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Haunting House

by Menage a Tune

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The challenge for this first round was to write a song about a childhood nightmare, and to use plenty of rubato in it, which sent everyone racing over to Wiki while saying "What the heck is rubato???" Although songs about childhood are RIGHT up my alley, I swear I did NOT bribe anyone to get this as the first challenge. The ideas came fast and furious, as did the tune; in fact, within an hour of reading the post I had most of my lyrics and the basic tune done and recorded so it wouldn't run away, and was obnoxiously posting this fact by 2 am on twitter, lol.

The song is called Haunting House, and it is based on a recurring dream I have had for literally decades, since I was a kid. In it I dream I am approaching my home, the one I lived in from age 8-20, but there is something wrong with it. Sometimes it is obvious- it is split in half. Other times I can't tell what is wrong, but I know something is. My most recent dream about the house was on Jan 26th of this year...

I am NOT the only one who has had these repeating dreams about 130 Baylawn Avenue! When I was in my 30's, STILL having them, I mentioned it to my father, and jokingly told him that the house was haunting me. That was when he told me that my brother and sister as well as at least two of my step brothers who lived there after I had moved out ALSO had dreams about it...over and over and over.

Thing is, we were all pretty happy and secure when we lived there. So I have no idea why it keeps coming back to haunt us.

lyrics

Haunting House

There’s something wrong here
Something missing Something broken
I can see my house but something isn’t right

There’s something wrong here I can feel it
I move closer, slowing down
The school bus passes me but
I stand here in fright

And it is happening again
I’ve had this dream before
There always something broke or missing
There’s no roof or there’s no door
Sometimes the house is split in half
Or the front of it is gone
And I’m afraid to go inside
But I go on

There’s something wrong here
We had trees once. We had flowers.
Where’s the willow, pine and roses by the door

There’s something wrong here Where is my father?
There are strangers all around
Where did the kitchen go?
There are splinters on the ground

And it is happening again
I’ve had this dream before
There’s always someone who is missing
There’s always glass shards on the floor (or “please no more?”)
Now that my home is split in half
Now that my father’s gone
There is no safety here for me
But I go on

I am afraid of what I’ll see
But I go on

My house is waiting there for me
But I’ll go on….

credits

released January 29, 2012
Lyrics, basic tune and vocals by JoAnn Abbott
Instrumentation by Ted Kiper

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Menage a Tune Dale City, Virginia

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