[filk] Strips of Old, [filk] Strips of Old

[Aisling]

Strips of Old
A filk of Fields of Gold
Profuse and utter apologies to Sting
By Aisling

~A dull crescent moon hung low in the sky, the hour was still rather early. The streets though were fairly empty; just a few stray cats who scampered back into their alleyways and the occasional set of lovebirds that walked with quick steps, hurrying to their homes. They knew what the day was and respected the great meaning it held for some.

All knew to gather at the bar, and despite the gloomy dark that penetrated the air as soon as one entered, it felt right. The crowd was oddly quiet, just the soft clinking of glass echoed in the room as all eyes were turned to the stage. The burgundy curtains swooshed open to reveal a women, dressed completely in black, wearing dress akin to that for mourning. Behind her were almost vaporous forms of a cast of characters all in the room knew by heart. A stab of sadness struck each heart at the scene before them; goodness how they all had changed in only a few short years...

With a soft cough to clear her throat, the woman began speaking and although her voice was incredibly soft, it carried to the ear of all gathered.

"Welcome friends, it has been long since we have meet. And despite the grim occasion, I am glad to see you all." She offered the crowd a melancholy smile before continuing.

"You all know why you are here. Today is the anniversary of end, the end of something we loved with all our hearts."

The crowd nodded solemnly.

"Without further ado, I present the ghosts of MegaTokyo. They have prepared something very special this year for us, and truly hope you all enjoy it."

The woman then quietly walked off stage, while the ghosts of the entire MT cast stepped forward, everyone from Miho to Megumi was there. A guitar began in the background, and the music slowly formed, their voices singing in errie unison.

"You'll remember us when the site has died
Within your memories
Won't forget Mr. Fred and his lengthy rants
As you read the strips of old
There was also Dom and Miss Seraphim
They had some rant space to share
In this crazy world we had found a place
Among the strips of old"

Then, Piro and Kimiko stepped forward. A small smile was on his lips as he took her hands, singing just to her as the others looked on.

"Will you stay with me, will you be my love
Now that the strips have ended?
We'll forget Mr. Fred and his mapped out plans
As we live in strips of old
I shall be your love til the end of time
Never leave my side dear one
We don't have to change, we can stay this way
Among the strips of old

I used to make promises lightly
And there have been some that I've broken
But I swear my dear Kimiko
We'll live in strips of old
We'll live in strips of old"

Kimiko smiled ever so softly in return to Piro as they took a few steps back, joining the rest of their friends, singing together in the next verse.

"Many years have passed since those cherished days
Within the pages of MT
See the cast live once more in each page
Among the strips of old
You'll remember us when the site has died
After the mourning's over
You can tell Mr. Fred that you loved us then
When we lived in strips of old
When we lived in strips of old
When we lived in strips of old"

Slowly the music faded out and each one of the characters took a bow as the crowd, one by one, stood and clapped for them. The clapping continued long after the curtain closed, long after the ghosts had left, and long after the moon had set.

---

Fields of Gold
Sting

You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we walk in fields of gold
So she took her love for to gaze awhile
Upon the fields of barley
In his arms she fell as her hair came down
Among the fields of gold

Will you stay with me, will you be my love
Among the fields of barley?
We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we lie in fields of gold
See the west wind move like a lover so
Upon the fields of barley
Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth
Among the fields of gold

I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that I've broken
But I swear in the days still left
We'll walk in fields of gold
We'll walk in fields of gold

Many years have passed since those summer days
Among the fields of barley
See the children run as the sun goes down
Among the fields of gold
You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky
When we walked in fields of gold
When we walked in fields of gold
When we walked in fields of gold

---

First, I need to say, this filk is for Seyo, since it was his John Lennon filk that inspired this one. His filk got me thinking about what would the characters of MT have to say to us and even themselves after Fred finishes the comic. While it might not be a truly happy thought, it is one that we should face in some way or another. Megatokyo will end someday, that is a fact. But, that doesn't mean its memory won't live on and as I was going through CDs this afternoon, one of my favorite Sting songs insisted on being filked, and what you see is the end result.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this. Thank you for your time in reading this and thank you all for offering so much inspiration, for without you, the members of SD, I would never have posted, I would never have made analyses, never filked. Thank you.

Edit: A hearty thanks to Phy for providing me with these mp3's, and if you need to hear the song, just click right here.

[Integral]

W00t w00t w00t! Awesome, Aisling! Though I must admit that it's a little depressing to see another filk about the End of Megatokyo ^^;;. Still, it's inevitable. As long as it's not soon!

[ph00tbag]

Very nice. I can't say I've heard the song, but I liked the message. It makes me wonder what I'll do when it's all over.

Now look what you've done. You've made me depressed.

Well, you kinda said it was depressing anyway, didn't you?

[Opt498]

A picture is worth a thousand words.

[Sabyr]

WAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

WWAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

*sniff* How could you make us think about .... THAT!!!

Not fair writing such sad stuff so well.

Sabyr
... under a blue sky ...

[codepoetica]

You know what I think already, but I'll say it here again.

This is depressing. Utterly gut-wrenching. It's a complement to the filk and her author that it does so.

Now, if you'll excuse me I need more tissues. And a bear to hold.

[AncestralHamster]

*Applause*

And since the subject matter is depressing some people, a silly take on the situation.

[seyosama]

Aisling.... *sniff*

It was worth waiting till the morning. You are teh angstangst filk-ka!

[smurd]

Ah, I love this. (Love the song, too, one of Stig's best.)

[LordVetinari]

*sniff sniff* Ais, that's the saddest filk I ever read *sob* Touched me straight in the heart. The title in itself is a masterpiece. Nearly made me an instant addict to sadness and angst.

It owes much to that small intro you wrote, too. Congratulations, really.

[Marak]

That filk was very appropriate
Among the fields of barley
Even if it was a wee bit depressing
Among the fields of gold

[Brent Dax]

If I said it made me cry, I'd be lying--but that's a reflection of me, not you. This was very, very good, in a depressing sort of way--I think it may have the strongest mood of any filk I've ever read on SD, and I didn't even know the song.

Now, shoo! Go and write something happy this time! :^)

[Arram]

Ais... That was just... Too spectacular for words. The imagery combined with the lyrics... Just so passionate and compelling and...well...I'm at a loss for words. It was just so good. I especially liked the mood that you set before the actual filk. When the whole thing was over, I felt all mushy inside and actually had to try not to cry... ^^;; I'm thinking that you're going to have to do more, because all the filks you've done so far are just great beyond all reason and comprehension. I need more!

Oh, and there's another version of this song that goes very well with this song. It can be found here. Everyone needs to listen to it. Now. ^.^

Great job Aisling!!! *Claps profusely.*

[El Retard]

You're killing me, Ais! My little heart can't stand that kind of punishment... you're going to make me... *breaks down*

That was beautiful.

[Disco Pete]

*sniff* *sniff* That was a fine *sniff* filk. I promised myself I wouldn't cry... And I... I... *sob* WAAAAAAAA!!! I DON'T WANT MT TO END! *sniffle*

Seriously, a Good Filk. Brought a tear or two to my eye, and it helped that this is a song I'm familiar with. I'd give you a U ROCK, but that's not my department.

[SrPositivo]

*clutching a hanky in one hand and his stuffed dog in the other*
You... are too good at this. I am awed, and I loved it, but if you'll excuse me, I need to go and sit in a brightly lit room and listen to VERY cheerful music now. All it would take to get me to bawl is listening to Puff the Magic Dragon... (Aisling will understand, even if the rest of y'all don't.)

* Belatedly Added for the Hamster *
Okay, that comedic ending to MegaTokyo had me crying from laughing. Couldn't even talk to Ais on the phone, so I'm sure she thinks I've lost it, since I was just making choking/gasping sounds that were intended to be laughter... Anyway, good job, both of yas!

[Caduceuskun]

Teh *bump*!

For an absolutely marvelous filk!

[wolven86]

Incredible truly marvelous, wonderful

I love the song, it is one of my all time favourites, and your words just struck a chord within me.

As opt said YOU ROCK!!!!

[H3llbl4d3]

Gah...now you've got me depressed. Oh well, it seems my defenses need strengthening once again.

Great job on this filk Aisling. I look forward to more filks from you in the future.

[Space Chicken]

This is beautiful. It makes me think about the last strip of "Peanuts", published a day after its author's death...WAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!! Come back Snoopy! Don't leave us Largo! Aaah!
Ahem...
It's interesting. I've seen this thing done to songs to make fun of the songs. Ex. Weird Al Yankovich. I've never seen anything like this. I guess I don't chill in the right forums.

Maybe I should do a snoopy filk. Maybe not.