Week 48 - I Wish I Knew

I wish I knew by Monkeyallen

My pain don't know any song by heart
It only sings for mystery

Tell the priest I have electric dreams
Its the only time I see clearly

I wish I knew how to love
without taking prisoners
I wish I knew how to set them free

I wish I knew how to grow
without waiting for the rain
I wish I knew what I had to gain

Meadows burn yet the sky is clear
asleep we're near yet never so far

Who decides the price of tears
Irresponsible response on your cheeks

I wish I knew how to live
without remembering what I forgot
I wish I knew what I've got

I wish I knew how to change
without placing the blame
I wish I knew how to stay the same


(THANKS FOR LISTENING!)

Best of the Weekly Monkey! The Blog comes to a close!

Best of the Weekly Monkey -Top 10 by Monkeyallen

I have a very bad habit of starting and not finishing things. Things meaning Music Videos, Blogs, Musicals, even a novel; creative projects that excite me in their initial honeymoon phase, but I soon after become increasingly distant from, numbing myself into believing that I never cared in the first place, and ultimately committing them to the forgotten dungeons of my hard-drive. 

             This blog was a rare exception, just barely. Although I’ve (almost) finished my year long commitment to write and record four songs a week every month of the year – old habits truly die hard. Not to say I didn’t accomplish what I set out to do, on paper it was a success, but much of life is less about doing something, but how you do it.  That point separates the blue ribbon from that crappy mauve ribbon that tries to glorify you as a “participant.”

            That said, giving myself the discipline to write and record 4 songs a month (1 every week, give or take 5 weeks) did push me to write and record a lot more than I would have without it. Probably many many times over. So the point of this note is not to put myself down but celebrate the good and hope for better in the future.

So it was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the times no one really paid attention to, but lets focus on the best. These are in chronological order, rather than in any order of preference.

1) In This War. (Week 1) 

 - Ron Paul in 2012! No, but seriously you don't have to be especially in tune to be affected by this last decade of War(s)

2) Lady I (Week 3)

- This came two songs later. Still just me and the guitar. 

3) LA Lights (Week 6)

- I've planned on re-recording this on piano, but haven't completed a satisfactory recording yet (see first paragrah) 

4) Can't Do it Without You (Week 12)
- A music video using our Europe (And Maui) trip in 2010 can be found at <  http://youtu.be/khNG7EwtqAI (For some reason it won't let me embed) 

5) My Syncope (Week 14)
- This song was a cheat as I wrote it prior to the blog. The only time I did this. 

6) At Sea (Week 18)
- A Pirate ballad? Check! 

7) There's a Motion in the Storm (Week 20)
- A bit slow and sombre, but I was happy with this one. 

8) Camel Song (Week 28)
- I asked for a suggestion on facebook and got: "Camel." Somehow that brought me back to Catholic School and I created these strange lyrics. I dig the arrangement but not the vocals. 

9) Old Peach Grove (Week 39)
- I like the Piano in the background. 

10) Burn they Burn

- It became hard to finish strong with this blog, but I liked the chorus enough in this song (without liking the rest so much) that I included it. 

Well, In conclusion thank you so much to those of you that listened, even to just one or a few songs. I appreciate the support and hope you check out my future blogs! Special thanks to Marika for the redesign of the blog. She works so hard on her projects and somehow finds time to help me too. 

Happy New Year, Best of luck with starting (and finishing!) your projects and stay tuned for one last song! 

Hugo

Week 47 - Happy Birthday Morag

So recently these songs have been given purpose (and existence since I've completely run out of steam on this exhausting New Year's resolution) by making a song for somebody in my family's birthday.

Many of these songs have been like how we used to draw a card for someone when we were little. It required little thought, technique and the minimum effort was put into it - but my heart still inhabits it!

Je t'aime Morag! Joyeux Anniversaire. The lyrics were actually pondered for a moment, and the melody at parts is pretty much a rip-off of my favourite band "The National" but I promise to do better next year!

So yeah, almost at the end of my year-long blog. I think next year I'll keep writing songs for people's birthdays but that may be about it. (It would be enough - I have a gigantic family!)

Lyrics:

Time passes will it fly, will it kill the mood we fought so hard to make

Baby makes space seem to bend, a shortcut to love but a long way home

Lock the door to the honey-pot, Winnie gets stuck a lot, Winne gets stuck a bit too much

It's all a bit historical, how nothing has order when you fight to remember the longest day

Poets give in to the tide, just like intellectuals are there to row

Everyone gets wet anyhow, how we choose to hate it, or love to lose ourselves

I light the candles anyway

Happy Birthday.

Week 46 - Bon Anniversaire Nata!

Bon Anniversaire Nata! De ton ton-ton gogo!
Bon Anniversaire Nata! by Monkeyallen


Nata


C'est moi qui chante plus fort que toi
Belly-full boombayey tralala

C'est moi qui danse plus vite que toi
On tourne en rond et fou de joie

C'est moi qui joue plus joyeusement
quand ont oublie on passe le temps

Et C'est Nata qui nas pas tord
de faire des bonds encore encore!

Nata tot et nata tard
la fete seras bonne tout les soirs

Nata time et Nata temps
trois ans feront une fete bien grande

Et maintenant il faut dormir
les rires seront dans nos reves
Toutes les iles perdus nous retrouveront grace a vous.