refrain (solo)
I can’t…. breathe
(Gasping) Is anybody there?
I can’t…. breathe

A1
Mama, it’s so cold in here,
Cotton throat and concrete chest,
Drowning but I'm lying still,
I just want to rest.

refrain (solo)
I can’t…. breathe
(Gasping) Won’t anybody help?
I can’t…. breathe

A2
Mama, was it like this for you?
Fighting just to take up space,
Aching from the constant struggle,
No light left to chase.

refrain (ensemble)
I can’t…. breathe
(Gasping) Can’t anybody see?
I can’t…. breathe

Bridge
I didn’t want to die.
I only wanted to belong.
I didn’t want to die.
It’s not fair...
what did I do wrong?...

[ahhhh]

A’
Oh Mama, please make it stop,
It’s piercing into my bone,
Is there a hand I can hold,
Or am I here alone?

refrain (ensemble)
I can’t…. breathe
(Gasping) Just a little air.
I can’t….

[end song]

I Can't Breathe (COVID / 2020)

LYRICS

intro [ballad]

Just want a simple kind of life,
Cold plunging at 7:45,
Morning walks with my wife,
Making sourdough after sunrise.
Weekend trips to Ibiza in June
A life of ease, where nothing feels trite,
A private chef for brunch at noon,
All for me if only I was...
white.

(pause)

verse 

If I was white, I wouldn't have to teach
That chai means tea, so "chai tea" is a reach

If I was white, I’d feel so free and complete,
Singing “Mr. Brightside” loud and proud on the street.

If I was white, I’d spend my days in Patagonia fleece,
Judging wine by its notes and discussing world peace.

If I was white, crystals would connect us to God,
If I was white, I'd sip oat lattes with my polycule squad.

pre-chorus
C'mon, I'm halfway there to being seen,
Add more milk to make me steam…..

chorus
If only I was white, if only I was white,
Everything would be alright.
If only I was white, if only I was white,
Then finally I might,
be fixed.

(pause)

verse

If I was white, new conversations wouldn’t start so glum,
With, ”No, but where are you really from?”

If I was white, I’d buy plants no matter the price,
Claim my "Saturn Return" justifies bad advice.

If I was white, my beard wouldn’t have them confused,
Not “fun hippie”, I get “terrorist accused”.

If I was white, TV would offer more faces of my reflection,
If I was white, I’d post how I actually feel about this election.

pre-chorus
'Cause safety comes more naturally when
Your melanin can fit in…..

chorus
If only I was white, if only I was white,
Everything would be alright.
If only I was white, if only I was white,
Then finally I might,
be fixed.

bridge
And sometimes late at night
I catch my reflection in the screen
Wondering if this dream of being seen
Is like a red grape dreaming it was green
(Would that make the wine more clean?)

verse

If I was white, sunscreen would still feel like a chore,
But at least I wouldn’t look like a ghost on the shore.

If I was white, I'd fail at calculus with pride
'I'm just not a math person!' and it’ll just slide.

If I was white, my food would be so bland,
No aunties teaching secrets passed through the land.

If I was white, it’d be hard to share empathy,
If I was white, privilege would shield me from their misery.

pre-chorus
Y’know, each shade tells stories that are true,
All the cultures I flow through...

chorus
I'm not only white, I'm not only white,
Everything is gonna be alright.
I'm not only white, I'm not only white,
I don’t need to be fixed, damn right.
I don’t need to be fixed, damn right.

If Only I Was White (1)

Parts Work Musical: Body's Introduction Song

SCENE
Body: I’m always scanning the room, eyes darting fast.

(Body pauses, looks around tensely, and restarts)

I’M ALWAYS SCANNING THE ROOM, EYES KEEP DARTING FAST.
SEARCHING FOR ANY SIGN OF DOOM, BRACING FOR THE BLAST.
MUSCLES TENSE, HEART ENTOMB,
WHY WON’T YOU LET ME, LET ME LET GO, LET ME BE FREE.

I’M WIRED THIS WAY, FLYING THROUGH TIME.
TRAGICALLY NUMB, IN THIS BODY OF MINE.

(Body massages Harry’s shoulders, showing his tightness)

I’M A COILED SPRING, WOUND TIGHT, 
I LONG TO LIVE IN THE NOW,
I LONG TO LOVE, TO CRY AT NIGHT.
BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW.
BREATH SHALLOW, HEART TIGHT.
WHY WON’T YOU LET ME, LET ME LET GO, LET ME BE FREE.
BODY

I’M WIRED THIS WAY, FIGHTING FOR TIME,
TRAGICALLY NUMB, IN THIS BODY OF MINE.

(Body faces Harry and grabs his shoulders, forcing him to feel the tension in her back)

I HOLD THE NERVES THAT KEEP YOU UPRIGHT,
THE LUNGS THAT FIGHT WHEN YOU FORGET TO BREATHE.
YOU WEAR ME DOWN, TEAR ME APART—
WILL YOU ONLY SEE ME WHEN I BLEED?

I’M WIRED THIS WAY, FROZEN IN TIME,
TRAGICALLY NUMB, IN THIS BODY OF MINE.
I’M WIRED THIS WAY, FROZEN IN TIME,
TRAGICALLY NUMB, IN THIS BODY OF MINE.

(Harry takes a deep hit - fade to black)


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