Curnen had brought her guitar, but actually playing it--this was after all not her gathering and she didn't want to intrude on their time and space--was not something real until she actually found herself being encouraged to play after dinner. All butterflies from head to heel, she babbled her way through making sure her instrument was in tune and getting settled with it. Her shoes had disappeared at some point and were probably hiding under the table, but she felt better without them.
"This is an old song," she said. "And like most old things that're passed on, it's got a lot of faces. More'n most songs, I reckon. Some people do it as a dirge. Some people do it as a rowdy drinking song. There's a million verses to pick from, you can make it what you like. Any mood you're in, there's a way to play it. And..." she smiled shyly. "I dunno. it's fun. If you can carry a tune in a bucket, don't hesitate to jump in on the refrain."
And she launched into "Bedlam Boys." Not a dirge or a drinking song, but with the air of an epic ballad. Because the Tufa knew anything with a man and a woman in it was actually a love song.
The premise was right there in the first verse: the people in this song were mad, so it wasn't going to make much if any sense. And on a first listen, it didn't mean anything. It was a string of nonsense adventures through a frightening world. It was easy in the chaos to forget that there were supposed to be characters at all. But Curnen's voice never let it descend into nonsense, at least not for her. She never forgot that this was Maudlin's song, and the determination and despair of the madwoman coloring her voice lent a keen edge to the piece even as the pace and the tone stayed upbeat, wondering, and fun.
Bliss would have known it right away if she were there to point it out. Curnen was singing to, for, and about Brushy. As much as Curnen dared, she was introducing herself to these people. Which probably influenced her decision to slip in this verse near the end.
I now repent that ever Poor Tom was so disdain-ed My wits are lost since him I crossed And now I must go chained
When she was done she smiled and bolted up to put the guitar away again.
Curnen - OTA
"This is an old song," she said. "And like most old things that're passed on, it's got a lot of faces. More'n most songs, I reckon. Some people do it as a dirge. Some people do it as a rowdy drinking song. There's a million verses to pick from, you can make it what you like. Any mood you're in, there's a way to play it. And..." she smiled shyly. "I dunno. it's fun. If you can carry a tune in a bucket, don't hesitate to jump in on the refrain."
And she launched into "Bedlam Boys." Not a dirge or a drinking song, but with the air of an epic ballad. Because the Tufa knew anything with a man and a woman in it was actually a love song.
The premise was right there in the first verse: the people in this song were mad, so it wasn't going to make much if any sense. And on a first listen, it didn't mean anything. It was a string of nonsense adventures through a frightening world. It was easy in the chaos to forget that there were supposed to be characters at all. But Curnen's voice never let it descend into nonsense, at least not for her. She never forgot that this was Maudlin's song, and the determination and despair of the madwoman coloring her voice lent a keen edge to the piece even as the pace and the tone stayed upbeat, wondering, and fun.
Bliss would have known it right away if she were there to point it out. Curnen was singing to, for, and about Brushy. As much as Curnen dared, she was introducing herself to these people. Which probably influenced her decision to slip in this verse near the end.
I now repent that ever
Poor Tom was so disdain-ed
My wits are lost since him I crossed
And now I must go chained
When she was done she smiled and bolted up to put the guitar away again.