The Duras Sisters


The last time I visited my friend Leonard Zubkoff, he gave me a batch of CD’s back from when he was doing professional recording of filk groups. Being all-too-busy, I never had a chance to listen to them all, which was a shame, since I never had a chance to tell him how good they all. I recently started listening to “Masquerading as Human”, by a three women acapella Filk group called “The Duras Sisters”. It’s really excellent! Even though Leonard was just the recording engineering, I can hear his hand in the album, and certainly it reminds me of his sense of humor.

We have kitties, and when they’re hungry

They bellow “meow,” bellow “meow,” bellow “meow, meow, meow!”

We have kitties, and when they’re hungry

They really let us know.

They leap upon us and lick our fingers

And bellow “meow,” bellow “meow,” bellow “meow, meow, meow!”

They leap upon us and lick our fingers,

How shamelessly they plead.

Out in the kitchen where all the food is

They bellow “meow,” bellow “meow,” bellow “meow, meow, meow!”

Out in the kitchen where all the food is

They pace the floor and howl.

The hungry kitties have stopped complaining

No bellow “meow,’ bellow “meow,” bellow “meow, meow, meow!”

The hungry kitties have stopped complaining,

And we’d better find out why.

We discover they’ve found the pot roast

Bellow “meow,” bellow “meow,” bellow “meow, meow, meow!”

We discover they’ve found the pot roast

That we left out to thaw.

We’ll order pizza from our favorite restaurant

Bellow “meow,’ bellow “meow,’ bellow “meow, meow, meow!”

We’ll order pizza from our favorite restaurant,

A place called “Bella Chow!”

Words by Cynthia McQuillin; music traditional.

There’s going to be a memorial service for Leonard in the Bay Area at the end of this month (on March 29th). Playing some of the albums which Leonard recorded will definitely be a fitting tribute.