FAWM: "The North End Paving Yard"

The North End Paving Yard

3 weeks ago by @tcelliott

NSFW

The North End Paving Yard

tcelliott

00:00

Liner Notes

#fullproduction #rock

Edit: It's Posted!!!
This song is for the #CommentsFirst challenge (https://write.fawm.org/forums/3025).

A list of challenges and how I attempted to incorporate them into the song:

Yup, specifically the North End Paving Yard* - @jackdawfactories - Write about the Boston Molasses Flood
Used the my guitalele in a not ballad - @coolparadiso - Upbeat Uke
Bdim in verse progression - @mtmelodie - Use a dim chord in the verse
Used my tele on the solo - @mtmelodie - twangy guitar solo (I tried my best)
Pre-chorus lyric - @mikeskliar - whispering and screaming
Bridge - @spikedirection - Use carburetor in a rhyme
Bridge - @lyricslinger - Use handclaps for percussion
Outro - @beto - Shits weak dog
I tried but failed - @beacon - Kurt Weill delivery
Unintentional combination: @jackdawfactories + @coolparadiso = Upbeat song about a downer subject

*Many of those who perished were listed at working at the North End Paving Yard.

Lyrics

You could feel the ground shake
Hear the air roar
As rivets fired into the crowd
It flowed in a wave
Sounded like a war
A boom of stick mass so loud

It was quiet as a whisper
Before you heard the screams

People came running
All to lend a hand
To try and save the victims
Haul salt water and sand
To the North End Paving Yard

Folks were hurled several feet
By that rush of air
At the moment the hard steel broke
It flowed three feet deep
Ran most everywhere
The crowd scattered as it approached

It was quiet as a whisper
Before you heard the screams

People came running
All to lend a hand
To try and save the victims
Haul salt water and sand
To the North End Paving Yard

You could hear the carburetors
Of all the machines
"Need" the arbitrator
Of gas away from steam
As the men were working
All so very hard
At the North End Paving Yard

People came running
All to lend a hand
To try and save the victims
Haul salt water and sand
To the North End Paving Yard
To the North End Paving Yard

Comments

@jackdawfactories 2w

I cannot believe you pulled this off. Incredible work!

@lbrewington 2w

Coming in to the comments after the fact. Cool song. North End Paving Yard certainly has a pleasing cadence to it, and the rest of the song builds from there. Loved the guitar solo and the hand claps certainly follow the rest of the song in headlong rush that is only interrupted by the slow down on quiet as a whisper. The line "haul salt water and sand" was great.

@mtmelodie 2w

Wow you really delivered on almost all the first comments. and it sounds like a a cohesive intended work, some mentioned George Harrison I also get a Guided By Voices association while listening but haven't listened to them since the 90's so might be misremembering...anyway this turned out to be a great song

@beacon 2w

Well, I don't know how you could have added in the Kurl Weil with all of these thing! Nice job.

The Molasses Flood is very common lore around here. It's said that on really hot days you can still smell molasses in the North End.

@mandolinda 2w

Hand clapping. How did you ever get these prompts into your song? Very well managed, and cool song.

@betoMod 2w

Oh, man... I feel the #CommentsFirst challenge is the best thing that was invented for FAWM! The songs are always so interesting and authentic — in yours the hyperspecificity of the story makes it feel so real! Maybe it's because the decisions made are clearly non-algorithmic, the combination of happy ukulele while singing about a molasses disaster has to come from a human. This is how we're going to beat all the AI-generated songs!

Great job on checking (almost) all the boxes (sorry but I have no idea who Kurt Weill is), everything fits so nicely. And thanks for including my silly comment!

@coolparadisoMod 2w

Well played! Top effort to get so much in a coherent and interesting song! Very good!

@mikeskliar 2w

ha, what a wild way to challenge yourself--- great fun, and yeah, I love that diminished chord in the verse- so George Harrison-y wonderful. riveting and wild story, and love that you got the 'whisper and scream' in there. lol at the ending!

@nadine 2w

Great chord progression. That dim chord there! Well played

@johnnycashpoint 2w

I love that descending 4-chord sequence in the verse. What is that (augmented?) 3rd chord - as you may know, my musical theory is non-existent. Yes, apart from the claps being a bit clean for the mix, I think this a great song. Maybe some harmonies on that chorus to accentuate the vibe even more?

Anyway I don't know why some people get production tips in my reviews and others don't, sorry about that! j$

@coolparadisoMod 3w

It’s so suprising to hear such a happy upbeat song from you I guess that uke helps.

@betoMod 3w

Shit's weak, dog