The Obvious Tune

From: Steve Wheeler
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett,rec.music.filk
Subject: Re: [I]PAQs. (Filk)
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 04:16:23 GMT

"Chris Croughton" wrote in message
news:slrnb80jft.9r4.chris@ccserver.keris.net...

(snip)

> Didn't someone write "The Obvious Tune"?

Yes. Here it is:

The Obvious Tune
Lyrics copyright 1999 by Steven R. Wheeler

(Intro ttto: The Ying-Tong Song Intro)

There's a song that I recall the filkers sang to me,
They sang it to the obvious tune, as anyone can see.

(ttto: Banks of Sicily)

They sang about spaceships and also of cats,
They threw in a verse about vampires and bats,
The chorus was littered with sharps and with flats,
And the tune they were using was obvious.

So we all joined in the chorus,
The words were quite easy, to learn was no fuss,
And it's fare thee well, all vestige of trouble,
The tune they were using was obvious.

(next two verses ttto: Clementine or Marine Corps Hymn - mix&match)

Then I stepped into the hallway and found people on the floor
They were listening to a tune that they had never heard before.

Though the lyrics were quite tricky, they were joining in the fun,
For the song was written to a tune which was the obvious one.

(ttto: Irish Washerwoman)

Down in the main hall a concert was planned
And I went down to listen to a new filk band
Who were singing some songs from their recent CD,
And all of the tunes were familiar to me.

I was surprised, though I shouldn't have been
For the obvious tunes had appeared on the scene
And were used by this band in the songs that they played
And I'm sure that their reputation has been made.

(ttto: Banned from Argo)

I went to join a circle in another room that night;
They were singing on the theme of engineering might.
The songs I hadn't heard before, but I caught on quite soon,
For each and every one was written to the obvious tune.

They were:
Written to the obvious tune,
It was easy, and I caught on pretty soon.
If you ever write a filk song, make it simple for the rest:
The obvious tune is easily the best.

(ttto: Little Fuzzy Animals)

There are folk and funk and Broadway tunes in several different keys,
And it's sure to be quite obvious if it is one of these.
You can chant it, you can sing it, you can shout it, you can croon,
Just as long as it is written to the obvious tune.

For we know the tune is obvious,
Just ask any one of us.
Really, it's quite obvious,
At least, to me!

- wheels

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