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Under the Burning Sun

by Ordovich

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    The first Redgrass Opera ever. Under the Burning Sun deals with a man immersed in a life of brutality, who, after being delivered from several major crossroads, develops the courage to pave his own utopian existence.
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1.
Narrator: Painters of the galaxy massage their canvas as the colors bleed upon their glorious sky. And as the fiery inferno inches over the horizon, earthly darkness explodes in a crimson spectacle of sheer glory. Soliloquy: There's a story that rings true For him, her, me, and you It's a tale of a struggle to survive It's sad but it's true God only knows how the story all goes For each woman and man in this crazy old world Despite our similarities we've got our own destinies So we keep moving in our separate ways But what can happen when a poor boy has got no friends of his own? Or when a woman's got a boulder sitting 'top of her shoulders? 'Tis when the story is done. Now, there's a tale you've got to hear So lend me your ears And open your mind Because you may well find That it's all happening to you And that this story is true And that your life has treated you unkind But my friends you've got to keep in mind That the good times will happen some time And that beautiful big old scarlet star will shine
2.
Narrator: Ladies and Gentlemen, this is where our tale begins; in a little town in the rural southwest. Soliloquy: I was born into this world a great many years ago In a town outside of the city As a pauper, there was no place I'd rather be Than at home with my family My folks would always bring me good tidings As soon as they got home from work At a late hour in the evening That's when the bad spirits would lurk We had a beautiful life My daddy's wife was a queen and he a king In our little shack in the backwoods living our dream So it seemed But my folks were afraid of the landlord And nearly wished he were dead For he could take away our belongings And the roof above our heads "Son, don't worry none," My folks would always assure me That there ain't nothing but opportunity Entrenched in this glorious country And that our politicians are the finest folks And would always keep us in mind And I would grow up to be a millionaire And that life would treat me kind
3.
My folks enrolled me in the scholastic machine Where the teachers grinded thoughts into my mind They spoon fed me history, english, and biology And how to think and how to life my life "Sit back and listen Jack, you better learn some respect Or you'll fall back and live your life a no-good reject For, one's instincts to disobey government authority Will get you nil by the end of the day" I learned to pledge allegiance to The rag of red, white, and blue And I learned that the rich kids in my school They were no friends of mine They bullied me all the time But with every fight the tougher I grew "Sit back and listen Jack, you better learn some respect You ain't naught but a pauper - a no-good reject But one day you'll learn to obey The ruling class plutocracy And you'll find yourself a slave to the company And you'll find yourself a slave to the bourgeoisie And you'll be naught but a slave to the state"
4.
'Twas a summers day in May When I saw her long wavy hair She smiled and I came near her And leaned over and whispered in her ear That I never seen a woman Quite as lovely and beautiful as her And thus we made each other's acquaintance Rather splendidly, and our love began from there I know; yes I know that our love will last forever And that someday, we'll be married And life will treat us kind Until the end of time She calls herself Delilah, But I call her my sweetheart everyday Sometimes we walk down the river And make love together by the lake My heart melts whenever She looks at me in that romantic gaze It fills me with pleasure To look at her beautiful face
5.
Medicine Man 04:38
The sky was black and the rain fell hard Whilst daddy wept in pain The old man in bed was lying on his back Semi-concious and suffering Let's call the medicine man And bring him here as fast as we can But they asked for rivers of gold for their corporate sham The old man slowly faded away For several weeks thereafter I would cry, "On God! Please don't take him away! His death would be a disaster!" Our wealth was dried up through our home And thus we pawned off our belongings But to save the man was a plan unachievable Through our penurious longings On father! Please be strong! Your wife and son depend on you But the day would certainly come When his death would poison the brew
6.
We buried pa in a pauper's grave With the other wretched poor We spent all of our savings On a casket at the store Now we ain't got no money Mamma ain't got no time to grieve She's got to go back to work And now I've got a hungry burden to feed So I went over into town With the ranks of the unemployed I spent all day searching around For some work at the local stores But I got turned away I guess I'll pray for a lucky day And that day sure finally came When I got a job with the corporate man
7.
I'm working everyday After the school bells ring Toiling at the factory machines I get back home at ten p.m. And wake up in the morning Only to walk back down that same old road again I hear the folks complaining at the factory About the working conditions and such How the boss works us like slaves And we work faster every day But to tell you the truth I don't mind it all so much I merely need to make enough to pay for our family home Now that ma and I are living alone But you better bet I ain't going to work indefinitely At that dirty old rotten factory
8.
I was feeling mighty weary Working everyday after school Whilst thinking about my future What's a poor boy like me to do? I can't afford to go to college And I was feeling mighty forlorn But one day at school I saw a man In a hat and a uniform He asked me, "Son, why don't you join the Army? It's the best darn thing you can do! We'll give you a hat, and give you a gun, And give you a uniform, And you can fight for the red, white, and blue "If you can't afford higher learning, Then the Army for you is just right My boy, here's the plan, you're going to give Uncle Sam Four measly years of your life! That's all!" I thought to myself, "Oh gee, this sounds neat I can get all I need, whilst serving my country I can marry Delilah, and help out my ma Oh boy, this fellow's right, the Army is for me! I am going to join the Army It's the best darn thing I can do! Yes, I am going to join the Army And fight for the red, white, and blue!"
9.
As I got back home, I bequeathed unto ma My plans, and in her eyes I saw A melancholy pride, as the tears swelled in her eyes And butterflies fluttered in her craw Mother, I'm going to be a soldier! And hereafter, life's going to be just swell And after I return, in school I shall learn How to lift us from this squalid life of Hell When I told Delilah, she broke down in tears After us being together for all these years We have fallen quite in love But I knew the skies above Would be clearer, so we married without fear Delilah, your man's going to be a soldier! And hereafter, life's going to be just fine And after I return, we'll build our happy home And live together in pleasure all the time The day I left that old southwestern town I looked into the somber faces all around I saw family and friends My old ma and my girlfriend Praying that I'd come home safe and sound Don't you worry, I'm going to be a soldier And hereafter, life's going to be alright So I hopped up on that train With my bags and my wedding ring And we rolled away from everybody's sight
10.
The sergeant is teaching the boys how to kill And now the thought of blood and guts gives them a thrill He claims that their enemies are communistic foes And the boot camp choir solutes as they go: "Sir, yes sir we're just cogs in this war machine Sir, yes sir we know that freedom will never be free And we're willing to kill and to die in that blood red sea" Being a soldier makes you a man With death in your eyes and a cannon in your hands My mind has been molded and I am so proud Thus I'll put my hand over my brow as I shout: "Sir, yes sir I'm just a cog in this war machine Sir, yes sir I know that freedom will never be free And I'm willing to kill and to die in that blood red sea" Like raging ants we scatter the fields With our death claws open awaiting our next meal We've all trained hard and we've all trained well To be masters of death in the fields of Hell
11.
Similar Fate 01:19
The pawns all arrive in planes That flew from shore to shore With thousands of children with youth in their veins In their hats and their uniforms They scattered through the fields Like fodder for feed and wait For the children who come from the opposite side Expecting a similar fate
12.
Death dropping from the sky; hitting the ground While flesh flies through the air in a shell shocking sound I watch as my friends get shot in the face As the rockets and bombs and grenades mutilate Sir, yes sir I'm just fodder in this machine of war Sir, yes sir I know that freedom is worth dying for But I ain't ready to die and I don't want to be here anymore Whilst trembling in fear I cross over the land Avoiding the bombs; running fast as I can My eyes meet the eyes of another young man And thus I take his soul; his body fell to the sand The flames burned bright That sinful night I screamed in pain My flesh in flames My mind was in shatters as I thought of ma And Delilah and my quiet life back at home But the bomb only wounded my leg, and not the rest And thus I wept in my pain and I lost conciousness
13.
14.
All day long I get these aches in my head As I'm sitting back in my old hospital bed I'm just glad I get to see my good-looking nurse As she takes care of me while I get through the worst Of my days; but my doctor says That I'll be fine; it's just a matter of time And I thank the lord for not taking my life Because I got to get back to my beautiful wife In that old southwestern town And now I ain't got to fight anymore In that God-for-saken war Because I've been discharged And now I've got a metal of my own It's been three long years since I've been on this land Risking my life for Uncle Sam All my friends were killed before my own eyes Now things don't seem right with my mind I got to get through these days But my doctor says That I'll be fine; it's just a matter of time
15.
The war was still happening the day that I came home My ma gave me a hug And I asked her where my wife had gone My ma told me, "Son, You're woman's found another man." I sat back and weeped, I could not understand We were going to start a family of our very own We'd all live together in our happy little home But Delilah couldn't bare being all alone And her love for me had disappeared while I was gone My mind was shaking, and breaking down every day But the doctor said my memories of war Would soon fade away The war broke my mind, and Delilah, she broke my heart I've got to put myself together But I don't know where to start
16.
Stranded 02:51
Mother lost her job to children Who work for half a dollar an hour In a land that's far away So the company can safe On the tears, sweat, and blood of the poor Oh, dear mother please don't cry! Our country will surely help some way For, I was fodder in the war And thus they promised to secure The rapture of our humble family I asked for some help with my broken mind But alas, I was incessantly ignored I spend my days and evenings a crying For my memories are buried in that war I've been stranded on an island And I haven't seen a ship in all these years I pray that someday someone soon shall find My island and save me from my tears For I'm stranded and I'm drowning in my tears
17.
I got another job at the factory I've been working everyday to feed my family I tried to go to school, but I dropped out And now I'm here to stay And for a scanty wage, the boss is working me like a slave "Punch in and punch out, and keep up your speed You'll be fired if your hinder productivity!" With fancy shoes on his feet The boss whips an army of sheep And you'll be pinching your pennies Working at the factory James lost his arms in a flying wheel He got leave without pay and a partial medical deal But the union did nothing after the ordeal They're run by the company And there's no such thing as a free meal Boy I wish my mind wasn't wreaked in the war I'd go back to school and wouldn't work here anymore I'd get a degree and be free To leave this corporate killing floor I'd tell my boss to go to Hell! And I'd waltz out through that door
18.
The Landlord 03:07
On a cold winter day, I got a letter in the mail 'Twas from the landlord He said, "We're gonna put your house up for sale. You didn't pay your mortgage, so now we're going to take your house Unless you pay your rent today, We're going to boot you and your family out." My ma is unemployed I'm just a makin' a measly wage My ma sat and weeped As my blood boiled with rage I ought to kill my landlord And anyone who tries to mess with me But I can't afford to go to jail I've got a family to feed They took our house So now we've got to find another place to live We got to find a cheap shack to call home Because we ain't got much to give
19.
I was walking on a dreary morning For another day at the factory I was feeling utterly disheartened When a fellow came up to me He bade me a, "Good day, comrade!" And bestowed unto my hand A paper of a strange nature 'Twas a letter to the working man And thus, it said: "Hi ho! Hi ho! My comrades did ye know? That a proletarian revolution's beginning to grow! Hi ho! Hi ho! My comrades did ye know? That a world free for liberty is what it will bestow! "Our lives are being torn asunder By the ruling class and the government The cost of living rises as our wages decline Public outrage is beginning to foment! Our jobs are being sent overseas Where child labor still exists We must fight our way towards a brighter day And when we win, we'll raise our mighty fists! "Are you living a life of indigence? Are your broken hands covered in blood? Is the wealth you created expropriated To an aristocrat's golden flood? Our republic is tied to a string That's held in the palms of a man With a top-hat and a grin That's dripping with sin Of war, and blood on his hands" By God, I couldn't believe my eyes! 'Twas the feeling I've had the whole time! I asked the man, what was this letter in my hand 'Twas a socialist leaflet of rhymes! He told me all about the union And the fight for equality And that I've been a pawn for far too long And to join the People's Army!
20.
The union hall was filled to the brim By working women and men A meeting was called by the Worker's Vanguard To discuss the revolution They were planning a strike throughout the night With orators rousing the room Jeers and cheers hath tickled their ears 'Twas the people's defiant tune On the eve of upheaval The workers got ready to fight To liberate the people From the Empire's destructive might Thus the deal hath been sealed Nevermore shall we kneel To the demons of the right For, an epic rebellion is now being drawn And shall be done by the end of the night And thus the plot was drawn all night long By the workers who dressed in black They felt an energy of liberty They knew there was no turning back To a life of despair that tainted the air Via bourgeois inequity And thus the meeting was closed And the people went home, awaiting their reckoning
21.
The star rose high in the scarlet sky The day broke away from the somber night The war hath begun under the burning sun Yet soon the flames shall fall nil From the cannons and machine guns For, we'll win All of my pains will soon wash away The loss of my hearth, and the war, and heartbreak My comrades in armes Give me the strength to go on For, this world of despair will disappear And the Crown will be ours
22.
My Army 03:11
The workers from every town In all the world around Hath took to the streets And sought to defeat The King and his golden crown Our Highness has heretofore Besieged our liberty And thus, we shan't stand for it anymore We shall wave the flags of our army My Army! My Army! Ye shall fight for liberty! We shall walk hand in hand to the promised land And wave our flags in glory! We seized every federal building And every clinic and every school We took over every factory And tore down the red, white, and blue We fought every ounce of resistance - The counter-revolutionaries We left every battle in victory And waved the flags of our army
23.
Dice 02:02
We abolished the republic Bequeathed unto the public Equal land and a generous hand in camaraderie We dissolved corporations All across the nation And thus, the people gained control of productivity Now, we live in a worker's paradise This live sans grieving certainly is nice For, the bosses and the landlords Have been excised from this world For, my Army took the gold when we rolled the dice Now, there ain't no tuition Free school for the children If you're feeling sick The medic will assist you free of charge Every man's a king And ever gal's a queen For, we ain't naught but human beings In this great big world of ours
24.
Narrator: Ladies and Gentlemen - Comrades! 'Tis nearly the end of our tale - of that young humble lad who grew up in the rural southwest, who, as it turns out, was not alone in his trails and tribulations. And, as a matter of consequence, 'twas these very beasts of burden who, with their numbers, paved way for a brighter future. And as for our humble hero: Soliloquy: I'm living, yes I'm living A life of tranquility When I'm working at the shop Or hanging with my ma And the rest of my family I met a little sweetheart She's my revolutionary She's got a beautiful mind And two big brown eyes Yes, I love her and she loves me Life can be so strange It can change from joy to disaster 'Tis quite peculiar But one day you may find your way to a state of rapture Yes, now I'm living - I'm finally living A life of equality With no poverty to speak of Just peace, unity, and love 'Tis a life of camaraderie Yes, we ousted Washington, D.C. And we pillaged and plundered Wall Street And redistributed wealth equally To every town and every city Now the market truly is free And the rest is all history And verily, we live in world of liberty And that scarlet star in the sky is shimmering! Narrator: Ladies and Gentlemen - Comrades! This is the end of our show, and you have been a lovely audience. And before I let you go, I want you all to keep in mind that dreams are what make a revolution.

credits

released December 22, 2010

Written in Brazil during the summer solstice of 2008. Recorded and released in the Pacific Northwest in the year 2010. Under the Burning Sun is dedicated to the workers of the world upon whose backs civilization now stands.

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Ordovich Tempe, Arizona

Ordovich is a Composer, Author, Illustrator, Medical Doctor & Professor based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. O has acquired a style that is worldly and all-encompassing inspired by his travels. Themes of his music, literature, & illustrations range from fantasy & humour noir to social affairs. Visit the Bourgeois Beggars for more recent musical creations. ... more

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