Lady Mondegreen -- The Ose FAQ

What is Ose?

What are the various kinds of Ose?

Why do you sing Ose?

Who sings Ose?

What are Ose Bunnies?

What is the Suicide Handjive?

What is Ose?

Ose is really 'Ose and is short for a number of words, most of them having to do with sadness. Popular forms of Ose are Mor-Ose, and Cheery-Ose (see below). Used colloquially Ose is a way of refering to sad songs, particularly songs that contain death, destroyed love, and epic sorrow.

What are the various kinds of Ose?

Ose is frequently the subject of terrible punning. As a result, some definitions of Ose have become popular. Here are a few standards that actually have been, er, defined:

Cheery-Ose, the most commonly Ose derivative, refers to Ose that is cheerful in tune or lyrical style, but which still conveys a gut-wrenching emotional wallop. Examples of Cherri-Ose would be Harry Chapin's Dreams Go By, Eddie From Ohio's The Three Fine Daughters of Farmer Brown and Tom Lehrer's We Will All Go Together When We Go.

Mor-Ose, the gold standard of Ose. If someone isn't crying by the end of the song, it's not Mor-Ose enough. Examples of Mor-Ose would include Fred Small's Cranes Over Hiroshima, Richard Shindell's Reunion Hill and John McCutcheon's Christmas in the Trenches.

Sucr-Ose, songs so sweet, and so sad that the sugar runs in tears down your cheeks. Examples include Dougie McLean's Caledonia, Dave Carter's Kate and the Ghost of Lost Love, and Julie Miller's By Way of Sorrow.

Other popularly defined forms of ose include:
Bellic-Ose Sad songs about war
Comat-Ose Songs so sad they put you into a coma
Lacrym-Ose Songs so sad they make you cry
Malt-Ose Sad songs about beer
Mari-Ose, Sad songs about video games. (Contributed by Summer Russell)
Verb-Ose Sad songs that go on and on and on until you want to die, or at least sing something else.

Why do you sing Ose?

Ose is fun to sing. It's one of the great joys of life to watch someone's face open up with reverance and awe for the emotion they are feeling, the feeling that music is evoking in them. The kind of sorrow that music can bring, and the healing that can result from that sorrow is profound. Of course, this is just as good a reason to stay away from a room where people are singing Ose.

Who sings Ose?

Naturally enough, a big part of the Lady Mondegreen repertoire is Ose, but of course, we learn from the influences around us. Chances are good if we like an artist, they're at least a little bit Ose. Standout Ose artists include, but are not limited to, Dave Carter and Tracy Grammar, The Nields, Patty Griffin, Peter, Paul & Mary, Trio, Vienna Teng, and of course, Cry Cry Cry.

What Are Ose Bunnies?

Ose Bunnies are people who are devotees of Ose songs, and of singing Ose, or at least of inflicting it on others. There is an Ose Bunny Marching song, and there are scattered songs that mention specific Ose Bunnies by name. Some lovers of Ose choose to identify as other than Bunnies. We know of at least one Grumpy Ose Walrus.

What is the Suicide Handjive?

The Suicide Handjive is thought to have originated at an Erica Neely concert. The Jive consists of making slashing motions along one's wrists (down, not across), making strangulation gestures at one's own neck, and otherwise miming grevious harm. All in time with the beat, of course. There are reported to be British, Canadian, American and German variations of this dance.