1. |
Masks
02:39
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There’s an expectation when you first walk in the room
Overt adoration, but you should not assume
That it’s dedication, cause they’re all quick to resume
The perpetuation of who’s impressing whom
There’s a premeditation in every word and every glare
And sly usurpation, though you’re never sure from where
But the cauterization has made you quite prepared
To fake toleration of this pained, unfair affair
Get run over if you sit on the road
So you just keep moving, try to do like your told
But the more you hold on, the more you start to implode
And you feel your soul about to be sold
There’s a constant temptation to say what’s on your mind
And exasperation with pretending to be kind
But you’ve had education, and in faking you’re refined
Your real motivation has been all but left behind
Get run over if you sit on the road
So you just keep moving, try to do like your told
But the more you hold on, the more you start to implode
And you feel your soul about to be sold
And so we wear our masks
Our masks are the things that we wear when we’re scared
That the world’s gonna get too close
And so we’re closing Off our heart to the hurt that we’d suffer from another
And the undermining blather we’re pretending really matters
The mask keeps us safe and secure cause we’re sure
That Nobody’s gonna dig too deep
And though we wanna be bold and upend the offending old tradition, just The risk we’d be taking feels like failure in the making
So we do like we’re told
And no one tries to be bold
We just stay on the road
Pray that nothing explodes
There’s an expectation, but we’re all too scared to ask
So for fortification I just hide behind my mask
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2. |
A Shadow in the Sky
03:29
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ENSEMBLE:
There’s a shadow in the sky
There’s a shadow in the sky
LADAIR:
I was sitting all alone in the quiet of my home
When i heard a piercing scream which echoed through my chest
Then my house went up in flames, and a neighbor called my name
They pulled me out and when i looked back, i saw nothing left
ENSEMBLE:
There’s a shadow in the sky
There’s a shadow in the sky
And I can hardly take a breath before I choke
From the fear that’s in the air
And the safety that i dared to take for granted
Has now vanished in the smoke
BAIDDIN:
I was walking before bed when a shape passed overhead
And the undercurrent knocked me squarely off my feet
Then a sound i can’t forget erupted from the silhouette
A flash of fire quickly covered the entire street
ENSEMBLE:
There’s a shadow in the sky
There’s a shadow in the sky
And I can hardly take a breath before i choke
From the fear that’s in the air
And the safety that i dared to take for granted
Has now vanished in the smoke
So tell us how can we move on now that our neighborhood is gone
Your reassurance cannot cover up our burns.
This threat is too much to ignore, we always thought we were secure
Now our illusions have been shattered and we don't know where to turn
RAYLA:
It paused from its attack, turned and looked me in the eye
I heard its thoughts as though they were my own
This wasn't done at random. The dragon has a plan
And it attacked us just to make its presence known
ENSEMBLE:
There’s a shadow in the sky
There’s a shadow in the sky
And I can hardly take a breath before i choke
From the fear that’s in the air
And the safety that i dared to take for granted
Has now vanished in the smoke
There’s a shadow in the sky
There’s a shadow in the sky
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3. |
Another Chance
03:51
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NAREN:
No matter how I try
It’s like my hands are tied
The circle closes in and once again I’m left outside
They tell me I’m not tough
And never good enough
I fake that I’m okay and pray that no one calls my bluff
ENSEMBLE
They’re only words inside your head
So listen to your heart instead
TAISYA:
When I was very small
My family installed
A fear that if i tried to fly, i would be sure to fall
My heart began to ache
i thought that I would break
But still, i didn’t dream cause they said dreams were a mistake
ENSEMBLE:
They’re only words inside your head
That taint and taunt your confidence
So listen to your heart instead
And give yourself another chance
EVERIL:
I have heard their expectations
And i feel a nation’s weight upon my shoulders
And i have been told i should act just like my father
Which is just to cover their uncertainty of me
ENSEMBLE:
The path they’re setting is defined
And far too narrow to get through
the words they say are so unkind
and make me doubt what i can do
I’ll seek another road instead
And try to find my confidence
Their words hold power in my head
But still I’ll take --
NAREN, TAISYA, & EVERIL:
-- Another chance
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4. |
Her Reflection
04:43
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She disappeared from here when she was only seventeen.
She said "The world is so much bigger and it's begging to be seen."
Her mother cried and carried on, her sister said, “please stay.”
But late one lonely night, she packed her bag slipped away.
Now many years went by and some were cruel and some were kind
And soon her thoughts returned to all the love she left behind
But when she traveled back, she was quite shocked by what she found,
Her home and half the village had been burned to the ground
She picked a sword up from the ashes and she raised it in the air
Caught sight of her reflection and quietly declared
“I'm not a friend of violence, but I won't run from a fight.
I know I'm not a hero, but I'm here to set things right.”
She learned about the dragon that had terrorized the town
And organized an army aimed to bring the creature down
But they all ran in a panic when they heard dragon scream
And she was left alone to either run or be redeemed
She picked a sword up from the ashes and she raised it in the air
Caught sight of her reflection and quietly declared
“I'm not a friend of violence, but I won't run from a fight.
I know I'm not a hero, but I'm here to set things right.”
And The battle raged for hours 'till she fell down from fatigue
She prepared herself to die, but then she heard the dragon speak
It said, “You're fighting for a memory, but friend, you've been coerced
Yes, I burned down half the village, but they attacked me first.”
You see, the dragon had been born before the village had been founded
And as the village grew, the dragon slowly felt surrounded
The village tried to drive it out, and it was scared to go alone
'Cause the dragon had never see the world that lay beyond it’s home
She picked a sword up from the ashes and she raised it in the air
Caught sight of her reflection and quietly declared
“I'm not a friend of violence, but I won't run from a fight.
I know I'm not a hero, but I'm here to set things right.”
When the people in village were quite sure the fight was done
They sent a lonely sentry to inform them who had won
He reached the dragon's lair, set to run back in a flash
But found everything abandoned,
...Save one sword that was laying in the ash
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5. |
The Promise
02:20
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Look in the dark and you don't bat an eye
Ignore your heartbeat, ignore your fear
You wouldn't escape even if you could try
Because your whole life had led you here.
You know that the answers lay ahead
But will you survive or end up--
You think that you’ve grown, but you fear the proof
Held back by the innocence of youth
So you either will hide what’s inside
Or you can look in my eyes and I promise you’ll see the truth
Quickly look up, so you can’t be surprised
Only to trip on the road below
Bandage up your mistakes but they can’t be disguised
Tear off the mask, let the damage show
Your fear of what you can’t be has held you down
Let go of the anchor, swim or drown
You think that you’ve grown, but you fear the proof
Held back by the innocence of youth
So you either will hide what’s inside
Or you can look in my eyes and I promise you’ll see the truth
If you look in my eyes.
I promise you’ll see the truth.
Look in my eyes.
I promise you’ll see the truth.
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6. |
The Mountain
03:02
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We strayed off the road and were called to a mountain
Ignored what we were told and climbed higher than we ever thought we could
And I can see it
The same old world from a different view
And I can feel it
The same old me, but somehow new
We forge our own road that we take down the mountain
We set our own goals with the confidence of dreams we will achieve
And you can see it
My same young face, but a bit more wise
And you can feel it
The same old world with a whole new prize
There will always be a mountain on the road and if we climb it
Then the mountain makes us stronger and we’re ready for the next time
In the sky there may be Dragons, and although they truly scare us
We can face and overcome them, and the scars they leave prepare us
‘Cause we’re claiming our potential every moment we explore
And our whole life is a journey that we’re taking so we find out who we are
And I can feel it
You will see me
And you will know me
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Geha New York, New York
Andrew Geha is an award-winning playwright and theater teacher who has worked at Friends Academy, a Quaker school in Locust Valley, NY, since 2001.
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