18 Jul 2013

The Fishermans Tale




Happy Thursday! 

Today I have a special treat for you all…some may remember that a while back I wrote a poem that became a song called ‘As I Sail To You’. I had written it for a Flash Fiction challenge Write 4 Ten that is hosted by Donna B McNicol. The prompt was ‘on a sailboat’ and I was surprised by what I had written in the ten minutes after reading the prompt. I was so surprised and feeling reckless that I asked on Twitter if someone would write some music to go with it. I was shocked and amazed and very very ecstatic when Richard form the band A Sea With 3 Stars did just that! 

Anyway, just over a week ago I was compelled to write the song again, but from the mermaids perspective and after doing so, I recruited Anna Loy to perform it for me. Check her out on Fiverr. I wanted to post it straight away but didn’t want to do so without an accompanying tale. So here it is…

The Fisherman’s tale



Standing at the helm of the fishing boat, his gaze never leaving the horizon, he stood tall as he watched with anticipation for a glimpse of her.  He wasn’t sure if she was real or something his sun-addled-wind-swept-salty brain had created to make the long days at sea bearable but he looked on regardless of his doubts. 

Each morning as he boarded his fishing boat he told himself that she couldn’t be real, he was a fool to believe that she was, wasn’t he?  Each evening as he alighted his fishing boat he told himself that she was the only thing in his life that was real, wasn’t she?

The moment she appeared in sight all his senses were ignited. Blinking into the sunlight as her beauty shone out to him, her long golden hair and eyes of blue, he could only watch as she weaved and writhed effortlessly through the water towards him.  He was mesmerised as she sang out to him, at first they had been tales of the sea, but now it was a song for him and as each note floated to him his heart swelled with love. How he longed to touch, to taste, to smell her, to hold her in his arms and feel the warmth of her body. Hypnotised by her beauty and her song he longed to join her in the ocean. 

His family had always been fishermen, his father, his grandfather, his great grandfather and every generation before that and tales had been told to wide eyed boys of escapades on the waves, of sea monsters, of men gone mad from sunstroke and of mermaids and sirens who would lure fisherman to their death.

Every day as he sailed to her he ignored all he knew, he would fish and she would sing and it was as if their souls were joined as one, but each evening as the sun set he would return to land, fighting the urge to dive deep into the cool blue sea for eternal happiness with her. He had his own sons to raise and to teach and to warn of such things and he couldn’t leave them without a father. His father, his grandfather, his great grandfather and every generation before that had always returned home each night, and each had left her on the horizon as she sang to them.

So here they are both songs! Firstly, the original as performed by Richard, which the more I listen to it the more I think his voice matches it well, the very laid back calmness that I feel my fisherman has with a hint of something more.


As I sail to you

Early in the morning, through the wind and the rain
My body is beaten by nature, without any refrain
I battle the seas, with my sails and my net
Just to get close to you at the place that we met

With rhythm and sway
On the cool of the blue
She creaks and she croaks
As I sail to you

With your long golden hair and a tail of green
Seashells can’t hide what I’ve already seen
You sing like an angel from heavens above
As the wind carries it to me, my heart fills with love

With rhythm and sway
On the cool of the blue
She creaks and she croaks
As I sail to you

As the night draws to a close and a chill fills the air
I wonder aloud, if you really were there
With my boat laden with fish after a day out at sea
I remember the song that you once sang to me.

I asked Anna to perform the song from the mermaids perspective and I think she has done this well.
So her song to him….this was the easiest way for me to do it, so please click on the link!

Link >>>> As I Swim To You

As I swim to you
Early in the morning as the waves crash against the shore
I am carried by the current to the same place as before
I battle my mind it’s not the way it should be
But whenever I’m with you my heart is set free

With rhythm and sway
In the cool of the blue
I weave and I writhe
As I swim to you

With your ship and your legs, and your desire for me
I will never believe those who say it can’t be
I sing from my heart so you know that it’s true
As the wind carries my love, directly to you

With rhythm and sway
In the cool of the blue
I weave and I writhe
As I swim to you

With rhythm and sway
In the cool of the blue
I weave and I writhe
As I swim to you

As the night draws to a close and I know you must leave
I fade into the ocean as I struggle to breathe
I am lost without you and I wave you goodnight
Returning to greet you with the first morning light

With rhythm and sway
In the cool of the blue
I weave and I writhe
As I swim to you

With rhythm and sway
In the cool of the blue
I weave and I writhe
As I swim to you


I hope you like them both and feedback/comments welcomed below :)

14 comments:

  1. I love the poems and the story! :)

    Unfortunately, I couldn't get the video to play. It just went to a back screen and sat there. :(

    ~Becky

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    1. Thanks Becky! Thats odd, as it works for me.....hmmm...here is a direct link...http://youtu.be/yEfG6dHLfBc and don't forget to click on the link to hear Anna. :)

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    2. It's okay. I came back and tried later and it worked fine. I loved both songs! So beautiful! And Anna's voice, as always is so lovely! Richard's voice was perfect for the fisherman's part of the song too. :)

      You are making me want to write song lyrics! (something I haven't done since I was a teenager.)

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  2. This is fab!!! First off great story and lyrics.

    Richard is perfect for the fisherman, just loved his voice, matched the lyrics really well. Anna as the mermaid is also brilliant, her voice is so good and the fact that they both are singing of love and loss, just wonderful.

    This is a really great bit of work, you should be very proud and hats off to the singers X

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Laura, glad it turned out well and that you like it. They managed to capture the longing and the never-be .

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  3. Congratulations Kate. Great lyrics, nice tunes, the voices were perfect, as was the story.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Hap. They did a good job. Of course it wouldn't have been possible without Richard!

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  4. All of this gave me goosebumps...your writing, poetry and the two singers...wonderful...
    Really drawn into the tale of love and the constant turning tide of loss. Gorgeous Kate!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Lisa, the ebb and flow of passion and duty :)

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  5. I've always wanted to write a song, but I'm about as musically gifted as Simon Cowell. You, on the other hand, have created something great. Well done to you and to Richard for brining this to life.

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    1. I am not musical either. You could do it. I am sure when Mechanical Addman takes over the world there will need to be battle songs :D

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  6. This was a wonderful story, a wonderful poem, and two great songs. Our post today was most definitely not about you, btw, because this displays real talent.

    As for me, I'm more musical than I am poetic, but I don't think I want to put any of our comic strips or novels to music. That actually sounds pretty terrible. :)

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    Replies
    1. After reading your blog I came back here to check out my poem page and admittedly a couple I am eehing over (not sure that's a word but should be accompanied with a grimace)but I think its hard to judge yourself. One of the last poems I wrote I purposely did so in a storylike way because I kept reading that it shouldnt rhyme, and it shouldnt be alliterative, and it shouldnt be a lot of things! In the end, its how i handle stress, so it cant be all bad. Thanks for your lovely comment about the tale above, I really appreciate it and am glad you liked it.
      Oh, I dont know - you could play music like they used to for silent movies for a comic strip?

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