Dark Moon Rising

If the moon is for lovers, then the dark moon -- or Gegenschein -- would be for haters, right? It's just simple magical engineering theory.

At Dragoncon in Louisville, Kentucky (a one shot Anne McCaffrey con, not the one in Atlanta), we found ourselves sharing the hotel with the Kentucky high school basketball tournament. The mix between fen -- especially the younger, female fen who were in profusion there -- and the basketball fans (especially the younger, illegally drinking basketball fans) was unfortunate, and at least one young woman was molested by some of these folks in an elevator, despite the SF fans' best attempts to get the hotel to pay attention to the problem before it got out of hand. A lawsuit against the hotel followed.

So fellow filker Murray Porath is the lawyer for the plaintiff and calls me up to see if I have any useful testimony in the case. I hadn't really seen anything and told him so.

"These folks are really crazy," Murray said. "Some of them are complaining that they lost the basketball game because we put a curse on them."

"Ah, Murray, do you remember when a number of really tall guys stuck their heads into the filk room and you asked me to play 'Dark Moon Rising'? You don't suppose that they --"

"Bill, we will not be calling you as a witness."

Good choice, Murray. "So, did counsel for the plaintiff ask you to place a curse on this team, Mr. Roper?" *gack*

Am
The bright moon will not shine tonight.
   D
It will not shed its lovers' light.
     C
It's trapped and it is new upon
    E
The bright side with the sun.
    Am
But when the darkness comes
        D
And the stars replace the sun,
          F
You can't see it with your eyes
     E
But another moon will rise.

	(Chorus)
	F            Am
	Dark moon 'a-risin'– 
	D                         E
	Shining a light you can't see.
	Am                G
	Come the midnight hour,
	       F                    E
	I will take the dark moon's power– 
	    D              E           Am
	The dark light, my circle, and me.


The dark moon's light will be the aid
To power the spells that I have laid,
To send them shrieking out to do
The deeds that must be done.
Too many debts are owed– 
I'll repay them by the code.
The dark moon lends the power
And my magic is the mode.

(Chorus)

	     D                Am
	They say the power is evil.
	     D                Am
	They say the power is black.
	    D
	But I know that the evil lies
	   E
	In those who I attack!

Draw the circle on the ground.
Join the ends and make it round.
Cast the runes within to bend
The dark light to my will.
Catch the power in outstretched arms.
Set the force to bind the charms.
Through the runes beneath my feet,
The circle is complete.

(Chorus)
Am  D              E           Am
The dark light, my circle, and me.