possibly have caught my attention more than a genealogical filk challenge?!

I hear a few head scratches. What's filk?

One definition: A popular or folk song with lyrics revised or completely new lyrics and/or music, intended for humorous effect when read, and/or to be sung late at night at Science Fiction conventions.

While the term was invented for the science fiction community (some say it was originally a typo for 'folk' music) there's no reason its use can't be broadened to include any similar parodies.

I may have passed on the 2009 challenge, but I'm not passing this time around. (the lyrics of the final verse below are very close to the original, but the original lyrics worked quite well.)

NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer
Lyrics by John Newmark, 2014
Sung to the tune of: Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious, by The Sherman Brothers, 1964

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer
Even though our surnames, yes
We often can’t remember
If we say them long enough
We’ll know them by December
NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Because I was confused as heck
When I was just a lad
My father taught a little trick
It wasn’t quite so bad
“Our surnames might be bothersome
But I bet you didn’t know
String all our names together
And this is how it goes:

NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer”
Even though my surnames, yes
I couldn’t quite remember
When I said them long enough
I knew them by December
NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
So when your names you can’t recall
There’s no need for dismay
Just string your names together
In any sort of way
But better do it carefully
Or it could change your life
One night I taught this to me girl
And now me girl's my wife!
She’s WallaceGoberTaylorBlackmanFulkersonAndSchrock
WallaceGoberTaylorBlackmanFulkersonAndSchrock
I’m NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer
NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer

4 comments:

  1. Oh, gosh, filk sings! a Blast from the Past. Excellent contribution - and now I cannot get the tune out of my head.

    ReplyDelete
  2. John, I think this is my most favorite entry from both of the Lyric challenges. I'm still grinning.

    Thanks for taking part!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Terrific job on the lyrics challenge!!

    ReplyDelete

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