Anonymous asked: You are so great you should sing song covers not silly tumblr ones!
Thank you very much. I usually don’t like to do covers because most covers are either 1) boring or 2) overdone. Plus, I’m getting wonderful requests from all of you, and it’s more fun and challenging to write originals for real, beautiful people. But you’re welcome to put in a request that I do a cover, and I’ll consider it. — KC
Thanks to everyone who sent me kind words about my song for Kenzie at vodkacupcakes. Credit her: it’s easy to write for a muse as beautiful as she. Yes, you can download my song for free here (just enter $0 as the price). And, yes, I will gladly write a song for you. Just message me and tell me about yourself. Don’t be shy; it’ll be fun, I swear. — Kavalier Calm
Favorite Confection
We could talk, talk, talk for hours
and not notice the passing time.
And I want you to know that you are my
favorite confection.
You’re like a big bowl of dulce de leche:
waves of blonde hair like sweet milk.
And, darlin’, those brown eyes warm me up
like caramel.
Maybe you’re more of a vodka cupcake:
good and sweet with an edgy side.
And your alcohol don’t bake off; it makes me
drunk inside.
Darlin’, you’re as sweet as can be.
You are my dull life’s icing.
And if I have my cake and eat it, too,
then you should know that you are my
favorite confection.
Tonight’s song is for the beautiful blogger at vodkacupcakes. After she agreed to be my muse, she told me some sad things about love and that her favorite ice cream flavor is dulce de leche. I decided to forget the sad things and just daydream about ice cream and how pretty she is. Then I wrote this. I hope she likes it. — KC
Favorite Confection
We could talk, talk, talk for hours
and not notice the passing time.
And I want you to know that you are my
favorite confection.
You’re like a big bowl of dulce de leche:
waves of blonde hair like sweet milk.
And, darlin’, those brown eyes warm me up
like caramel.
Maybe you’re more of a vodka cupcake:
good and sweet with an edgy side.
And your alcohol don’t bake off; it makes me
drunk inside.
Darlin’, you’re as sweet as can be.
You are my dull life’s icing.
And if I have my cake and eat it, too,
then you should know that you are my
favorite confection.
I’m reblogging my song about the SNES classic Earthbound as a part of a shoutout to Caitlin and her very fun #gaming blog at cipater.net. I asked Caitlin if I could write a song for her, and she modestly told me about her love of gin, horror movies, and Earthbound (…sounds like the perfect woman to me). I’m still contemplating how to turn gin and horror movies into a song, but in the interim I want to dedicate my Earthbound tune to Caitlin. I have a feeling she’s ready to go on an adventure just like I am. And it’s good to be prepared; Ness taught all of us that our heroic fate is just one meteor fall away. Do yourself a favor and check out Caitlin’s blog. And enjoy the song, friends. Free downloads of it are here, and you can stream it on YouTube here. — KC
Earthbound
If you’re an earthbound boy hoping for heroic fate,
know that it’s just one meteor fall away.
And when you get your chance to defend those in need,
you better have your baseball bat at the ready.
‘Cause an insectoid alien from the future may appear,
buzz, buzz, buzzing his worries in your ear;
he’ll tell you the Apple of Enlightenment
chose you to save the universe from space giants.
And you’ll know that prophetic fruit spoke the truth
when your psychic mind knows just what to do.
CHORUS
‘Cause you may have to fight Starmen and Spiteful Crows
while wielding weapons like frying pans and yo-yos.
And you may travel through one, two, three, four towns,
and you may get to see The Runaway Five get down.
And I bet you’ll meet a bunch of insane cultists
who think their way of life is the Happiest.
CHORUS
And you won’t fight alone; you’ll have all the friends you need:
a Prince, your dog, a nerd, and a lovely lady.
You can call your dad whenever you need to save,
and at Mr. Saturn’s hotel you may get a free stay.
And when you feel the weight of the world on you,
remember faith in your friends and prayer will see you through.
We earthbound boys all have big dreams.
We want to leave our homes and leave our dull destinies.
The best we can do is be vigilant and stand
ready for when the universe needs a helping hand.
Earthbound boys, remember your heroic fate
is just one meteor fall away.
For Rafaella at rawphaelah, in response to her story. Thank you for sharing with me, Rafaella. Followers, have you ever fallen into a love like this? — Kavalier
Feelings Like This
He’s the boy of every girl’s dreams:
you can take him home to mom; you can take him in your sheets.
She’s beautiful in a small and shy way:
she’s realer than the rest, not another bitch, Barbie.
They’ve been friends for far too long.
Love’s come upon them like sleep: slow, then all at once.
They believe they control their feelings;
but feelings like this, they control you.
They try and play dumb, but they can feel the change.
They deny it to their friends, say things are still the same.
But how about that first kiss? And the second one, too?
Is that something “just friends” do?
CHORUS
His mind flip flops like a fish on land,
and she’s too scared to put the truth in his hands.
They go back and forth between a laugh and a fight;
they won’t admit that this happiness is right.
CHORUS
Song #3 in my songs for The Walking Dead: The Game is inspired by the character Chuck. I borrowed his playing style when I wrote the guitar part for this song, and the chorus is based on Chuck’s warning to Lee that the living are just as dangerous as the dead. The verses make reference to key moments in “Long Road Ahead”. Can you spot them all? I dedicate this song to the good people at On The Level Gaming for inspiring me to write these tunes, and to these blogs I’ve been reading for their awesome Walking Dead content: thewalkingdeadempire, we-the-walking-dead, clementinetears, f***yeahthewalkingdeadgame, f***yeah-the-walking-dead, and the-walking-dead-art. You can stream my song on YouTube here, and you can download it for free here (just enter $0 as the price). Enjoy, everyone! — Kavalier
Long Road Ahead
I killed a girl to put her out of her misery,
and I killed a man to put myself out of mine.
Broken flashlight, dwindling supplies—
the truth is hidden in chalk lines.
It’s a long road ahead in a world full of dead.
But all we need fear is the living.
Cut your hair short so reaching hands
slip off of you like water off a duck’s back.
Take my gun, hold your breath, and aim.
When it’s time to pull the trigger, don’t be afraid.
CHORUS
Everyone’s road ends in the same valley,
but some choose to get there in a hurry.
Take a nip to forget what she’s done;
it ain’t known for its finish—unlike us.
CHORUS
I want to write a song
called Cry, Baby, Cry.
I’m too sad to list
the reasons why.
But I’m curious. I bet some of you Tumblr bloggers have encouraged a friend or lover to cry—just to let it all out. Why? What was the pain or joy they had to cry out? I’m going to think of your stories while I write the lyrics for my next song. Thanks for sharing! — Kavalier Calm
Song #2 in my songs for The Walking Dead: The Game focuses on the dilemma at the heart of “Episode 2: Starved For Help”: Hunger. As you play as Lee Everett through this episode, you are given many opportunities to fall victim to your animal needs and forget morality. But I continuously elected to make the right choice. Starvation is no excuse for cannibalism, murder, or stealing. And because Telltale Games shows you how your choices rank up against your peers when you finish an episode, I could see that most of you made the right choice, too. Of course, none of us were starving as we played the game. In fact, I am a well-fed gamer. So, I’ll climb off my high horse now. My song “Starved For Help”, unlike my first, bluesy Walking Dead tune, has an upbeat rhythm and chug, chugs along. I hope you enjoy it. Can you spot all the references to Episode 2? — Kavalier Calm
Starved For Help
The world is dog eat dog, man eat man.
We’re all starved for help in this dying land.
And I know when hunger strikes,
good men lose their minds.
But the need to feed
does not give me the right
to deny my helping hand.
CHORUS
Be you a Walker or one who runs,
know well the lesson of Tantalus:
the St. Johns, with all their fear,
do not have the right
to deny a helping hand.
CHORUS
And living among bear traps
with your precious axe
and rations growing thin
does not give you the right
to deny a helping hand.
CHORUS
I was born in a smoked barrel.
My mouth was full of barley and rye.
Now I done grown up and run away from home,
but I will always be a momma’s boy.
People ask me: “Why whiskey?”
And I tell them why:
“Because whiskey is my favorite way to die.”
When your work’s no good,
and your woman’s even worse,
call up a single malt doctor:
the world has never seen a better nurse.
CHORUS
Comrades want vodka,
and foodies, they want good wine.
But I’ll take a drink that’s always there for me
when I need to forget the time.
CHORUS
Tonight’s song is about a slow and steady love, the kind of love that is always meant to be. My grandparents used to tell me that in a small country town, people often grew up and married their childhood playmates. In some ways I’ve always envied that existence. When there are fewer people to meet, you are less likely to waste the opportunity for love. You build strong relationships with the few people around you. I feel like nowadays we are all looking for someone that perfectly matches us already. All the choices make us more picky, less willing to compromise and grow with someone. I wrote this song in response to Delaney Gunn’s fantastic “Hipster Short Term Love Affair”. A little word play with her title was all it took to write about an entirely different type of love. This song is the second one Delaney inspired me to write. This may be turning into a productive relationship. Thanks, Ms. Gunn. Enjoy, friends! — Kavalier Calm
Country Long Term Love Affair
We grew up a cornfield apart;
you were my neighbor out of sight.
The school bus picked you up after me;
we rode tractors instead of bikes.
And I was never shy.
You were meant to be mine.
Our country long term love affair
is slow, steady, and true.
Most people fall into love,
but I walked into love with you.
And our grandads smoked the same cigarettes,
and our mommas baked the same pies.
We both had dirt under our fingernails
and worked under open skies.
CHORUS
You were my date to every dance;
I was your only guy.
Our just ‘cause, constant kind of love
needed no god damn why.
CHORUS
Last week, I announced my plans to write a series of songs about The Walking Dead: The Game, which recently won Game of the Year at Spike TV’s Video Game Awards. I wrote this song after finishing episode 1 of the series, “A New Day”. In this bluesy, raw tune, I sing from the perspective of Lee Everett. Think of it as a lullaby for Clementine. I hope you enjoy, friends. Can you spot all the references to the game in the lyrics? — Kavalier Calm
A New Day
I was dead man walking until the walking dead
gave me a new reason to live.
I’m a bad man. I didn’t earn this new day.
But I’ll take it just the same.
A man’s past can’t haunt him
in a present full of fears.
Yes, I will protect you, my dear.
Who knew babysitting was such a dangerous game?
I’ll hammer, punch, and kick ‘til you’re safe.
Momma says call the cops, but I know first hand:
help’s hard to find in this lawless land.
CHORUS
Some of the living want it all to end.
One bullet to check out of the Motor Inn.
I can’t save everyone. Life forces me to choose.
But, darlin’, I will always choose you.
CHORUS
I was dead man walking until the walking dead
gave me a new reason to live.
For Erin.
Espina
Tu eres un flor sin espinas.
Pero tengo una espina en mi corazon
porque no estas aqui.
My brief hiatus from writing #gaming-themed songs is at an end. With this post, I am announcing my intention to write a series of songs centered on The Walking Dead: The Game, which recently won Game of the Year at Spike TV’s Video Game Awards. I credit Eric at the fantastic On The Level Gaming blog for the idea; knowing my penchant for storytelling through song, he correctly assumed I would enjoy digesting Telltale’s epic story and adding to it in my own way. I was familiar with the graphic novels and the show before Eric made the suggestion, but I was admittedly unaware that I could participate in the story as a gamer. After a bit of research, I downloaded the first episode onto my Xbox last night, and it only took a few exchanges between Lee and Clementine before my brain started puzzling out lyrics and song structures. This is really a win, win opportunity for me, as the only thing I have enjoyed writing as much as my #gaming songs are my #zombie songs.
Right now, I think a logical way to approach this is to write a song for each episode in the five episode series. The titles of each episode are already begging to be song titles or parts of a chorus; for example, “Long Road Ahead” has a Johnny Cash-luster about it. I also imagine these tunes will stylistically be minimalistic folk because 1) that fits my strengths and my budget and because 2) I think it fits a post-apocalyptic subject matter. The quantity and style are still very much up in the air, though. In the end, I may release the set as an EP on my Bandcamp page for free download, depending on public interest.
I would be thrilled to work with fans of the The Walking Dead on the lyrics, the songs, the album art, etc. If you would enjoy collaborating in any way, shoot me an email at crowdsourceinspiration@gmail.com. Don’t be shy!
Thanks in advance for playing along, zombie lovers!
Brains! — Kavalier Calm
