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TylertheCreator
2016-02-02, 02:20 AM
So I'm running a D&D 5e campaign, and I've decided to add a little bit of flavor in the form of an ongoing sidequest. A group of bards that collects traditional tavern music has lost all of their collected songs in a fire. They ask the PCs to bring back any written tavern songs they find in exchange for around 50 gp each (depending on the rarity of the song.) We play with Roll20, so as an added bonus, I intend to put each new song they find into the Tavern Music playlist when they find it, to reflect that the bards have distributed the song that they found to the pubs in the land.

The thing is, I need songs.

Now, Irish folk music abounds, but a lot of it has incredibly specific lyrical content referring to real-world places, people, ore events that simply don't exist in my fantasy setting. I need songs that are vague enough in their lyrical content that they can be applied to a fantasy setting, -and- I need it to be available on SoundCloud so that I can add it to Roll20's jukebox (unless there's some way to import your own music that I don't know about). Any help would be greatly appreciated!

JoeJ
2016-02-02, 03:12 AM
I don't know what Sound Cloud is or how to get songs onto it, but this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjajL7JZsxU) would be a great song for what you want.

Madbox
2016-02-02, 03:42 AM
Here's (https://soundcloud.com/veogirl/final-fantasy-crystal) a song from one of my favorite games, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, for the Gamecube. Not sure if it's tavern-y enough, but it is pretty heavy on the World Music/Celtic Folk sound. It's a touch slow at first, but it picks up around 40 seconds in.

kraftcheese
2016-02-02, 04:47 AM
So I'm running a D&D 5e campaign, and I've decided to add a little bit of flavor in the form of an ongoing sidequest. A group of bards that collects traditional tavern music has lost all of their collected songs in a fire. They ask the PCs to bring back any written tavern songs they find in exchange for around 50 gp each (depending on the rarity of the song.) We play with Roll20, so as an added bonus, I intend to put each new song they find into the Tavern Music playlist when they find it, to reflect that the bards have distributed the song that they found to the pubs in the land.

The thing is, I need songs.

Now, Irish folk music abounds, but a lot of it has incredibly specific lyrical content referring to real-world places, people, ore events that simply don't exist in my fantasy setting. I need songs that are vague enough in their lyrical content that they can be applied to a fantasy setting, -and- I need it to be available on SoundCloud so that I can add it to Roll20's jukebox (unless there's some way to import your own music that I don't know about). Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I really like some of the songs in AC; Black Flag. To be fair most of them are sea shanties, but there's songs that are played in port taverns by a little band of performers, ones like "Trooper and the Maid" which I reckon would go off with your typical tavern crowd and doesn't mention anything immersion breaking I don't think?

Also, the version of William Taylor they have in it is great too; BUT they mention England once and pistols later as well. Some of the sea shanties that are great too but most of them mention towns, people, etc. or theyre VERY sailing themed.

BWR
2016-02-02, 05:21 AM
There's a great collection of songs and poems from the early 18th century "Pills to purge melancholy". Some of them have been recorded by various people (like Ed McCurdy) Sadly, Youtube won't show me it but it might work for you.
Songs like this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hah628_W6n0) and this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRx5FD4ZWLI) sound like what you want.

8BitNinja
2016-02-03, 02:22 PM
Check out Skyrim's bard songs

There is also Jimmy's perform skill in South Park: The Stick of Truth

Douche
2016-02-03, 02:41 PM
The dragonborn comes, the dragonborn comes, the draaagon draaaagon dragonborn comes

Madbox
2016-02-03, 02:51 PM
Wait, who comes? Is it a person who can get magic powers by stealing the souls from dragons they kill, or is it a person who looks like an anthropomorphic dragon? :smalltongue:

Red Fel
2016-02-03, 03:52 PM
I'd suggest looking into some of the Discworld songs, like "A Wizard's Staff Has a Knob at the End," and that lovely little shanty about what you cannot do to a hedgehog at all.

GnollOfErathis
2016-02-03, 06:17 PM
"All for One" by Blackmore's Night (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackmore%27s_Night)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-EXfyd8L9Y

Mith
2016-02-03, 07:54 PM
Ramblin Rover by Silly Wizard (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEMXYJeCNPY)

Perhaps it was written by a bard that claimed to have aspirations to be a wizard, and was dubbed "the Silly Wizard"

Also, as a Canadian, I am contractually obligated to mention Stan Rogers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIwzRkjn86w) and Great Big Sea (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYo6KqaSd3o).

dramatic flare
2016-02-04, 12:40 AM
Tavern songs? Step right up, lad. I've got more tavern songs memorized, performed and forgotten than you've got minutes in the day. Why for instance, you could have them do:

Fathom the bowl (changing ireland to something else)
Mad Maudlin
Crabfish (explicit)
Health to the Company
Three Travelers
Fire Down Below (cursing)
All for me Grog
Humors of Whisky

And so much more if'n you want flavors? Most Irish and Scottish tunes can be reworked, and have themes of oppression and sticking it to the English(aka "fantasy kingdom conquoring other nearby kingdoms"), drinkin', and wild tall tales! There's more sea shanties for rollickin' adventures in that ther' Black Flag someone else already mentioned (which also made me hobby easier to explain than any other thing, ever) for that extra nautical theme.

There's also the tavern songs from Dragon Age: Inquisition, the bands Blind Guardian, Falconer, and Rhapsody of Fire with fantasy themed pieces you could steal for your purposes.

The options are endless lad, be ye the type to take 'em.

Feddlefew
2016-02-04, 01:45 AM
I like using the music from the Dwarf Fortress soundsense mod in my games. (https://soundcloud.com/simonswerwer/the-tankard-basher-1?in=simonswerwer/sets/dwarf-fortress-soundsense)

ruhijuneja1991
2016-02-04, 02:04 AM
You can try out this tavern song-> Blow The Candles Out.

Just search it in Youtube.

Kane0
2016-02-04, 02:07 AM
Lord bless Charlie Mopps, the man who invented beer!

Madbox
2016-02-04, 02:34 AM
I suppose it would be fitting that you give the bards a song from Bard's Tale.

kraftcheese
2016-02-04, 05:18 AM
You can try out this tavern song-> Blow The Candles Out.

Just search it in Youtube.

Oh I forgot about "Blow the Candles Out" when I was mentioning Black Flag! I love the tavern band in the various ports, their renditions of bawdy pub tunes sound so great.

Logosloki
2016-02-04, 06:16 AM
It warms my heart to see two posts at least referencing a bard's tale and it's most excellent tavern song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrEFWv8aSQ8

TheTeaMustFlow
2016-02-04, 06:22 AM
'Here's a Health to the Company' is both nice and unspecific, though the AC jokes are annoying for those of us who've known the song for a decade.

Andezzar
2016-02-04, 06:46 AM
The dragonborn comes, the dragonborn comes, the draaagon draaaagon dragonborn comesThere once was a hero named Ragnar the Red... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nexk5FsBDTM) - Just replace Whiterun and Rorikstead with appropriate town names if you don't like them.


I'd suggest looking into some of the Discworld songs, like "A Wizard's Staff Has a Knob at the End," and that lovely little shanty about what you cannot do to a hedgehog at all.I don't think Sir Terry ever published the whole songs.

Some Pub songs without geographical references:
Seven Deadly Sins (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRhcxbA138Q)
Seven Drunken Nights (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8Hb5nzwE4I) Since this is a family friendly forum you have to look for stanzas six and seven yourself :smallwink:
A Pub with no Beer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJW19nlzb3Q)
Gentleman Soldier (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21dRPu_v1xU)
McCafferty (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPr95y0c_u4)

@TheTeaMust Flow: I see your AC reference and raise you this one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPdahIRhXJg).

8BitNinja
2016-02-04, 09:41 AM
Not really a tavern song but

Sir Robin's Song from Monty Python and the Holy Grail

TheTeaMustFlow
2016-02-04, 10:31 AM
@TheTeaMust Flow: I see your AC reference and raise you this one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPdahIRhXJg).

GAAA, You see what I mean? Bloody Assassins, stealing things other people did first and better. :smalltongue:

denthor
2016-02-07, 10:59 AM
Anything with drink drink drink as a chorus

Apricot
2016-02-07, 11:23 AM
Ninety-nine bottles of beer will never let you down. If bottles aren't common, try "ninety-nine mugs of cold beer on the wall" as the verse instead, or put in your own adjective over "cold." If they don't drink beer, then "beer" can be replaced by "drink." It's a song for every time and place!

JAL_1138
2016-02-07, 11:49 AM
March of Cambreadth and Brannigan's Special Ale are always good. A lot of Alexander James Adams (FKA Heather Alexander) tunes are great for fantasy games; they're sort of meant to be, really.

Excession
2016-02-07, 02:48 PM
How about this: https://youtu.be/DCAFD8mMqls

Not on Sound Cloud, but you could just ask your players to open it in another tab.

Faily
2016-02-07, 05:31 PM
Sharing some of the artists I follow on YouTube for this purpose:

Karliene (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-QCyIGEY6DzNyQOnyxIaEg) - has done songs from the Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, self-written and composed stuff, and has an admitted love for "bardic" music and traditions. Recommend the Lament for Boromir, King Beneath the Mountain, Last of the Giants, and Dornishman's Wife,

Erutan (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrvczGINBiBV-N9mZybHCZQ) - done many covers of game-songs, many self-composed things. Also another bard-person. Plays all her own instruments too. Recommend... well almost everything from this girl. Especially her Raindancer album.

Also, check out Medićval Bćbes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medi%C3%A6val_B%C3%A6bes) for an all-female group who does all sorts of old medieval music.

Traab
2016-02-07, 05:36 PM
This works (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUUSYt1Myd8) There are a lot of songs taken from valdemar, a fantasy world written by a fairly popular author. I just grabbed a link at random, there will be far more to choose from.

Templarkommando
2016-02-07, 05:50 PM
One of my favorite Celtic music groups is the High Kings that has a good repertoire. Some of it is covers from other groups, but I think it has a good quality. Several of them include mentions of real world cities and counties if you're going to picky about it. Songs that I would recommend from this group include:

Star of the County Down
Step it out Mary
The Parting Glass
Whiskey in the Jar
Finnegan's Wake
The Rising of the Moon

There are a lot of youtube videos that you can find on this playlist, but honestly a lot of their material is worth a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QdbeM2JWYE&list=PL3AAB13E7E393D4DF

I would also like to echo that Stan Rogers' Barret's Privateers is a good choice.

Let me try to steer you in the right direction as far as youtube searches. Words like medieval, Renaissance, pipe, fife, flute, lute, harp, Celtic, Irish, Scotish, Welsh, Italian, French etc. are all likely to yield good results. For example, the terms "Italian Renaissance Music" yields the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKjadi_rvP0 which is a reasonably suitable selection of period lute music.

You also might try specific compositions. The most popular song of the middle ages is a song known as "Sumer is Icumen In" which has a kabillion variations online. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiNkouCVrpA is a good instrumental version, but there are vocal versions as well.

If you can find specific popular medieval or Ren era composers would also be useful. Machaut wrote this song for example, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yi2MMtIimY

This song is by Du Fay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLwMEBlBBB4

Some of these songs might not be appropriate for a tavern though; however, there might be versions of the song that are. There is such a thing as a parody mass that takes a popular tune and uses it in a religious setting, so some of these might be interchangeable between taverns and churches.

Finally, video game and TV music is quite reasonable. Several people have suggested selections from Skyrim and Elder Scrolls, which is okay I suppose, but there are others out there as well. The World of Warcraft Tavern music springs to mind for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnJp_s7ow7A

also stuff like Game of Thrones like the Rains of Castamere which in addition to the TV addition has some fan produced versions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU8eL2CjzHw
Simply look for fantasy games and see what kind of music you can come up from a search. A look through your Steam game list might be worth a shot.

I hope this helps.

GnollOfErathis
2016-02-07, 08:03 PM
The Revels (http://www.revels.org/) album A Revels Celebration of Spring, Summer & Fall (http://www.allmusic.com/album/revels-celebration-of-spring-summer-fall-mw0000666143) might be a good place to look (samples included in link).

Chester
2016-02-07, 08:21 PM
Anything with drink drink drink as a chorus

Like this? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mxV6Ub52Io)

MrZJunior
2016-02-07, 09:39 PM
Depending on what exactly you mean by "fantasy" this song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUTBYI6rcxs)might work.

This one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qmwil3zVoM) is great, it's absolutely hilarious.

BootStrapTommy
2016-02-07, 09:52 PM
Here's (https://soundcloud.com/veogirl/final-fantasy-crystal) a song from one of my favorite games, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, for the Gamecube. Not sure if it's tavern-y enough, but it is pretty heavy on the World Music/Celtic Folk sound. It's a touch slow at first, but it picks up around 40 seconds in.Amazeballs game!

Dragon Age: Inquisition has a number of good ones. The theme is amazing. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdJ4iuQY7Yw) Didn't like Sera but loved her song. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLPOn_G95zs)

Here is a video of white people doing mariachi, with lyrics which work in almost any setting. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWe_UiWhoWE)

dramatic flare
2016-02-08, 02:43 AM
I would also like to echo that Stan Rogers' Barret's Privateers is a good choice.


I think that's an excellent song, but not for this purpose. The word "American" shows up every chorus, and the song itself starts off with "the year was 1778", setting a time-keeping precedent that may not be reflected in a general fantasy setting. Given, all of that can be fixed with careful reading and rewriting, but Barrett's Privateers is especially subject to such rewrites.

Winter_Wolf
2016-02-08, 04:45 AM
Anything with drink drink drink as a chorus

Like the Alestorm song? They're kinda pirate theme centric, but totally tavern songs. I have the framework of a drinking game based on their song "Drink". Needs tweaking though; as is, it's practically "alcohol poisoning: the speed round."

Gravitron5000
2016-02-08, 09:39 AM
Malukah has done some nice covers of a few video game songs that fit the bill.

https://www.youtube.com/user/malufenix

8BitNinja
2016-02-08, 09:44 AM
Use any song about bars

50% of country music

Templarkommando
2016-02-08, 07:17 PM
I think that's an excellent song, but not for this purpose. The word "American" shows up every chorus, and the song itself starts off with "the year was 1778", setting a time-keeping precedent that may not be reflected in a general fantasy setting. Given, all of that can be fixed with careful reading and rewriting, but Barrett's Privateers is especially subject to such rewrites.

You are correct inthat the reference to America every chorus and how the song starts with 1778 would be anachronistic in a fantasy setting. However, if the requirements for music in the group are a little relaxed, it might be an option. That's all that I meant.

Jay R
2016-02-09, 12:31 AM
I would certainly open with this one (http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.php?p=18824&postcount=1), but I don't know where to find the music for it.

HurinSmite
2016-02-09, 04:34 AM
I can still not put a link in my reply BUT I can tell you that to add your own music to a Roll20 jukebox you would have to make your own soundcloud account and upload the songs to it. Link? wiki.roll20.net/Jukebox#Using_Your_Own_Music.2FSounds

I know you wanted tavern songs with somewhat indechipherable lyrics but I would say that my own experience with music in a session is that it should NOT have lyrics at all. Instrumental music is what I prefer. However I did have some success with playing "Hunt or be hunted - Witcher 3" when my party was fleeing a squad of orc rangers.

On that note I'd suggest some of the other songs in Witcher 3. I don't know it's polish or just nonsensical singing in them but I definetly don't understand the lyrics so maybe you could use them?

8BitNinja
2016-02-09, 01:33 PM
Sing the song about how the Dwarves got the Amulet from Freya

BigNorm
2016-02-09, 03:38 PM
"Titties and beer" by Rodney Carrington. :smallbiggrin:

Mith
2016-02-10, 12:37 PM
I mostly suggested Barrett's Privateers as a sample of Stan's music. Most music I would put in the background is more for the atmosphere, rather then the actual lyrics working in the setting. Stan would have a few songs that work for a no-specified setting, but most of his music is pretty Canadian.

Nepenthe
2016-02-10, 01:38 PM
"Oi" by Carbon Leaf has a great medieval feel. Not sure if it's on Soundcloud though.

It's impossible to hear "The Fox and the Hare" (also Carbon Leaf) without grabbing the nearest mug of ale and swinging it back and forth. Unfortunately, it mentions Nazis.
EDIT: also Boyscouts.

8BitNinja
2016-02-10, 01:40 PM
It wouldn't really work that well because of real-world references, but the Irish Drinking Song

Mithral Gnome
2016-02-10, 10:46 PM
Look at Brandon and Derek Fiechter's Inns and Villages album or possibly Nord Mead by Miracle of Sound.

Lvl 2 Expert
2016-02-11, 05:06 AM
Walking down canal street (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking_Down_Canal_Street)?

It's ummm... kind of explicit, and I don't know if any (good (http://maxhunter.missouristate.edu/songinformation.aspx?id=1426)) recorded versions exist, but it doesn't really refer to anything that couldn't exist in a medieval fantasy world.

I'd also check out some Alestorm songs. They're meant to be piratey rather than medievally, and not all of them are free of modern references, but there might be something in there you can use.

TheTeaMustFlow
2016-02-11, 10:16 AM
Marching songs are good, and normally quite easy to adapt. 'L'homme armé' would be a perfect example, except for the slight impediment of it being in French. 'Marching Through Georgia', 'Battle Cry of Freedom' and 'Yellow Rose of Texas' are quite easy to adapt too - Battle Cry is always good for the 'Soldiers on Both Sides Are Singing The Same Song, Look We're Not That Different Really' thing.

Why are there so many songs from the American Civil War? It always gives me the image of the whole thing being very Les Mis.

8BitNinja
2016-02-11, 01:20 PM
A song about a BAR

not a bar where you drink, a Browning Automatic Rifle

Zumbs
2016-02-12, 03:58 PM
The Brobdingnagian Bards (http://thebards.net/) has some pretty nice tunes that could fit well inside a fantasy world.

For a few laughs, check out Do Virgins Taste Better (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv-_oIzn-9E), If I Had a Million Ducats (https://soundcloud.com/spacemanaut/brobdingnagian-bards-if-i-had) or Old Dun Cow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M78iPufVgOY).

You could also check out the Glass Hammer. They wrote an entire album with music inspired by the Lord of the Rings, Dwalf and Orc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyExiTGboRI) is probably the one with the least world specific stuff in it.

I couldn't find most of it on soundcloud, so I linked youtube instead. Maybe other artists recorded similar stuff and uploaded it to soundcloud?

mig el pig
2016-02-12, 07:26 PM
Shady Groves american-irish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-kaG1NuLZM
Pentangle British folk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFuxq_J1VuA

Bohandas
2016-02-17, 12:03 AM
How about Barnacle Bill the Sailor (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y7iy1qiR-E)?

(before anyone freaks out, that link's to one of the clean versions)

TheTeaMustFlow
2016-02-17, 10:01 AM
How about Barnacle Bill the Sailor (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y7iy1qiR-E)?

(before anyone freaks out, that link's to one of the clean versions)

Given that no-one blinked at Canal Street, I don't think you've got anything to worry about.

Beleriphon
2016-02-17, 01:11 PM
Marching songs are good, and normally quite easy to adapt. 'L'homme armé' would be a perfect example, except for the slight impediment of it being in French. 'Marching Through Georgia', 'Battle Cry of Freedom' and 'Yellow Rose of Texas' are quite easy to adapt too - Battle Cry is always good for the 'Soldiers on Both Sides Are Singing The Same Song, Look We're Not That Different Really' thing.

Why are there so many songs from the American Civil War? It always gives me the image of the whole thing being very Les Mis.

Most song from the French Revolution are drinking songs, they just happen to be about kicking the King in out, or beheading people, or stringing them up from lamp posts.

Bohandas
2016-02-17, 02:05 PM
Given that no-one blinked at Canal Street, I don't think you've got anything to worry about.

In that case I'd also like to suggest "God How The Money Rolls In" and "Good Ship Venus"

Janus
2016-02-17, 03:04 PM
OHHHHHHHH
There once was a lad named Baragin
Who fell in love with a paladin
The holy knight was a bonny lass
With golden hair, and a nice, round—

*reads thread*
Dang it, I thought you wanted us to write you fantasy tavern songs. :smallfrown:

Andezzar
2016-02-17, 03:26 PM
Shield, you were going to say shield, right?

Bohandas
2016-02-17, 05:11 PM
OHHHHHHHH
There once was a lad named Baragin
Who fell in love with a paladin
The holy knight was a bonny lass
With golden hair, and a nice, round—

*reads thread*
Dang it, I thought you wanted us to write you fantasy tavern songs. :smallfrown:

That'd probably be good too.

goto124
2016-02-18, 02:29 AM
OHHHHHHHH
There once was a lad named Baragin
Who fell in love with a paladin
The holy knight was a bonny lass
With golden hair, and a nice, round—

Wait, only one? That's suspicious!

Andezzar
2016-02-18, 02:31 AM
Why would she have more than one?

Bohandas
2016-02-18, 02:42 AM
Why would she have more than one?

My guess is the mad scientist from South Park

Andezzar
2016-02-18, 02:47 AM
I don't watch that show.

goto124
2016-02-18, 03:09 AM
Because, I dunno, women usually have two?

What are we even talking about?

Andezzar
2016-02-18, 03:18 AM
I'm pretty sure you are supposed to have only one posterior. Shields are more expendable gear IRL, but with magic items that is less of an issue.

goto124
2016-02-18, 03:25 AM
Oh, I thought we were talking about... something on the woman's chest.

Lvl 2 Expert
2016-02-18, 03:59 AM
Ass is a closer rhyming match to lass than breast is.

Case closed.

8BitNinja
2016-02-18, 09:36 AM
The greed dragon song from Lord of the Rings

huge stretch

Socksy
2016-02-18, 09:54 AM
Has anyone suggested Alestorm (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpmH4GvnC0AmPhrLUAKJyUg) yet?

TheTeaMustFlow
2016-02-18, 10:51 AM
Has anyone suggested Alestorm (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpmH4GvnC0AmPhrLUAKJyUg) yet?

Indeed (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20410119&postcount=47)they have (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20397586&postcount=35). Personally, I feel Alestorm's generally a bit too metal for this though.

8BitNinja
2016-02-18, 01:16 PM
Go for the ESO bard songs
we already suggested Skyrim ones so why not?