Out of Sight

Please listen to my latest baby, and leave a comment! :)



Download link

"Mermen on the shore"

Please enjoy my latest composition: (you might prefer to download it -- Right click and Save Link As...)

bright eyed, cannon ball you
glanced into my mind and
pulled some strings of
words constructed#

where sailors roam the land
and pretty maidens on the sea
they wait for mermen on the shore
like you and me

* and i feel i wanna know the end
taking shortcuts thru a field of dreams
all the MEMories i've GOT oh i would give it in exchange
for a glimpse of who I'm gonna be

strange light pantomime
along the 22nd street@
at nights like these you feel at home
they stole my heart but
i don't mind
i've got plenty more to give
but to whom and when
the answer lies

Some notes:
@ 22 refers to a popular Elton John song with the line "22nd row".
# This verse is loosely adapted from an earlier song, Song-Giver.

I've spent a lot of time making this song, so please leave a comment :)

Wrong State of Mind

Once again I capture my thoughts in a song. It makes me feel better when I do. When I don't write for a certain period, I get sick in the head. And probably that's what's happening to me; have been getting crazy mood swings from one minute sad and the next minute happy, though I have no reason to be sad really. No I don't think so.

Anyway, this song summarizes how I felt this week. It's uploaded here in two takes, in my favourite Bryan Adams-ish voice. The first takes of any song is usually the better one, but I included the second take here also because it's different. I never sing a song the same way the first couple of times (after which it becomes boring to sing).

Here are the lyrics (give or take a few words :P):

I spend 20 minutes being sad

and the next 10 minutes being happy
And the next 10 thinking
how much I've gone mad

I sit and wonder why I'm constantly
(suddenly) drowned in a sea of agitation
I guess the workshop is a
devil's idle mind

The road looks empty going forward
and I shed a tear while I look behind
Ah ~ In the wrong state of mind
Ah ~ In the wrong state of mind

The Day After Today

This song is called "The Day After Today". Download link at end of post.



It's a very simple song to play. The chords are as follows:

D......................BM
today u taught me the words
........G
that i put into song and sing
A
back to u

today u showed me a tear
that fell to the ground
.....EM....A.....F#M
and grew into a tree

........BM
shading our hearts
........EM
sharing our worlds

G..................A....D..............BM
and we'd spend 4 hours looking at the clouds
G...................A...........BM
telling each other stories made up

and we'd spend 5 moments looking at each other's eyes
asking questions we never could say

G...........A.......D
where do u see tomorrow
what have we brought from yesterday?
G........A.............D
we say goodbye at the end of
.....BM
the bridge
.G...........A.......G.....A
where will u be the day after
...D
today?

i try to find a reason
i try to explain it off
but no words can bare my soul
G...............A.........D
no words could say how i feel
G...............A.........D
....................about u

If you use Slowmyx connection, you might prefer to download this song here.

Time is Right

This is the first song I wrote when I came to Kulim... scribbled on the first page and inner cover of my new notebook.



Mainly the thought I had while writing this was that life is essentially a series of rapidly passing phases... one moment you're doing this; the next you're somewhere else doing something else. I particularly love the final lines of the song, because it reflects this thought:

"But children grow as little birds fly
The movie scenes don't linger
And all the times I figured why
I couldn't find the answer"

I hope this song encourages you as it did me. You can download this song by clicking here.

Alien Anthem

A little ditty to fill the space. As with streaming audio, click pause until it finishes loading (hopefully). And with a lot of hopefulness, it will.

Beneath the Wind 2008 Rock Out Version

Because it's fun.

Beneath the Wind (2008)

Two years have passed since I wrote this song, and it has stayed and evolved with me so much over time to deserve a relaunch.

The lyrics have essentially remained the same, except for some words in the 1st verse replaced with similar sounding ones, which I'm prone to do. Click here for the lyrics from 2006 (will open in another window).
picsource

The Temple

I've come back I've locked the door
and the world don't see me no more
I've returned to this temple
mind, out of my own

CY sings 'Here in My Home' by Malaysian Artistes for Unity

The first time I watched the Here in My Home music video above (I have watched it many times since then), I was pleasantly surprised by Afdlin Shauki's perfect, non-accented English. The second thing that struck me was the fun and casual overall theme of the video directed by Yasmin Ahmad and Ho Yuhang, which made it a joy to watch.

Not to mention, that one-second shot of Daniel Lee which is enough to make a man question his (the viewer's) sexual orientation =.=

One thing that peeved me though, was how the verses didn't quite gel with the awesomeness of the chorus. To clarify, by 'awesomeness', I am referring to the melody first and the lyrics second. To be honest, some lines just do not make sense; the line, "But I'm strong, and you ain't heavy", is especially suspect. This gives the impression that the lyrics written merely to fit the melody, and not properly thought out.

(Aside: Not to say that it's a bad thing, and I shouldn't be the first to throw stones. It takes one to know one, anyway ;) )

Hence, to show my support for MAFU (Malaysian Artistes for Unity) and its theme of Malaysian unity, I will not just link to the video. Instead -- in line with Pete's call for listeners to post their own versions of the song -- I will go one step further by rewriting some of the lyrics to fit the feel of the song better. The only credit I deserve, if any, are the replaced words. The rest, including the backing track, are the hard work of MAFU and I respect that.

So here it is... Here in My Home, Karljam style!

Hold on brother hold on
The road is long. We’re on stony ground
But I am here. Don’t you worry
Oh there’s a misinformed group that cry
Colours don’t bind, oh no
What do they know? They speak loudly

Here in my home
I’ll tell you what it’s all about
There’s just one hope here in our hearts
One love undivided
That’s what it’s all about
Please won’t you sing it one by one by one with me?

(with thanks to Pete Teo)

The original last lines of the first verse (Oh there's a misspoken truth that lies / Colors don't bind, oh no / What do they know? They speak falsely) have been alleged by some commentators to be politically motivated. I have rewritten the words to hopefully solve this issue. Tell me what you think.

The Mental Battle

There are two reasons why I transcribe my feelings into words: One, I seek solace in words when the emotions well up inside me and writing them out helps me release them; and two, in the hopes that someone experiencing the same would be comforted to read in another person's words, a page from their life story.

Right now I'm scared.

For in a few days' time I will move to a place, somewhat out of my comfort zone that is my home and the familiar island of Penang, into the grounds of Kedah, where I will live on my own. To say that I'm scared is an understatement. I'm so afraid I'm near to crying.

The plenty of thoughts that invade my cranium, that beg with their arms outstretched for an answer each, are getting restless. They battle inside for a resolution of this uncertainty. They want to know what battles they will be fighting; who are the friends? who, the foes? what, the limitations? how, the road?

My double industrial training stints prior to this have broken my virginity to the working environment; yet at this moment, like a timid schoolgirl slowly peeling off her clothes, I feel most vulnerable. And strangely, I feel unready.

Where has my confidence gone?

I look forward to living on my own, to be responsible for my own life, but atop all things I look forward to the peace. For in peacefulness I feel most comfortable. But alas, the line between peacefulness and loneliness is an unclear one.

I worry that I will become too engulfed in my thoughts, which could result in dire consequences to my mental health. I know for it has happened before; there is every danger of that reoccurring any second from now. However, this is easily overcome by distracting myself from my own thoughts, for example, by talking to friends.

But will the distractions be at reach?

I find no reasons to assure myself, to calm this storm that only I can see and suffer.

I'd do it if I could hold on to this moment
to say the words that I wanted to say
When it feels like the last line

when I've only just begun, my friend
This is now, this is it, it's the end

On the Wrong Side of Dead

We all have days when we wake in the morning and our mind's a total wreck, and we stay in bed for a few more minutes trying to think clearly. I capture this moment in words...



Last night's hangover remains
.................... and you wonder
.................... must I wake up at all?
When the only thing you can hear is your heart
And your head screams wildly
.................... like a madman
.................... rampaging
And if anyone could be inside your head right now
.................... They'd be terrified to death
.................... and instantly repent
But they don't, for outside you're perfectly calm
.................... like a lake belying its occupants
.................... so you lie

And you hear almost nothing
.................... as your eyes dart around
.................... like a first time tourist in a dangerous town
The sounds are too many
.................... the sights are too bare
.................... there's plenty of things to think everywhere
And yet as I write this they start to subside
.................... Like retreating oceans
.................... they surrender, divide
And you're left in the state
.................... when you thought was right
.................... thieves no longer steal in the heat of the night
"Stop screaming!" I said
.................... "stop this camaraderie"
Only to realize
.................... in the din, that the culprit
.................... was me

Blowing in the Wind - Bob Dylan cover

This is Karljam's interpretation of Bob Dylan's classic Blowing in the Wind.

How many roads must a man walk down
before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
before she sleeps in the sand?
How many times must the cannonballs fly
before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
the answer is blowing in the wind

How many years must a mountain exist
before they're washed to the sea?
How many years can some people exist
before they're allowed to be free?
How many times can a man turn his head
pretend that he doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
the answer is blowing in the wind

How many times must a man look up
before he can see the sky?
How many ears must one man have
before he can hear people cry?
How many deaths will it take till he knows
that too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
it's blowing in the wind
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
the answer is blowing in the wind...

(with many thanks to Bob Dylan)

Mirai E... English version?

Couldn't get Kiroro's Mirai E out of my head, so I started making up English lyrics for it. These lyrics are truer to the Chinese version of the song by Rene Liu, which tells of lost love. One problem though, is that Rene's lyrics are written from a female point-of-view, and directly translating the verses would make it too feminine for me to sing. Any ideas for the verses (you can even rewrite the chorus if you wish)? HINT: Help me complete this song!

This is what I have at the moment...

Second Chance (only the chorus)


Oh I, have fin'lly learned to love
The girl that once was mine
A very long, long time ago
Oh my, through all my tears I've understood
That in love, you don't get a second chance

Early Days

My latest baby!

"In This Hour"

As always, my songs reflect what I'm going through at the moment. See if you can figure out the meaning behind this!

<

IN THIS HOUR

Running out of line was common and painful
That it's much easier to learn the ways of the common
and silent
For in silence no one knows the fool
In heated debates both parties stand to lose
And I no longer have the extra energy
To go against the wind

So forgive me if in this hour
I choose to indulge myself
In the dreams of a little boy
that was once me
As I step on the stage holding my guitar
I know I still sing funny
Sometimes angry, sometimes sad
Sometimes strong and sometimes my heart out's to let
And if only you'd just listen
You'd find there's so much more to be seen

...I may sing of many things
And if only you'd just listen
You'd find there's so much more to be seen

(c) 2007, CY "Karljam the jamming Geminian"

After the Fight is Gone

AFTER THE FIGHT IS GONE (c) 2007 CY

Back to Basics

"...I know that he [CY] plays the guitar and he composes nice songs! Would love to meet him some day. :D" - Clare, Kampua Talk: My (not only) 20 friends

Recent weeks have been spent engulfed, drowned and drained in my academic journey that I've very much neglected to please my other passion -- music. So out of guilt and plenty of thought, I've indulged in singing again tonight... for many hours and it's amazing that I feel much healthier and happier now because of it.

With every song I write, I have no certainty that I'll write again. And it is how it is now. I'm not sure, now that I've developed a more argumentative and scientific train of thought -- in preparation for my long-term goal in academia -- whether I'll write again soon or sometime from now.

Somehow, I feel quite detached from stringing words as I usually do. But I've been consciously trying to regain this skill and I feel it's coming back soon.

By the way, have I mentioned that all my songs are recorded and mixed with this?

My Eyes are Closed

Dear jammers,
GEMINI (the blog, not me) turns ONE! Thank you so much for making this possible.

Closed

strange that i feel this stirring
and there's no point asking why
the 'me' that doesn't speak
and cannot form words, understands

* my eyes are closed but inside this heart is open
and when the wind blows in my hair
my eyes are closed but inside this heart is broken
you will find me standing there

i think i could learn to know
that i'm burdening myself
the introduction's barely started
it's a long story, no rush

(repeat *)

the 'me' that speaks wants to know
if i've figured it out
should i cover my eyes
before this breaks?

(repeat *)

do i need to rush
would i need to rush with you?

(repeat *) find me standing there

Lyrics by Beverly Y. Music by Cheah CY
(c) All rights reserved 2007, Beve / CY.

...and say Hi to Beve, who wrote the words (See her original poem here)

Ps. Shoutout to Twisted Heels for supporting GEMINI since its early days... before KARLJAM was recognized by Google and known to the blogosphere :) Jam on! Jam on!

Hear Me Out

Inspired by, and in support of American Idol's Idol Gives Back campaign in aid of African children.

everywhere around the world
as you're listening to this
a child is dying

because of poverty
maybe because of AIDS
(or) because...
they've lost the will to think straight

but this shouldn't be
where did we go wrong?
have we stopped listening?

just look around you
when you're walking on the street
just look around you
people reaching out their hands
look around you
they are calling out for
just a little piece of joy
they're calling out:

look at me... (x3)
but most importantly, they're saying:

"hear me out... (x8)"

so that's the reality of it
sometimes when
we spend our days
complaining of routine
fussing over what to wear
worrying over what to eat
complaining about petty friends
just thinking of that upcoming assignment
fessing up over nothing
someone else is thinking about

their lives
and if only we'd just listen
we'll hear them sing:

"hear me out... (x8)"

"hear me out... (x6)"

hear me out, just hear me out

Written / performed / mixed by CY
All rights reserved 2007, CY / The Gemini

What can we do to make their lives just that little bit brighter?
picsource