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Tommy Battles the Silver Sea Dragon (2018)
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- We are bringing him in. Carolyn, where have you been If you could only see me now I stand on trial I'm on the witness stand I've sworn upon the Word of God To tell the truth about me and you But you know, the truth can be so false - Objection! - Overruled. There isn't one, one neutral tongue Our words bear the tales we've repressed And strange enough, I am the judge I am the prosecution and I am the defense And we are gathered here for the sake of mere formalities For history is writ In other words, we'll uncover The forest beneath a single rotting leaf We've come to witness the sentencing Of one Tommy Silver The man in all of us Oh, why have you forsaken me I am your only son, Father I loved her faithfully According to your Word When will you learn There are not words for everything She dwelt - Objection! Beyond the reach of your Silver-tongued decree, oh - Oh, what a show! Well, what do you know! He was the fire that set her aglow! - The slow decline was no fault of mine! The ending was written ages ago! - Order in the court! How can a man be tried for a crime Comprised of the everyday actions Of every man's life He's not bad like the man who batters his wife Ooh It seems that you're missing the point, my unlucky friend His crime bids much more than six feet for the dead, oh We suspect the accused Guilty as he's been charged Three counts of murder, killed his brother And his lover and a woman named Yes Stabbed in the chest, ripped out her tongue And he strangled her neck - I object! - To what? - To what? - Do tell, to what? - I object to the terms of this trial! I object to this case! I object to the curve of the smirk on your face! To what, my god, to what, the jury is sold Their ears are shut But we'll make an appeal But this court is corrupt We don't have a chance This system is fucked Drop the act Desist with your cries, little man Little whore, pregnant with lies You know well the weight of your crime Your tales no longer will suffice But all right, give us your alibi But the blood on your hands is also on mine So don't you forget Don't you dare try To pull the wool Don't you forget To pull the wool Over your eyes Tommy Tell me the tragedy Of Abel and Cain, of you and your brother Tommy Don't be scared of what You might have to say, what you might discover I killed my brother when I was 10 years old Or so I'm told, I don't remember It seems the memory's grown cold And sometimes I feel the weight Of my father's gun, heavy in my hand That's all that I recall of the accident, coincidentally Sometimes I wonder if there isn't Some other explanation Some kind of evil machination They tell me you used to cry I wish Caleb would die Sometimes you'd hide him under the stair You'd leave him crying there You'd never tell them where he was I see him fast asleep in my mother's arms Head upon her breast She's running her fingers through his hair You know, she never cared for me The way she cared for him What was my mistake, what was my sin I never had that feminine touch He lost it altogether Graceful with fair skin and golden flax hair He was a little angel Would it be fair to say he was a mother's boy But I was my father's son I bear the torch I run through the ages To carry on the name, I am the only one It was a dark December, do you remember His little body, your mother's face Why can't you bring him back Why did you have to spill his blood What have you done, boy What have you done, boy I thought it was empty I swore it was empty Give me the gun Where did you get the gun, boy I thought it was empty, who could have known Oh God, Ma, I swear it wasn't my fault Where did you get your father's gun We found it in the attic in an old dusty box It was only a game He was the robber, and I was the cops Okay, okay, okay It seems he is the guilty one Can he deny the truth behind the curtain For certain he knew too well That he would ring the bells of death What kind of man is he, the self-deceived, the wretch The weed who strangles a flower in its flowering In what poverty is his soul languishing Who can forgive such atrocities How many suffocate so he can breathe The cost of defining yourself By what you are not - Well said, well said. Killed his brother, it's all so brilliant, you know, so well put together, the lies one tells to keep oneself at a distance from the unbearable truth. But it dwells deep. It's there, in the bones, like marrow, so hard to extract. - What are you getting at? - My old friend, you've made a convincing case, and I would be sold on that account, if it weren't for one small piece of information. Tommy never had a brother! - Why would you lie to us? Why, Tommy? Order in the court! - Not so fast. I'd like to see further evidence on this point. As far as I'm concerned-- - As far as you're concerned, you're here to deal out justice. Don't you know your place. You're no more real than the tales he tells. You're only part and parcel of the project of absolution, as am I. - What is the meaning of this absurd statement? I demand an explanation! - Oh, the meaning, if only it were so simple. You see, I've had my time, justifying, rationalizing, denying, defending him, as it were. That we are here now confirms my failure. We both know which way this court leans. - Order! - Excuse me. Your Honor, the prosecution must review the case in light of the new evidence. - In the labyrinth of one's mind, who can claim to know the significance of one memory or another. The question remains, how does one break free? Interrupt the cycle of guilt and clear an opening, a space for redemption. - How dare you utter the forbidden word! You speak in clever riddles, old man. I'm after the truth. - A slippery thing. - The court has heard enough. We will move on at once to the second hearing. How can we find, find the true seed In the canopy of limbs and leaves In the act of remembering The poor boy Tommy can't remember clearly Just where did she go, why did she go Oh, he doesn't know, he doesn't know, no - Order in the court! You may proceed with the prosecution. Tell us then how did it end Tell us from the top as best you can If your love was sweet, then how did she End up with a rope tied tight around her neck Or is that not how it goes Were they your hands that put the bruises on her throat And how do you explain the pain She tried but could not name In this here note she left behind for you Spelled the words in her own blood She writes, Tommy, no matter how I try I can't even seem to bring myself to cry I'm an empty shell for you, oh Risen Lord I am your empty tomb - Stop! Give me the note, please. Give me the fucking note! We're going to the top of the world, you and me Baby, we're gonna be like a king and a queen We're going to the top, baby you and me Better pack your things, and we'll go And we're going far away, oh I'm not diggin' this high school prom Well, these shoes and me, we just don't get along And what's with these kids and their awkward moms They don't dance, they just stand there singin' along - Somebody turned off the lights. One, two, three, four So you're tired of high school, too Well, it's not so bad, but at least I'm through Tryin' to walk on stilts through a foam-filled room It's a certain disaster for those who do Hey, hey Hey, hey, hey We're too cool for this shit Let's get out of this place Meet me outside the door Won't you be my lady, you're drivin' me crazy Can you take it to the top Just show me what you've got I'll be your baby, don't you say maybe I'll take you to the top, we're never gonna stop - Crazy! - Pretty weird. You smoke? - No. - Me neither. So, you wanna go in my car? - Should I be scared? I'd prefer to not be kidnapped tonight. - No, no, you know, I mean, I just, I thought, I mean-- - You mean you wanna go for a drive? - Yeah, yeah, let's get outta here. - What for? - Well, in order to be together. - Okay, yeah, where to, Romeo? - It's Tommy. My name is Tommy Silver. - That's a ridiculous name. That sounds like a name out of a children's book or something. - It was my dad's, Thomas. One, two, three! Slow motion, slow motion Slow motion, slow motion Slow motion, slow motion Slow motion, slow motion I gotta tell you, I think you should know I really like you but you're takin' it so slow Slow motion, slow motion Pick up the pace and we'll give it a try Midnight, starlight Forgive my insistent plea This time, I won't rest Until you're right by my side 'Cause I'm a dreamer, so let me dream My eyes are tired and I'm fallin' asleep I'm fallin' asleep You think you want me, but what do you know Slow motion, slow motion Slow motion, slow motion You only met me just one week ago, so Slow motion, slow motion It's not a race, kid, just give me some time Forgive my reluctant speed This time, I need all your Patience tonight Forgive my insistent plea This time, I won't rest Until you're right by my side 'Cause I'm a dreamer, so let me dream Just take it easy and then we'll see My eyes are tired and I'm fallin' asleep I'm fallin' asleep Oh, I want you to know You and me could be together You just never know You and me could be together I want you to know You and me could be together You just never know You and me could be together I want you to know You and me could be together You just never know You and me could be together Oh, together, you - I think a black skirt is more... Hm. - Carolyn, be my flower-footed doe bird, in love and tyranny. And on leap year, Flag Day, Groundhog's Day, Presidents' Day, monsoon season, and in the Year of the Cow according to the Chinese Zodiac. - Okay, listen. I'll be your flower-footed doe bird, but I cannot promise to love you in monsoon season. Who can agree to that? And what the heck is a doe bird with flower feet? - Sh. Don't ask questions. Just believe. - Sh. Hey, this is a pretty nice couch. - When I look at it, I feel nauseous. - Yeah, in a good way, right? Where's Kitty, actually? - It's in the box. - Which box? The door! Kitty! - Kitty? - Kitty? Kitty! Kitty! - Mm-hm. Mm-hm, well. We moved in today Our kitty ran away But at least we've got a new couch with a pullout bed Tommy, please don't Hey, there's nothing to fear You know, darling. - Yes dear? The kitty cat will find his way home Even through the rain Give it a day After the rain, the kitty will find his way home Just you wait Let's make a toast. - To Kitty. - And to the new apartment. - To Kitty. - And to the apartment. - And to the kitty. - And to the kitty. - I'm sad. - I know. I wish I could erase your sadness. I hate to see you cry. - I wish I saw you cry, once in a while. Hey guys, smile! We should've been more than just friends Who have long been together Isn't, isn't, isn't there more than just - Hey! - You're such a beautiful cowboy. I just wanna be part of all of this. - Thanks for coming! - You are such a beautiful cowboy. I just wanna be a part of all of this. You were a hit, boy. - Is everyone gone? - Yeah. - How's my kitty? - Okay. - You miss the real kitty? - Yeah. - So where were you all night? - Around. - I barely saw you. - I didn't want to interrupt your date with the sexy zombie nurse. - Mm, I appreciate that. Were you jealous? - I want that kiss. - I know, my god. She was a mess. She came out of nowhere with those weird zombie lips. - But you liked it? - No, what do you mean? Of course not, she was a gross, dead nurse. - Sh, you're a cowboy. I know you. You don't have to explain yourself. I'm not the owner of you. I won't be the one in the way. - What? Hey, what is that? How could you say that? I'm with you. You know that. Don't you want me, sweet baby? - I don't wanna own you. I wanna love you. - Hm. - Just don't lie to me. That's all. We're much better than all that. - Then all what? Are you saying you want to see other men? - Who said men? Isn't there more than just one sort of love An arrangement more happily suited to us All it would take is the building of trust We could say what we mean, what we feel, what we want I don't understand what you've proposed to me Do you forget months ago I proposed with a ring Exactly the point, unconventionally We were wed months ago At the Salvation Army So isn't there more than just one sort of love An arrangement more happily suited to us Well, speak for yourself, I never asked to be free I'm right here, I'm with you Kid, that's all that I need Wait a minute. Why are we singing? - It's a musical. - I hate musicals. They're so phony. - You're phony! But sometimes, don't lie I see your eyes Wandering around the room When I'm talking to you And I can tell His heart roams just as well And whether or not he admits For him, love and freedom cannot coexist I opened my eyes last night. I watched you make love to me. - What did you see? Gross. - Your eyes were tightly closed, like, like you were having a bad dream, as if you were trying to fix your pain through me. - What pain? - I don't know. What pain? - Come to bed, huh? You better wash that stuff off your face. That shit'll get all over the pillows. - You know why you're here? You've been having recurring nightmares. Your wife says they've become increasingly violent. She hasn't slept for weeks. - She goes out to look for the fucking cat. That's why she doesn't sleep. The goddamn cat ran away six years ago. - I heard you kicked it. And don't kid yourself. You know she doesn't wander the streets at night. She works on her paintings when you wake her up, screaming in your sleep. - I-- - I have the following recording. Every night, when we turn out the lights His body shivers, something quivers there behind his eyes A secret stirs Oh, he dreams somethin' awful Sometimes he calls through the silent night He gives me a fright when he screams in his sleep Of an old dusty box, but it's only a dream - He was the robber, and I was the cops! I dreamt again I killed my brother The darling child of my mother But Tommy, you know no such thing occurred Your mother died in the course of your birth I know, I know, but you don't understand I wake from my sleep with his blood on my hands Just close your eyes, I'm by your side It's just a dream Tomorrow, we'll be fine - Tell me about your childhood. She says you dream about killing your brother, yet you never had a brother, is that right? Strange thing. The mind is complex, as you know, memory being one of its more unpredictable functions. According to the most current research, when the mind remembers an event, it's not the actual event that is recalled but merely the memory of the last time you remembered it. Eventually, we add elements, change the order of things. Sometimes we manage to conjure up characters who never even existed. - And what does that make you? - So you wanna get smart with me? What is it, Tommy? What grim tale are you so afraid to tell? Excuse me. I seem to have lost myself. Air's a bit stale in here. Would you mind opening the window? Tell me about your mother. - I don't have a mother. - You don't have a mother. Incredible, that must be a first. Tell me, how can one be born without a mother? - I killed her. You can kill your mother just by being born. - So, the rumors are true. What about the brother? - My twin? He was never born. He died in the womb. They had to cut her open to take me out, and she had a stroke. They say her heart stopped the moment I came out. - My god, that explains a lot, now doesn't it? Twins, one dies, one lives, and a maternal death, what a way to begin, what a weight. How can one live up to that? Two lives for the price of one? Tell me about your relationship. - Well, what's to tell? - Are you happy? - At times. She complains. - About what? - About me. My work. - What type of work do you do? - Social work, domestic violence. - That's a noble cause. - I think so. - So what's the problem. - Well, she questions my intentions. - Well, what are your intentions? - I don't know. I thought it was interesting. I mean, it's a noble cause, right? - Right. Today, just like a year ago Today, 10,000 years ago I was content just making tea But not me Just look, he's buried in books But I was never quite as smart as he And some of the time A lot of the time We disagree on the little things But the truth is, I would rather let him win The outcome means much more to him - Well, I'm always right. He's always right - Yes dear, that's right He's got a way with words They fall right off his tongue Like baby birds out of the nest Catch the wind in their wings And go soaring right over my head Oh, but I prefer to keep The ground under my dancing feet - Hey! Do you have to clean the entire house? I'm trying to study, if you didn't notice. - Whaddya readin' anyway? - Just now I was getting into this book here. It's for a class on gender and sexuality. - It's in French. - Yeah, I thought I could learn French while studying for the class. - Oh, yeah, good idea. - Right, well, this one is amazing. I mean, it's actually devastating to read. It's kind of a memoir of the author's history of sexual abuse by men. - I know what it means to be a woman. I don't need books to tell me. There's more than one kind of violence. I've been around enough to know. I mean, what's the plan, man? Will you save women once and for all with the ink of your pen? What do you know about it? There's no textbook, you know? You can't read about that and expect to understand it. - Hey, I love you. - Then love me. Quit loving your books. It doesn't make it more true if you repeat it in French. Does not sound pretty, whatever you said. - I said, "Tell me you love me, too." Or don't you? - There aren't words for everything. Tommy, be gentle with me. I promise to be nice. - No promises, be gentle. You can. And it's always like that. We kiss, kiss, kiss. Then he disappears, goes down to whisper secrets in between my legs. But I wonder sometimes if it's not more for him than it is for me, as if he whispers to himself. And the sound of my pleasure returns his gift, like an echo, as if I'm just an echo box. Well, you have to be empty to be a good echo box. In the end, it's hard to understand how to receive a gift that was taken from you to begin with. And I'll tell you another thing. To understand Tommy, you have to know that the softest skin on his whole body is here, the skin on the bottom side of this thing when it's hard. And that's the secret. If you understand that, you can understand how to love a man. - Hey. No, I wanna be inside of you. - Typically, he refuses. In fact, Tommy's favorite word is no. Loving is easy. To be loved, that takes courage. - Oh shit. - What's the rush? - I forgot I have a class today. I'm late. - Why do you always rush to rinse off so quickly? - Well, 'cause I'm late. Gotta go. - Dinner? - Uh, I'll be home late. Don't wait for me. Tommy, is that you Step into the light Come toward me Tommy, stop speaking French. You don't speak French. You're drunk. No, see, I'm not drunk I'm as sharp as a knife Just a couple of drinks, baby, don't be so frightened There's nothing amiss Baby, don't be so tense I was just out with some friends Come on, give me a little kiss - Jesus. You're scaring me. What's going on? I'm not gonna carry you. - Hey, where are you going? Hey, just wait a second. - Shoot! - Just leave it alone. Just leave it! For chrissake. Babe, hey. Just open the door, huh? Listen, I'm sorry, okay? What are you doing? What's... What are you doing? Babe, hey! Damn. Carolyn! Hey, what's the plan? Going to look for the cat? Shit. Carolyn! You just never You I miss that house, I miss that bedroom The way the world comes right through Like you came to me The window In the spring And you know we could've been so right But it's so wrong Always wondering Will we last through the night I hold you so dear I held you so dear You really made me believe in all of your dreams But the nightmares run more deep Please forgive, Carolyn I'd do anything to make you stay Well, you've done enough, you had my trust But tell me there's still hope for us I don't wish you on anyone When we are done Don't leave me alone Let me repair this I hope you find your way To everything you wanted I hope you find the questions We know you've already got all the answers We used to laugh We used to sleep the day away We didn't care about The time or the place It was you me, happily I felt you so strong You were the right to all my wrongs And in the morning light It was you and me, trembling I wanted you to be the one I wanted you to be the one I wanted you to be the one I wanted you to be the one I wanted you to be the one, be the one I wanted you to be the one, be the one I wanted you to be the one, be the one I wanted you to be the one, be the one I wanted you to be the one, be the one I wanted you to be the one, be the one I wanted you to be the one, be the one I wanted you to be the one, be the one I was drifting in misery Apart from he I swear you won't come to regret this I hope we find our way I am adrift without you I will be gentle, Carolyn No promises I will return the love I take - I was told that you were never actually married, that you proposed to her with a Ring Pop. Why are you so scared of being alone? - Well, I-- - Do you ever wonder if by refusing to let your love take its own shape, by struggling to maintain control over something as fluid as affection, that you don't damage it all the more? That you don't suffocate both yourself and the one you supposedly hold most dear? - Well, I suppose-- - I suppose you believe yourself to be the true guardian of your love? Can't you see you've come to resent her, like a child resents a mother whose warmth he yet craves? - I-- - Must love and freedom be so relentlessly opposed? You grasp after her like water in your hands, that is to say, in vain. Here we are again I wait for him To come to me, but it's all the same Nothin' ever changes Just look at him go, it's all a race He carries the weight of a world full of pain He thinks I left over one little fight One broken mirror once upon a dark night But it runs more deep than such mistakes Something deeper in him is far out of place No sweetness in his voice, no warmth in his touch No laughter at all, and as for love, there's not much The season has changed, the rain never stops When he looks at me, he sees a war to be fought A wrong to be righted, a goal to achieve A damsel to save for his own damn reprieve The months hurry past, how long will it be And what comes of me if and when he succeeds He doesn't want me, for sure, but he needs me for now He doesn't love me, for sure, but without me, he'd drown Here we are again I wait for him To come to me, but it's all the same Nothing ever changes Everything's the same Soon we will be strangers Every day, every night A man's eye, the butcher's knife At work, on the street A woman's curve, the butcher's meat But I am indivisible I am more than visible You can't dissect my love Whatever he might have done to make you hurt To make you run, it's over now Leave it all behind you A new day has begun Hey, you're home early. Is everything okay? - What? I don't know. - What? - I left. - What do you mean you left? - I just left. I... I forgot something at home. I had to come home to get something. - You ever heard the old adage, if you love something, let it go? - I thought you were supposed to help me feel better about all of this? - Oh no, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. We're here precisely to make you hate yourself more. Think of me as the personification of your guilt. I'll see you next time. We'll get to the bottom of those dreams. - And what about Carolyn? - Yes, indeed, being concerned for her wellbeing, I'm compelled to issue an alert to the Department of Protective Services. My colleagues will keep vigil and organize the inquest if anything should happen. If anything should happen, you will be hearing from us. Hello, hello, pick up the phone I'm scared of the dark I'm scared to be alone I've had a bad dream Something's haunting me It's a dark night, Tommy When will you be home Yesterday, I swore I'd never Today, I'm just like them When I can feel the blood that pulls I go and barter all the books for chemicals What's the difference in the end The butcher knife or the silver pen Whatever you will separate, whether the body Or the world, it's all the same Hello, hello, please pick up the phone Are you there, my love We don't have to be alone I know there is another She is the one who loves me, knowing my dark charade But how can I abide the one who knows my shame Yesterday, I swore I'd never Today, I take the key, and even in the love I make I find another little riddle to explain I am the butcher I am the butchered one I am the very man that I loathe When I do the thing I hate the most Where you begin I end I have Only yourself left to rend I am It may be too late for me But don't repeat it Please don't hurt her Don't abuse her Don't you know your blows are only aimed at you When we were younger When we were pure When we were still unaware of the slow And steady death our young love would endure Love was a song And we said nothing that could not be sung The song upon our dripping tongues was all I wanted you to be the one I wanted you to be the one I wanted you to be the one I wanted you to be the one I wanted you to be the one Oh, you just never know I wanted you to be the one You and me could be I wanted you to be the one Together You just never know I wanted you to be the one You and me could be I wanted you to be the one Together You just never know I wanted you to be You - Tommy, no matter how I try, I can't even seem to bring myself to cry. I'm an empty shell for you, oh Risen Lord. I am your empty tomb. Good earth, good womb, good wife too. What am I but a dwelling place for you? How you drew me in. I fell for Tommy the dreamer, bright eyes, twin stars, so full of charm, so sweet and warm. You held me fast between your rigid arms. And I should've seen it comin', the push and pull that kept me on my toes. But I've danced around your fears for one too many unbecoming years. What harm lies here? What sorry past-- Poor kid, who told you that love and freedom were opposed? They're one and the same. But even so, you come and go, and I, the solid ground, the tether pole your orbit turns around, well, I remain. Didn't I keep watch for you? Hold fast the thread attached to you? To watch as it unwound? To count your steps and remind you of the way back home? Good earth, good womb, good wife too. What was I but a ball of clay for you? Your secret fears like fingers crept behind my eyes and made them shine. You carved a mouth tuned to the tenor of your name. My hair grew long, became a nest for you, and I felt my brow grow heavy with your pain. Even now, my sadness bores you. You no longer want me, but you cannot let me go. Well, here is your longed-for freedom. I was only in your way, but now it's my time for me to flee, to rediscover my own right of way. I go tonight out from these walls built by fear. You wear me out. Let me go to the place where I have not yet arrived. Goodbye my love, my breath, my life. I'm going to where I haven't yet arrived. - Tommy, we know you're in there. - We're bringing him in. - Over here, Tommy! - Tommy? - Now where were we? Hm. Oh, right, come here, you little vermin. We've got a case to close, so get off the ground! And now we've come to the final sentencing Who is this lady strangely called By the name of Yes Who is she Oh, what a show How it sets me aglow to bare the truth That everyone wants to know But I design to withhold my surprise Until each and every witness has a go - You may call forth the first witness. Ha, ha, ha, yeah - Stop! Oh, you think that I really give a fuck! You can point your little fingers any way you want, but I'm not the only one! So who'll throw the first stone? What's the matter? I thought I was the one you chose to pay for the sins of a world full of men too scared to be alone! - If only it were so simple. But you can't pass guilt around that way. It's much too sticky, you see. Much like glue, it sticks to you just as soon as you've passed it to me! And you're still forgetting one thing. There's still one more charge to this hearing. Let's hear what the Defense has to say. He's been oh so quiet since the scales have tipped my way! - Does the Defense wish to call a witness? Does the Defense have a final statement? - There goes your last chance, boy! I guess it's up to you. - Does the accused have any last words? Do you have any last words Yes please, yes sir, I do, sir But I don't know just how I can say this My heart beats much too quickly And I feel that I might explode So rare that I fail to find the right words Typically they come right from my golden tongue Like a river flows, but now, I don't know Hey Hey - Woo! Hm. - Order! The Prosecution may make a final statement. - There is nothing so arbitrary as a fence around a plot of land or a body with a line around it. And what have we here but an empty frame! A rusted, barbed-wire fence, there's nothing there, no property, no ground on which to build a foundation, the basic building blocks of what we commonly call love. The story begins with two nascent twins, bound together in the mother's warmth. But what was for one a nurturing womb would become for the other a dark and deathly tomb. They did everything they could to save the second child, and their efforts weren't in vain. But with her hand held fast by her desperate love, the mother died from the physical strain. And there he was, our unlucky boy, a life wrought in exchange for two. And as the father refused to hold him close, he learnt from day one the debt that was due, so he searched for a way to earn his very life! He found a thousand different ways to tell the story of his loss and a means to exonerate, but in every corner, a finger pointed, a swelling sea of shame. Buried in books, he found his mother on every single page. Along comes Carolyn, poor girl. What need I say? We've all witnessed her tale, just one of the more tragic of his attempts to find his place. Oh, the irony of a man who champions the safety and care of women but cannot love the one who waits with open arms beside him. A true dialogue of compassion between flesh and blood is replaced by the idea, the mere image of love. And so poor Carolyn was sacrificed to his self-serving crusade, a sad little man with a sorry tale and a whole wide world to save, which brings us here today. And what do we make of this lady, Yes, such a strange and unheard name. But it's all too clear if the jury knows that his favorite word was always no. And what is it that he refuses? What are these secret fears of yours? Why do you tremble at the thought of losing your grip? What is this property that you clench with white knuckles? Are not your hands wrapped around her very throat? Is it not her skin that you wear like a wreath around your neck, or a crown of thorns? Are not her bones the very frame that kept you sane and composed? And without this frame, he would scatter like dust! The infinite uncertainty of Yes, yes to the mystery of suffering that cannot be explained, yes to the life you've been given despite or because of its inaugural pain. yes to the one who would love you in spite of yourself, to the love she gave, not meant to be earned, nothing to pay back, no price in return, for love is not much like a bartered exchange, and yes to the past, for the joy and the pain. But no was your preferred response, a disposition of denial. But a pain repressed will be otherwise expressed, and hence our gathering today. And so it is, the final charge against you, that you have slain the lady, Yes, woman who wades through a sea of names but who cannot be allowed to speak, who sings instead, whose voice quivers softly, high above your little fortress of fear. She is the tremor of silence, the whisper of possibility, the fluidity within your very own soul that you have made rigid, petrified to supply the lie to your feeble mind that behind your name, something real resides. To tell the truth, I pity you, for who knew that a true dialogue was one without speech? Two pairs of unblinking eyes, an exchange of beating hearts. Two lips poised, half open, ready to speak, but never speaking a single word, except one word, yes. Yes to the invisible Yes for you, is it impossible Yes to a mystery unsolved Yes, the hardest word of them all Oh, isn't that precisely it, a mystery you can resist You can't quite get your finger on it Just like a child destroys a butterfly You tear the wings off to decipher Where it is the secret lies You destroy the ones you love the most When you can't stand a thing unknown Yes to a mystery unsolved Yes, the hardest word of them all Oh, careful, Mr. Tommy Silver You didn't really kill her Though she died, the guilt is only in your mind The judgment that you carry is hardly arbitrary It's only what you've brought upon yourself You pulled the carpet, ooh, you pulled the carpet From underneath your own feet And you will end up all alone If you can't stand up on your own - Take him away. - What? I am not Tommy Silver! - I, I don't understand. - We have heard enough from him. - But then am I to be punished? - But of course, my boy, the punishment is to be you. You have eliminated your will to deny. Now at last, together, we silence the drone of your guilty cry. - But then who are you? - I am the listener. I am the weeper. I am the will to move on. It is not I who judge, but you. I am the tried I am the trying one I have no other lies to unlearn There are no more bridges left to burn Where we recede, you start I have You have fulfilled the most unpleasant part I have No one to hear your last plea You are the judge of me It is over There is no one to untie your hands No other can but you It seems I am the author of the pantomime The one behind the curtain The first light of day, it gleams It's time to wake up from your sleep So please be gracious now That I have tried to shine the light On my own divided soul Don't ask for whom the bells of death toll It's only because I know Because he knows it all too well The cost and the terror of tearing one In two |
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