Question 1

A Mouse's Heartbeat

Accepted Answer

It's springtime in New Orleans again
Even though it's only January tenth.
‘Cause in my home city,
It's well below freezing
It's in the single digit degrees
And here it's over sixty

My girl down here is so warm
She’s giving something
To look forward towards
'Cause back home the girls,
They are so cold
And I'm not looking forward to home
‘Cause that's three months
That I'm not in her arms

This city I love will be gone in my life
But then again so will I
When it all has returned to the sea
Will we swim to safety?

I was watching some learning TV
They were talking about
A mouse's heartbeat
And I realized our life's
Not measured in time
But in, 'pound pound pound' repeat
At least that's what I learned the week

‘Cause each day I learn something new
Like how many men
Have been to the moon
I've seen a tiny percent of this tiny planet
And they've seen it all in their view
 I want to see all too

This city I love will be gone in my life
But then again so will I
When it all has returned to the sea
Will we swim to safety?
Tell me will you swim, swim with me?

Question 2

Aiden's Song

Accepted Answer

When does a human, become a person?
When their ideas, are truly their own
When they realize they are living?
Wonder if they’re deserving?
Or the day, they realize they’ll die.
But these ideas are not my own
They are not mine.
They are of a child’s mind

And some days, I see you in the garden
Picking fruits before the Autumn,
Not knowing yet
That good things,
Will come just if you let them
Haven’t, quite yet learned that lesson
But give it a matter of days

When will this person,
Come to adulthood?
What sorts, the boys from men?
When they realize we're imperfect,
But we are still deserving
Of forgiveness, they can give
But these ideas are not my own
They are not mine.
They are someone else’s lines

I trust that, our father he will mould you
He will teach you all the values,
That he taught me
So one day,
When our lives are in their Autumn
We will plant some trees for others
Whose shade we will never see.

I am human. But am I a person?
Am I important? Am I deserving?
Can I reach forgiveness?
With all these imperfections?
I am a human. No, I am a person
But these ideas are not my own.

Question 3

City of Fountains

Accepted Answer

I knew what it was to have a home
Back before innocence had flown
Long before I had dreams of South
I bleed with the memory of fountains

In the last few years this has become
A ghost town of lost acquaintances
And I roam from one,
Ghost town to the next
This has become my life in present

I never knew I’d miss this home
All of our adventures in the woods
We were young,
And were vulnerable to change
It’s become the epidemic of our age

In the last few years this has become
A ghost town of lost acquaintances
And I roam from one,
Ghost town to the next
This has become my life in present

Tears of joy spew from this lonely orphan
Down the Mississippi
Towards New Orleans
And congregate in the Atlantic Ocean
Spring fed from the City of Fountains

City of Fountains, City of Fountains,
City of Fountains, City of Fountains
City of Fountains, City of Fountains,
City of Fountains, City of Fountains

Question 4

Edges

Accepted Answer

Ground is flat, sea is rough,
Sky is deeper than we know.
But you are edges, you are curves.
And in my sheets, you are colors,
You are shapes, you are lines.
And in your hues, you’re my muse.

In your corners, I would hide,
Where your shadows and light collide.
In my bloodstream, on my skin,
There your colors, let you in.

I forgot ’til we met,
How to see the simple things.
Like how your edges, come to curves.
Do you mind if I write, so I don’t forget,
Where you end and I begin?

In your corners, I would hide,
Where your shadows and lights collide.
In my bloodstream, on my skin,
There your colors, let you in.

Where your edges, and my edges, align.
Where your edges, and my edges, align.

Question 5

Heat Miser

Accepted Answer

He hasn't dreamt of a
White Christmas for years
Because he knows the grass
It is much greener in southern hemispheres
He must be a very confused bird
Because at the first sign of snowfall he'll spread his wings
And up and fly north
 
I am sick of this Missouri winter,
‘Cause I'm Mr. Heat Miser
 
She is the oddball of her family
She spends three quarters of the year
Living under palm trees
But, when the solstice has come and gone
She will run to home like a winter hare
Camouflaged in the snow
 
Will I give up Kansas in December,
And resign as the Snow Miser?
 
What I'd give for her touch
(What I'd give for his touch)
To freeze in her cold, winter clutch
(To melt in his warm, summer love)
I'd suffer a feverish cough
(I would burn just because)
She's (he's) too much
 
It's too much to ask of a girl (boy)
Who has spent
One year and some change
As my other half, my polar opposite
I only fear that the Autumn will come
And just like in Springtime
The seasons will fall
And they’ll sunder our love
 
We’ll never compromise with one another
Without help from Mother Nature
This Southtown will be,
Yours to make a winter
My sacrifice to Mother Nature

Question 6

Her

Accepted Answer

Since the eclipse
I found beauty in that which
Will always exist
I have stared at the sun
Though it’s stared down at me
I have never once
Offered my eyes
Like a prayer from a pagan
To the king of the skies
I am worshiping her
As constant as heavenly spheres

I will rise, and set on you
I will rise, and set on you

She is pulling on me,
Like the tide from moon
As it pulls on the sea
I will happily float
I'm safe in her waters,
I'm already home
So if I wash ashore
I'll just have to wait
For her tide to restore
I am trusting in her
Comme le marin fait confiance à la mer

I will rise, and set on you
She will rise and set on me, too

Question 7

If & When

Accepted Answer

If you come to,
It wasn't ‘cause I woke you,
You must've drifted 
If I lose you,
It wasn't ‘cause I meant to,
I can't talk backwards
But in my fictions,
I never fail to mention 
That I blame you
If you had to lace up my shoes,
Could you blame me?
 
If you need help,
You’ll have to send an email,
And I'll get back to you
In the next day,
Gives me time to think,
So I don't say what's due
If that sounds harsh,
Know I can’t speak backwards.
I’m repeating myself
I’m used to cycles,
And never making progress.
Onward and upward!
 
I'm drawing straight lines,
Between you and I,
They just keep going
No starts or ends;
No line segments.
They go their own way
 
When I hurt you,
I tallied up my virtues.
Do they matter?
‘Cause hurt people,
Hurt other people,
Can you blame them?
When in doubt,
You need love,
I hope you find some
My "one in a million,"
There's seven thousand of them.
I hope you find yours
 
When you move out,
I hope that you move downtown,
Where the lights are
You've always loved them,
I never could sleep through them.
I hope they find you
How many boyfriends,
Does it take to change a light bulb?
It's too dark to count
I've burned my hands,
And now it is their turn.
They'll figure it out
 
I'm drawing straight lines,
Between you and I,
They just keep going
No starts or ends;
No line segments.
They go their own way

Question 8

In Time

Accepted Answer

Lover please don't age again
Couldn't stand the thought,
Of you growing old without me
Can you try to make it stop?
Can you try to make it stop?

I have broken every clock
Couldn't check the time,
Without the ever-present reminder
I had to try to make them stop.
I had to try to make them stop

Those who ignore history
They are truly blessed,
To live out their lives repeating
All the things that they once loved.
You're the thing that I once loved

History books line my shelves
With each spine I crack,
It's the ever-present reminder
That each page takes you away.
I am doomed to not repeat

I know you, are my history
Cause I know you,
From my history books

Question 9

Julian

Accepted Answer

Julian, you're critically endangered
Despite my best efforts
Are you alright? Are you alright?
Are you alright?
 
Can you stay, happy, healthy, stable,
When chemically unable?
You try so hard, you try so hard,
You try so hard.
 
Julian, can you give life meaning,
When work ethic is fleeting?
Will you work ‘til you're old?
Work ‘til you're old? Work ‘til you're old?
 
Would you find, you'd prefer to idle,
And let life pass you gentle?
Are you wasting your life?
Wasting your life? Am I wasting mine?
 
Julian, can you choose your actions?
Or is life reactions?
Would I do the same? Would I do the same? 
If things were the same
 
Candle wax, is dripping on your hands
From burning at both ends
You're burning too bright,
Burning too bright, burning too bright
 
Julian, would your friends still love you,
If they saw things that I do?
I will not tell, I will not tell, I would not tell.
 
Tell me true, do they make you happy?
Or are they distracting?
From loving yourself, loving yourself,
Loving yourself

Question 10

Juniper

Accepted Answer

Juniper compared me to a Beatles song
I don't know which,
But it sounds so meaningful
I'm thinking "Love Me Do,"
Or "I've Got to Get You In My Life"
Because Juniper smiled for the first time

Juniper, says she don't fall for,
That old luck and astrology
Says it's the most absurd, 
Thing she's ever heard,
Says 'we make our own destiny'

Juniper is rooting for the underdog
Makes me wonder,
If that's what she keeps me around for
She loves my mix CDs,
For all my mixed emotions
Because Juniper's,
Not going through the motions

Juniper, says she don't fall for,
That old luck and astrology
Says it's the most absurd, 
Thing she's ever heard,
Says 'we make our own destiny'

She's an antique watch,
But her hands are stuck
Half past five o'clock,
Always dressed to the nines.
She'll mix black and blue,
Get away with it too,
Hides her one tattoo,
That's only meant for my eyes.

She will dance around,
To not a sound,
Her feet off the ground,
Her hips will write a symphony.
She's not one to adapt,
Keeps her suitcase packed,
Case she's leaving fast,
She's not meant for captivity.

So I'll cherish the memory in my mind
Of when Juniper smiled for the first time

Question 11

L'appel du vide

Accepted Answer

You are endless
As far as I can tell
I stare longing

I am helpless
And so you bring me in
I do nothing

You are wine-red
Drunk upon your lips
You invite me

As I give in, I give up
Sometimes waiting, is too much work

You are open
And free for all to see
They enjoy you

I am empty
Your tide it pulls me in
I do nothing

I see visions
A boy upon your shores
He looks happy

First impressions, they make or break
When you met me, I was weak

Question 12

Lovely

Accepted Answer

Lovely girl won’t you please stay ’til morn?
I’ve held you in contempt,
Nevermore
‘Cause the one place you belong
Is in my arms
And without your sweet embrace,
I shan’t be warm

I wish I spoke more languages
To say again without repetition
‘Cause there’s only so many ways
For me to say:
“Linda favor de pasar la noche”

Lovely, you are lovely to me,
And everybody else
Lovely, you are lovely to me,
And everybody else
Lovely, you are lovely to me,
And everybody else
Lovely, you are lovely to me.

Lovely girl will you please stay the same?
Need something in life
That doesn’t change
In seven years this frame will be renewed
That’s seven years
I’d like to spend with you

Each night as I'm dozing off to sleep
I’ve been known to forget everything
When I wake and see you in my bed
I'll fall for you again, stronger yet

Lovely, you are lovely to me,
And everybody else
Lovely, you are lovely to me,
And everybody else
Lovely, you are lovely to me,
And everybody else
Lovely, you are lovely to me.

Question 13

Seeds

Accepted Answer

It's not a play on words,
I just haven't seen the sun since Sunday
It's not a metaphor,
It's just been really rain
And the skies are dark,
It's been nothing but overcast lately
Who'd've known,
April showers could be so depressing?

So I will plant some seeds,
For both you and me,
And maybe something good,
Will come of this rain
So let the gardens flood,
And these seeds be drowned in mud
And maybe we can learn,
To make light of this spate

"It's not choice," you say,
"That my head feels like it's drowning
When I leave my bed,
The weight of the world it surrounds me.
And my thoughts are dark,
And I haven't been eating much lately.
Who'd've known,
I'd be the one to disappoint me?"

So I will plant some seeds,
For both you and me,
And maybe something good,
Will come of this rain
So let the gardens flood,
And all I love be drowned in mud
And maybe we can learn,
To make light of your pain.

"I think you're jaded," I said
"Seeing through a shaded lens."
"I think you are the jaded one,"
She said, "my little optimist,

I bet you think that daylight is
The natural state of things
Not that which displaces dark
You take it for granted

Love, you're needed like water is
But I'm a waterfall
The whole world feels your benefit
And I'm just beautiful

So love you be the blinding sun
And I'll keep wearing shades
And be useless as the moon
Beautifully ornate."

Question 14

Sink Nor Swim

Accepted Answer

Listen close ‘cause I,
Don’t want to whisper louder
Lest my words bend like,
Light through a glass of water
I am drawn to you,
As if I’m a barfly
And this city is,
My favorite neon sign

I know you’re a bird
Or so I’ve heard

Now I’ve got your ear,
Will you pay attention?
I will burn this nest,
With the best intentions
If given the choice,
I will sink nor swim
I will fly to you,
Before this winter ends

‘Cause if you’re a bird
Then I’m a bird

Question 15

Table For Two

Accepted Answer

Table for two.
She said she’d come.
Table for two.
I’ll wait for her.

You get free, dessert.
If she doesn’t show.
If she doesn’t show.

The studio is sparkling.
For the first time in months.
You made your bed.
She’ll lie in hers.

At least you get some sleep.
When you sleep alone.
When you sleep alone.

Question 16

The Ballad of Psyche

Accepted Answer

I can watch the sunrise
By my own damn self
I’m falling asleep
But you're not there to help
Now I'm seeing colors
That we rarely see
While you enjoy his arms
And his company

I suffer through sore eyes
And these aching limbs
My body says it’s too late,
It’s not used to this
And I’m just as detached
As you claim to be
It’s not the same sunrise
Without your company

Your room was the palace of Eros, 
In many ways.  
I fell for you
Though I couldn't see your face
But my doubts always,
Consume me whole
Now the tides have shifted,
I’m Psyche and you’re Eros

I can count Apollo’s horses
On one hand
As they soar through horizons
Over far off lands
And I can trust that from his lips
I’ll hear no lies
‘Cause unlike you
I know that I can trust the sky

I swear your bed was Delphi
'Cause I breathed in fumes
And I saw things that don’t exist,
I wish were true
I begged the goddess Carpo,
Would this summer bring
A ripened fruit
Of newfound possibilities?

Your bed was the palace of Eros, 
In many ways.  
I fell for you
Though I couldn't see your face
But my doubts always,
Consume me whole
Now the tides have shifted,
I’m Psyche and you’re Eros

My sleep alone,
Is like a curse from Aphrodite
But could this box,
Contain seeds from Persephone?
And from this seed,
Maybe a love can grow
But I refuse to sleep,
So I guess I will never know

You flew so fast,
I sometimes doubt if you exist
One night you were mine,
And now you are his
I guess my inhibitions
Got the best of me
The box is gone,
I lost my chance for you, to wake me.

Question 17

The Kettle Black

Accepted Answer

This kettle wasn’t meant for the stovetop,
The wires and the plastic they melted
You almost burned the house down
Your first time with a fire extinguisher,
Sprayed the kitchen down just to be sure
I laugh about it now
The carbon ruined my favorite toaster,
I’m just glad that you were not hurt
It scared you half to death
Didn’t drink tea for a solid six months,
I’m not sure how we managed wake up
We did it somehow. We did it somehow

That kettle wasn’t meant for the stovetop,
The wires and the plastic they melted
I almost burned the house down
The flames they scorched a portion of the wall,
Never made the call to our landlords
It scared me half to death
You were sleeping off in the next room,
The screech of the alarm it awoke you
You came in running fast
When you found me I was complete wreck,
You crushed me in your arms worried sick
I think about it now. I think about it now

Nostalgia's got me scared to death.
Nostalgia's got me scared to death
Nostalgia’s got me.

(I’m not sure how I manage to wake up            
No I’m not sure how I manage to wake up.            
I do it somehow, I do it somehow.    
I do it somehow, how do you do it now?)

Question 18

Your Species' Anthem

Accepted Answer

Aurora, Aurora I’m looking at you
So you know that I know
What I want to do
‘Cause I know you live by your resolutions
But you needn’t fear
‘Cause I have the same ones
Aurora, Aurora I need you to trust
That what I am feeling is clearly not love
And I don’t know most things
But I do know this
Aurora, Aurora's so damn attractive

I’m singing a ditty,
I’m humming a tune
To a girl who sings
So much better than I do
I’d serenade her but I’d just get critique
From a girl who knows 
All the proper technique
That I never bothered to learn

Aurora, Aurora stop looking at him
Like he holds the answers
To life’s great questions
And I know his answers 
Are as good as mine
But he has your attention
And he has your eye
Aurora, Aurora I keep saying your name
In hopes you will hear
This sick-sweet refrain
I claim no truths
But I’m damn sure of this:
Aurora, Aurora's so damn attractive

I’m singing a ditty,
I’m humming a tune
To a girl who sings
So much better than I do
I’d serenade her but I’d just get critique
From a girl who knows 
All the proper technique
That I never bothered to learn

I’m doing some research,
I’m making a list
Of the prettiest songbirds
That I have witnessed
And I’m bending the rules
So that your name can fit
You might not be the best
But you’re surely top ten
I hope that sounds pleasant,
I mean no offense
I mean that sincerely 
As a compliment
Of the hundreds of thousands
Of birds that exist
I’d much rather hear
Your species’ anthem.

THOMAS THOREAU

THOMAS THOREAU

CONTACT

COMPOSER

Indie Folk Orchestra
Spring 2023 - Program

THOMAS THOREAU

THOMAS THOREAU

CONTACT

COMPOSER

Indie Folk Orchestra Spring 2023 - Program

Indie Folk Orchestra
Spring 2023 - Program