FAWM: "Canto's Farewell"

Canto's Farewell

2025 by @hamiltonpoolhall

Liner Notes

#2x4 #amateurhour #themuse Here's my shot at the 2x4 challenge: my two melodic voices are my voice and my Hybrid Guitars 7-string in mono/baritone mode; my four percussion voices are kick, rack tom, floor tom and ride cymbal. Only, oops, I just realized, I used the crash cymbal too. Epic challenge fail!

The Muse tool gave me "Canto's Farewell," and I used the challenge as an excuse to do a little (very little) written counterpoint to work out the baritone part once I had the melody figured out as a keyboard part.

First complete takes for vocal, baritone and "drums," which I did play in on a real kit but did not really trouble to get the kick lined up with the baritone.

Music geek notes: the drums are a 1960s Ludwig kit with heads that need replacing; I stuck one 414 mic in the general vicinity of the kick, floor tom and ride cymbal but clearly got more ride than I needed. C'est la FAWM!

Lyrics

Canto’s farewell The fog is burning off for Canto’s farewell The boys are turning down the Lamps in the stairwells The fog is burning off for Canto’s farewell

Canto’s farewell The crows are churning up the Sky like a bombshell The boys are fanned out like a Spill from an oil well The crows are turning up for Canto’s farewell

Canto’s farewell The light’s returning to a Sky like an inkwell The boys are laid out like a Strand full of seashells The light’s returning now for Canto’s farewell

Comments

@nancycunning 2025

How does that cymbal sound so ominous? ThereMs this thoughtful space you give the lyrics that makes them feel important. Like a little lost section of James Joyce’s Ulysses reflecting on the schoolboys.

@whispermouse 2025

Nice, I think this is the only 2x4 with lyrics so far! I'm loving the rhymes and imagery, especially in that second verse!

@spinhead 2025

yeah, like @richaaaay says, the 'spreading oil' visual is marvelous. The whole thing is a lyrical treasure chest.

@fearlessflight2014 2025

I love that counterpoint line against the vocal. The understated delivery of beautiful poetry over the moody, atmospheric textures has echoes of Suzanne Vega. I can’t believe this was all from a muse tool prompt.

@wobbiewobbit 2025

wow such interesting imagery throughout. love all the things the boys are doing... it sets such a scene full of rich ideas. really like it!!

@richaaaay 2025

I love how you dive full in to FAWM and search out challenges and prompts. That in itself is inspiring. I wouldn't know where to begin with the prompt Canto's Farewell. Really like this line: "The boys are fanned out like a Spill from an oil well".

@bethdesombre 2025

Love the rhymes for Canto's farewell (also the fact that you took that on as a title). And your extra lyric flourishes with the mirroring of the first two/last two lines. This is really trippy.