Pycella's Friendship Song

The road of life is long
But don't feel scared
I'll guide you all the way
Until the end
So take my little hand
And let me show
All wonders of the world
And even more

Let's cross the fields of green
Where wind flows free
Let's explore the oldest woods
Of enchanted trees
No need to feel afraid
I'm by your side
Guarding our way through both day and night

We share a strong friendship
That conquers all dangers
It's rooted deep in our hearts
The road goes through the darkness
But we bring the light
Much brighter than all the stars

Once you where so alone
Hid in your shell
Even when it was safe
You felt unwell
But now you've found your strength
And yourself too
It's time to cheer while pipes of joy toot

(at this point, the Badgers start to toot very loudly)

At last we found our place
In this big world
The journey led us here
To our real home
Let's share these happy days
The life of peace
And cherish all of our lovely memories

Even when our story ends
I won't leave you
My song will echo through the evening air
I will forever stay inside your heart
That way we never will truly part

We'll never part
We'll never part
We'll never part

About the song

This is maybe my favourite tune in the Brandy Badgers songpack. I first wrote it for the Badgers' rehearsal with a Blackmore's Night theme. It is sung to the melody of Village Lantern.

Blackmore's Night – Village Lantern

Purple Snowbeast's Yule Eve

It’s Yule eve in the woods
Where the snowbeasts roam
In their lair they sleep
In caves so dark and deep
But one small beast stays up
She wants to go straight out
A purple snowbeast
Who just wants to have fun

When others snore quite loud
The beast sneaks swiftly out
She sniffs the cold air
Snow falls on her hair
And then she hears the sounds
Someone toots loud
She hurries to join
the party in good time

The Badgers are playing their favourite songs
All foxes and birdies are humming along
Creatures of woods having fun in all peace
They just concentrate on their musical needs
“Dear snowbeast, come forward, join our grand band”
 “Here are some instruments, take one in your hands”
So she grabs the bagpipes without second thoughts
Her snowbeast lungs can toot them all night long

And together they played and sang until the break of dawn
It was the best Yule eve of she ever saw

The trees were swaying, their hearts were melting
The songs warmed up the cold winter night
The stars were smiling, blistfully shining
And bears they all grumbled, asleep in their pens

And together they played and sang until the break of dawn
It was the best Yule eve a snowbeast ever saw

And when came the morn
The snowbeast hurried home
But she was filled with joy:
She’d found a new toy
It was the bagpipes she clung to her arms
And from that day onwards
She tooted bagpipe songs

Every day she played all her favourite songs
It was the best Yule gift she ever got

About the song

Around Yule, you might see a pink or a purple spot in the snow, hiding in the woods. And if you go closer, you might get hit by a snowball! It's the purple snowbeast, having fun. Here is a Yule tune for that little rascal. It's best sung to the Fairytale of New York, as performed by the Pogues.

 

The Pogues – Fairytale of New York

Ode to the Badgers

I am strolling in nearby woods
It's a sweet, clear springtime day
I'm off to my secret place
Where the badgers come to play

Soon I reach that secretive place
I sit down, staying in hiding
There's a rustle in the grass
The badgers have come to play

The air is filled with sweetest music
That I've ever heard
The woods become alive
I have never felt this happy
This is all I ever need

Music's the most common tongue
And the badgers know it too
They take you back in time
With tunes that will never die

Oh, this must be magic
Streaming in the air
No matter who you are
It flows straight to your heart

It makes me feel like
I'm a badger too
Everytime I am here
Where the badgers come to play

My own favorite place is
Where the Badgers play


About the song

Here is another badger-related song! It's an ode to the badgers and their music. Best sung to a song called "Gabriella's song" that appears in the Swedish movie As It Is in Heaven.

 

 Helen Sjöholm – Gabriellas sång

Merry Berry Yule

Yule's time for badgering, Winterhome wassailing
Fillin' hearts with joy and cheer
All come dance and drink some beer
Music's streaming in the air
Badgers make it very clear:
Every Badger Yule is a merry berry Yule

Let us toot and bang the drum
Give you some hum de dum
Squeak and hop and strum along
Come and join our Yuleish song
Dance until your feet are done
Have grand Badger fun, because
Every songful Yule is a merry berry Yule

Join us, whether young or old
Sway until you feel no cold
See which drinks are being sold
Kegs and flasks are being rolled
Mulled wine may make you bold
Drink some more, lo and behold
Every carefree Yule is a merry berry Yule

It is time to munch and eat
Every day needs seven meals
Forget all dishwashing deeds
Enjoy tasty bread and cheese
Berries are what a badger needs
Join this special Yuletide feast
Every tummy full makes a merry berry Yule

We use funny instruments
Squealing gorns and pea shooters
Brandy drops from clarinets
Let's blow off spider webs
With untamed pipe quintets
The drummers give all their best
Every noisy Yule is a merry berry Yule!

Ooh...
A songful Yule is a merry berry Yule!
Ooh...
A tummy full makes a merry berry Yule!
Ooh...
A carefree Yule is a merry berry Yule!

Music is our gift for you
Can't escape the merry mood
Feel like you're a badger too
Say goodbye to solitude
Yule had never felt this good
It is widely understood that
Every Badger Yule is a merry berry Yule

Ooh...
This is our Yuletide song
Feel free to hum along
Music is the strongest bond
Between friends in all the world
Every Badger Yule is a merry berry Yule

About the song

Each Yule, our Brandy Badgers band packs up its Yule tune scrolls and heads up to Frostbluff, the Winterhome of LOTRO. There, they go wassailing: singing Yule songs on the snowy streets, spreading the hobbity Yule cheer. Here is one of them songs, and one of my favourites! Hum it to the Mike Oldfield tune, In Dulci Jubilo.

Mike Oldfield - In Dulci Jubilo

Lonesome Badger

Lonesome badger
Lonesome badger
You're so far away from home
Lonesome badger
Lonesome badger
You have a long long way to roam

I'm a poor lonesome badger
I'm a far away from home
And this poor lonesome badger
Has a long long way to roam
I am seeking for my true home
I might find it someday soon
For whenever I get there
I feel no more alone

Lonesome badger
Lonesome badger
May you find your own true home!
Lonesome badger
Lonesome badger
May you be no more alone!

I sing on my travels
I love a good old tune
But music can get boring
If you do it all alone
So I seek for other badgers
To share my songs with them
So I just keep on roaming
Until I find my friends

Lonesome badger
Lonesome badger
One day you will find your friends!
Lonesome badger
Lonesome badger
One day you won't sing alone!

Now I've found my own place
It is were my friends are too
They gave me some good berries
We shared a tune or two
No more I am lonesome
No more I need to roam
All I ever need is right here
This is my own true home

About the song

Here is another badger-related tune! It is about our musical collective, the Brandy Badgers. Sometimes when someone joins our Order, they come members of this merry band that loves berries and having fun together. This tune is best sung to another similar one about the Lonesome Cowboy.

 

Pat Woods – Lonesome Cowboy

I'm a Badger

I am a badger of Greenfields
Here I live in freedom and fine peace
The farmers' dogs can't catch me, no
My legs are shift when I escape with my loot

Yes, I'm a badger
I'm a badger

I eat fresh berries from the bush
When I see biscuits, I eat them in a rush
You can't be picky with your food
Even mushrooms can be very good

Yes, I'm a badger
I'm a badger

I roam the fields
Eat peas
When it gets dark
I sleep under stars

Life is so good
In badger mood
So hum a song
And badger along, it is fun!

Sometimes I may drink some brandy too
It makes me dizzy but quite merry too
If I am feeling down and tense
My mood gets brighter when I'm with my friends


Yes, I'm a badger
I'm a badger

The good Shire is my home
Here you cannot feel alone
The food is filling, brandy good
There's enough for badgers too

Always try to live your dream
That what life as a badger is
No more sorrows, no more stress
Easy living, that's the best!

I'm a badger

About the song

Here is the first badger-related tune I made for the musical collective, Brandy Badgers. It is a sweet song, best sung to I Got You Babe, a tune by Sonny and Cher.

 

Sonny & Cher – I Got You Babe

A Badger Lullaby

Deep in the woods, free from worry and sorrow
The badgers sleep in a warm, cosy burrow
They lie down and hide from the cold winter breeze
And spend the days in the most peaceful sleep

Nothing can drive them away from their warm beds
The wolves can’t find their well hidden home sett
The cold won’t disturb their winter-long nap
When they lie curled in their mum’s furry lap

Their home is stuffed with warm wooly blankets
It’s stocked with berries and mushrooms from Maggot’s
That way, all their dreams will stay merry and sweet
Such as a wonderful midsummer’s feast

The badgers sleep until the warm spring sun rises
Then they crawl out and sniff with their noses
They feel quite rested and ready for spring
When every day is a berryful dream


About the song

Being part of the musical band Brandy Badgers, I have also written some badger-related songs. This one is a lullaby for them. The song is best sung to a Finnish lullaby, Oravan pesä ("The Squirrel's Nest"). It is a lullaby about baby squirrels who sleep up in their little nest, safe from wolves and winter breeze. I love the sweet melody, and wanted to share it in LOTRO as a Badger lullaby. I performed the lyrics at GDF on 26 October 2018 for the first time.

Here is one version with Finnish subtitles and baby sign language: