Happy Birthday to The Viking!

Science Chic wrote: Did you know there's a Viking Birthday Song? It's called the Birthday Dirge!
[youtube:1j9ssz4l]

[/youtube:1j9ssz4l]
http://www.punkwalrus.com/cybertusk/vik ... dirge.html

History of the Birthday Dirge

"The (Viking/Barbarian/Mongol/SCA/Fandom) Birthday Dirge" is sung to the first refrain of "The Volga Boatmen," composed by Ilya Yefimovich Repin (1844-1930), Russian painter and composer, born in Chuguyev, considered the outstanding realist of his generation. Yes, he was depressing, even more so than your typical Scandinavian black and white art film. Even if you don't know the tune by name (likely), you surely know it by sound. It's the depressing sounding Russian folk tune that nearly everyone has heard at one time or another. The resounding thud that follows each "Happy Birthday!" is traditionally accompanied by either a "HUHN"-like grunt, or a thump on the table or floor. The sort of groaning grunt that workers lifting heavy loads, marching into a bleak battle, or rowing huge oars might find natural.

The origins are shrouded in mystery. This tune, like "The Ride of the Valkeries and "O Fortuna," was apparently one of the many public domain "stock" musical scores overused to the point of comedy. In either case, it has been popular in some circles because it's:

Not copyrighted, thus no royalty fees (where as the popular "Happy Birthday to You," is copyrighted)
Humorously not standard
Yet takes on the popular ribbing of how aging is a depressing theme

Lyrics

The Dirge is know know in various circles as "The Barbarian Birthday Song", "The Viking Birthday Song", "The SCA Birthday Dirge", and so on. This is a compilation if lyris found about the Internet and my own memory. Most of the time, the song is much shorter, with themes that more match the person being sung to or about. A MIDI file is presented here, for those of you who want to sing along.
THE BIRTHDAY DIRGE

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Doom and gloom and dark despair
People dying everywhere!
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
May the candles on your cake
Burn like cities in your wake.
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Your servants steal, your wife's untrue
Your children plot to murder you
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Burn the castle and storm the keep
Kill the women, but save the sheep
For your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Birthdays come but once a year
Marking time as Death draws near
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Now you've aged another year
Now you know that Death is near
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Now that you're the age you are
Your demise cannot be far
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Black Death has just struck your town
You yourself feel quite run-down
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Burn, then rape by firelight
Add _romance_ to life tonight
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Indigestion's what you get
From the enemies you 'et
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
We love children, yes we do
Baked or broiled or in a stew
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
May your deeds with sword and axe
Equal those with sheep and yaks
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
This one lesson you must learn
First you pillage, then you burn
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
While you eat your birthday stew
We will loot the town for you,
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
We brought linen, white as cloud
The women sit and sew your shroud
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Just be glad the friends you've got
Haven't found out you-know-what
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
I'm a leper, can't you see
Have a birthday kiss from me
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
It's your birthday never fear
You'll be dead this time next year
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
So far Death you have bypassed
Don't look back, he's gaining fast
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
You must marry very soon
Baby's due by next full moon
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
When you've reached this age you know
That the mind is first to go
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
It's your Birthday (thud!) Happy Birthday (thud!)
You are very, very old
Soon you will be dead and cold
It's your Birthday (thud!) Happy Birthday (thud!)

But that's not much fun, so here's something better for you! Happy Birthday!

[youtube:1j9ssz4l]

[/youtube:1j9ssz4l]

Your Horoscope:
Goats are: Elegant, Creative, Intelligent, Well-mannered, Sweet-natured, Tasteful, Inventive, Homespun, Preserving, Lovable, Delicate (?), Artisitic, Amorous, Malleable, Altruistic, and Peace-Loving

But, they can also be: Pessimistic, Fussbudgets, Dissatisfied, Capricious, Intrusive, Undisciplined, Dependent, Irresponsible, Unpunctual (oh yeah!), and Insecure

Does anyone else think this pegs him?
GOAT: Except for the knack of always getting off on the wrong foot with people, the Goat can be charming company.

Goat/Cancer:

Charity work will attract him. The subject would make a loving parent, an affectionate mate, and a perfectly charming dinner companion. As for his talents at leadership, they could be ample. Providing he does not allow doom and gloom to overcome him in the face of minor failure, the Cancer Goat should be a whiz at sticking to whatever he undertakes. The one inner hitch with this personality will be that both Cancer and Goats are easily bogged down by emotional hurts. A buoyant partner is indicated here to keep the atmosphere light and gay. Without this outside influence of enforced cheer, the subject may sink inside himself and spend valuable time licking wounds inflicted by those more unfeeling than himself.

Prescription for the Future

You Goats, above all, enjoy the comforts you are able to reap from the strength of those around you. Your strength is your whimsy. You appeal is your ability to love with a capital L. Your mission then ought to be simple: Find a way to protect yourself from open conflict. Do not engage in struggles that smell of deceit or call upon you to exercise guile. Craftier ones than yourselves are out there in the big, bad world, just longing for you to set a paw on their pasture. Danger does not agree with your sensitive nature.

Experiment with communication in anxious times. It's easier than you think to approach the touchy side of life. As of now, begin to plan ahead. Make allowances for your eccentric nature by developing a rigorous, almost religious devotion to foresight. Look ahead.

Compatibilities: Cat, Pig, Horse, Monkey
Incompatibilities: Ox, Dog

Monsieur Goat

Far be it from me to wish make scapegoats of these vexingly lovable members of the opposite sex...I confess before I begin that I have a soft spot in my head when it comes to Goat men. The best part of any Goat experience is the hors d'oeuvre. Dalliances with Goat men are always a treat. The seduction consist of showering you with presents and unnecessary frippery for which you have no apparent need. The veritable debauch of generosity, when applied to the middle of the meal, manages to get somehow turned around backward. What once was a means of striving to make you love him more becomes a method of calming your ire when there is trouble afoot. Unless you are the type of lady who can manage to pay off the milkman with smiles instead of regular checks, don't get in too deep. Goat men never tend to get around to taking care of dull essentials. My advice to the women who can't live without a Goat man is this: Take a cold shower, two valium, swallow a bottle of Chambolle-Musigny 1971, and lie down for an hour to think it over. Goat men make ever so much better lovers than husbands.

But, there are compensations in being involved with a Goat man. He will never nag you. He is usually a calm type, not easily angered nor aroused. But don't push him. Never ask a Goat man what he is thinking. Never press for information about his inner self. He won't tell you. You can boss him all you want - he likes it. He'll find excuses, but basically he does not mind if you wear the pants. And most of all, do not expect a Goat man to change. He will agree that he is difficult and hard to get through to and inscrutable most of the time. Please don't think that he's often getting your "goat". He means well.

Happy birthday to one of my favorite people! The relationship/personal insights are provided free of charge - use them wisely! :thumbsup:

pineinthegrass wrote:

Science Chic wrote: Did you know there's a Viking Birthday Song? It's called the Birthday Dirge!
[youtube:fnvmjl1q]

[/youtube:fnvmjl1q]
http://www.punkwalrus.com/cybertusk/vik ... dirge.html

History of the Birthday Dirge

"The (Viking/Barbarian/Mongol/SCA/Fandom) Birthday Dirge" is sung to the first refrain of "The Volga Boatmen," composed by Ilya Yefimovich Repin (1844-1930), Russian painter and composer, born in Chuguyev, considered the outstanding realist of his generation. Yes, he was depressing, even more so than your typical Scandinavian black and white art film. Even if you don't know the tune by name (likely), you surely know it by sound. It's the depressing sounding Russian folk tune that nearly everyone has heard at one time or another. The resounding thud that follows each "Happy Birthday!" is traditionally accompanied by either a "HUHN"-like grunt, or a thump on the table or floor. The sort of groaning grunt that workers lifting heavy loads, marching into a bleak battle, or rowing huge oars might find natural.

The origins are shrouded in mystery. This tune, like "The Ride of the Valkeries and "O Fortuna," was apparently one of the many public domain "stock" musical scores overused to the point of comedy. In either case, it has been popular in some circles because it's:

Not copyrighted, thus no royalty fees (where as the popular "Happy Birthday to You," is copyrighted)
Humorously not standard
Yet takes on the popular ribbing of how aging is a depressing theme

Lyrics

The Dirge is know know in various circles as "The Barbarian Birthday Song", "The Viking Birthday Song", "The SCA Birthday Dirge", and so on. This is a compilation if lyris found about the Internet and my own memory. Most of the time, the song is much shorter, with themes that more match the person being sung to or about. A MIDI file is presented here, for those of you who want to sing along.
THE BIRTHDAY DIRGE

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Doom and gloom and dark despair
People dying everywhere!
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
May the candles on your cake
Burn like cities in your wake.
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Your servants steal, your wife's untrue
Your children plot to murder you
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Burn the castle and storm the keep
Kill the women, but save the sheep
For your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Birthdays come but once a year
Marking time as Death draws near
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Now you've aged another year
Now you know that Death is near
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Now that you're the age you are
Your demise cannot be far
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Black Death has just struck your town
You yourself feel quite run-down
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Burn, then rape by firelight
Add _romance_ to life tonight
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Indigestion's what you get
From the enemies you 'et
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
We love children, yes we do
Baked or broiled or in a stew
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
May your deeds with sword and axe
Equal those with sheep and yaks
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
This one lesson you must learn
First you pillage, then you burn
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
While you eat your birthday stew
We will loot the town for you,
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
We brought linen, white as cloud
The women sit and sew your shroud
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
Just be glad the friends you've got
Haven't found out you-know-what
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
I'm a leper, can't you see
Have a birthday kiss from me
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
It's your birthday never fear
You'll be dead this time next year
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
So far Death you have bypassed
Don't look back, he's gaining fast
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
You must marry very soon
Baby's due by next full moon
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)

It's your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
When you've reached this age you know
That the mind is first to go
On your Birthday! (thud!) Happy Birthday! (thud!)
It's your Birthday (thud!) Happy Birthday (thud!)
You are very, very old
Soon you will be dead and cold
It's your Birthday (thud!) Happy Birthday (thud!)

But that's not much fun, so here's something better for you! Happy Birthday!

[youtube:fnvmjl1q]

[/youtube:fnvmjl1q]

Your Horoscope:
Goats are: Elegant, Creative, Intelligent, Well-mannered, Sweet-natured, Tasteful, Inventive, Homespun, Preserving, Lovable, Delicate (?), Artisitic, Amorous, Malleable, Altruistic, and Peace-Loving

But, they can also be: Pessimistic, Fussbudgets, Dissatisfied, Capricious, Intrusive, Undisciplined, Dependent, Irresponsible, Unpunctual (oh yeah!), and Insecure

Does anyone else think this pegs him?
GOAT: Except for the knack of always getting off on the wrong foot with people, the Goat can be charming company.

Goat/Cancer:

Charity work will attract him. The subject would make a loving parent, an affectionate mate, and a perfectly charming dinner companion. As for his talents at leadership, they could be ample. Providing he does not allow doom and gloom to overcome him in the face of minor failure, the Cancer Goat should be a whiz at sticking to whatever he undertakes. The one inner hitch with this personality will be that both Cancer and Goats are easily bogged down by emotional hurts. A buoyant partner is indicated here to keep the atmosphere light and gay. Without this outside influence of enforced cheer, the subject may sink inside himself and spend valuable time licking wounds inflicted by those more unfeeling than himself.

Prescription for the Future

You Goats, above all, enjoy the comforts you are able to reap from the strength of those around you. Your strength is your whimsy. You appeal is your ability to love with a capital L. Your mission then ought to be simple: Find a way to protect yourself from open conflict. Do not engage in struggles that smell of deceit or call upon you to exercise guile. Craftier ones than yourselves are out there in the big, bad world, just longing for you to set a paw on their pasture. Danger does not agree with your sensitive nature.

Experiment with communication in anxious times. It's easier than you think to approach the touchy side of life. As of now, begin to plan ahead. Make allowances for your eccentric nature by developing a rigorous, almost religious devotion to foresight. Look ahead.

Compatibilities: Cat, Pig, Horse, Monkey
Incompatibilities: Ox, Dog

Monsieur Goat

Far be it from me to wish make scapegoats of these vexingly lovable members of the opposite sex...I confess before I begin that I have a soft spot in my head when it comes to Goat men. The best part of any Goat experience is the hors d'oeuvre. Dalliances with Goat men are always a treat. The seduction consist of showering you with presents and unnecessary frippery for which you have no apparent need. The veritable debauch of generosity, when applied to the middle of the meal, manages to get somehow turned around backward. What once was a means of striving to make you love him more becomes a method of calming your ire when there is trouble afoot. Unless you are the type of lady who can manage to pay off the milkman with smiles instead of regular checks, don't get in too deep. Goat men never tend to get around to taking care of dull essentials. My advice to the women who can't live without a Goat man is this: Take a cold shower, two valium, swallow a bottle of Chambolle-Musigny 1971, and lie down for an hour to think it over. Goat men make ever so much better lovers than husbands.

But, there are compensations in being involved with a Goat man. He will never nag you. He is usually a calm type, not easily angered nor aroused. But don't push him. Never ask a Goat man what he is thinking. Never press for information about his inner self. He won't tell you. You can boss him all you want - he likes it. He'll find excuses, but basically he does not mind if you wear the pants. And most of all, do not expect a Goat man to change. He will agree that he is difficult and hard to get through to and inscrutable most of the time. Please don't think that he's often getting your "goat". He means well.

Happy birthday to one of my favorite people! The relationship/personal insights are provided free of charge - use them wisely! :thumbsup:

Viking doesn't read long posts like this. Well, maybe he did read this one. lol

Happy birthday!