Friday July 18, 2008 | 8 comments
Imagine you and me, a cup of tea
I think about it day and night, it’s only right
To think about the tea you love, steeped just right
So happy together.
If I should call you up, or send along
A message to meet for a cup, a nice oolong
Or perhaps you’d prefer Lapsang Souchong
So happy together.
I can’t see me drinkin’ nothing but tea
For all my life
When you’re with me
Surely the tea will be brewed
Perfectly right.
Me and you, a cup of tea
No matter how they tossed the dice, it had to be
The only drink for you and me is loose leaf tea
So happy together.
Editor’s note: In 1967, “The Turtles” released the song “So Happy Together.” It was an innocent and sweet little jingle, whose simple melody and lyrics stuck in one’s mind for days and days. Completely devoid of social context or political message, we felt it perfect to parody for our readers at T Ching. Please feel free to write your own verses and include them here!
Regena,
I would expect nothing less than this wonderful FILK version of “Happy Together” from you. I hope that the rest has revived you for the upcoming school year. You have to watch those English Language teachers, they come up with this kind of FUN stuff :), CHEERS and Blessings, keep drinking the good stuff!
Fr. Patrick
Fr. Patrick,
I’ve RACKED my feeble brain for the translation of FILK, and I’m coming up blank – an unfortunately common state. C’mon, ‘fess up. :-) Thanks –
I loved this song by the Turtles. I always sang it to myself as a representative of my relationship with Michelle. Thanks for the nostalgic reminder Regena.
A note from the English teacher . . . it has been called to my attention that the double negative “I can’t see me drinkin’ nothing but tea . . . ” actually contradicts. It does indeed. Let’s pretend we are Russian, where the double negative creates a positive, as in “I can’t see me drinkin’ NOTHING, but tea.” Shall we go for correct language, or the integrity of the meter? “I can’t see me drinkin’ anything but tea” simply does not sing. It is correct, however. The English teacher is on summer vacation, a time when poetry trumps convention. And remember that the guy who said that a double-positive never creates a negative was never the victim of that adolescent in the back row who mutters, “Yeah, right.”
Thanks for the feedback. I stand corrected, but I refuse to correct it. :-)
Regina,
I went to Wikipedia.com for a definition for you so I’ll let you go there for a more detailed explanation. The long and the short of it, FILK singing came about mostly as a result of Science Fiction conventions where the fans wanted to pay tribute to their favorite stars or characters from the Sci FI and Fantasy genres to use popular songs (many times folk melodies, sometimes from more modern pop songs of the day or just those old tunes that everybody knows from their childhood camp days) and someone would write lyrics to go with the tune. I first encounterd this interesting tradition when I was a member of a — you guessed it — Sci Fi Fan club for Dr. Who back in the 1980′s and we did such lovely melodies such as “I’m Singin in the Tardis” from the mouth of Gene Kelly himself!!!
IF you’d like a short history of FILK singing and some other possible definitions, please go to the following website
http://www.filking.net/filkfaq/what-is-filk/
It seems to be somewhat comprehensive. HMMM, maybe a new FILK Circle for tea lovers is in order :)
Peace and Blessings
CHEERS
Fr. Patrick says “Keep drinking the good stuff” i.e. WHOLE LEAF TEAS!!!
That’s a great idea, Fr. Patrick! Turns out I’ve been FILKing for years; beginning with Lutheran hymns, like, “A Mighty Fortress,” and “I’m but a Stranger Here,” moving on to Jimmy Dean’s “Big John,” and a hundred bubble gum tunes of the 60s. Thanks so much for letting me know I’m not alone. Robert Heinlein rocks!
Regina,
TESTIFY SISTER! Heinlein does rock! HMM, I wonder what type of tea he drank? Yep I think that there’s a little bit of FILKing in all of us, especially from those old Church hymns. Peace
Fr. Patrick
P.S. Try doing some of the Star Trek stuff, it’s FUN!!! :)
Hey Sandy how bout some more tea FILKing?