Walking with Stephen Text & Music: Sibylle Machat, 2002 Notes: capo to fourth fret Sibylle says: This is based on the third chapter of James Joyce's Ulysses, in which one of the main characters of the novel, Stephen Dedalus, walks along the beach at Sandymount Bay and muses about the nature of life and death and - stuff. To understand the song I am afraid you will require a VERY good working knowledge of both the novel and the third chapter in particular. The verses are heavily quote based, reflecting thoughts that Stephen has. Think of the "Walking with" as "being in the brain of...". ____ ____ ___ ___ __ __ __ _ _ _ __ __ __ ___ ___ ____ ____ (dm) walking with (am) Stephen with (em) Stephen with (am) Stephen (am) walking with (em) Stephen down (am) Sandymount (G) bay. (dm) Ineluctable (am) modality (em) of the (am) visible (dm) though (em) through (am) his eyes. (dm) Signature of (am) all things that (em) he is there to (am) read both in (dm) seaspawn and (em) sea(am)wrack. In (dm) Snotgreen and (am) silverblue, in (em) silverblue and (am) rust, (dm) Lie the limits of the (em) dia(am)phane. For (dm) bald he was and a (am) millionaire, the (em) maestro di color che (am) sano (dm) Diaphane, a(em)dia(am)phane. Wont you come to Sandymount (dm am em am) Madeleine the mare (dm em am) (dm) It's an acatalectic (am) tetrameter (em) of jambs (am) marching in (dm) No, they are (em) agallop: deline (am) the mare. (dm) And if he can get his (am) fingers through it (em) is a gate, he (am) thinks, (dm) If not (em) it is a (am) door. (dm) A very short (am) space of time through (em) very short (am) times of space - (dm) this he calls the (em) nachei(am)nander. (dm) But his feet are cast (am) in given boots there (em) at the ends of his (am) legs - (dm) Them he thinks (em) of as nebenei(am)nander. (dm) walking with (am) Stephen with (em) Stephen with (am) Stephen (am) walking with (em) Stephen down (am) Sandymount (G) bay. (dm) He can see white(am)maned seahorses, (em) champing, bright wind(am)bridled, They are the (dm) steeds of (em) Manan(am)aan (dm) And Hello? Hello? Its (am) Stephen here, please (em) put me on to (am) Edenville At (dm) aleph alpha (em) nought nought (am) one. (dm) In the upswelling (am) tide he sees the (em) weeds lifting (am) languid arms (dm) Day by day and (em) night by (am) night. (dm) Finally he (am) turns to go, (em) setting off to (am) evening lands (dm) Night will (em) find itself in (am) him. (dm) walking with (am) Stephen with (em) Stephen with (am) Stephen (am) walking with (em) Stephen down (am) Sandymount (G) bay.

 

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