Paean to Courageous Parodists: Stealthy AIR-Space Man (Poules Mouillées)

POST #71
PARODY-LYRICS

ORIGINAL SONG: "Secret Agent Man" recorded by Johnny Rivers, 1966.

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, January 2015.

KEYWORDS: songwriting, goldenoldy 

Explanatory notes: 

nom-de-guerre (Fr) literally war-name, is the equivalent of  pen-name or pseudonym.

plume (Fr) - it is important to note that plume can mean either pen or feather. In current English nom-de-plume is used as a sophisticated term for pen-name, (but Victorians sometimes also used the term nom-de guerre). 

poule mouillée (Fr), literally wet chicken, is the slang equivalent of wimp.

satire (Fr)– same meaning as in English, sounds almost like sad tear.

satyre (Fr) -  pronounced identically, means sex-maniac, flasher (original term is derived from the satyr, a mythical Greek half-man/half-goat).

AIR or A.I.R. - insiders' name for a web-site AmIRight.com, which publishes parody-song lyrics.

STEALTHY AIR-SPACE MAN

(to the tune of "Secret Agent man")

There’s a barnyard filled with free-range spoofsters
Some young, some dead, most old; few hens, most roosters
As critics they take aim
No guts to face the blame
So temporary chicken-names they borrow.

Stealthy AIR-space man

Stealthy AIR-space man

You’ve typed your daily nom-de-plume; you’re hidd’n by chicken-names.

Playing golf – no spoofs to slay on Sunday.

Slinging vitriolic comments Monday.

You cluck and peck and call us dopes,

While trashing creative hopes

With pseudonymic chicken-names you borrow.

Stealthy AIR-space man

Stealthy AIR-space man

You’ve typed your daily nom-de-plume; you’re hidd’n by chicken-names.

The French provoked, invoke their noms-de-guer-re

They’re fierce, so in both tongues you need bewa-re

Word-pair satire/satyre - 

Best get the meaning clear,

Or you may face épées at dawn tomorrow.

Stealthy AIR-space man

Stealthy AIR-space man

You’ve typed your daily nom-de-plume; you’re hidd’n by chicken-names.

We all feel we should honor our French cousins,

The sad events have set the planet buzzing.

Whatever else you say, can’t call them “poules mouillées” (wimps)

We hang our heads and contemplate in sorrow.

But that AIR-space man

Stealthy AIR-space man

He’s typed his daily nom-de-plume; he’s hidd’n by chicken-names. 

Tribute to "A Man Without a Country": Vonnegut

POST #70
PARODY-LYRICS

ORIGINAL SONG: "Imagine" by John Lennon 1971.

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, January

2015. 

Kurt Vonnegut 1922-2007, was known as a pacifist intellectual, humanist, and accomplished writer; his popular novels including 'Slaughterhouse-Five' according to Wikipedia, "blended satire, gallows-humor and science-fiction".

As a tribute I created a complete list of KVs books within the confines of the tune of "Imagine"; there are some awfully good titles. What could be said that would summarize KV's humanist philosophy better than the compelling lyrics of the original song? And Lennon's title "Imagine" also seemed pretty apt to characterize KVs fiction.

VONNEGUT

(to the tune of "Imagine")

Kurt wrote “Player Piano”,
“Cat’s Cradle”, “Deadeye Dick”,
“Sirens of Titan”,
“Galapagos”, “Slapstick”,
“Canary in a Cathouse”,
“Timequake”, “Palm Sunday”.

Kurt wrote “Breakfast of Champions”,
“’Tween Time and Timbuktu”,
“Fates Worse than Death” and “Happy
Birthday for Wanda June”,

“Welcome to the Monkey House”,
My fave - “Slaughterhouse-five”

We might think he’s atheistic,
Though some titles invoke God *
- Bitter, tender, humanistic,
Traits today we find so odd.

Kurt wrote “Wampeters, etc”,
“God Bless You” – R. and K. *,
“Jailbird”, “Bagombo Snuff Box”,
“Mother Night”, “God’s Handshake”,
“Hocus Pocus”, “Bluebeard”, “A
Man with No Country”.

We might say he's a dreamer
In the limits of this rhyme - 
I hope someday he'll join us,
His spirit "unstuck in time".

* “God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater”, “God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian”, “Like Shaking Hands with God”. 
Note that a few of the titles were changed slightly to fit the pacing. 

Rigoletto Updated: Dawn and Her Mobile-Phone

POST #69
PARODY-LYRICS

ORIGINAL SONG: "La Donna È Mobile", From Rigoletto, Giuseppe Verdi, 1873.

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, January, 2015.

KEYWORDS: opera, classicsong, diet-and-health 

DAWN AND HER MOBILE-PHONE

(to the tune of "La Donna È Mobile")

Dawn had her mobile-phone
Ringer turned off t'nite
SUV out of sight,
Kids left at home alone.

Not in the neighborhood
Checked with her relatives
 - Reason she always gives, 
"You men screwed up good." 

Dawn had her mobile-phone
Ringer turned off t'nite
SUV out of sight
Kids left alone
Kids left alone
Ey-ey ey-ey, kids left alone. 

Misery is my lot,
Trusted her analyst,
Her medication list
Just won't mix with pot.

Yet one can't give up hope
Of happiness restored;
She'll come back when she's bored
And smoked all her dope.

Dawn had her mobile-phone
Power turned off once more
She'll come back when she's bored
And smoked all her dope.
Smoked all her dope
Ey-ey, ey-ey Smoked all her dope.



Performing Notes: 

[C] Dawn had her [G] mobile-phone
Ringer turned [C] off t'nite
SUV [G] out of sight,
Kids left at home [C] alone.

[C] Not in the [G] neighborhood
Checked with her [C] relatives
 - Reason she [G] always gives, 
"You men screwed [C] up good." 

[D] Dawn had her [G] mobile-phone
[A] Ringer turned off t'nite
[G] SUV [C] out of sight
 [F] Kids [C] left [G] a-[C]-lone
 [G] [C] [F] Kids [C] left [G] a-[C]-lone
[G] [C] ey,ey [G] [C]ey,ey [F] kids [C] left [G] a-[C]-lone. 

[C] Misery [G] is my lot,
Trusted her [C] analyst,
Her medi[G]cation list
It just won't mix [C] with pot.

[C] Yet one can't [G] give up hope
Of happi[C]ness restored;
She'll come back [G] when she's bored
And smoked all her [C] dope.

[D] Dawn had her [G] mobile-phone
Power turned [A] off once more
[G] She'll come back [C] when she's bored
And [F] smoked [C] all [G] her [C] dope.
[G] [C] [F] Smoked [C] all [G] her [C] dope
[G] [C] ey,ey [G] [C]ey,ey [F] Smoked [C] all [G7] her [C] dope.