STILL SHINY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS [My first attempt at "Firefly"-inspired lyrics]

(Sung to the tune of Paul Simon's “Still Crazy After All These Years” but with more verses 'cuz Paul's original is kinda short – 3 verses and a bridge. This one's got 2 bridges and 9 BD verses. Oh, and it's from Mal's POV in case you hadn't sussed. Here's the link to the original post: http://www.fireflyfans.net/bluesun.aspx?bid=8865)

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“Still Shiny After All These Years”

I met my old nemesis on the street last night

He sang out “Mister Reynolds!” -- I just sighed

Man was nutty as a Reaver from all that torturin' and tears

but I'm still shiny after all these years

yeah, still shiny after all these years

       I'm not the kind of man who tends to socialize

in Alliance bars unless it's on U-Day

with my “on sale” brown-ish coat on and a few too-many beers

I'm still shiny after all these years

Oh, I'm still shiny after all these years

       My Companion is unveiled -- if you can pay her price

But I won't bother trying, 'cuz she won't

When she sleeps I look upon her, whisper 'nothings' in her ears

Still shiny after all these years

She's still shiny after all these years

     (1st bridge)

       Four in the mornin'

Inara's. . . out whorin'

breakin' my heart again

Why can't I tell her. . . how I feel?

It's all in the Black

     (instrumental)

 Now I sit in Wash's old chair and I watch the stars

and I imagine he's still flyin' this old Fei

and Zoe's raising their son –- he's a natural “born-to-steer”

and they're still shiny after all these years

yeah, still shiny after all these years

       Gave Zoe's job to Jayne after she left the ship

They say “Feed a dog – won't bite you” -- guess we'll see

River's got him by his chain here: “I can kill you with my brain, dear.”

Jayne's still shiny after all these years

Yeah, still shiny after all these years

       Y'know my Kaylee got a husband in that starchy Doc

Would've happened sooner, weren't so dense

Now there's critters underfoot here an' some smelly baby smears

But that's still shiny after all these years

Loud but shiny after all these years

     (2nd bridge)

       I do the job of. . . robbing – get paid

Is that all my life has been?

Feel like an Object. . . in Space. . .

Drifting. . .

I'm all Out of Gas

     (2nd instrumental, longer)

       Sometimes I think about the shepherd and I wonder why

God'll take the ones who love Him – but not me

Wo bu-dong wei-shemma Tian*. . . that's a train ain't never near

Am I still shiny after all these years?

God. . . Can I be shiny after all these years?

       Been so long at war with You -- don't know if I can quit

My enemy's been mostly just myself

So I smile into the Black and raise a glass to all my fears

I'm still shiny after all these years

Yeah, still shiny after all these years

       Now I got me one fine lady -- she won't never keen

My love for her's what keeps her in the air

And she ain't no fool for love songs that whisper in her gears

Still shiny after all these years

Yeah, still shiny. . . my Serenity. . .

Still shiny after all these years

(* wo=I, bu-dong=don't understand, wei-shemma=why, Tian=Heaven/God.

Wanted to put some Chinese in there so it'd be like the show, and the Chinese really fit the meter well, I thought. Hope it makes sense to all Native speakers out there, otherwise my apologies. My Mandarin is only “restaurant quality.” I let it trail off with the ellipses for poetical import, see? Anyway, hope y'all like. --M.A.Ghaffar)