a man a plan a canal panama
Apr 26, 2020
Tengo
Rotator
Come with us
On a journey to the isthmus
The canal belonged to France
Thought it wasn’t really a canal just yet
But then Teddy had something to say about that
So he came up with a plan
He said hey why not just buy the land from France?
Oh and what about Panamianan independence?
It was still Colombia
Not quite an independent Panama
But then Teddy sent the U S of A’s military
A man a plan a canal Panama Panama
A man a plan a canal Panama Panama
So Panama was born
But 50 miles of their homeland were torn
Into locks and dams and shipping ports
A silver lining came about
When Dr. William Gorgas figured out
That mosquitos carry diseases and must be wiped out
By the year 1905
Yellow fever was no longer alive
So many more Panamanians did survive
Come with us
On a journey to the isthmus
Looking for feedback on
A lil' history song
Discussion
nurphgun April 30, 2020 5:27pm
This rules. Pretty AND educational. The palindromic chorus melody is really unexpected and makes this much more than a little ditty.
Ben April 28, 2020 2:37pm
As someone who used to be addicted to watching videos on the internet of the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks filling up and and transporting cargo, I really appreciated this song.
daeclan April 27, 2020 12:27pm
this is an amazing interpretation, i love the way this comes together so effortlessly yet transmits information clearly & carries that forlorn feeling of our (albeit detached) involvement in this man made land water intervention thing.
Tengo April 28, 2020 11:26am
Thanks! I really want to get better at writing sad songs and this random little ditty offered a chance to get a little forlorn!
Sam Pearce April 27, 2020 12:02pm
Hey! I could listen to a whole album of history songs like this. And they could be organized by whatever principle you find inspiring: geography, chronology, globe>nation>city>individual, etc. “Isthmus” is one of my favorite words, and I’ve tried to put in a song at least once but never had the guts to commit. Really enjoyed this!
Tengo April 28, 2020 11:24am
Thanks, Sam! Yea i gotta admit I was pretty pumped when I had an excuse to use “isthmus”
Ryan April 27, 2020 11:59am
Only you, my man lol. Love hearing your voice! So warm. The way you sing “born” — yessir. Nylon sounds great, too. How’d you record it? Fleet Foxes would high-five you for the chorus, if high-fives were chill right now.
Tengo April 28, 2020 11:25am
Thank you my dude. Everything was recorded with my dinky little dynamic mic. Finally busted out my dad’s old Ovation 12 string to just add a little extra something on the chorus
nick April 27, 2020 9:29am
ughck so good
Tengo April 28, 2020 11:25am
<3
Kristoph April 26, 2020 10:18pm
This is a treat. Such a warm expression of a history lesson – Love how you spun the tale. – Oh, and the tones on this are spot, spot on.
Tengo April 28, 2020 11:26am
Thanks dude!
agasthya April 26, 2020 10:16pm
delivery on “So many more Panamanians did survive” was stellar. love this.
Tengo April 28, 2020 11:27am
Thanks! I struggled on a few lines on how to make all the syllables fit, but glad that the final line felt like a good landing
froebusiness April 26, 2020 9:55pm
Very wholesome. Nice job with the palindromic melody too.
Z April 26, 2020 9:20pm
Way to go with the complex palindromic melody, my palindrome was two notes up, two notes down. Parameter met.
Topical subject matter…
Thorough account of historical events…
In the words of Van Halen, I’m hot for teacher.
nick April 27, 2020 9:27am
^^^ can’t agree more
Tengo April 28, 2020 11:28am
hahah thanks, Z! I had fun making that melody. I decided to use a little Lydian mode action after going back to those guitar scale exercises Robin wrote out for us a few years ago