Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
04) The Wasteland
06) Close to Home
07) Children of Eden
11) Ain't It Good?
12) In the Beginning
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01) The Spark of Creation [ MIDI ]
DURATION: 2:19
FILE SIZE: 14.6 KB
EVE
I've got an itching on the tips of my fingers,
I've got a boiling in the back of my brain.
I've got a hunger burning inside me cannot be denied.
I've got a feeling that the Father who made us,
when He was kindling the pulse in my veins,
He left a tiny spark of that fire smoldering inside.The spark of creation is flickering within me.
The spark of creation is blazing in my blood,
A bit of the fire that lit up the stars
and breathed life into the mud.
The first inspiration,
the spark of creation...I see a mountain and I want to climb it.
I see a river and I want to leave shore.
Where there was nothing, let there be something, something made by me.
There's things waiting for me to invent them.
There's worlds waiting for me to explore.
I am an echo of the eternal cry of, "Let there be..."The spark of creation burning bright within me...
The spark of creation won't let me rest at all,
until I discover or build or uncover
a thing that I can call
my celebration
of the spark of creation...The spark of creation: may it burn forever.
The spark of creation: I am a keeper of the flame.
We think all we want is a lifetime of leisure,
each perfect day the same
endless vacation.Well, that's all right, if you're a kind of crustacean,
but when you're born with an imagination,
sooner or later, you're feeling the fire
get hotter and higher...
The spark of creation!
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02) In Pursuit of Excellence [ MIDI ]
DURATION: 3:46
FILE SIZE: 18.9 KB
SNAKE and CHORUS
I've been watching you for a while now,
my pretty little missss,
and I've got to tell you thissss:
You make me want to hissss.Your aimless curiosity is fast becoming tiresome.
Knowledge, dear, is power
and it's high time you acquire some!
Dum, dum, dum, dum, dum.Lesson one for free.
Repeat after me:
I'm in pursuit of excellence...
Excellence is what I wish.
Once I was a feckless dreamer.
Now, no being is supremer.
Why waste time
wallowing in ignorance-sss?
Why be just a big fat fish
in a tiny little pond?
Look beyond!
And if the quickest route
means a taste of forbidden fruit,
what the hey!
It's all in pursuit of excellence-sss.So... don't be such a stiff.
Mmm, just take a sniff.
Really, what's the diff',
if a couple of fibs are spoken,
a couple of vows are broken?
That's the price, I guess...
No pain, no gain!
You'll be swiftly overtaken
by some ambitious snake unless-sss
you progress-sss.
Learn to dress-sss
for success-sss.
Yes-sss!We're in pursuit of excellence-sss.
Winners dare to take the risks-sss,
while losers discuss-sss...
That's why they're losers!
Pass the test when you're tested.
Be the best, not the bested.
Let other nervous wrecks-sss
stay to frightened to stick out their necks-sss.
They're not in pursuit of excellence-sss
like us...
Like us...
Like us...
Sss...
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03) A World Without You [ MIDI ]
DURATION: 3:08
FILE SIZE: 11.4 KB
ADAM
Oh, my Father,
Lord and creator,
You know that half my heart is yours.
All that you gave me,
I can't repay you.
If I betray you,
I'll break in two.
How could I live
in a world
without you?But oh, my life's partner,
my wife, my lover,
You know that half my heart is yours.
Each time I see you,
you fill my spirit.
Just knowing you're near,
it makes the day new.
How could I live
in a world
without you?Oh, Father, please don't make me choose.
Either way, it's more than I can bear to lose.
Either way, it's ripping out my heart.
This choice is tearing me apart.Oh, my garden,
all peace and beauty,
I know that all my heart is yours.
I want to stay here,
stay here forever,
Father, forever.
I cannot leave,
But Eve,
I don't know what else to do...How can I live,
I cannot live,
I will not live
in a world
without...
...you.
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04) The Wasteland [ MIDI ]
DURATION: 2:29
FILE SIZE: 7.99 KB
STORYTELLERS
Red rock and outcrop stone,
and the sun glares off a bleaching bone.
There's no comfort or softness here;
there's only the wasteland.The land of the hunter, the stalker and the skinner,
where you're either the diner or the dinner,
and the line between man and beast keeps getting thinner
in the wasteland.In the wasteland, the land laid waste,
the fruit of knowledge has a bitter taste
But the bliss of ignorance can never be replaced;
it's lost in the wilderness...And there came a chilly rain,
a child was born, in sweat and pain.
But they loved him still, and they called him "Cain"
of the wasteland...In the wasteland, the land forlorn,
two more years, and one more morning
there's another cry heard, and another boy born,
To be lost in the wilderness...Heat-baked and dust-storm driven,
and one false step stays unforgiven.
And all that you know is you weren't made to live in
the wasteland...
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05) Lost in the Wilderness [ MIDI ]
DURATION: 2:23
FILE SIZE: 13.7 KB
CAIN
I never made this world.
I didn't even lose it.
And I know no one said it was fair,
but they had a garden once.
They had the chance to choose it.
They gave it away, including my share.And now, we're lost in the wilderness.
Lost, crying in the wilderness.
And if anyone's watching,
It seems they couldn't care less,
we're lost in the wilderness...You follow all the rules,
you swallow all the stories
and ev'ry night you wish on a star,
dreaming your day will come,
trusting in allegories
and ev'ry morning, boy, look where you are!Lost in the wilderness.
Lost, slowly dying in the wilderness
With no chance of living, boy, until you confess,
you're lost in the wilderness.Don't you ever watch the eagle fly to the sun,
and wonder how it got to be so free?
If you ever have, you know your journey's begun.
Hey! What have we got to lose, boy, when already weare lost in the wilderness?
And where we are headed, boy, I couldn't even guess.
But off we go, without a warning,
running as we hit the ground,
where our future lies aborning,
where our hearts are outward bound...
Till one bright and distant morning,
we may stop and look around
and there in the wilderness,
fin'lly we'll be found.
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06) Close to Home [ MIDI ]
DURATION: 3:11
FILE SIZE: 15.1 KB
YOUNG CAIN and YOUNG ABEL
1, 2, 3 owls are in the tree.
4, 5, 6 foxes in the sticks.
6, 5, 4 goslings on the shore.
3, 2, 1, now we all go home.ADAM
We tried to make a home.YOUNG CAIN and YOUNG ABEL
1, 2, 3 owls are in the tree.ADAM
Heaven knows the life's been hard.YOUNG CAIN and YOUNG ABEL
4, 5, 6 foxes in the sticks.ADAM
Summers brief and arid,YOUNG CAIN and YOUNG ABEL
6, 5, 4 goslings on the shore.ADAM
winters bleak and numb,YOUNG CAIN and YOUNG ABEL
3, 2, 1, now we all go home.ADAM
look what we call home.
These old walls are stained and scarred.EVE
I can still remember
what each scar was from.ADAM
You could call it run down,EVE
worn out,ADAM
threadbare,ADAM and EVE
and I guess you'd come
close to home,
close to home.ADAM
And I remember
in someone else's garden long ago,
we had all we could eat.EVE
But it seems the fruit our own hands grow
somehow tastes twice as sweet.ABEL
6, 5, 4 goslings on the shore.
3, 2, 1, now we all go home.ADAM
On this barren plotABEL
1, 2, 3 owls are in the tree.ADAM
we'll plant our wheat and dig our wells,ABEL
4, 5, 6 foxes in the sticks.ADAM
and we'll be a fam'ly,ABEL
6, 5, 4 goslings on the shore.ADAM
steady as a star.EVE
Look at what we've got:ADAM and ABEL
Ba ba bum ba ba ba ba bumEVE
only what we made ourselves.ADAM and ABEL
8, 9, 10, now we start again.EVE
Though it's next to nothing,
look how rich we are.ADAM
Funny now how Eden doesn't seem so far...ADAM and EVE
Come sit beside me in the dying light.
What storms to morning brings, we'll weather all right.
Your hand in my hand, as we sit here huddled in the gloam,
Paradise seems strangely close,
close to home,ABEL
Ba ba bum ba ba ba ba bumADAM and EVE
close to home.ABEL
3, 2, 1, now we all goADAM, EVE and ABEL
home.
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07) Children of Eden [ MIDI ]
DURATION: 2:36
FILE SIZE: 6.25 KB
EVE
Like this brief day,
my light is nearly gone.
But through the night, my children,
you will go on.
You will know heartache,
prayers that don't work.
And times of bitter circumstances...
But I still believe in second chances...Children of Eden,
where have we left you?
Born to uncertainty,
destined for pain...
Sins of your parents
haunt you and test you,
This, your inheritance:
fire and rain.Children of Eden,
try not to blame us.
We were just human
to error prone.
Children of Eden,
will you reclaim us?
You and your children to come
someday to come home.
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08) Stranger to the Rain [ MIDI ]
DURATION: 3:34
FILE SIZE: 18.9 KB
YONAH
Shed no tears for me.
There'll be rain enough today.
I'm wishing you Godspeed,
as I wave you on your way.This won't be the first time
I've stayed behind to face
The bitter consequences
of an ancient fall from grace.I'm a daughter of the race of Cain.
I am not a stranger to the rain.Orphan in the storm,
that's the role I've played before.
I've learned not to tremble
when I hear the thunder roar.I don't curse what I can't change,
I just play the hand I'm dealt.
And when they lighten up the rations,
I tighten up my belt.I won't say I've never felt the pain,
But I am not a stranger to the rain.And for the boy who's given me
the sweetest love I've known,
I wish for him another love,
so he won't be alone.I am bound to walk among
the wounded and the slain.
And when the storm crashing on the plain,
I will dance before the lightning,
to music sacred and profane.Oh, shed no tears for me.
Light no candle for my sake.
This journey I'll be making now
is one we all must make.Shoulder to the wind,
I'll turn my face to the spray.
And when the heavens open,
let the drops fall where they may.If they fin'lly wash away the stain
from a daughter of the race of Cain
I am not a stranger to the rain.
Let it rain...
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09) In Whatever Time We Have [ MIDI ]
DURATION: 3:19
FILE SIZE: 14.5 KB
JAPHETH
In whatever time we have,
for as long as we are living,
we can face whatever comes,
if we face it now as one.I could make it on my own;
let me know that I don't have to.
No one really wants to be alone,
in whatever time we have.If at times we are afraid,
with so little to believe in,
it's all right to feel afraid;
I will hold you in the dark.All we know for sure is this:
though the world could end tomorrow,
you and I will be togetherYONAH (JAPHETH)
In whatever time we have, (in whatever time we have.)
for as long as we are living, (We know life can be a battlefield,)
we can face whatever comes, (but we won't run and we won't yield.)
if we face it now as one. (You'll be my fortress, and I will be your shield.)TOGETHER
No one really wants to be alone,
in whatever time we have.YONAH
There are times I've been afraid,
in a world that's so uncertain.
Then, I feel your hand in mine
and there's courage in my heart.JAPHETH
We could live a hundred years,YONAH
or the world could endTOGETHER
tomorrow.
But we will be together
in whatever time...From this day forward, nights won't seem so black.
From this day forward, we will never look back.In whatever time we have,
we will make the most of time,
and at least we'll be together,
in whatever time we have.
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10) The Hardest Part of Love [ MIDI ]
DURATION: 3:30
FILE SIZE: 19.2 KB
NOAH
Oh, this son of mine I love so well,
and, oh, the toll it takes.
I would give to him a garden
and keep it clear of snakes.
but the one thing he most treasures
is to make his own mistakes. Oh...He goes charging up the cliffs of life,
a reckless mountaineer.
I could help him not to stumble,
I could warn him what to fear.
I could shout until I'm breathless,
and he'd still refuse to hear. Oh...But you cannot close the acorn
once the oak begins to grow,
And you cannot close your heart
to what it fears and needs to know:
That the hardest part of love
is the letting go.As a child, I found a sparrow
that had fallen from its nest,
and I nursed it back to health
till it was stronger than the rest.
But when I tried to hold it then,
it pecked and scratched my chest,
till I let it go...And I watched it fly away from me
with its bright and selfish song,
And part of me was cursing
I had helped it grow so strong.
And I feared it might go hungry,
and I feared it might go wrong,
Oh...But I could not close the acorn
once the oak began to grow,
And I cannot close my heart
to what it fears and needs to know:
That the hardest part of love...FATHER
...is the letting go...NOAH
is the letting go.FATHER
And it's only in Eden
grows a rose without a thorn.
And your children start to leave you
on the day that they are born.
They will leave you there to cheer for them,
They will leave you there to mourn ever so.Like an ark on uncharted seas,
their lives will be tossed.
And the deeper is your love for them,
the crueler is the cost.
And just when they start to find themselves
is when you fear they're lost. Oh...FATHER and NOAH
But you cannot close the acorn
once the oak begins to grow,
and you cannot close your heart
to what it fears and needs to know:
That the hardest part of love...
And the rarest part of love...
And the truest part of love...NOAH
LoveFATHER and NOAH
is letting go.
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11) Ain't It Good? [ MIDI ]
DURATION: 3:48
FILE SIZE: 23.6 KB
MAMA
Oh, look out there in the eastern sky,
is that a hint of light?
Oh, come and look, I need to know
if I am seeing right.
We've lived so long in dark,
I'm almost frightened to believe
those clearing skies on
that glist'ning horizon.
Please tell me my eyes don't deceive me...Ain't it sweet to smell the morning,
in a world washed fresh and clean?
Now the storm has left its warning,
and we see a hint of green.
Pale gray light, grow strong and golden,
and release us from our pen,
where we rocked for endless days,
on a sea of endless grays.
Now we sing a song of praise, amen...
Ain't it good?
Ain't it good?
Ain't it good to see the sun again?MAMA and STORYTELLERS
When my ears were filled with thunder,
when my soul began to shake
there were times I'd truly wonder
if those clouds would ever break.
But no storm will last forever,
though we felt so helpless then.
Now we raise our joyful chant
for a glimpse of olive plant!
Haven't seen one since I can't remember when...Ain't it good
When skies are clearing?
How our hearts
begin to dance!
How our hopes
are reappearing,
since we've been granted
a second chance...
And for now,
we're done with fearing
we might be
the final generation.
In a dawn that's newborn fresh,
open wide this floating crèche,
and deliver ev'ry precious specimen!Ain't it good?
Ain't it good, now?
Ain't it good to see the sun again, my Lord...
After all the nights we stood
smelling rain and gopher wood...Ain't it good
to see the sun again!
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12) In the Beginning [ MIDI ]
DURATION: 5:06
FILE SIZE: 16.1 KB
JAPHETH and YONAH
This step is once again our first.
We set our feet upon a virgin land.
We hold the promise of the earth
in our hands...JAPHETH, YONAH, NOAH and MAMA
No flood from heaven comes again.
No deluge will destroy and purify.
We hold the fate of man and men
in our hands...ENTIRE FAMILY
Now, at this dawn so green and glad,
We pray that we may long remember
How lovely was the world we had,
in the beginning...ALL except FATHER
Of all the gifts we have received,
One is most precious and most terrible:
The will in each of us is free.
It's in our hands.And if someday we hear a voice,
If he should speak again, our silent Father,
All He will tell us is the choice
is in our hands.Our hands can choose to drop the knife,
Our hearts can choose to stop the hating.
For ev'ry moment of our life
is the beginning.FATHER
There is no journey gone too far.
So far, we cannot stop, and change direction.
No doom is written in the stars.ALL except FATHER
It's in our hands.
It's in our hands.ENTIRE COMPANY
We cannot know what will occur.
Just make the journey worth the taking.
And pray we're wiser than we were,
in the beginning.It's the beginning.
Now we begin.
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