The Raven by James Moore

Yeah……I’m somewhat embarrassed by this song. I write it for our poetry song assignment, where we chose a peom and wrote music to it. I chose The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe.

Edgar Allen Poe is famous for his dark and gloomy poetry, and The Raven is no exception. For some reason, I decided to write very upbeat music to such a downbeat poem.

Since this was early on in the school year, I was writing very repetitive music, and, since The Raven is such a long poem, I only used the first 5 stanzas.

Here are the lyrycs to my The Raven song:

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`’Tis some visitor,’ I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.’
Chorus:

The Raven, he is coming here;
La La La;
Where is he? Where is he?
La Ah La;
La La La La;
The Raven;

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; – vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow – sorrow for the lost Lenore -
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Nameless here for evermore.
*Chorus*
And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me – filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
`’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; -
This it is, and nothing more,’
*Chorus*
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
`Sir,’ said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you’ – here I opened wide the door; -
Darkness there, and nothing more.
*Chorus*
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!’
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!’
Merely this and nothing more.
The Raven, The Raven;
He has come, oh, he has come for me;
He has come for me.