Somebody’s Shining

Someone made a comment on the Shambles about the White Company, a Brisbane fighter household, and I realised I’d heard it all before, in reference to Des Cartes and Lochiel and Attica and all the other pools of testosterone in the SCA. I wrote this, to the tune of Chris Isaak’s Somebody’s Crying, to show my feeling about this new, terrible threat.

[February 2000]

I know a fighter and he shines his kit
He sits up half the night and rubs at it
I bet you always thought it cost a bit,
But somebody’s shining.

I know a fighter and he loves to clean,
A million times, you know he’s really keen
He buffs his box up with Mr Sheen,
I know that somebody’s shining

So please
Admire the work this boy has done
And please
You let him know he’s the brightest one
I know when somebody’s shining
I know when somebody’s shining
I know that somebody’s shining
I know that somebody’s shining

Give him a cheer and tell him he’s all right
If he keeps shining, he’ll be a knight
Tho it might help if he would learn to fight…
As well as all of his shining