WELCOME
Some of you know me as a long-time resident of Japan. Or that I was born in New York City (1952) and lived there until 1979. Or that I spent about a year studying in Scandinavia (mostly Helsingør, Denmark but also on a pig farm in Brøttum, Norway) in 1975-76. Or that I have been teaching ESL/EFL, first in New York and later in Japan: Tokyo, Oita, Yamaguchi, Miyazaki and Fukuoka.
WHY I CREATED THIS PAGE
Because for a long time I was constantly writing songs. Some protest (anti-war and the like). Some romantic, starting from a time when it was all in my head, and later songs about blossoming and “lost love” as we say in Japan (I think). Many of the songs are allegorical. (I will be making notes about that as I upload the audio and lyrics for my songs.)
But as time passes, the frequency of my song writing has diminished. And yet my songs are a big part of who I am. So this page will be where I will be sharing some of them with you. There will also be a few poems.
MY MUSICAL TRAINING
A word about my music education: I lived next to the registrar of the Third Street Music School in lower Manhattan. Because my father was an untrained operatic baritone who sang in the bathtub, and I appeared to be following in his footsteps, he arranged for me to study theory and piano at Third Street. The problem was that I had a pretty good ear (I could play melodies after hearing them once or twice) and I was resistant to learning how to sight read. I also sucked (and still suck) at rhythm. My wife keeps reminding me about that.
Later I studied voice, thanks to a recommendation by a Metropolitan Opera chorus member (Tim) whose day job was as a guard at the Staten Island Museum. (My doting father insisted I sing for him right there in the museum.)
Silas Engum was my first teacher, and later (at Queens College), Robert White. But I had doubts about my musicianship, which—like math, I am bizarrely proud of having failed all through high school, has always been just out of reach. At least the technical side. I only recently—in 2021–tested pretty high on various ADHD markers like inability to focus on one thing. So in retrospect, I can better understand why I didn’t pursue opera/music theory. I can also better understand how many of the things I do are interconnected. I think the current lingo is “neuro diverse”. For example, music and language are linked in my approach to teaching, which is also influenced by my mixed feelings about an educational system heavy on evaluation, a system that has only grown more insidious since it came under the infleunce of neoliberalism
AFTER LEAVING MUSIC EDUCATION
So, after two years in the Queen College music program, I switched to an interdisciplinary major in the German and Scandinavian department. And then went on to get a Masters in language education. It wasn’t just my complex about musicianship. I was split between opera (and most western classical music) and folk music (a broad term which includes 60s-70s “folk revival” stuff, protest music such as Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and more: traditional music of most counties, blues and other genres sung by people like Dave Van Ronk, David Bromberg, Bonnie Raitt, Gordon Bok and so much more. Another thing that made me odd in the eyes of my friends was that I didn’t like (and still don’t) most rock.
Anyway, welcome to my page.
This post will also serve as the table of contents to songs as they are added.
Note that recordings were made from the early 80s until 2007. The 2007 songs were originally recorded on CD and are available for free streaming and, in a few cases, download. No-one has ever bought one. So please stream. At one time Itunes was free to stream but that has now been monetized, so as the music links get broken I will be replacing and updating them.
Lyrics and music are often on the same page, but sometimes there is a link from the lyrics page to the music page. And some music pages, conversely, also contain lyrics. Facebook and personal page links listed below in most cases.
Unless otherwise noted, all songs are by Paul Arenson 1966-present
Song 1-Protest/Allegory
Good Ship England or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=119643561113843&id=100092045993088
Song 2- Protest/Allegory
Tired Old Trawler or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=119701301108069&id=100092045993088
Song 3-Humor
Pressures of the World or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=119705791107620&id=100092045993088
Songs 4 and 5-Protest/Allegory
A. Ballad of Chong-Gyan Yong (melody Tom Paxton) and
B. The Revision (melody Phil Ochs or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=118699741208225&id=100092045993088
Songs 6 and 7-Love
A. Many Times I have loved and B. My Lady’s a wild flying dove (Tom Paxton)
or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=120660891012110&id=100092045993088
Song 8-Protest/Allegory
Go down you broken old man or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=120711327673733&id=100092045993088
Song 9-Protest/Allegory
Amazing Grace (traditional, new lyrics by Paul Arenson) or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=120713597673506&id=100092045993088
Song 10-Humor
Tofu Spaghetti or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=120760344335498&id=100092045993088
Song 11-Protest/Allegory
Strikers line or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=120774571000742&id=100092045993088
Song 12-Lament
Bar at Midnight or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=120800847664781&id=100092045993088
Song 13-Protest/Allegory
The highway song or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=120819537662912&id=100092045993088
Song 14-Protest/Allegory
There’s a lesson to be learned in the trees or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=120831180995081&id=100092045993088
Song 15-Humor
Fantasy song (Swedish) or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=120840234327509&id=100092045993088
Song 16-Protest/Allegory
The winds of war—> Music deleted by website: See alternative version with lyrics of several songs here:
Paul opens for David Rovics in Tokyo circa 2008
In the bar at Midnight (same as 12 above), Luang Prabang (Pat Sky), Each day is different (same as song 19 above), Ballad of Chong Gyan-Yong (same as 4 above), Winds of War (written in 1981)
https://archive.org/details/PaulArensonPaulArensonopeningforDavidRovics
Around 1981 I read a book and heard a recording by the Committee to send photographic records of the atomic bombings to children of the world: 子供たちに／原爆の記録を送る会。I was impressed and made this song. A few years later there was a movie with the same name.
It is mostly a warning about the creeping militarism of the establishment right in Japan, who are essentially acting as puppets of the US. So it at once criticizes the US atomic bombing as well as US domination of Japan, plus Japanese militarism before and now.
Song 17-Love
Song for Kyoko or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=120854444326088&id=100092045993088
Song 18-Impressionistic
Rippling sea (Lyrics by Hajime Uehara) or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=120855924325940&id=100092045993088
Song 19-Love
Each day is different or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=120856570992542&id=100092045993088
Songs 20 and 21-Love
A. I’d like to sit down by you
B. Spider song or https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=120857074325825&id=100092045993088
Song 22-Love
The night is young
Song 23-Love
Three months ago
OTHER SONGS-No lyric pages
Song 24-Katy Cruel-traditional Scots, recorded live circa 1981
https://archive.org/details/paularensonKatyCruel
Song 25-Bojangles-Jerry Jeff Walker recorded live circa 1981
https://archive.org/details/paularensonbojangles
With student singing in Japanese
Various from the 1980s -Details to be added
https://archive.org/details/paularenson80santhologypt1
https://archive.org/details/paularenson8santhologypt2
Various 1960s-70s -Details to be added
https://archive.org/details/paularenson60santhologypt1
https://archive.org/details/PaulArenson60santhologypt2correctfile
https://archive.org/details/paularenson60santhologypartIII
https://archive.org/details/paularenson60santhologypt4
https://archive.org/details/paularenson60santhologypt5
https://archive.org/details/PaulArenson60sand70santhology
https://archive.org/details/PaulArenson60s-70santhologyPt7
Various: Paul,Daphne and John sing Rippling Sea (Song 18 above-a few versions) and a Spanish song
https://archive.org/details/paularensonjohn_paulanddaphne
Video-Paul and Scott introduce folk and blues (paul does Hold on to me, babe, Black lung (Tom Paxton), Three years ago (same as 23 above). Followed by a TV show I was on.
https://archive.org/details/PaulArensonPaulArensonandScottSeeleyintroucefollkandfolkblues_1980s_
Paul opens for David Rovics in Tokyo circa 2008
In the bar at Midnight (same as 12 above), Luang Prabang (Pat Sky), Each day is different (same as song 19 above), Ballad of Chong Gyan-Yong (same as 4 above), Winds of War (written in 1981)
https://archive.org/details/PaulArensonPaulArensonopeningforDavidRovics
Lyrics for the video on are the video page.
FULL ALBUMN LINKS
(others listed on individual song posts)
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TOFU SPAGHETTI (14 songs, 2007)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lCDk23eib02kkxaxuUa0NnBDDBoz76Fn4
SOUND CLICK: 12 songs, 1980s-2007
https://www.soundclick.com/artist/default.cfm?bandID=538684
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