Tag Archives: via bella

Mr. Rogers

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Here are the lyrics to Mr. Rogers, the song we debuted at OVFF!

He told us we were special
Success is being kind
We can build a better world together
Helping is where our real strength lies

He told us we were worthy
He told us we were good
It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood

He said “look for the helpers”
It’s a good feeling to know that we’re alive
No one in the whole wide world is like you
It’s good to know [that] you’re growing inside

He was everybody’s neighbor
He listened with his heart
He said I love you
You have value and I’m glad you
Are just the way you are

He said
Be a helper, be a light
Don’t be afraid to do what’s right
Loving yourself is part of loving me

So be courageous and be true
Be the best at being you
And be the person Mr. Rogers
Knew that you could be

Just a skinny kid from Brooklyn
Who was not afraid to fight
He knew that power’s not what makes a hero
He just wanted to do what was right

And he showed us he was worthy
To stand with the divine
Be it wartime or our time
He is with us until the end of the line

So stand up and join the fight
You gotta want to do what’s right
Remember sacrifice is part of being free

Don’t be afraid to disobey
You can do this all day
Just be the person that Steve Rogers
Knew that you could be

Be a gambler with a dream
Be an island in the stream
Be Reuben James or the coward of the county
Eat fried chicken every meal
Just don’t be Ruby or Lucille
And be the person Kenny Rogers knew that you could be

R: Be the person that Will Rogers knew that you could be
E: I’m pretty sure that he would like me

R: Be the person Carl Rogers knew that you could be
E: He thinks I’m phenomenal

R: Be the person that Wayne Rogers knew that you could be
E: Trapper John?

R: Be the person that Buck Rogers knew that you could be
E: I’m not taking marching orders from Gil Girard

R: Be the person that Roy Rogers knew that you could be
E: Again with the fried chicken?

R: Be the person that Stan Rogers knew that you could be

God damn them all I was told
We’d cruise the seas for American gold
We’d fire no gun shed no tear
Well I’m a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett’s Privateers

Be a helper, be a light
Don’t be afraid to do what’s right
Loving yourself is part of loving me

So be courageous and be true
Be the best at being you
And be the person Mr. Rogers
Knew that you could be

*taps mic* Is this thing on?

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So, I don’t know how many people are going to see this update, but things have been pretty busy this last little bit!

The biggest news is that our CD came out at the end of April! Check it out here! (At the link, you will find a number of ways to buy or stream.)

You can also like us on Facebook/follow us on Twitter!

(more updates coming soon!)

Rand and Erin album update (Seanan McGuire Indiegogo perk!)

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As you may know, Rand and I are working on an album together. I’ve already shared our Indiegogo link once, but I wanted to take a moment to highlight a really special fundraising perk.

In 2013, we were invited to be the Filk Waifs (Toastmasters) at FilKONtario and our dear friend Seanan McGuire agreed to write our bio for the program book.

Of course, if you know Seanan at all, you’ve already guessed that what she supplied was no ordinary bio: she wrote an original short story, casting the two of us as characters. That story has only appeared in the program book, until now!

Campaign pledges of $30 or more get you a digital copy of that bio/story! And that’s not all the Seanan you’ll find on this project!

One of the tracks is a parody of Seanan’s song “Dear Gina,” with lyrics by me and Merav Hoffman. The song imagines that October Daye has gained sentience outside book world, realizes that Seanan is the one doing all of these horrible things to her, and threatens revenge. 😀 (You can see the lyrics, and an early performance of this song, here.

(Additionally, Seanan is going to supply us with some vocal tracks!)

I hope you’ll click the link and find out more about our project!

OVFF concert set

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Rand and I had a truly fantastic weekend at OVFF. Among the highlights for us was our 4-song concert set on Sunday afternoon, during which we got to debut 3 new songs that will appear on our upcoming album! (Here’s our Indiegogo page, if you are so inclined!)

The four songs we played were:

I’m a much more confident performer than I was four years ago at FKO, and I owe it all to this wonderful, supportive, nurturing community. Thank you for making me believe I could do this!

I’m so proud of the songs Rand and I have written for this album. They are all the results of truly collaborative efforts–I don’t (yet) write any music, just lyrics, so the music/melodies are all Rand (except “Do As Peggy Says,” which was a collaboration with Adam!). With only a couple of exceptions, all the original lyrics on our upcoming album were written by the two of us together, with the actual process varying from song to song.

And I can’t end this post without mentioning the amazingly talented Amy McNally and Brenda Sutton, who helped make “Nasty” everything we dreamed it could be. <3

We also got to spend some time hanging out with the whole Vixy & Tony band to talk about some tracks on the album they’re going to assist us on. (squee!)

I’m probably not going to get around to a full con report, but it was an amazing weekend filled with friends and music and laughter, and I’ve got a bit of the back-to-work blues today. (And as usual, there was too much to do and I did not get around to a whole bunch of things I had planned on doing, so my apologies to anyone I neglected!)

As always, many thanks to the ConCom for all you do!

Nasty

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Lyrics by Erin and Rand Bellavia, music by Rand Bellavia

My story’s been told and it’s older than time
Older than fables or nursery rhymes
They try me then try me then try to set fire to me
Though I’ve committed no crimes

Whatever the scene they aim to demean
Peasant, princess, servant or queen
They try me than try me then cry to the sky
Unclean, obscene, and everything in between

No broom or bubbling cauldron
There’s no evil in my eye
But if whatever I do is called sin
Then I confess that I

I am nasty
I am timeless
I will not be silenced
I am alive with fire and fury
And I will fight til the tide has turned

We are nasty
We’re the forsaken
We will not be shaken
We are the daughters of the witches
That your fathers failed to burn

You say that you’re blessed
There’s no need to redress
Surely your best
Destiny’s manifest

Then profess I’m possessed
You detest and arrest me
And suggest I confess to my sin

But as you might have guessed
I’m less than impressed
You’re obsessed, grotesque
And repressed; I request

I express my protest:
Unless Yes is the Guest
I attest the oppressed cannot win

No broom or bubbling cauldron
There’s no evil in my eye
But if whatever I do is called sin
Then I confess that I

I am nasty
I am timeless
I will not be silenced
I am alive with fire and fury
And I will fight til the tide has turned

We are nasty
We’re the forsaken
We will not be shaken
We are the daughters of the witches
That your fathers failed to burn

Do As Peggy Says

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Lyrics by Erin and Rand Bellavia, music by Rand Bellavia and Adam English

If you’re listless and you feel like you were meant for more
If you’re enlisted but you always end up missing the war
Support your friends, always offer to help
Know your value, stand up for yourself

And do as Peggy says
Do do as Peggy says

If you’re at work and having trouble getting recognized
Taking shorthand when you know that you’re a super spy
Sometimes you gotta fight to make things improve
Just plant both feet and say, “No, you move!”

You gotta do as Peggy says
Do do as Peggy says

All the daring women have got to believe
Just like Sharon and Simmons and Steve
You gotta do as Peggy says
Do do as Peggy says

If you’re restless and you feel like we’ve been here before
Nothing’s too big to fail but some are too big to ignore
You know how to make a better world
Just know your value and fight like a girl
Better do as Peggy says
Do do as Peggy says

Fighting the Black Thing

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lyrics by Erin and Rand Bellavia, music by Rand Bellavia

(inspired by A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle)

There’s a battle being fought across the universe
Who and why and where and what and when
Weak and strong or right or wrong
It’s been going on so long
Feels like we’ll never find our way back to the light again

There’s a lesson being taught across the universe
And all we have to do is imitate
It’s not who we are or what we say
It’s what we do: the Imago Dei
We were created to create

Not everything is black and white
But I know the wrong when I’m in the right
Sometimes even angels fight
Gotta dig through the dark until you find the light

So stand with me and fight with me
Dance and sew and write with me
We can’t win unless we all take part
Paint with me and cook with me
Make a comic book with me
We fight the Black Thing best by making art

There’s a refuge being sought across the universe
From desperation and despair
Grab a pen and find your voice
Find a tool and make your choice
It’s the only immortality we share

There’s a battle being fought across the universe
But there’s more of us who love than those who hate
Fear and anger feed the dark
But empathy can be the spark
That lights the light that shines so bright when we create

So build with me, invent with me
Conduct experiments with me
Engage the world with head and hand and heart
Sing with me, compose with me
Write poetry and prose with me
We fight the Black Thing best by making art