What should I sing (or say) to myself?
I work long hours and can find myself alone for good stretches. I don't like to spend too much time with my inner monologue, and I haven't reached a level of mindfulness to shut it off, so I've been singing to myself. Rocky Top by the Osborne Brothers and Loch Lomond by the Corries have been my favorites. With songs I think folk music works well for its repeating melodies. Also, my brother has sung these songs for hours on end throughout my growing up, so they're in my heart already. I also keep stumbling through Hedy West's Little Sadie and The Stanley Brothers' Over in the Glory Land. Otherwise, I memorized a poem in Russian (Я вас любил by Pushkin) for a class last year, and had previously memorized one in German (Künstlers Abendlied by Goethe). I've still got the former, but will have to refresh my memory on the latter.
I'm wondering what things y'all have memorized or what you think would be cool or fun for me to memorize and rehearse (or meditate over if it's a thinker) during work.
I like the sounds of other languages and have some familiarity with Russian, German, and Chinese. I have a good ear tone-wise, so I'd take a hearty string of notes if there's one that gets to you. I have taken a liking to stoicism over the past year, and also would read any religious text that has a bit of rhythm.
I'm reminded of:
I've memorized a few songs by Stan Rogers, starting with "Barrett's Privateers," "The Mary Ellen Carter," "Canol Road," "The Idiot," and others. A work song of his might be "The White Collar Holler." I think he is mostly known for his nautical pieces though, like "Northwest Passage" or "Rolling Down to Old Maui." If you want a sad one, try "White Squall."
I see that "Whiskey in the Jar" was recommended by another user. This is a great song whose melody you'll see in a lot of places. In the vein of Scottish/Irish folk, "Finnegan's Wake" is very amusing, and I also like "Star of the County Down." The traditional English piece "Sovay" has a relatively tricky rhythm but I've always enjoyed singing along to it. "Farewell to Nova Scotia" is one of my all-time favorite folk songs. Ronnie Drew of Dubliners fame has a couple pieces that stand out to me because of his unique voice, such as "I'll Tell Me Ma." And I would be remiss not to mention "The Rocky Road to Dublin," although it's quite difficult on account of its tempo (for a very different take, see here). Many pieces that Seamus Kennedy sings are easy to learn, such as "The Old Dun Cow." I can't quite stomach Steve Earle's performance of "Galway Girl," but some of the covers inspired me to learn the lyrics.
For non-English pieces, I'm rather partial to Julie Fowlis, e.g. "Dh’èirich mi moch madainn cheòthar," although I find Gaelic difficult to sing. I also like "Oró Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile" a lot. Perhaps the Norwegian "Oleanna" may also be interesting, or "Tri Martolod" in Breton.
Any hymn by the Charles Wesley is a banger -- see, e.g., Battle Hymn of the Republic, et al.
I also get Danny Boy stuck in my head all the time, as well as Whiskey in the Jar.
Any long ballad would work, it sounds like -- try works by Bob Dylan, L. Cohen, oh, Guthrie, or maybe ... opera? Wagner? Might be cool.
Also gotta love the rep for Rocky Top -- as a Tennessean that song is my heart <3
It tends to be whatever song I'm learning or transcribing, which inevitably becomes an earworm.
So, at the moment, Carmichael's "Heart and Soul" since I'm finishing up a lead sheet.