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A song based on the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
pop love acoustic folk country classic california heart melody traditional australia sydney comedy finger picking london atheist philosophical satire tyler natural cornelius charles religion agnostic mendocino relaxed satirical
Artist picture
Hi folks. I have added a lot of videos recently. Please take a look!
Hi folks, This site acts as a personal archive of my work. So you'll find my best recordings here as well as some pretty crappy ones. The earliest recordings here were made on simple cassette decks, others were made on mobile phones, some are live recordings made at various gigs over the years, a handful were made in small recording studios, but most of the more recent ones were made at home on a Zoom portable studio, which itself is now rather ancient! If you like a song and want to download it, click on 'Full song info' for that song and you will see the download link. You can also read the lyrics and any background information on the songs that I may have added. All my music is available for free - enjoy :) cheers, Charles
Song Info
Genre
Acoustic • Acoustic General
Charts
#1,168 in subgenre Peak #11
Charts
Peak #50
Author
Omar Khayyam / Edward Fitzgerald / Charles Tyler
Rights
Charles Tyler
Uploaded
July 15, 2013
Track Files
MP3
MP3 5.6 MB • 128 kbps • 6:04
Story behind the song
I have set some of the best-known lines from the wonderful ''Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam'' to music.. to update the classic work for a new audience. I used the Fitzgerald translation as a source. I hope I have done justice to both Fitzgerald and Khayyam. Dedicated to Adam (Asmui bin Imamuddin 02/05/1979 - 11/07/2012) and to all his friends.
Lyrics
Dreaming – just as dawn lit up the sky – I heard a cry “Wake up and fill the cup before the precious wine of life has all run dry The bird of time has but a little way to fly And see the bird is on the wing” When I was young I studied with the wise men and the saints But all I ever learned was that I come like water and like wind I go Into this universe – why not knowing And out of it - like wind across the wasteland blowing Ah love, if you and I could understand this world entire Would we not shatter it to bits and build it back much closer to our hearts desire? What use is worrying how time slips by beneath our feet? Or what is past or what’s to come – if today is sweet! The moving finger writes and having written it moves on There’s nothing you can do to bring it back and all your tears can’t change a word It’s no use crying to the sky under which we live and die The sky rolls on - as impotent as you or I Oh come with old Khayyam and leave the wise to talk One thing is certain – a flower blooms then dies - the rest is lies A loaf of bread beneath the trees, a flask of wine, a book of verse And you beside me singing – and this wilderness is paradise enough Some people talk about a paradise that’s still to come I’ll choose today over the music of a distant drum! And if the wine you drink, the lip you press, end up as nothing Then while you still live, drink! for once dead you never shall return And when you pass among the guests star-scattered on the grass And reach the spot where I made one – turn down an empty glass!
Song Likes
Comments 2
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Richard Dieker
Apr 23, 2015
Fantastic vocal interpretation of some of my favorite passages from a very favorite poem. I think Omar Kayam would be impressed as well. A most pleasant treat to listen to on this rainy afternoon in south Florida.
gipe
Apr 18, 2013
Wonderful lyric and melody Charles! :)