Jabberwocky Song, a sci-fi Hero's Journey

Paul Spooner
Paul Spooner
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Published 2023-09-02
Around the turn of the millennia my high-school buddies and I had the idea to make the poem Jabberwocky from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll into a short film. It was going to be live-action, with a CG jabberwock. Part of the appeal was that one of my buddies had a dad who was a script doctor, and he encouraged us to develop a more elaborate story-line. We were trying to do a death-of-the-author reading of the poem, where the jabberwock is the father of the "beamish boy" or something like that. Like most high-school brainstorms, it never came to fruition, but the idea has been stuck in my head ever since.

Then some time around 2018 my brother shared an EDM track with me. It was Explorers by Hinkik, and after listening to it a couple times, I began to hear the story of Jabberwocky in the music. My sister and I sang some vocals, and I put together a few storyboards, culminating in this timing blocking:
   • JagodeeRock Pacing 04  
I was also introduced to @JordanBPeterson around this time, and began to see the archetypal Hero's Journey structure underlying all narrative, even poems as on-the-face silly as Jabberwocky. However, I was never confident enough in my vision for the project to complete it.

Then Midjourney, the AI Image Generation app came along. After doing a couple of other AMV style videos, I felt confident enough to tackle the dream of telling this story. It's based on a Heroic Transformational Journey reading of the poem, set in a science-fiction far future, where the "nonsense" words are proper nouns of the alien world flora and fauna. A young man goes on a simultaneous physical and psychological quest to reconcile with his father, save his parent's marriage, defeat the cyber-dragon terrorizing his space colony, and marry the girl of his dreams. I'd still like to do a from-scratch 3D animated version, but this is good enough for now.

Music: Explorers by Hinkik (re-cut by me)
Vocals: Suzanne Spooner (and me)
Visuals: Midjourney (prompts by me)
Software credit: Audacity @audacity and Blender @BlenderOfficial

Lyrics are Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll:
Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy."

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
All Comments (21)
  • @peripheralarbor
    Music: Explorers by Hinkik (re-cut by me) Vocals: Suzanne Spooner and Paul Spooner (my sister and myself) Visuals: Midjourney (prompts by me) Software credit: Audacity @audacity and Blender @BlenderOfficial Lyrics are "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll
  • @Mustiiiiiii24
    Worst thing about this masterpiece is I would never see If I didnt subscribe ;-;
  • @PeaIce
    Gerçekten çok güzel bir şarkı olmuş, artık yaptığım oyundaki 1274 bug ı çözmek için bir motivasyon kaynağım var. Türkiyeden selamlar. (Kardeşinle güzel iş çıkarmışsınız)
  • @Eray-Ulu
    Actually it is very good song i love it
  • @Kaaredra
    Vocals feels a bit off the tone but it is still very cool
  • @Splitz123
    lol loved it is this u and your wife or ?
  • @ulktz
    Hi Paul. I'm a big fan of your work. I messaged you on Facebook regarding a 3d model you made. Hope you find time to get back to me. Regards
  • @NamizkeBulll
    aul I hope you make a good game, if you are the founder, will you take us as your assistant 🤜