Love Songs for Dorothy

Song Cycle by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947) 

An appreciation of Dorothy Parker (1893-1967)

1. Romance Novel
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Dark days are come,
And the nights are long,
As he turned numb
To a love that turned wrong.

Text Authorship:

  • by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

IMPORTANT NOTE: The material directly above is protected by copyright and appears here by special permission. If you wish to copy it and distribute it, you must obtain permission or you will be breaking the law. Once you have permission, you must give credit to the author and display the copyright symbol ©. Copyright infringement is a criminal offense under international law.

2. Cigarette Smoke
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
My first love was a hero
In shining armor then;
My second was a zero,
On a scale from one to ten;
My third went up in smoke,
My fourth was a joke.
I've lost count of the amount now.
Okeydoke?

Text Authorship:

  • by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), written 2008, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

IMPORTANT NOTE: The material directly above is protected by copyright and appears here by special permission. If you wish to copy it and distribute it, you must obtain permission or you will be breaking the law. Once you have permission, you must give credit to the author and display the copyright symbol ©. Copyright infringement is a criminal offense under international law.

3. What about it?
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Woman wants one steady beau;
Man hunts many -- tally-ho!
Love is woman's total sum,
Man beats on a different drum.
Woman's love is deep and broad,
Man suspects love will be fraud.
What can one make from all of this?
Like hell it is? Or is it bliss?

Text Authorship:

  • by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

IMPORTANT NOTE: The material directly above is protected by copyright and appears here by special permission. If you wish to copy it and distribute it, you must obtain permission or you will be breaking the law. Once you have permission, you must give credit to the author and display the copyright symbol ©. Copyright infringement is a criminal offense under international law.

4. Jumbled
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Love is up and then it's down,
then it's right, and then it's wrong.
Is there somewhere sage advice
To put aright this jumbled song?
All loves' labors writers tell,
All love stories authors penned,
Say it's heaven and it's hell.
How then does the story end?

Text Authorship:

  • by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

IMPORTANT NOTE: The material directly above is protected by copyright and appears here by special permission. If you wish to copy it and distribute it, you must obtain permission or you will be breaking the law. Once you have permission, you must give credit to the author and display the copyright symbol ©. Copyright infringement is a criminal offense under international law.

5. A Litany of Symptoms
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
I do not like the way I feel,
I'll crack up, blow a fuse and squeal.
I find myself an awful mess,
An awful truth it is, I guess.
I dread the dawn, and dread the night;
I hate I don't . . I hate I might . . .
I cannot find my inner peace,
My inner passions will not cease.
I need to break this devilish spell.
I need not feel quite this unwell.
I do not ail, I am not ill.
I have no reason to be shrill.
I am afflicted, in much distress,
And much, much more, I do confess!
I rant and rave and rage and roar.
I'd like to settle every score.
And when I think of love at all...
In love, its seems, I'm sure to fall.
And when I think of love at all...
In love, its seems, I'm soon to fall!

Text Authorship:

  • by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "A Litany of Symptoms", written 2008, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

IMPORTANT NOTE: The material directly above is protected by copyright and appears here by special permission. If you wish to copy it and distribute it, you must obtain permission or you will be breaking the law. Once you have permission, you must give credit to the author and display the copyright symbol ©. Copyright infringement is a criminal offense under international law.

Total word count: 305