Ted Lasso S4 E3

Spoilers

“Richmond’s Got Talent”

The injury bug strikes the strikers for Ted Lasso’s new Richmond Women’s team. Well, one is an injury and one is a pregnancy, so I shouldn’t qualify it as an injury. But the strikers are out, so this leads to an open tryout.

The open tryout did not bring the football version of Susan Boyle. There is an option though and it was one that Coach Alice mentioned. She once coached a striker that was one of the best she’d seen, but who had quit to go to law school. Her name was Gemma and she had had enough of Alice’s demeanor toward her back then and did not want to hear anything from her now.

Gemma couldn’t deny the Lasso charm though, and it seemed as if Ted had reignited the passion for the sport inside her, and she came to join the team. Of course, she came on the day of the historic first game. She also wound up scoring a late goal after being inserted into the game near the end.

This was not only Gemma’s story though as Keeley was having a hard time getting the kit delivered for the first game, a young mother Lizzie was one who stood out at the open tryouts and was able to make the team, and Rebecca kept standing up her boyfriend at a restaurant.

I do like the new cast of the football team that we are starting to get. There are some intriguing characters that are more than just the one note that it appeared they were previously.

It was nice to see the much more presentable Coach Beard this week, no longer looking like a caveman in a Richmond outift.

This has been a decent season so far, even if I do not think it has matched the original three seasons in overall quality as of yet.

Rick and Morty S9 E10

Spoilers

“Field of Dreams”

I am now caught up on the Rick and Morty series, finishing up with the episode 10 that debuted on HBO Max today, but had been shown on Comedy Central earlier in the summer.

The new episode started off as an enjoyable story of Morty going through the multiverse and attending other Morty’s funeral. Morty is discovered as he was watching the funeral by a family that was grieving “Mort,” the kid who was so much more successful and loved by his family.

Morty started spending time with this family, thinking that they were better than the family he had. Morty found out that this Smith family was extremely crazed and chasing after him to replace their Mort.

Morty went to this universe’s Rick, who had stopped drinking, had gotten married, and was living a happy life as a college professor. This was when the episode took a darker turn that I was not a real fan of.

As Rick was trying to help find a way to get Morty home, I knew what was going to happen. I knew that Rick was going to need to go back to drinking to get the work done. Watching Rick throw away his life, his sobriety, his wife to the bottle was so sad and too predictable. I wanted this Rick to not transform into yet another drunken Rick.

Of course the ending was anything but predictable as the whole family is butchered in their final confrontation. This allowed Morty to get back to his regular universe with a happier feeling toward these people.

The whole motorcycle scene at the end of the episode was odd.

Overall, this was an up and down episode for me, and with different shades of dark, it did not do well for me.

There is a season 10 in works right now with a rumored release during the summer of 2027.

Rick and Morty S9 E1-E8

Spoilers

I started the ninth season of Rick and Morty on HBO Max today and watched the first eight episodes. I discovered that the Rick and Morty show was shown originally on Adult Swim earlier this summer and then it debuted on HBO Max, releasing every episode weekly. I was confused at first as I saw episode 9 and 10 listed on Wikipedia as having been released already, but it was not available yet on HBO Max. I see that the last two episodes will be released over the next two Mondays, so we will finish as we go.

The last few seasons of Rick and Morty have been lesser than I was used to. They weren’t bad, but there were more episodes that I did not love as much as some of the earlier seasons.

However, I thought that the season nine episodes were just awesome.

The first episode kicked off with the return of Evil Morty, and Morty discovered that Rick was running adventures with Evil Morty. Rick was able to trick Evil Morty into destroying the Omega blueprints in all universes. It set off a war between them and Evil Morty gets arrested by the time police after he tried to time travel.

In “Ricks Days, Seven Nights” Rick went on vacation in a dimension and he wiped his own memory. He does it every year and goes to a planet under the name Ted. Ted decides to stay, and he has to fight against himself trying to get Ted to remember. This was so clever and creative… I loved it.

“Rick Fu Hustle” is next up and while Rick and Morty are trying to keep themselves from having their hearts exploded from a Kung Fu master’s special punch, Jerry is having sex with his robot pool cleaner. Not kidding.

The season seems to have a running storyline where Rick is trying to stop drinking after he has had several bad events, including locking himself out of the lab in the garage. He also lost his always filled flask of vodka from a world of pigs. There was another incident where Rick’s head is decapitated from his body, and the two parts of Rick get into a war with the other. While Rick’s head was separated, he saw how good he felt without the alcohol. Morty had the head and Summer had the body and they tried to reunite.

My least favorite of this season was “MortGully: The Last Rickforest” which saw Rick and Morty on a planet trying to find some special sap from a tree. The tree was alive and called the Warden, who sentenced Rick and Morty to be single celled organisms. The episode was the two of them trying to evolve enough to escape the Warden’s trap. It was funny, but it really went a long way for the joke, which was replayed multiple times.

There was also a wild story with Jerry consuming a bunch of space worms which made him more confident, but caused him to eventually vomit up a massive amount of worms.

I have liked this season more than the previous couple, but there does not seem to be much of a thorough line for the overall story arc. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but I would like a little more connection.

Two more episodes to go.

Daily Read- Starhenge Book One: The Dragon and the Boar #6

Spoilers

Written, illustrated and cover art by Liam Sharp.

The final issue of the first book of Liam Sharp’s mini-series, Starhenge brings us the fate of Arthur, what happened to Merlin, and where Taliesin, Amber Weaver, and Daryl wind up.

As Book One ended with a distinct cliffhanger, I am happy that I am ready to move into Book Two, number one of which I have already purchased from Image Comics. A Kiss for Atticus is the subtitle for the four issue limited series. I had picked up the first issue before knowing anything about the series and I am very pleased that I did so, because otherwise, I would not have gone back to read Book One.

Once again, the book played with the format of comics, as we get another heavily narrative story of King Arthur and how he was killed by Gwynn. Merlin fleeing into the woods, transforming into an Elk as he lost him mind.

The discovery at the end of the book that Merlin was still alive and how he was discovered by Amber and Daryl… and having Merlin call Amber “Grandma” was a shock.

I loved the section of Amber’s narration where she was describing how her “…comic would piss people off.” It was such a meta moment and then she took it even further with the lines, “It would be a convoluted mess of info dumps, footnotes, and sidebars, drawn in random artsy styles, and designed to confuse even the most ardent Morrison fan” is an amazing understanding of the comic that Sharp was creating. Amber’s narration has been an absolute highlight of this book for me.

There is a lot of set up through the Book One, but it never felt like it was only world building. It felt as if the characterization was there and this creates a mood that will only expand as the next Book is released. I feel better knowing that there is a Book Two starting. Had I read this back in the released date of the original series, I am sure I would wonder if I was ever going to get more.

More there is…

Excellent work from Liam Sharp and I look forward to jumping back into this world ASAP.

Daily Read- Starhenge Book One: The Dragon and the Boar #4

Spoilers

Written, illustrated and cover art by Liam Sharp.

Book Four is quite the journey.

It starts off with Amber facing off with a death robot from the future and, suddenly, Daryl turned into something else as well.

One of the most creative ways this comic has been different than most is the manner in which it presents its material. In this case, the confrontation with Daryl and this death robot is shown in standard comic format, and in the narrative, Amber, who has been out narrator from the beginning, states that she had drawn this confrontation – in order to process her thoughts.

This section of the book was such a departure from the art style, reminding me of the style from issue two. However, this felt more weighty that that did. Part of that is the full page panels that this book was pulling out during this section of the narrative. It felt more important.

Then, it went back to cover more details of Merlin’s life, saying that this needed to be covered or you (meaning the reader) would be confused (she actually said that this would not make any f-ing sense).

The Merlin section in the 5th Century dealt with the Uther Pendragon legend and how Amber stated it actually went down, specifically what led to the birth of Arthur. This section was back to the painting style of the book and included a dense amount of narration. However, this narration is done in such a style that it was easy to follow and entertaining to read.

And it ended up back with Amber, laying naked, and meeting back up with Daryl and she ended the book with the statement that it was not 2022 anymore and asking the question, “Oh God, Daryl, what did I do?”

Can’t wait to find out.

Agents of Shield S7 E10, E11, E12, E13

Spoilers

“Stolen”

“Brand New Day”

“The End is at Hand”

“What We’re Fighting For”

The Agents of Shield completed their final mission together and I wrapped up the rewatch of the Marvel show this afternoon. Agents of Shield was my favorite TV show for quite a few years after LOST left the air and I was always mad that they were so disrespected among the MCU. Agents of Shield was a consistently entertaining and exciting hour of TV with some of the best characters you would find.

The whole timeline mess was handled very smoothly with the use of the Quantum Realm to travel between the timelines. Fitz’s return to the show in episode 12 was amazing and gave us that one thing that was missing in this season, which was otherwise near perfect.

The Daisy and Sousa relationship developed beautifully and made sense for both characters. Coulson’s LMD questions about himself led to his own path at the end. May becoming one with her own empathy, and then making that be the weapon that brings the conflict with the Chronicoms to a close, was a great arc for this character and she still gets to deliver the bad ass line, “The Calvary” in response to Sibyl’s question, “What comes next?” May crashing in through a glass ceiling was epic.

It was great that the finale was able to see all of the team working together to accomplish their plan.

I do love that the team ended up, supposedly, in the timeline of the 616 universe. They all could be brought back to the MCU if they wanted. Quake, Yo Yo, Coulson, May all could have roles in a new MCU.

It was also nice to see that the show did not just forget Piper and Flint. In fact, they placed them in an important moment in the finale.

The whole time travel element of this show was done extremely well, and Fitz explained it perfectly. The TVA’s absence was a thing (of course, the TVA does not get introduced until many years later), but one could imaging that time is at any point.

Bringing Kora to Daisy, as sisters, did not seem like it was going to work out, but, in the end, she was a nice addition to the team. Deke finally wound up with the respect that he deserved and, apparently, the new director of Shield in the timeline where he stayed to save the others.

I had forgotten about Fitz and Simmons little daughter and it was a fun surprise when we were introduced to the daughter, Alya.

The use of a young John Garrett was clever too, and the bullet to his head immediately after teleporting the team out of the Lighthouse was both funny and appropriate. James Paxton did an excellent job playing this unhinged version of John Garrett, who was originally played during season one & two by his father, Bill Paxton.

Watching Coulson fly away in Lola at the end of the final episode was both thrilling and perfectly designed as a conclusion.

This was such a fabulous series that does not get the appreciation that it deserved. The chemistry among the stars was one of the key components of the success and why this show worked. In seven seasons, the show went against Hydra, went to another planet, into the future, into the past, prevented an alien invasion, went into a fake world, met up with Asgardians, a Ghost Rider, and a bunch of Kree. Agents of Shield is one of my favorite shows of all time.

Agents of Shield S7 E4, E5, E6, E7

Spoilers

“Out of the Past”

“A Trout in the Milk”

“Adapt or Die”

“The Totally Excellent Adventures of Mack and The D”

This continues to be my favorite season so far, and the show has been taking some gigantic swings.

How about a whole black and white, noir episode? Coulson with the monologue over the scenes (which is an internal monologue), the cool mystery and the saving of Sousa, sort of.

Daniel Sousa was supposed to die in 1955 after he delivered an object to Howard Stark. Coulson said that he was a hero and that he was taught in SHIELD history. The team decided to save Sousa, fake his death (by using Coulson) and bring him with them in the Zephyr.

All in black and white.

Turned out, the black and white came from a malfunction of the Coulson LMD.

The next episode was into the 1970s and the show had a seventies style opening theme, with voice over introducing the cast.

It was clear that the writers had a freedom to come up with remarkable situations over the time stream and that they were having a hoot. There is drama, comedic moments and some great action.

Mack goes through a lot as his parents are killed and replaced by Chronicoms. He gets left behind with Deke in 1982. He spends a year mourning in isolation as Deke tries unsuccessfully to help him. Deke created a cover band…as a cover. The Deke Squad was his covert Shield group filled with weirdos and losers. Deke shows some real character development during these episodes and Jeff Ward is just remarkably funny. His dialogue is some of the series’ best.

Coulson destroyed his body in an explosion that killed the Chronicoms. Coulson wound up a Max Headroom-type character in 1983 with Deke.

Sousa and Daisy are growing closer as Daisy was getting tortured and experimented on by Nathanial Malick, who wanted Daisy’s powers transferred to him. He was able to do it, but he could not handle the new power.

It was awesome to have General Rick Stoner, played by Patrick Warburton, in his real body in the 1970s. Warburton played Stoner as a hologram when the Lighthouse closed up a few seasons ago. That hologram was based on a past Shield executive, and now we got to meet him.

Again though, Shield and the Chronicoms were playing havoc with the Sacred Timeline and I wonder what the TVA was doing.

Agents of Shield S6 E11, E12, E13

Spoilers

“From the Ashes”

“The Sign”

“New Life”

The shorter season six finished off with some awesome action and a bunch of subverting of expectations.

The main expectation that is subverted is something that they teased throughout the season. The fact that Sarge was created as part of Coulson made everyone think that he would turn out to be saved by the team and we would get Coulson back yet again.

However, he turned out to be the villain after all.

I talked about Deke’s hero moment in the last block of episodes, and he has one here as well. He does disappoint his grandparents (Fitz & Simmons) with some of his motives, or at least they way the way they saw it. I loved how Mack appreciated him, he thanked Agent Shaw, for the sort of rescue. Deke is a great character with a lot of contradiction within him. He is one to show silliness on the outside, only to hide the pain inside.

The end episode sets up season 7 big time, including the time travel aspect, the Hunters chasing them, and LMD Coulson. It was an intriguing choice to do it this way and not just use Sarge, which would have been an easy choice. I like how they kept the character of Sarge in the manner in which he was.

Thinking back, whatever happened to Flint? They created him with the Monoliths and then had Piper take him to get help for his broken leg, but we never see him again and they head back into the past right away. We also never see them rescue Benson from the pod that he was dropped in. I do not recall if these are threads that are picked up again in season seven or if these are just dangling threads never to be considered again.

I do think this was a strong season, but the final few episodes felt a little messy. There were still solid results from them and I love the set up for season 7.

Rick & Morty S1 E3, E4, E5

Spoilers

“Anatomy Park”

M. Night Shaym-Aliens!”

“Meeseeks and Destroy”

Rick & Morty continue along in their first season, showing how different it is than any other animated show. The humor is hilarious, even if it could tend towards sophomoric humor at times.

Rick sends Morty inside a body of an old man, dressed as Santa, to an amusement park he had constructed inside. This episode was a lot of fun, especially with the all-star cast of voice actors including John Oliver, Dana Carvey, Kari Wahlgren and Gary Anthony Williams.

This is a parody of both Jurassic Park and Fantastic Voyage.

Another example of Rick getting Morty into trouble comes in the next episode as he is inside a simulation as aliens are attempting to steal Rick’s recipe for the Concentrated Dark Matter. The girl with Morty tells him that he can put his fingers anywhere he wants as they makeout.

In the fifth episode, it is Morty’s turn to plan the adventure. This is an example of how the show pushes limits as Morty comes across a humanoid Jellybean in the restroom at a pub and the Jellybean attempts to rape Morty. Rick later murders Jellybean, who was revealed as the King of the village Rick and Morty were working for.

Meanwhile, Morty’s parents were using an invention of Rick’s called the Meeseeks Box. Meeseeks would po into existence and help you with a problems, only to then pop out of existence. However, taking two strokes off Jerry’s golf game. Finding it impossible, more Meeseeks are summoned until they go wild with their failure to improve the golf game, trying to murder Jerry.

Again, this is not your child’s animated show. The adult themes and jokes are all over the place, but they make Rick & Morty very funny to watch.

Daily Countdown: Weird Al Songs #1

#1

Yoda

Title: “Yoda”

Album: Dare to Be Stupid

Released: 1985

Originally Recorded: 1980

Written: Raymond Davies/Al Yankovic

Parody: “Lola” by the Kinks

Genre: Folky-rock

And so, we have reached #1 on the Top 100 Weird Al Songs, and it is Yoda. Yoda was played on the Doctor Demento Show for years prior to being released on Dare to Be Stupid because of the troubles Al had in securing the permission he always looked for from the label of the Kinks. According to Wikipedia, Al had a chance meeting with “Lola” writer, Ray Davies, and he asked him why he refused to approve the parody. Davies said that no one had asked him, which finally led to Yoda being released on Al’s third album.

I loved this song so much as a youngster. In my Speech class in high school, we were assigned to do a lip synch, and I chose to do Yoda. I received a perfect score from Mrs. Tilton (RIP).

Lyrics

I met him in a swamp down in Dagobah
Where it bubbles all the time like a giant carbonated soda
S O D A, soda

I saw the little runt sitting there on a log
I asked him his name and in a raspy voice he said “Yoda”
Y O D A, Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda

Well, I’ve been around, but I ain’t never seen
A guy who looks like a muppet, but he’s wrinkled and green
Oh, my Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda

Well, I’m not dumb, but I can’t understand
How he can lift me in the air just by raising his hand
Oh, my Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda

Well, I left home just a week before
And I’ve never ever been a Jedi before
But Obi Wan, he set me straight, of course
He said, “Go to Yoda and he’ll show you the Force”

Well I’m not the kind that would argue with Ben
So it looks like I’m gonna start all over again
With my Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda

So I used the Force
I picked up a box
I lifted some rocks
While I stood on my head
Well, I won’t forget what Yoda said

He said, “Luke, stay away from the darker side
And if you start to go astray, let the Force be your guide”
Oh, my Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda

“I know Darth Vader’s really got you annoyed
But remember, if you kill him, then you’ll be unemployed”
Oh, my Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda

Well, I heard my friends really got in a mess
So I’m gonna have to leave Yoda I guess
But I know that I’ll be coming back some day
I’ll be playing this part ’till I’m old and gray

The long-term contract I had to sign
Says I’ll be making these movies till the end of time
With my Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yoda Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yoda Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yoda Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yoda Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yoda Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yoda Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda
Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/weirdalyankovic/yoda.html

In concert, Weird Al has done something special in the middle of the song. Dubbed the “Yoda Chant”, Al and his band slow down the music and begin a rhymical, a cappella chant that included a series of both mnemonic devices and bits from songs. Some of the pieces included in the Yoda Chant was “Frère Jacques,” “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” “Surfin’ Bird,” the “Hawaiian War Chant,” the “Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi,” and “Grim Grinning Ghosts” among others.

Daily Countdown: Weird Al Songs #2

#2

White & Nerdy

Title: “White & Nerdy”

Album: Straight Outta Lynwood

Released: 2006

Parody: “Ridin'” by Chamillionaire

Written: Hakeem T. Seriki / Anthony Henderson / Oscar Edward Salinas / Juan Carlos Jr. Salinas/Al Yankovic

Style: Rap/Hip Hop

Topic: Nerd culture

Fact: This was Yankovic’s first-ever top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and his first single to be certified platinum.

We are down to two. I loved this song so much. I had never heard the original, and the parody is one of the greatest of all time.

Lyrics

They see me mowin’
My front lawn
I know they’re all thinking
I’m so white ‘n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy
Can’t you see I’m white ‘n’ nerdy?
Look at me, I’m white ‘n’ nerdy!

I wanna roll with
The gangsters
But so far they all think
I’m too white ‘n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy
I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy
Really, really white ‘n’ nerdy

First in my class here at M.I.T
Got skills, I’m a champion at D&D
MC Escher, that’s my favorite MC
Keep your 40, I’ll just have an Earl Grey tea
My rims never spin to the contrary
You’ll find that they’re quite stationary
All of my action figures are cherry
Stephen Hawking’s in my library

My-MySpace page is all totally pimped out
I got people begging for my topic spaces
Yo, I know Pi out to a thousand places
Ain’t got no grills but I still wear braces
I order all of my sandwiches with mayonnaise
I’m a whiz at Minesweeper, I can play for days
Once you see my sweet moves you’re gonna stay amazed
My fingers movin’ so fast I’ll set the place ablaze

There’s no killer app I haven’t run
At Pascal well I’m number one
Do vector calculus just for fun
I ain’t got a gat but I gotta soldering gun
Happy Days is my favorite theme song
I can sure kick your butt in a game of ping pong
I’ll ace any trivia quiz you bring on
I’m fluent in JavaScript as well as Klingon

They see me roll on my Segway
I know in my heart they think I’m
White ‘n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy
Can’t you see I’m white ‘n’ nerdy?
Look at me, I’m white ‘n’ nerdy!

I’d like to roll with
The gangsters
Although it’s apparent I’m too
White n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy
I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy
How’d I get so white ‘n’ nerdy?

I’ve been browsing, inspectin’
X-Men comics you know I collect ’em
The pens in my pocket, I must protect ’em
My ergonomic keyboard never leaves me bored
Shopping online for deals on some writable media
I edit Wikipedia
I memorized the Holy Grail really well
I can recite it right now and have you “ROTFLOL”

I got a business doing websites
When my friends need some code who do they call?
I do HTML for them all
Even made a homepage for my dog
Yo, I got myself a fanny pack
They were having a sale down at the GAP
Spend my nights with a roll of bubble wrap
Pop pop! Hope no one sees me get freaky!

I’m nerdy in the extreme
And whiter than sour cream
I was in AV club and Glee club
And even the chess team!
Only question I ever thought was hard
Was do I like Kirk or do I like Picard?
I spend every weekend at the Renaissance Faire
I got my name on my underwear!

They see me strollin’
They laughin’
And rollin’ their eyes ’cause
I’m so white ‘n’ nerdy
Just because I’m white ‘n’ nerdy
Just because I’m white ‘n’ nerdy
All because I’m white ‘n’ nerdy
Holy cow, I’m white ‘n’ nerdy!

I wanna bowl with
The gangsters
But oh well it’s obvious I’m
White ‘n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy
I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy
Look at me, I’m white ‘n’ nerdy!

Source: Musixmatch

Daily Countdown: Weird Al Songs #3

#3

Dare to Be Stupid

Title: “One More Minute”

Album: Dare to Be Stupid

Released: 1985

Written: Al Yankovic

Style parody: A doo-wop parody of artists like Elvis Presley and The Platters.

Style: Doo-Wop

This is the highest rated original song on this list. One More Minute is one of the greatest break up songs of all time.

Lyrics

Well I heard that you’re leavin’
Gonna leave me far behind
‘Cause you found a brand new lover
You decided that I’m not your kind

So I pulled your name out of my Rolodex
And I tore all your pictures in two
And I burned down the malt shop where we used to go
Just because it reminds me of you

That’s right, you ain’t gonna see me cryin’
I’m glad that you found somebody new
‘Cause I’d rather spend eternity eating shards of broken glass
Than spend one more minute with you

I guess I might seem kinda bitter
You got me feelin’ down in the dumps
‘Cause I’m stranded all alone in the gas station of love
And I have to use the self service pumps

Oh, so honey, let me help you with that suitcase
You ain’t gonna break my heart in two
‘Cause I’d rather get a hundred thousand paper cuts on my face
Than spend one more minute with you

I’d rather rip out my intestines with a fork
Than watch you going out with other men
I’d rather slam my fingers in a door

Again and again and again and again and again
Oh, can’t you see what I’m tryin’ to say, darlin’

I’d rather have my blood sucked out by leeches
Shove an icepick under a toenail or two
I’d rather clean all the bathrooms
In Grand Central Station with my tongue
Than spend one more minute with you

Yes, I’d rather jump naked on a huge pile of thumbtacks
Or stick my nostrils together with crazy glue
I’d rather dive into a swimming pool filled
With double edged razor blades
Than spend one more minute with you

I’d rather rip my heart right out of my ribcage
With my bare hands and then throw it on the floor
And stomp on it ’till I die

Than spend one more minute with you

Source: Musixmatch

Daily Countdown: Weird Al Songs #4

#4

Amish Paradise

Title: “Amish Paradise”

Album: Bad Hair Day

Release: 1996

Parody: “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio

Written: Douglas B. Rasheed / Stevie Wonder / Larry James Sanders / Artis L. Jr. Ivey/Al Yankovic

Style: Rap/Hip-Hop

Top: Amish life

Lyrics

As I walk through the valley where I harvest my grain
I take a look at my wife and realize she’s very plain
But that’s just perfect for an Amish like me
You know, I shun fancy things like electricity
At 4:30 in the morning, I’m milkin’ cows
Jebediah feeds the chickens and Jacob plows, fool

And I’ve been milkin’ and plowin’ so long that
Even Ezekiel thinks that my mind is gone
I’m a man of the land, I’m into discipline
Got a Bible in my hand and a beard on my chin
But if I finish all of my chores, and you finish thine
Then tonight, we’re gonna party like it’s 1699

We been spending most our lives
Livin’ in an Amish paradise
I churned butter once or twice
Livin’ in an Amish paradise
It’s hard work and sacrifice
Livin’ in an Amish paradise
We sell quilts at discount price
Livin’ in an Amish paradise

A local boy kicked me in the butt last week
I just smiled at him and I turned the other cheek
I really don’t care, in fact I wish him well
‘Cause I’ll be laughing my head off when he’s burning in Hell
But I ain’t never punched a tourist even if he deserved it
An Amish with a ‘tude?
You know that’s unheard of

I never wear buttons but I got a cool hat
And my homies agree I really look good in black, fool
If you come to visit, you’ll be bored to tears
We haven’t even paid the phone bill in 300 years
But we ain’t really quaint, so please don’t point and stare
We’re just technologically impaired

There’s no phone, no lights, no motorcar
Not a single luxury
Like Robinson Crusoe
It’s as primitive as can be

We been spending most our lives
Livin’ in an Amish paradise
We’re just plain and simple guys
Livin’ in an Amish paradise
There’s no time for sin and vice
Livin’ in an Amish paradise
We don’t fight, we all play nice
Livin’ in an Amish paradise

Hitchin’ up the buggy, churnin’ lots of butter
Raised a barn on Monday, soon I’ll raise another
Think you’re really righteous?
Think you’re pure in heart?
Well, I know I’m a million times as humble as thou art
I’m the pious guy the little Amlettes wanna be like
On my knees day and night, scorin’ points for the afterlife
So don’t be vain and don’t be whiny
Or else, my brother, I might have to get medieval on your Heine

We been spending most our lives
Livin’ in an Amish paradise
We’re all crazy Mennonites
Livin’ in an Amish paradise
There’s no cops or traffic lights
Livin’ in an Amish paradise
But you’d probably think it bites
Livin’ in an Amish paradise

Source: Musixmatch

Daily Countdown: Weird Al Songs #5

#5

Word Crimes

Title: “Word Crimes”

Album: Mandatory Fun

Released: 2014

Parody: “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke

Written: Clifford Harris / Jr. / Pharrell Williams / Robin Thicke/Al Yankovic

Genre: Rap/Disco/R&B

Topic: Your bad grammar (NOT YOU’RE BAD GRAMMAR!)

I have shown this to my 7th grade literacy class since the release in 2014. It has all kinds of my personal gripes over grammar and the people who just do not know how important grammar is.

Lyrics

Everybody shut up, woo!
Everyone listen up!
Hey, hey, hey, uh
Hey, hey, hey

If you can’t write in the proper way
If you don’t know how to conjugate
Maybe you flunked that class
And maybe now you find
That people mock you online

Okay, now here’s the deal
I’ll try to educate ya
Gonna familiarize
You with the nomenclature
You’ll learn the definitions
Of nouns and prepositions
Literacy’s your mission
And that’s why I think it’s a

Good time
To learn some grammar
Now, did I stammer
Work on that grammar
You should know when
It’s “less” or it’s “fewer”
Like people who were
Never raised in a sewer

I hate these word crimes
Like I could care less
That means you do care
At least a little
Don’t be a moron
You’d better slow down
And use the right pronoun
Show the world you’re no clown
Everybody wise up!

Say you got an “I”, “T”
Followed by apostrophe, “s”
Now what does that mean?
You would not use “it’s” in this case
As a possessive
It’s a contraction
What’s a contraction?
Well, it’s the shortening of a word, or a group of words
By the omission of a sound or letter

Okay, now here’s some notes
Syntax you’re always mangling
No “x” in “espresso”
Your participle’s danglin’
But I don’t want your drama
If you really wanna
Leave out that Oxford comma
Just keep in mind

That “be”, “see”, “are”, “you”
Are words, not letters
Get it together
Use your spellchecker
You should never
Write words using numbers
Unless you’re seven
Or your name is Prince

I hate these word crimes
You really need a
Full time proofreader
You dumb mouth-breather
Well, you should hire
Some cunning linguist
To help you distinguish
What is proper English

One thing I ask of you
Time to learn your homophones is past due
Learn to diagram a sentence too
Always say “to whom”
Don’t ever say “to who”
And listen up when I tell you this
I hope you never use quotation marks for emphasis
You finished second grade
I hope you can tell
If you’re doing good or doing well
About better figure out the difference
Irony is not coincidence
And I thought that you’d gotten it through your skull
What’s figurative and what’s literal
Oh but, just now, you said
You literally couldn’t get out of bed
That really makes me want to literally
Smack a crowbar upside your stupid head

I read your e-mail
It’s quite apparent
Your grammar’s errant
You’re incoherent
Saw your blog post
It’s really fantastic
That was sarcastic (Oh, psych!)
‘Cause you write like a spastic

I hate these Word Crimes
Your prose is dopey
Think you should only
Write in emoji
Oh, you’re a lost cause
Go back to pre-school
Get out of the gene pool
Try your best to not drool

Never mind I give up
Really now I give up
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Go away!

Source: LyricFind

Daily Countdown: Weird Al Songs #6

#6

The Hamilton Polka

Title: “The Hamilton Polka”

Released: 2018

Genre: Polka

Included in: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s monthly “#Hamildrops” project

Written by Albert Johnson / Osten Harvey / Christopher Wallace / Roger Troutman / Kejuan Muchita / Lin-Manuel Miranda/Al Yankovic

Songs: “Alexander Hamilton,” “Wait For It,” “The Schuyler Sisters,” “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down),” “Dear Theodosia,” “You’ll Be Back,” “The Room Where It Happens,” “Right Hand Man,” “Guns and Ships,” “Washington on Your Side,” “Helpless,” “Non-Stop,” “History Has Its Eyes on You,” and “My Shot.”

This is Weird Al’s Polka Opus, taking the Broadway sensation Hamilton and turning it into a polka. There was a video of Lin-Manuel Miranda listening to The Hamilton Polka for the first time, and he had tears of joy running down his face. Miranda is a huge fan of Weird Al and you could tell how honored he was with Al using his work as a polka.

Lyrics

How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a
Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten
Spot in the Caribbean by providence, impoverished, in squalor
Grow up to be a hero and a scholar?

The ten-dollar Founding Father without a father
Got a lot farther by working a lot harder
By being a lot smarter
By being a self-starter

By fourteen, they placed him in charge of the trading charter
Alexander Hamilton
My name is Alexander Hamilton
And there’s a million things I haven’t done

But just you wait, just you wait
Wait for it
Wait for it
Wait for it
Wait for it

I am the one thing in life I can control
Wait for it
Wait for it
Wait for it
Wait for it

I am inimitable
I am an original
And if there’s a reason I’m still alive
When so many have died
Then I’m willin’ to—

I’m willing to
Work, work!
Angelica!
Work, work!

Eliza!
And Peggy—

Look around, at how lucky we are to be alive right now!
History is happening in Manhattan and we just happen to be
In the greatest city
In the greatest city in the world!
The world turned upside down
The world turned upside down
The world turned upside down
The world turned upside down

Yeah you’ll blow us all away
Oceans rise, empires fall
We have seen each other through it all
And when push comes to shove

I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love!
Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da
Da da dat dat da da ya da!

No one else was in
The room where it happened
The room where it happened
The room where it happened
No one else was in

The room where it happened
The room where it happened
The room where it happened
No one really knows how the game is played

The art of the trade
How the sausage gets made
We just assume that it happens
But no one else is in the room where it happens

We are outgunned (What?)
Outmanned (What?)
Outnumbered
Outplanned

We gotta make an all out stand
Ayo, I’m gonna need a right-hand man
Hamilton!
Sir, he knows what to do in a trench
Ingenuitive and fluent in French, I mean—

Hamilton!
Sir, you’re gonna have to use him eventually
What’s he gonna do on the bench? I mean—
Hamilton!
No one has more resilience
Or matches my practical tactical brilliance—

Hamilton!
You wanna fight for your land back?
Hamilton!
I need my right hand man back!
Uh, get ya right hand man back

You know you gotta get ya right hand man back
I mean you gotta put some thought
Into the letter but the sooner the better
To get your right hand man back!

It must be nice, it must be nice
To have Washington on your side
It must be nice, it must be nice
To have Washington on your side
Look back at the Bill of Rights (Which I wrote!)

The ink hasn’t dried
It must be nice, it must be nice
To have Washington on your side—
Somebody has to stand up for the South!
Somebody has to stand up to his mouth!

If there’s a fire you’re trying to douse
You can’t put it out from inside the house
I’m in the cabinet, I am complicit in
Watching him grabbin’ at power and kiss it
If Washington isn’t gon’ listen
To disciplined dissidents, this is the difference:
This kid is out

In New York you can be a new man
How do you write like you’re running out of time?
Write day and night like you’re running out of time?
Ev’ry day you fight like you’re running out of time
Like you’re running out of time

Are you running out of time?
Let me tell you what I wish I’d known
When I was young and dreamed of glory
You have no control
Who lives, who dies, who tells your story
I know that we can win
I know that greatness lies in you
But remember from here on in
History has its eyes on you (Whoa…)

And I am not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot
Hey yo, I’m just like my country
I’m young, scrappy and hungry
And I’m not throwing away my shot
We gonna rise up, time to take a shot (Not throwing away my shot)
We gonna rise up, time to take a shot (Not throwing away my shot)
We’re gonna rise up, rise up! (It’s time to take a shot!)
Rise up, rise up!
And I am not throwing away my
Not throwing away my shot
There’s a million things I haven’t done
But just you wait (Just wait)
What’s your name, man?
Alexander (Hamilton)
Alexander (Hamilton)
Alexander (Hamilton)
Alexander

Source: Musixmatch