Songs For Mal - a Tribute in Music and Lyrics
November 12th, 2007 Posted in Articles and EssaysThis is a (currently in progress) project in honor of Serenity’s beloved captain Malcolm Reynolds.
When I first found Firefly, it helped support me and pull me out of a very dark point in my life, and lately I’ve been finding myself once again clinging to sanity by turning to Mal. That hardened, loving, unbreakable and vulnerable captain has been my inspiration and my strength through some tough times, and this project grew out of one of those times.
Strength and inspiration are funny things; they need to be fed. Sometimes we need to be reminded of those things that keep us going. Thinking about Mal and all the qualities we relate to, love, and draw strength from, I decided to compile a music CD of songs that reminded me of Mal or that represented him in some way. Just adding tracks to a list didn’t seem sufficient; I found myself wanting to illustrate what it was about each song that represented Mal.
That’s how the companion list came into being; listening to the songs, picking out and writing down the lines that reminded me of Mal, and carefully choosing the order of the tracks. In short, turning this into a written tribute and not just a musical one.
I’m still on a quest to find those perfect Mal songs. There are a few tracks that aren’t as “strong” as others, and I wouldn’t mind replacing them. Care to email jetflair@gmail.com if you know of a really good one?
These tracks will all fit on a CD to make a complete album; most of them aren’t too obscure, so you should be able to find them available for download. The songs are predominantly country; It’s not a universally popular genre, but it lends itself to the Western atmosphere of Firefly, and the lyrics tend to reflect many themes of the show including Mal’s cowboy background. It’s where I tend to find many songs that “fit” Mal.
Once in a while, someone comes along
That one in a million heart, so pure and so strong
They can face up to the tears and somehow still find a smile
Once in a while, someone has the eyes
That one in a million look that never tells lies
They can get you on your feet to walk that extra mile
That’s why we call them heroes, that’s why we know their names
And once you’ve heard their stories
You’re never quite the same
~~~~~
2. The Ballad of Serenity – Joss Whedon
Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don’t care, I’m still free
You can’t take the sky from me
3. Renegade – Warren Zevon
Some prayers never reach the sky, some wounds never heal
We were hopelessly outnumbered
It was a lost cause all along
When we heard the bugles call we swore we’d stand or fall together, right or wrong
I am a renegade
I’ve been a rebel all my days
4. Mal’s Song – Michelle Dockery
I stood my ground and I’ll fly once more
It’s the last oath that I ever swore
When you see a man and he’s standin’ alone
Well you might just take him for an easy mark and there’s many a man has tried his hand
But them that run with me got my back
It’s a fool don’t know that his family’s his crew
Don’t tell me what I cannot do
Don’t think I’ve got to run from you
5. If you’re Going Through Hell – Rodney Atkins
If you’re goin’ through hell, keep on goin’
Don’t slow down
If you’re scared don’t show it
Keep on movin,’ face that fire
Walk right through it
You might get out ‘fore the devil even knows you’re there
6. Behind Blue Eyes – The Who
No one knows what it’s like to be the bad man, to be the sad man
Behind blue eyes
No one knows what it’s like to be hated, to be fated to telling only lies
But my dreams they aren’t as empty
As my conscience seems to be
7. Looking for Space – John Denver
All alone in the universe, sometimes that’s how it seems
I get lost in the sadness and the screams
And I’m looking to know and understand
Sometimes I’m almost there
And sometimes I’m deep in despair
I’m looking for space
It’s a sweet, sweet dream
8. Won’t Back Down - Tom Petty
Well the hammer fell down on a .44 primer
There’s one less problem in South Carolina tonight
Wrong or right
Don’t you sit and judge me from some high and mighty seat
‘Cause there are people that you pass by every day
With harder cards than yours in life to play
9. Can’t Stop the World - Gavin Rossdale
How far will you go, how deep is your love
Your body’s bruised and on fire
Can’t stop the world, can’t stop desire
Don’t fall to pieces, don’t give up or give down
What can I do to get to you
10. Get off My Back - Bryan Adams
If you want to have a go
I just want to let you know
There ain’t a single thing you’ve done that’s gonna faze me
Get off my back and into my game
Get outta my face or give it your best shot
11. Run Free - Hans Zimmer
~~~~~ Instrumental, soundtrack ~~~~~
12. The Last Saskatchewan Pirate - Brad Johner
Who gives a damn if all the jobs are gone I’m gonna be a pirate on the river Saskatchewan! And it’s a heave ho! hi ho!, coming down the plains Stealing wheat and barley and all the other grains Farmers bar yer doors A swingin’ sword, a skull-and-bones, and pleasant company I never pay my income tax and screw the GST
13. The Cowboy Song - Garth Brooks
Pushin’ horns weren’t easy like the movie said it was
You worked hot and tired and nasty, rode your pony’s head too low
There were all the nights you couldn’t sleep, ’cause it was too damn cold
So when you see the cowboy, he’s not ragged by his choice
He never meant to bow them legs, or put that gravel in his voice
He’s just chasin’ what he really loves
Wishin’ to God that he’d been born a hundred years ago
Still singin’ “Strawberry Roan” and “Little Joe”
14. I Have Found Me a Home – Jimmy Buffett
Yes, I have found me a home
There aren’t many reasons I would leave
‘Cause I have found me some peace
You can have the rest of everything I own, ’cause I have found me a home
15. Cowboy Pride - Ian Tyson
You know our range is gettin’ smaller
Hear you’re all busted up inside
Good women are hard to find
I’m talkin’ about the faithful kind
Cowboy pride can always get a man through
But cowboy pride will make a fool of you
16. The Promise – When in Rome
When you’re in doubt, and when you’re in danger
Take a look all around
And I’ll be there
Sometimes if I shout
It’s not what’s intended, I promise you
If you hang around a while I’ll make you fall for me
I promise you I will
17. We’re All in Your Corner - The Highwaymen
18. You Don’t Count the Cost – Billy Dean
It happens to a soldier fightin’ for his home
Fear wells up inside him and yet he still goes on
Even though he knows he may be the next to fall
When it comes to love, you don’t count the cost
You don’t count the heartache, you don’t count the sacrifice
And all that counts is what you feel inside
It doesn’t really matter what is gained or what is lost
When it comes to love, you don’t count the cost
19. Keep Me in Your Heart - Warren Zevon
If I leave you it doesn’t mean I love you any less
Keep me in your heart for awhile
Hold me in your thoughts, take me to your dreams
Touch me as I fall into view
When the winter comes keep the fires lit
And I will be right next to you
Final song
20. The Mary Ellen Carter - Stan Rogers
Well, the owners wrote her off; not a nickel would they spend
She gave twenty years of service, boys, then met her sorry end
But insurance paid the loss to them, they let her rest below
Then they laughed at us and said we had to go
Those who loved her best and were with her till the end will make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again
She’d saved our lives so many times, living through the gale
And the laughing, drunken rats who left her to a sorry grave, they won’t be laughing in another day. . .
And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
Rise again, rise again - though your heart it be broken
And life about to end
No matter what you’ve lost, be it a home, a love, a friend
Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again
The song lyrics you see on this page were in some cases re-arranged from the order of the actual song; the list and the lyrics are meant to be poetical on their own, not just a list.
I found the song “Renegade” through a Mal fanvid of the same title, set to that song. It’s a beautiful piece of work, and one of the most perfect Mal songs I’ve heard. I highly recommend checking out the video if your internet connection allows it.
Thanks to Sarrava for introducing me to The Mary Ellen Carter…..what a fantanstic Firefly song.
The song “Can’t Stop the World” is the theme to another beloved and short-lived Tim Minear/Nathan Fillion show, Drive. I thought the lyrics suited Mal as well as Alex, Nathan’s character on Drive, so I enjoyed including it in a sneaky little crossover.