A Musical Poll

[SixOfSpades]

Some idle silliness: If the Bard Songs sung by the various Bard kits were actual, singular, songs, what tunes do you think they would be?

My suggestions . . .

Skald: As they are the "Nordic" warrior bards (I think they're even called Nordic in-game, which is definitely out of character), I'm nominating the "We come from the land of the ice and snow" of Led Zeppelin's "The Immigrant Song."

Jester: I'd like to say "Dazed and Confused," but 2 Zeppelin songs would definitely be overkill. "A Whiter Shade of Pale," perhaps?

Default Bard / Blade: "And the Bodies Hit the Floor?" I dunno.

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

It's very odd that you should post this, Six, as I had been wondering something a little similar, but not quite. I had been wondering what kind of plays they put on at the Five Flagons, and considered starting a thread about that. Is it possible that the Jester, for example, sings songs from the popular musical "Thoroughly Modern Mielikki" (about a spunky young goddess who works her way up in the world)? Do Blades hum the tune from Amaunator 2: Judgement Day (about the Time of Troubles, in which it actually Waukeen who speaks the tagline, "I'll be back, baby")? These things plague me.

Regardless, I do know that a great example of the way a Jester would sing is in Elaine Cunningham's book Elfshadow. I was looking for a song with more puns and bad jokes- a song you might hear at the Ren faire. Maybe a jester would sing Finnegan's Wake.

[ZFR]

Jester
The song you hear when you enter any BG inn/tavern... those can drive anyone crazy

[SixOfSpades]

Originally Posted by Illumina Drathiran'ar I was looking for a song with more puns and bad jokes

Hmmm, you mean something like the anthem of all demon-fighters, "The Scar-Mangled Balor?"

[ADD] Finally remembered the one I'd meant to add earlier: "Randolph the Red-Faced Ranger."

[Iron Greasel]

The skald would probably sing actual sagas. Something about a brave barbarian warrior defeating all his enemies and then drinking lots of mead. Or maybe of the fantastic adventures of some god or other.

Jester? Maybe "Bravely bold sir Robin rode forth from Camelot", from Monty Python's Holy Grail. Or "Yakety Sax".

The blades and unkitted bards could play pretty much anything. Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" and the Pirates of the Caribbean theme spring to mind.

[ocellis]

Some of the Carmina Burana might fit well. For example:

Ego sum heros ex arce candelarum
et consilium meum est cum bibulis,
et in secta Decii voluntas mea est,
et qui mane me quaesierit in taberna
post vesperam nudus egredietur,
et sic denudatus veste clamabit:
Wafna, wafna! quid fecisti, Sors turpissima?
nostrae vitae gaudia
abstulisti omnia!

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

Ah, here we go! The aforementioned passage from Elaine Cunningham's Elfshadow.

As she fought, Arilyn heaerd a strange battle hymn drifting from somewhere on the marsh. It was a bawdy ballad, set to a well-known drinking song, and it was rendered triply incongruous by the refined tone of a well-trained tenor voice: They're far from staid after a raid Those men of Zhentil Keep They kill of all the women For they much prefer the sheep. The Zhents don't eat their ill-got treat; Not one of them's a glutton. So isn't it a marvel That they always smell of mutton? Blasted human! Arilyn ducked a battle axe and gritted her teeth in annoyance. To her surprise, she found that the foolish song rallied her more effectively than the battle skirl of Moonshae pipes. She fought on, buoyed up by a mixture of relief and irritation.