FAWM: "Siren Song"

Siren Song

There is no demo for this song.

Liner Notes

I have a personal tradition of making one of my FAWM songs Greek mythology-adjacent. Recently I've taken to making it my first song of the year, because it solves the problem of what to write my first song about.

This song is based on the Sirens as encountered by Odysseus and others, although it is a little abstract. The intro and outro lyric is stolen from a poem by D.H. Lawrence called "Whales Weep Not!" (which is basically whale porn for anyone into that sort of thing).

This song is #lyricsonly.

Lyrics

Intro:

They say the sea is cold But the sea contains the hottest blood of all

Verse One:

She’s floating where the ocean ends Salt in her hair, spray in her eyes She coaxes me but it depends How clearly I can see her lies No matter where I chart my course She’s always luring me astray She has no pity or remorse I can no longer find my way

Pre-chorus:

I have no wax to stop my ears I start to hear it as she nears The sound that triggers all my fears

Chorus:

Sing me under, sing me slow She calls me and I have to go The notes are lovely, deep and long I can’t resist her siren song I can’t resist her siren song

Verse Two:

They warned me not to get too close They said I’d have to pay the price The sea is littered with the ghosts Of men who failed to heed advice The lighthouse twinkles from the shore She beckons me beneath the wave Can’t see the beacon any more I’ll follow her into the grave

[repeat pre-chorus]

[repeat chorus]

Bridge:

The ropes that bound me to the mast I tied, I tied I knew that it would never last I tried, I tried I broke the bonds that held me fast I cried, I cried I told myself the danger passed I lied, I lied

[repeat chorus]

Outro:

They say the sea is cold But the sea contains the hottest blood of all

Comments

@sadcoolgirl 9m

beautiful, haunting. super captivating from the start and you wove such a great narrative throughout. very interesting!! i also am a big fan of when lines end on a rhyme but it's not really the end of the sentence "she coaxes me but it depends" into the next "how clearly..." such a fun detail. thank you for sharing.

@tawny249 2d

This has such a clear rhythm and flow, and I'm a sucker for mythological songs. You got me. So many good lines - "floating where the ocean ends" is a wonderful opening. That bridge is also so evocative of last-chance gasping in the short lines, and it's really cool. Let me know if this gets music!

@kadmad202 5d

You can't go wrong merging DH Lawrence and Homer! "Sing me under, sing me slow" is a mouthwatering, centering lyric, and from it, the rest of the story radiates out to evoke the desire and danger the narrator faces. Nice!

@dontlook 5d

Oooh, I like this a lot! Captures the plight of the sailors very well. The wax for the ears gives it a historical feel.

@neilcampbell 5d

I love the idea of taking inspiration from Greek mythology. And what a great lesson in taking a well-known story and reimagining it in a new way, you’ve really done it justice. Fab.

@scubed 1w

Oh, that chorus sings itself! The rhyme scheme of the bridge gives it a propulsive feel. These are really well-crafted lyrics. What a haunting retelling of the Siren story!

@whiskeygeraldine 1w

Wow, what a chorus! I think it really speaks to the quality of lyrics that I could hear a tune for them in my head as I read along.

@jeff9 1w

This is so expertly crafted, even aside from the cleverness of the literary references. It flows beautifully and that chorus just begs to be sung.

@markg 1w

One of the great mythological memes. Odysseus just had to experience the song that was the death of so many sailors. Yet he survived--kinda like Keef.

@jlthunder 1w

Very cool! I really love the chorus. I hear a ethereal guitar melody behind this enchanting sea poem..

@mikehex 1w

This is excellent work. Wonderful flow, evocative, and full of connections. But I'm still boggling over D.H. Lawrence writing whale porn (because of course he did)