Play Within a Play

from Togetherness (Control Songs, Vol. 2) by David Garland

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lyrics

Play Within a Play

They’ve lifted the curtain. The stage has grown dark. 
There’s only one player, and the scenery’s stark. 
The footlights glow like burning coals.

The actor advances, and, turning stage right, 
he gestures to someone who turns up the light. 
And now an actress is revealed.

And they speak. 
He: I thought you had gone and would never return. 
She: I came back to see if our love could still burn. 
He: I made my mistakes, but I’m trying to learn. 
Then they both say together: The curtain is velvet,
the moon is on high, and the play has begun.

A backdrop of arbors descends from above, 
creating a setting for a story of love. 
The playwright hopes to melt our hearts.

And they speak. 
He: My family wants, my job wants, and you— 
She: I want to be best at whatever I do. 
He: My personal past forms my point of view. 
Then they look at each other: This is no love scene!
The pulse in our wrists has much more to say. 
C’est finis!

The curtain comes down as the lights start to fade. 
The last act is over, the parts have been played. 
The audience laughs, the clap, and they rave. 
Then they say to each other: We have the encore! 
The pulse in our wrists has much more to say.

credits

from Togetherness (Control Songs, Vol. 2), released September 1, 1999

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about

David Garland New York, New York

Composer/singer/multi-instrumentalist David Garland has been steadily shaping songs in new ways since 1980.

"Like many great songwriters before him, Garland pushes the limits of acceptable harmony and dissonance, yet never at the expense of beauty. If it's not possible for popular music to reach the heights of the great classical masters, it seems no one has told David Garland."
--Sean Lennon ... more

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