Libretto Extract

V Fearful Breath


station announcer

Four months on. A wincing night of lightning and sand. Enter the fearful breath. Unbottled. The Syncopators have vacated their chairs, taking their brass tubes with them, leaving behind an unblown music. Enter the empty chairs. Enter the degenerate music, blown and unblown. Enter the lost property, worn and unworn.

frau

Enter my fearful breath
Gives me away in the cold
Rises upward, t’ward
Boots unwelcome here
And I know where’er
I hide my breath
It will find safe passage
Through plaster
Uncut by glass

Enter my fearful breath
Gives me away in the cold
Rises upward, t’ward
Boots unwelcome here
And I know where’er
I hide my breath
It will find safe passage
Through plaster
Uncut by glass

LNER chorus

What might be the effect of lightning striking a train at both ends when it’s travelling to somewhere safe and sound, and what would a watcher see who’s standing on platform three and one who’s sitting in the speeding train, and who’d be right and who’d be wrong, and who’d dare say lightning never strikes in one place twice?

frau

My fearful breath
Gives me away
Rises upward,
T’ward boots
Unwelcome here
And I know where’er
I hide my breath
It will find

Safe passage
Through plaster
Uncut by glass

My fearful breath
Gives me away

LNER chorus

What might be the effect
of lightning striking a train
at both ends when it’s travelling
to somewhere safe and sound,
and what would a watcher
see who’s standing on platform three
and one who’s sitting in the speeding
train, and who’d be right
and who’d be wrong,
and who’d dare say lightning
never strikes in one place twice?

 
 
 

Lightning striking
Striking, striking, striking

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
frau        

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And who’d be right and who’d
be wrong, and who’d dare say
lightning never strikes
in one place twice?

I see the lightning
My fearful breath
I see the lightning striking

 
 

Who’d be right
And who’d be wrong
Fearful breath

Lighting strikes
Twice in one place
Who would dare say?