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Emergency Response (demo)

by Pete Davis

/
1.
Oh, what have we done, and tell me, good Lord, what have we become? (Shine a light for all the demons that we've slain in our past) Your frozen eyes (Your shattered veins) Beneath your skin Finally, we find ourselves alone at last, waiting in the dark (six inches apart) Can you feel the sorrow of everyone outside (and it can't touch us now) Waiting for our frozen lips to touch And the sun will warm us now Still, my hands our out of place, and we wait Middle of night, laughter fills the air Shadows are dancing on walls, but the hallway is bare And we know without making a sound The heavens burn, the sky is coming down Take to the wounded, to the river, we meet our lord Take us to die (We are gathered here today, amen) And the water it flows too deep to breathe And the angels have come to remind us of why we're here (Let us bow our heads and say a silent prayer) Can we sleep with our eyes pointed to the sky? Can we stay up all night to make sure we're alive? Can we sleep with the fire burning our eyes, And smoke quickly filling the air we breathe? And we try to keep still and keep ourselves afloat But how quickly does water fill your lungs and Can you sleep at all? Knowing that there's nothing that we can do (Heroes are made) The fallen will never suffer in vain Let us pray (let us mourn) for the living (for the dead) For those who are about to die Everything we do (everything we wish for) Gives us reason to give a penance for everything we've done
2.
Be on guard for crash landing. Look out on starboard: that’s what we’re heading for. Pay your closest attention. Play your cards right, we’ll win this time, somehow. I’ve taken liberty and written it down thrice over again and sounded it out, so now We’ll all read a selection. And rehearse all the lines ‘till we both can get it right. I’ve boiled it down to statements and replies, and each action will cancel it out, consolidate. Considering the time it took to fall apart, we will make it look so easy again. And we’ll get through it now, come hell or high water. Burn before you drown or never return. So leave this empty place and find somewhere new. Leave these empty faces with these parting words...
3.
Would somebody board the windows? You're letting a draft inside. Would somebody please bar the door? There are criminals lurking outside. Just waiting to get in and ruin all our furniture. Put drinks on wooden tables without a coaster. But I guess I'll stay reserved. It's not mine anyway. In case of fire it's in your name. My, it's awfully warm in here could you check the thermostat? The smoke can't escape this place, Well speak of irony. Would somebody please figure out What everyone's doing in here? And would everyone please shut their mouths? It's getting hard to think. Maybe it's the lack of oxygen inside my brain, Or maybe it's my neurons all malfunctioning again, Either way, grab what you can, but only what we can't ever get back. My legs have gotten strong enough to carry you all day, But my arms aren't long enough, so you're all I can take. I think we've come to realize That this is an emergency. And I hope we can finally agree That it's nearing time to leave. I know it must be hard when you spent so long living here. I know it must seem strange that everything just disappears, but in reality, it's still here, it just looks a little well-done. Nitrogen Can you feel it? The air is not right to stay alive. Nitrogen is cooling us to freeze; met with carbon to poison the seas. The A train is leaving without us now, abandoning the city and its casualties that sleep on the sidewalk and pray to the concrete for warmth. But the strange thing, they've abandoned all hope but they all seem to better off now. Dead streets, hollow lights put faces on. The constable's out, can't sleep at night. Terrors and eerie light, dark silhouettes painted on the walls. Soon darkness falls. Sink into me and we'll drown our sorrow evermore and vise our lips as one. Come what may come. We'll let nothing, hard as it may try, come between us evermore.
4.
5.
What would it take you to sleep You've been up watching windows all night And I'll be the first one to say That the yard there outside never changed. The grass it only grows in lonely patches here and there, The blades are worn and bent from the trampling through the years But if we were among them, I'd brave a million footsteps To sprout from the ground next to you What would it take you to breathe? Your head's so full of worry that it's clouded up And clotted are the vessels that keep you around But I'll be here to catch you so that they won't all spill out Have you lost your mind? Has she lost her pulse? This is life or death I'm right here beside you Can you hear me, I'm speaking, I'm screaming your name. I'm shaking you so hard, I'm running my veins Of all their strength so that you can gain it back Breathe deeply So peaceful Breathe deeply Steady as you go What would it take you to drown? A tide that floods the cities, or rain that falls down? But I'll still deflect it even indoors, 'Cause luck isn't much a concern anymore. If you're still sleeping, If you're still breathing If you lift this heavy heart If you make it back What will it take you to stay I'll do anything when the options arise I'll set til I'm stone or old enough to be Envelope your hands until I feel you squeeze And I won't let up til you wake up for good
6.
This could be your last day alive. I live with it every day. And people debase it to crime to get back what was taken away. "Son," my father always said that "God can't take care of us if we don't take care of ourselves. The world, son, the world don't care about us 'cause we must spend all of our time fighting to stay alive." This could be your last day alive, so live it like it was your last. And the good lord will take you away to measure the good that you've done. And Heaven will open its gates, and angels are granted their wings. And those who've committed high crimes must give back what they've taken away. "Son," my father always said that "God doesn't make people bad. He gives us a beautiful dream and some people wake themselves up." Everyone down on the floor. Be still and nobody gets hurt. Don't make any sudden moves, and we'll let you go peacefully. "Son, take what you can when you can 'cause nobody's handing it out. And don't let them stand in your way." Look to me, Father I am standing here, tell me what has happened. Tell me what they've done to you. Father you were right about everything you've tought to me. Father you were always right. Father you were always right. It's happening again. Someone please, you've got to help us. Someone please, I ask you once again. Wander, look above. Barrell of a gun. Everyone say your prayers for your families. (again) we go under, push and pull. What must we do to make it stop? Everyone was screaming. Bullets roared, and suddenly everything was peaceful once more. This could be your last day alive. It should have been fine, but everything's wrong (make a break for it). The sound of it still rings in the ears (this is wrong, this is wrong, it's all wrong). There's blood on your clothes, there's blood on your hands (your footprints). Sirens are storming, and taken by warning, people are holding their arms back from you (don't look back). Your heart fiercely beating a hole in your chest (the criminal's gone). The muscles are straining and sweating a storm (taken off on foot). And everybody said that God is all good things, and God is in all of us (the good lord will save us), but he's given up and the world has started to care about this things that you've taken away. (This could be your last day alive).
7.
We're breaching the old routine, formations falter and squander our ravines of all their water. It's not such a bad idea to set up shelter. The sky is burning like it's gonna fall tonight and we're beneath it. The stars that have always lit up the night aren't so beautiful up close when you can see it burning right. And to the touch it burns severely, but far away it keeps you warm, like the foster arms upon your joints I've forced. And people only battle for the sake of being warriors, but I could sew white flags to beat the band. So logically we understand, through impulses and clapping hands, we spar and spar and never seem to realize we're going nowhere. Going inside-out, and reversing again. It's structural. Almost impossible to hold it up this long, and down it comes. Something must be off. There's an intricacy involved with every motion. We know it's painfully evolved with silent protest. But I can't fully believe it until we've proven something right or wrong, it doesn't make a difference. First trials show rejection by subject B: vital signs are fine. Second trials show rejection led to the death of subject A. It's everything we hoped to prove, and all the things we feared were true, and everything we'd never know we ever could find out. Reasoning has failed us now, the barricades must be torn down, and all the news we've just produced, we'll give it to the people all at once. It's their right to know, and everything is fine. Everyone is happy now. We turned it inside out and kept it right, and learned from the mistakes we've always made.
8.
Sister, please, the moon has risen, the stars have taken the sky. Sister, please, your breath is so cold, your skin is pale as a ghost. But you can't move when you're sleeping, and that's when they come for you, isn't it? Sister, please, you've got to tell us what happened to you that night. Sleeplessly, we hear you wander about the hallways at night. Together we're slain wide awake. And a flash of your life came as quickly as it went away. Imagine what neighbors would say. "Thank god it wasn't us." A house that burns in the middle of winter, and a murderer struck at night. Yesterday there were gunshots down the street, can you believe? People say a virus is spreading that brings you peace 'till you die. Others say that God is saying that Heaven is on its way, and it's such a wonderful place. And some call it a nightmare; the face doesn't show what it sees. Misery and happiness, and in between. And you cannot feel anything at all except for the times of all of your pain, and you suffer again, and suffer to your grave, and they say that we bring this upon ourselves. We do it to ourselves. Sister, we have seen the pictures from coroner’s reports. Your eyes are red like crimson candles above soft smiling lips, and forever they sleep. Again, it happens again. Somehow, we'll make it through. Somehow. Sing a requiem for me, and play it out 'till the end.
9.
10.
Put the warning lights out, there's nobody there to answer all the calls we've made. While pacing about and racing around to find a way to shut them out, While we're planning our escape form here at last. Stay low, lest they find us out, with heads on clouds, it seems the pilot light's gone out. And, filling with doubt, thickens the air with quivered lines that undulate into the ground. This vessel is sinking fast. Lock our arms for one last breath. So breathe in deep as soon as you can feel it. (we were the grateful ones) Let this sea breathe salt into your lungs. (Clerics and criminals) Gasp the high tide to flood your lungs, pray the pain won't hurt you last. (Good Heaven was our estate) Get this over with. (the river ran right through here) You're so beautiful now. The fire surrounds, the ash and embers fall about. The smoke's pourring out, panic abound, towering over our normal body temperature. As if it could not be worse, they have broken down the doors. The cheshire frowns come smiling near and stare a vacant stare, and take you in their brazen statue arms. The hospital won't take in another comatose. The halls are rife with demons as it is. And we're taken by the one thing we all strive for. (now it's a hopeless cause) What irony so dangerously plagues us? (the sun's burned out at last) With lost control of muscles, the will to move is wasted. (the clouds won't hold us anymore) It's too late. (and none survive the fall) It's too late.
11.
Wide Awake 03:00
People are filling the streets, infecting the air that we breathe. We've waited long enough to realize that we won't survive. Clenching my hands in your hair, so frigid the fold starts to tear. Icicles hanging down. We've lost touch; everything falls apart. We can't rush forward so unprepared. Warriors born on the field today. When it's won, cowards will run, but heroes will stay. (The bravest of all have given everything they could to keep this dream from ending so soon. We dream to fight, but mostly we're wide awake.) Everyone down on the floor, keep still and nobody gets hurt. Don't make any sudden moves and we'll let you go peacefully. Attention this is the police, surrounding and armed to the teeth, here to negotiate. Fight fire with fire. Please, these people all have families. Don't you agree that this is much more trouble than it's worth, and you'll never see the daylight again. So please put it down. Get up off the ground and file out. Give it up. When we came there was nothing left past the rubble and grief for newborn warriors slain and heroes made.
12.
Here's an anthem to mourn An ode to a tragedy We look slant like displaced Figurines on the wall So look, we hear that Father's coming home And goodly Sister's hanged the draperies Now to see that Mother's been awake We've been away for too long To stand up straight with all our nerves aligned, Give it time. I told you that you musn't wait up, I'll arrive late tonight. Read the lines in my hands. Breathe my sighs with pretense. (Take it slow...) I'll bring flowers to dinner, tread love through the snow Calmly piece together this sweetly sorrow (we've moved on...) All the neighbors are gone, they've since passed away But new neighbors came to settle on their grave And ours will stretch out toward the sky, the gods will set by our side The mountains and tall trees will stand in our way no more This place is full of moving shadows That no one sees when no light shines through
13.
Commiato 02:50
14.
The comforting thing about nightmares is that you know it's all over when you wake up. Suddenly your eyes get wide, and you can't tell where it ends and life begins. Long you strain to take in a deep breath, straining for a full night's sleep. Sister we have witnessed the crime of the century. The funeral march is in progress, and it goes for miles, and miles have we yet before we sleep. A vigil led by candlelight, and a crowd lain in procession. Hallelujah, amen. People are filling the streets, to mourn all the souls at their feet, begging for mercy when it's all beyond our control. Does anyone know what it means when the sun plunges into the sea, burnt out in the evening sky? Perhaps it was set too high where it could never stay. And everyone laid eyes, and laid their weary heads lined up on the shore. Burning to the core, and the water warmed. But soon enough, in silence, it boiled no more. Let us bow our heads and say a silent prayer. Let us all join hands and sing a requiem. The song plays out ad nauseam. The ones we loved have all gone. Every home is empty now. Every soul is empty now. We've moved on and passed on. (we've passed on). A hundred calls were made last night to a hundred desperate people, and still we had nothing to say, but had to stay. Forever we sit in silence praying to God that someone will say something to make it all right, and bring it all back to the way that it was, the way it used to be before this disease, onslaught in the night, unforeseen attack, we fall to our knees. As clouds cover the sky, the rain comes flooding in. The sun has since burnt out. We fall helplessly asleep. Under your eyelids, your eyes race around, and you cannot feel anything at all. The discomforting thing about certain death is that everyone is happy now. Your eyes turn red, your face goes white, and smile wide. You realize that all the times you've painted blame and guiltless claims should not have been pointed away. It was you that caused all your pain. When blood is spilled it leaves a stain. Look at me, I am a monster (how much more can we destroy). Beyond repent, beyond a savior (in the river we will drown). Keep your head above the water (bring the fire bring the flood), so we can't see eye to eye (the good lord will save us). Considering the time it took for everything we have to fall apart, distantly we come to see that we rid ourselves of something so special. Believe me when I say I need you so much more than I could ever handle. Be at once what we adore, a demon flight of angels. Hold on tight as I go under. Press your head against my heart. You must stay with me forever, so that you know when it's over, I'm really gone.

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These are some songs about zombies

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released January 1, 2006

P Davis:
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Pete Davis Princeton, New Jersey

zany folk music for nerds

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