Into That Good Night

Another song is now in the sidebar. Your first Dan Lewis original with lyrics. It is called "Into That Good Night", perhaps. It was all made up today, although the idea has been kicking around for a while. You missed all the fun, like my recording software crashing, and a change of key from C to D.

It is a kind of inversion of Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas. You have probably already read this, but here are the words:

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

My first thought about this was going to be to just sing the lyrics, slightly rearranged and edited. It even has verses and a chorus:

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,

And you, my lover, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

I had an appropriately mournful tune available.

But at some point, I got a kind of bouncy tune stuck in my head, so I had to turn the lyrics inside out. Here is the new version, which you can hear:

Quiet the lightning, break the curse
Let the storm within disperse

Let meteors fall through other skies
The light is dying in your eyes

And I will go
I will go
Gentle into that good night

Like a madman calmed by familiar hands
The rage will wash away with the sands

For one brief word, I would wait for you still
Send me away, whatever you will

And I will go
I will go
Gentle into that good night

I sing to you, here at our end
Blows the breeze, fades the wind

Dry your tears, leave that sad height
I will bless you into the night

And you will go
You will go
Gentle into that good
And you will go
You will go
Gentle into that good night

Is this a sad song or a happy song? It makes me feel serene, but also a bit like pinin for the fjords. I think the best goodbyes are a mixture of both.

I might go back later on this one for more instruments and voices. It could also probably use some editing. For now, I hope you can enjoy it as it is.