You wrote this for a musical of some sort, Jax? Jazz eh?
It has a child-like quality. The tale unwinds like a ballad, with repetition, and there's audience participation like a Pantomime. Interesting. Lots happening. You build urgency at the end when Daniel is in the lions' den; I feel involved.
I have a little difficulty with the metre here and there. EG
Here comes old Beelzebub a-calling.
They washed and ironed for Darius every week.So shall mark out the stresses. Where it falls at line's end, I'll just put it at the end of the word, but when its in a sentence I'll put it where I see the stress falls.
THE DANIEL JAZZ
Dar/ius the Mede/ was a king/ and a wonder./
His eye/ was proud,/ and his voice/ was thunder./
He kept/ bad lions/ in a mon/strous den./
He fed up/ the lions/ on Christ/ian men./
Very clear intro, Jax. And fun. Dan/iel was the chief/ hired man/ of the land./
He stir/red up the jazz/ in the pal/ace band./
He white/washed the cell/ar. He shov/elled in the coal./
And Dan/iel kept a-pray/ing:--"Lord save/ my soul."/
Dan/iel was the but/ler, swagger/ and swell./
He ran/ up stairs./ He an/swered the bell./
And he/ would let in/ whoev/er came a-calling/:--
A little trouble here, for me,24/442/441/4141/
Saints/ so holy,/ scamps/ so appalling./
"Old man/ Ahab/ leaves /his card./
Elish/a and the bears/ are a-wait/ing in the yard./
This is fun, Jax.Here/ comes Phar/aoh and his snakes/ a-calling./
Here/ comes Cain/ and his wife/ a-calling./
Shad/rach, Me/shach and Abed/nego for tea./
a bit cramped, and not easy to say. Maybe take out 'and' ?? The idea makes me smile, and my tongue enjoyed the challenge.Shad/rach, Meshach/ and Abed/nego for tea/
ah, this way fits better. Is this how you intended it?Here/ comes Jon/ah and the whale,/
And the Sea!/
hahahaha! Here/ comes St. Pet/er and his fish/ing pole./
Here/ comes Jud/as and his sil/ver a-calling./
Here comes/ old Beelz/ebub a-calling."/
another not-so-easy bitHere comes/ old Beel/zebub/ a-calling."/
Or does it go this way?And Dan/iel kept a-pray/ing:--"Lord save/ my soul."'
Dan/iel kept a-pray/ing:--"Lord save/ my soul."/
Dan/iel kept a-pray/ing:--"Lord save/ my soul."/
His sweet/heart and his moth/er were Christ/ian and meek./
They wash/ed and iron/ed for Dar/ius every week./
a bit awkwardOne Thurs/day he met/ them at the door:--/
Paid/ them as us/ual, but act/ed sore./
He said:--/"Your Dan/iel is a dead/ little pigeon./
He's a good/ hard work/er, but he talks/ religion."/
And he show/ed them Dan/iel in the li/ons' cage./
His good/ old mother cried:--/
"Lord save him."/
I am not sure where to put the stresses here.... (cried 4 Lord 4 save 4 )And Dan/iel's tend/er sweet/heart cried:--/
"Lord/ save/ him."/
??? Is this right?And she/ was a gold/en lil/y in the dew./
And she/ was as sweet/ as an a/pple on the tree/
And she/ was as fine/ as a mel/on in the corn/-field,
Glid/ing and love/ly as a ship/ on the sea,/
Gliding and lovely as a ship on the sea.
And she pray/ed to the Lord:--/
"Send Gab/riel. Send Gab/riel."
King Dar/ius said/ to the lions:--/
"Bite Dan/iel. Bite Dan/iel.
Bite him./ Bite him./ Bite him!"/
Thus/ roared the lions:--/
"We /want/ Dan/iel, Dan/iel, Dan/iel,
Is this as you intended?We/ want Dan/iel, Dan/iel, Dan/iel.
Or this?Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"
Here the audience roars
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
And Dan/iel did not frown,/
Dan/iel did not cry./
He kept/ on look/ing at the sky./
And the Lord/ said to Gab/riel:--
The audience sings this with the leader, in the old negro tune.
"Go chain the lions down,
Go chain the lions down.
Go chain the lions down."
And Gabriel chained the lions,
And Gabriel chained the lions,
And Gabriel chained the lions,
And Daniel got out of the den,
And Daniel got out of the den,
And Daniel got out of the den.
And Darius said:--"You're a Chrisitian child,"
Darius said:--"You're a Chrisitian child,"
Darius said:--"You're a Chrisitian child,"
And gave him his job again,
And gave him his job again,
And gave him his job again.
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