As those of you who read my book No Man’s Land know, there is a song that is, basically the life story of their culture hero, which undergrids the whole thing. I’ve had this song in my head for years — YEARS — and I had to have one of the kids (he’s a little older than my kids) in the close in fan group to explain to me why it made sense and connected the book emotional movements as it were.
It is called Missa’s Confession/Missa’s Lament. This is because the character who supposedly composed it (well, he did, but… my character isn’t sure) was called Amissar and that’s the traditional diminutive in their culture. Anyway, this is the song:
Missa’s confession
I do confess that I loved
Though it all was against it
The enemity of worlds
The factions and war between
Me in a strange world
Him the leader of the enemy
I confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
I found myself in his eyes
In his arms I found relief
I confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
I let myself be taken
Or is it that I took
I let our souls become one
And cursed who said I shouldn’t
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
I bore his children with joy
I shared his bed with glee
I let him do as he will
I turned my mind from the fear
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
In the coils of our desire
There was magic there was power
I lived with him ten years
I swear it was an hour
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
My people were broken and lost
My own children were in peril
There was no quarter or mercy
I was to be a hero
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
I’d starve on ice for him
I’d walk on rotted land
I’d crawl through the deepest mud
I’d live through burning fire.
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
Missa’s Lament
There’s more to life than love
More to desire than flesh
There’s more to freedom than joy
And more to birthing than life
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
My children cried for fear
Protection had they none
In the lands of the enemy
All of their future was gone
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
He was the magical center
Of the enemy’s power and might
I couldn’t free others while he
Was vigilant and alert
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
I’d plans upon plans
Plans to evade his grip
Magic that I’d learned from him
I’d used to gather and keep
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
My people slowly gathered
Once their hearts I had freed
By a thousand acts of daring
By a thousand hidden risks
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
Back to the world of my birth
Where we could live without fear
All was readied to lead them there
In the dark of night concealed
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
Alas in the night he woke
My love in the dark perceived
His power with mine opposed
My dagger clinched the deed
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
Upon a hurried portal
Through ragged magical tare
Running and pushing and carrying
Most of us escaped there
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
Back in the world of my birth
Back with the people I knew
Through their hatred and their fear
I led them as best I could
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
In the coils of defense
And war my youth was ragged
And beaten
In the shields and the defense
My mind was spent and eaten
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
Through it all I craved my love
His memory held and cherished
The grief and guilt and the cold
Of a life without companion
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
And now that the work is done
Now that Elly has a king
And an archmage is trained
Both of them of my own blood
I dream of my love at night
And by day I mourn my deed
Atop this cliff it ends
In Lirridar’s rocky shores
There’s the cliff and there’s the sea
Here’s to mourning no more
I do confess that I loved
But the sea is dark and deep
And yes, I do realize that it is a suicide song, but honestly the characters are not suicidal, not in the book. I swear.
But the song is played at weddings and gatherings, and unites people, in a way. I struggled to describe the song, though it’s clear as a bell in my head. And of course, I’m not a musician so I don’t know the name of the instruments I hear, and I never took music appreciation, so music is hard to describe.
Frankly, it was a gift to be able to take to Suno and put the song to music.
Is that accurate? no. Their instruments are more primitive and it sounds… tinier. Except for the voice. But you know, I can’t have the songs in their language, anyway, and an Irish ballad is true to the spirit of the music. It sort of sounds like that.
Of course, once I’d taken a bite I couldn’t stop. There are other songs referred to or sung in the book, too, particularly at the thing that is like a family reunion (clan reunion. Clan is… well, people have choices which clan to claim, because that association goes to sixth cousins. (I mean, in my 23 and me, I don’t know most of those people. And they’re all over the world. Although that might be because it’s my family and they don’t stay still.)) They sing the songs that hold the culture together, like this one:
This one, of course, anchors one of the most emotional moments of the book, at the climax, because lullabies can do that:
The one song I haven’t yet brought to life, which is sung in the book is the song of The Besieged Nomad, but that’s because it’s not only off color (by implication at least), it’s also a song that is improvised by the people at each gathering, held together by a first set of verses and a concept. The rest changes at every meaning, and it’s supposed to be funny. And it’s often gossip about the people in the gathering, at that.
Yes, the people in the close in fan group have been making verses and I’ve been gathering them and will eventually set them to music. It’s sort of like the Wizard’s Staff has a Knob At The End.
The thing about all this, is I discovered Suno less than a year ago, and seriously….
This is an age of miracles. Yes, Suno is an imperfect tool, and I’m sure it will become better, but even as it is, it has allowed me to do something I could not do in any other way. I couldn’t convince any of my pet musicians to set the things to music, since I couldn’t describe the music in any sane way. Now it’s out of my head.
But more importantly, I feel it has allowed me to feel the culture is more real, more of a real culture.
Because real culture has songs. We sing for birthdays, we sing at special occasions. The occasions depend on the culture, but you know, they always exist.
And songs have a way of bypassing your rational thought and wire you right up to the emotions, which of course is part of what you want to do in a book.
For instance, I left the place and the culture far behind, but I still cry like a baby when hearing Portuguese University Student fados. All of a sudden I’m 22 again, and standing on a darkened terrace, wrapped in my black cloak and saying goodbye to a way of life and all the friends I’d known till then. (Keep in mind this is from this year, but the feel is the same. My year didn’t put its serenades on youtube. 😉 )
It’s a cultural thing, of course but it reaches deeply into my formative experiences. And bypasses all thought. And it’s of course wrapped in songs.
Now: Do you have songs in your books? And how do they anchor or enhance the books?
Mad Genius Club 
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