Ken Nordine – The Sound Museum lyrics

Nordine.Ken/Sound_Museum

The Sound Museum as recorded in 1957 by Ken Nordine

Right Now,
Before we go anyplace else,
I want you to go with me to a special place, that I know.
It's a museum,
But, it isn't an ordinary museum.
It's a very abstract museum in which they show sound paintings.
If you can say that you show sound.
But, I don't see why you can't.
But, here we are in this corridor.
Some of the most beautiful works of art are here.
Here's one, right here.
This is by a very fine young artist.
Here, let me turn it on.

That sold for two thousand dollars.
Makes a lot of money, actually, doing these things.
But now I'd like to turn your attention to this work by an artist who is a
World War One veteran.
Actually I don't feet that this, for me, says what he intended itto say.
And yet there are those who listen to it and it says a great deal to them.
Well here, I'll turn it on and you'll see what I mean.

You can see that he uses limited color range, of course that's
understandable.
I'm glad that it's here, though.
But, enough of that lets go on to the next work I want you to see.
Now this is a sound painting, that is indicative of the neurotic fee
ling of our time.
The artist is very young, shows great promise, and I'm glad that the work is
exhibited here.
Let me turn this painting on.

I think you can see my point, now the artist that did this, fortunately, is
under seditives at the
moment and we expect that his later work will be much calmer and quieter.
But we do like to give these young neurotic artists a chance.
And so I'm glad that the museum has been big about the whole thing, if it
were.
But, lets go on because there's one work here that's been done by Jonnes
Cunningham.
This is a professer from another country, actually, but his work is reveared
here.

We have quite a few of his works, but this particular one I want you to
listen to very carefully
because it has an exquisite sense of rythym.
This is a young man who has six children, and it's amazing to me that he can
turn out this kind of
work at home, with the children around.
But he says that they help him.
If you'll read it, Cunningham says "dedicated to my six children."

Well here, I'll turn it on and you can hear it for yourself.

It's just beutiful.
Yes, that is one work that the museum should well be proud of.
However, I would like to have you come with me now and we'll open this black
door at the end of
the corridor, here.
I won't be able to keep it open very long, and I think you'll understand why.
Here, I'll open it, like this, just a crack, and you listen.

See what I mean?
I'll close the door.
There's a reason it's black.
Here, let me open up this door.
It's just covered with beautiful colors.
And, we'll hear what's on the other side of this door.

Transcripted by Eric D. Wilcox

-Modern_art@aol. Com
-Eric_wilcox@eotu. Racine. Wi. Us