THE EXPERIMENT

The world was silent, everything silent as the day that we were born
The land of plenty running on empty 
And then a humming, far-away drumming, you could hear the distant call
Yesterday’s papers turning to vapors 

And there’s a sound that I’m used to hearing 
In the space between the songs
And if it’s true that we’re persevering
That’s just the sound of an experiment gone wrong

And in the silence, undecided whether to stay, whether to run
A moment of brilliance, a new resilience

And there’s a sound that I’m used to hearing 
In the calm before the storm
And if it’s true that we’re persevering
That’s just the sound of an experiment gone wrong

The world was silent, everything silent as the day that we were born
The land of plenty running on empty 
And then a humming, far-away drumming, you could hear the distant call
Yesterday’s papers turning to vapors 

And there’s a sound that I’m used to hearing 
In the space between the songs
And if it’s true that we’re persevering
That’s just the sound of an experiment gone wrong

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Music and lyrics by Peter Gaffney

Peter Gaffney: vocals, guitar 
Jay Davidson: saxophone, keyboard
Marina Vishnyakova: violin 
Andrew Morris: bass
Rolf Lakaemper: drums

The Experiment (live)

THE AWAKENING

The second hand was moving but we were all out of time
Coming to the ending of some cosmic design
No more thought of winning we were just trying to get by
And there it was, the answer like a rose-colored sky

I guess you’ve heard of the Big Man in the sky 
But the original plan began awry
If you can look at your shadow in the eye
It will take the Devil to fix it

Promises were trampled and all our dreams turned to dust
Another fine example of a world without trust
No more thought of winning it was a day-to-day affair
And there it was, the answer like a dream and a prayer

I guess you’ve heard of the Big Man in the sky
But the original plan began awry
If you can look at your shadow in the eye
It will take the Devil to fix it


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Music and lyrics by Peter Gaffney
Peter Gaffney: vocals, toy piano
Jay Davidson: flute  
Marina Vishnyakova: violin 
Andrew Morris: bass
Rolf Lakaemper: drums

The Awakening (live)

THE PAST IN THE FLESH

For those who joined the game when the game got old
For those who hit the Gold Rush when there was no more gold
For those who struck the iron when the iron was cold
And for those who stood by the fountain of youth and never made a wish
I give you the past, the past in the flesh
I give you the past in the flesh

For those who stood on land as their ship set sail
For those who sought their fortune at the end of the trail
For those who looked for love when the feeling was stale
And for those who stood by the fountain of youth and never made a wish
I give you the past the past in the flesh
I give you the past in the flesh

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Music and lyrics by Peter Gaffney
Peter Gaffney: vocals, guitar 
Jay Davidson: flute
Andrew Morris: bass
Rolf Lakaemper: drums

The Past in the Flesh (live)

SOMETHING WENT WRONG

It was 2021 when the bombs came down
My whole world came undone when the bombs came down
Everywhere I set my foot, there were ashes, there was soot
There was rubble
But it didn’t take much time when the bombs came down
Before a girl could make a dime when the bombs came down
When I finally got the gist, it was hand over fist 
Not a penny did I miss for my trouble

Everybody said that life would be grand guided by the invisible hand
But something went wrong, it went a little wonky
Every speakeasy and honky-tonk was in a panic, but very systematic
Something went bad, but never unexpected
They call it a secret but everybody knows how it goes

But me, I never wanted any trouble
A little rubble never hurt anyone 
Never got in the way of a little honest pay
And let’s not forget that’s what we’re fighting for
In my war, to end all wars

It was 2022 when the tanks rolled in
And I knew just what to do when the tanks rolled in
I played it by the book, every pocket that I shook
Was a-jingle
They sang Ave Maria when the tanks rolled in
That’s when I got my big idea, when the tanks rolled in
If there’s going to be a war, why not start a couple more
And let the mighty gods of Progress intermingle

Everybody said that life would be grand guided by the invisible hand
But something went wrong, it went a little wonky
Every speakeasy and honky-tonk was in a panic, but very systematic
Something went bad, but never unexpected
They call it a secret but everybody knows how it goes

But me, I never wanted any trouble
A little rubble never hurt anyone 
Never got in the way of a little honest pay
And let’s not forget that’s what we’re fighting for
In my war, to end all wars

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Music and lyrics by Peter Gaffney
Kim Zelnicker: vocals
Peter Gaffney: guitar  
Marina Vishnyakova: violin 
Andrew Morris: bass
Mike Mahoney: drums

Something Went Wrong (live)

NAUGHTY LITTLE TOY

There’s a hole in the world where the secret of all secrets has been hidden
There’s a cavern underground where the sacred laws of life are overridden
There’s a place that no one knows where the Devil’s garden grows
As it was written long ago

And in this hole in the world there’s a naughty little toy that no one plays with
Made of broken bits of dreams, shattered lives, mangled screams and reminiscence
A device without a name that puts God himself to shame
For his obsolescence

And if you find the little toy in the hole in the world just be careful
You will not even hear when its wheels and its gears begin to circle
And when you do, my friends, hold your breath and count to ten
1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8… 9… 10…

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Music and lyrics by Peter Gaffney
Peter Gaffney: vocals, accordion   
Marina Vishnyakova: violin 
Andrew Morris: bass
Mike Mahoney: drums

Naughty Little Toy (live)

THE MACHINE

I was feeling old, out of my time, an echo of the world
The dust of ages settled on me everywhere I turned
And the stars that used to shine so bright, the last one had flickered out
And the songs we had were useless when there was nothing to sing about

Then we built a machine, and everything was new again
We built a machine, and all our dreams came true again
We built a machine, we did it all for you, my friends
Split the world in two again
The old one and the new
Amen

Who will be the first to see the ghost in our machinery
And who’ll return triumphant to tell the world their story
May the angels watch us through the night and the Devil through the past
And may the iron fist of progress keep on throwing the dice of chance

Then we built a machine, and everything was new again
We built a machine, and all our dreams came true again
We built a machine, we did it all for you, my friends
We split the world in two again
The old one and the new
Amen

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Music and lyrics by Peter Gaffney
Peter Gaffney: vocals, accordion
Jess Conda: backup vocals  
Chris Aschman: trumpet 
Mike Corsos: bass
Rolf Lakaemper: drums

The Machine (live)

IN THE DAYS TO COME

In the days to come we’ll be happy, happy, happy, happy, happy
In the days to come we will stuff our heads with fluoridated candy
In the days to come our bodies will collapse from endless overlapping

In the days to come we will wake up to the sound of drummers drumming
In the days to come we will hold our breath and see if they are coming
In the days to come our bodies will give way to pushing and to shoving

And if I’m only dreaming, I would not ask for more
Something inside me is screaming, “You might want to go home
Do you want to go home? 
But if you try to go home, you can never go home this way again!”

In the days to come we will anodize our skin and feel alright 
In the days to come we will build a better body out of starlight
In the days to come our minds will retransmit their voices and take flight

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Music and lyrics by Peter Gaffney
Peter Gaffney: vocals, accordion  
Jess Conda: backup vocals, theramin
Chris Aschman: trumpet 
Mike Corso: bass
Rolf Lakaemper: drums

In the Days to Come (live)

LET’S CAUSE SOME TROUBLE

My daddy always said I was his baby
And my mother, she told me I was good
But I’m just a pioneer for genetic engineers
Who don’t always pay attention to what they’re doing like they should
I grew up, and I grew strong
And my parents they noticed that something had gone wrong
On the outside I was perfect like a Sunday afternoon
But on the inside there was something just a little out of tune

Let’s go outside
Get into a fight
Let’s cause some trouble

In a world where everything’s a lie
They say there’s only one way to get by
Stay indoors all day, watch the world collapse from far away
But I started thinking
I felt like a time bomb was ticking
I saw two worlds collide when I threw the windows open wide
I thought I heard somebody say, let’s do something bad today

Let’s go outside
Get into a fight
Let’s cause some trouble

I am only saying what I have to say
I am disobeying those who tell me that to obey
One day they’ll crack the code, fix the gene, do it over
But every now and then, someone will go bad again

Let’s go outside
Get into a fight
Let’s cause some trouble

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Music and lyrics by Peter Gaffney
Jess Conda: vocals
Peter Gaffney: backup vocals, guitar  
Chris Aschman: trumpet 
Mike Corso: bass
Rolf Lakaemper: drums

Let's Cause Some Trouble (live)

The Moon over Jupiter (live)

THE FUTURE

How many years have I been sleeping, dreaming of a time to come?
When the world will wake up weeping, wiping the tears from their eyes
Tears of laughter, tears of shame, I cannot take the blame

It’s the future, the future I see in the twinkle of your eyes
It’s the future for certain, I realize that it’s curtains for you and me
But what a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful world it will be
We are building a world where the spirit is forced to be free
We must step aside with good grace and humility
We must let the machine flesh out all the distinct possibilities

It’s the future, the future I feel, it’s the fire burning inside
It’s the future for certain, I realize that it’s curtains for you and me
It’s the future, I tell you
The future of humanity!
The future for America!
The future for you and me!

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Music and lyrics by Peter Gaffney
Peter Gaffney: vocals, guitar  
Chris Aschman: trumpet 
Andrew Morris: bass
Rolf Lakaemper: drums

The Experiment [Musical]