To my dear Amalface!
This year, your birthday poem is actually a SONG!!! Actually, it’s the song I began sort of singing as a joke when a fan of yours asked you to sign their copy of Book of Witches at Can*Con in the lobby, on the title page of your story “John Hollowback and the Witch.”
I started joke-humming something like, “Old John Hollowback, better beware…” and you glanced over at me with your mighty Dark Elf Prince look and said, “I’d be so honored if you wrote a song about it.”
LOL CHALLENGE ACCEPTED, DARK ELF PRINCE!
So I did write it—when I was staying over at your house that week! I asked to borrow your copy of Book of Witches, and then spent my morning writing hours at your kitchen table, in a silent Google Meet chat with Patty Templeton, scribbling out the lyrics.
THEN I wrote to my friend, the amazing filk artist Dr. Mary Crowell to collaborate on it with me to make it a fully realized song for your birthday!
Mary, as you probably remember from me telling you (oh! And I think you met her this year at WORLDCON!), is a Doctor of Music, specializing in opera and jazz. She’s a piano teacher, as well as performer in several musical groups that play at cons and concerts across the world, and she plays ever so many instruments, AND SHE SINGS, and she often writes songs about D&D and the books she likes to read!
She wrote the album Scattering Seeds on the Pomegranate Tour, as well as others that you can find on her Bandcamp page. Her Patreon is TOPS!
Last year, when Carlos and I Kickstarted for Negocios Infernales, Mary wrote an entire EP’s worth of songs based on our Baraja del Destino cards. She calls them her “Octimbre” songs! All nine are collected here on Soundcloud if you want some fun listening.
For the last few years, I’ve been collaborating with Mary and Tina Connolly on a long-form podcast musical called The Devil and Lady Midnight. Mary’s constantly posting thoughtful essays and new musical material on her Patreon, some of which come from our collaboration.
Mary so kindly wrote the melody for “Old John Hollowback” and ALL those eerie harmonies. What’s more, her daughter Lily joined us when we recorded it, so we have three very distinct voices singing the verses and the harmonies!!! (Lily is also a fantasy writer, among her other talents! Here’s some of her writing!) Then Mary did ALL THE MIXING on top of everything else! Truly, she worked harder on your birthday present than I did! (She also loved your story!)
Well, that’s my birthday letter to you. Without any further ado, here are the tune and lyrics to “Old John Hollowback.”
And over at Mary’s Patreon, she provides the recorded music, lyrics AND CHORD CHARTS!
Listen to the song HERE!
So much love,
Claire
Old John Hollowback
Lyrics by C. S. E. Cooney
Music by Dr. Mary C. Crowell
Performed by C. S. E. Cooney, Dr. Mary C. Crowell, and Lily Crowell
For our darling Amal, on her 40th birthday, off her story “John Hollowback and the Witch” in The Book of Witches
1.
Old John Hollowback, better beware
Caught by a witch
In her wicked witch lair
What will you give her?
What will you dare?
To grow a skin (grow a skin)
Be whole again (be whole again)
So fine and so fair?
2.
Old John Hollowback, what is your scheme?
Is this a nightmare—
Or is this a dream?
Don’t see no stitches,
Don’t see no seam
But in your back (in your back)
There is a lack (is a lack)
That you must redeem
REFRAIN
Oh, so—
You think you’re a hero?
Oh, no
It doesn’t appear so
Fellow,
You’re starting from zero
Blank as a hollow
Shaded and shallow
3.
Old John Hollowback, what will you give?
What will you trade
For this life you would live?
Pluck what remains
From your memory’s sieve
You brought a book (brought a book)
It’s blank, but look!
Regenerative
4.
Old John Hollowback, what did you snitch
Scalded by envy
Your hate fever-pitch?
You stole from a woman
To make you feel rich
But the more you raid
The more a maid
Becomes a true witch
REFRAIN
Oh, so—
You think you’re a hero?
Oh, no
It doesn’t appear so
Fellow,
You’re starting from zero
Blank as a hollow
Shaded and shallow
Coda
Old John Hollowback
Here, let me help you
Old John Hollowback
Mark you and mend you
Old John Hollowback
Heal you and send you
Far far away
Far far away
Old John Hollowback
Here, let me help you
Old John Hollowback
Mark you and mend you
Old John Hollowback
Heal you and send you
Far far away
Far far away
Never to darken the bright of our days
Far far away
Far far away
Never show your face again
Go on, be a better man
Far far away
Far far away
Far far away
C.S.E. Cooney 