Available Editions:

Free PDF Edition:

• Lions Spiders & Flys.pdf

Printed Edition on Lulu.com:

Lions, Spiders & Flies

About "Lions, Spiders & Flies" for Medium Voice

This setting for medium voice of two poems by Vachel Lindsay would make a humorous addition to any concert, but is especially apt for a Halloween event.

The first song describes how the strife of a pride of lions is put to peace when an explorer unwittingly becomes dinner. The second song is written from the perspective of the fly who loved, unfortunately, the spider.

The set was originally written in 1998, entitled "Two Songs to Frighten Young Children." This updated version was produced in 2005 for a recital in Arizona.

Recordings:

Lions, Spiders & Flies (second edition, revised 2005) from a live recital at Arizona State University, Ryan Garrison is the baritone and Christi Leman is the pianist

1. The Lion : 2005LionsSpidersandFlies-1TheLion.mp3
2. The Spider and the Ghost of the Fly :
   2005LionsSpidersandFlies-2TheSpiderandtheGhostoftheFly.mp3

Lions, Spiders & Flies (first edition) performed by M. Ryan Taylor at a live recital at Brigham Young University

1. The Lion : TheLion-MRyanTaylor.mp3
2. The Spider and the Ghost of the Fly :
   TheSpiderandtheGhostoftheFly-MRyanTaylor.mp3

Send me a recording of your performance and I’ll be glad to post it here with a link to your site.

The Texts:

1. THE LION by Vachel Lindsay
   The Lion is a kingly beast.
   He likes the Hindu for a feast.
   And if no Hindu he can get,
   The lion-family is upset.
   
   He cuffs his wife and bites her ears
   Till she is nearly moved to tears.
   Then some explorer finds the den
   And all is family peace again.

2. THE SPIDER AND THE GHOST OF THE FLY by Vachel Lindsay
   Once I loved a spider
   When I was born a fly,
   A velvet-footed spider
   With a gown of rainbow-dye.
   She ate my wings and gloated.
   She bound me with a hair.
   She drove me to her parlor
   Above her winding stair.
   To educate young spiders
   She took me all apart.
   My ghost came back to haunt her.
   I saw her eat my heart.