1. |
Overture
04:07
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One man’s rise from another man’s death
You’re the only light left
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2. |
Lost Cause
02:15
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Whisper what it means to be always cold and hungry
Whisper how it feels to be alone with no one
Whisper it so soft and sweet, so no one will hear
Whisper it so soft and sweet, because it’s a lost cause
It’s a lost cause
Shout about how we can’t breathe
Because there’s disease in our lungs
And there is dust in our throats
Shout about how we can’t bear to see
Our children are starving
And there’s nothing we can do about it
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3. |
Moonlight/ Sunrise
05:36
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I awake, every day, an hour before the sun comes up
And I meet with the men
To prepare once again
For a day we pretend won’t come
Oh, to serve and defend
To stand with our friends
And protect the ones we love
And so I, I have seen the sunrise
It must be a thousand times
But I’ve never seen the light like I see in her eyes
I, this whole time, have lived in her moonlight
And life just seems so dim
Now that I’ve seen it so brilliantly lit
Oh, how we could rid of life’s wretchedness
If only all could see the colors so vividly
We’d see this world how it’s meant to be seen
Now I can see everything
Now I can see the whole world how it’s meant to be seen
The color and the love vividly
The warmth of her light shines on me
Now I can see everything
But what about him?
He must have seen what I’ve seen
And they’re set to marry in the spring
And who am I?
To take this man’s light
To rob my brother blind
And leave my brother blind
Speak now, or forever hold your peace
Your sword forever in your sheath
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4. |
||||
Tonight we’ll feast on the elbow grease, and
We’ll wash it down with the blood, sweat, and tears
Of our representees
Who slave on hands and knees
And work away the years, just trying to make ends meet
Singing, “There has to be an easier way”
The royalty dances with finances
While their apathy carries the tune
Singing, “Capitalize on the capital
Eyes wide, eyeing dollar signs”
The rich are getting richer
And the poor are getting sicker
And oh, we’ll watch them wither
Oh, we’ll watch them wither away
This famine is fake
This plague is staged
And we don’t have to take this lying down
We’re up in arms, we’re going to take those bastards out
We have the manpower
We have the motive
We have the resources
We have the element of surprise
Those men are backstabbers
They’ll sell our souls for gold
We are the revolution
And this is our call to arms
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5. |
The Conspiracy
06:09
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Forgive me father, for I have sinned in the most elegant fashion
A conspiracy smothered in passion, a flaw so tragic it’s as if he were asking for it to be exposed
Forgive me father, but with all due respect, I do not seek your approval nor do I fear your wrath
This world is a war, and your word is a weapon that’s clenched and clung to their chests
Forgive me father, and correct me if I’m wrong, but you made this world so you could watch us burn it to ash
And by thy will, my will I confess: one man’s rise from another man’s death
I’m the fatigue, I’m the weakness in their knees
I’m the inner beg and plea to buckle underneath the weight
Forgive me father if I haven’t made myself clear, but as long as hell is any different from this Earth
I can’t imagine how it could be worse than here
So out of your hands, I’ll take this world, and place it in my own instead
If you only listened to me, then this wouldn’t have to be the only option left
One man’s rise from another man’s death
I’m the fatigue, I’m the weakness in their knees
I’m the inner beg and plea to buckle underneath the weight
Just wait, they’ll all succumb
It’s the allure of a lure, it’s the taste of the bait
It’s the view from the top, not the thrill of the chase
That will make all of those who kneel loyally at your feet
Grasp the floor on which you stand and rip it out from underneath
And you’ll fall with no support, because your support now works for me
And on two broken legs you’ll try to flee
But you won’t know where to run if you don’t know who you’re running from
I’m the fatigue, I’m the weakness in their knees
I’m the inner beg and plea to buckle underneath the weight
Just wait, they’ll all succumb, my kingdom come
I’ve been dealing with this shit for way too long
I’ve been waiting for my chance to turn the tables on this world
I’ve been hearing screaming voices in my head
Singing, “Let it burn, let it burn, let it burn, let it burn”
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6. |
The Invasion
06:36
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Our wounds are dressed in their Sunday’s best
As if to suggest that the lead is a welcomed, celebrated guest
Among our tattered, blackened flesh
And we’re wearing our hearts on our sleeves, courtesy of their bayonets
A place of penance and regret, independence imminent
Renegade militiamen pray over sacrificial bread
When the watchmen sound their horns, one came crashing through the doors
Ghastly muttered, “We are vastly outnumbered”
So archers, take your bows and prepare your bows, it’s the final curtain now
The General slowly rose, read his solemn vow: “Til death do us part”
Not on my watch, not on my time
It’s mine! All mine! All the pieces are falling in line
All allegiance crumbles in time
All I need is someone inside to fall and it’s mine
Why do we fight? This doesn’t have to end with you and yours dead alongside your brethren
Because you and I, we’re not so different, nor is the future for which we’re both aspiring
Bring power to the poor, serve justice to the king
Tell me now, do we not want the same thing?
But if what you want is a war, it’s a war you cannot win
Without me, or against me, you’ll all die in vain
Bring power to the poor, serve justice to the king
Tell me now, do we not want the same thing?
Do we not want the same thing?
Of course it’s not the same
But how can we explain to the men that the means we’re between do not yield the same end
And the king we were overthrowing is now the one we must defend?
And when you tell them why for him they’ll fight and die, do you think they’ll understand?
It all seems a bit convenient since you took his daughter’s hand
Colonel, what are you suggesting, that somehow all of this was planned?
That I sold the revolution for a seat at his right hand? And gave it all away?
Something as simple as this shouldn’t be a debate
It’s not just our lives that are at stake
It’s our children for God’s sake
It’s mine! All mine! All the pieces are falling in line
All allegiance crumbles in time
All I need is someone inside to fall and it’s mine
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7. |
Price
01:57
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Everybody has their...
Everybody has their demons
Everybody has their doubts
Everybody has their reasons
Everybody needs an out
Everybody has their needs, and
Their needs are never satisfied
Everybody has their price
Everything that we believe in
Is built upon unstable ground
Can’t you feel the bedrock shaking?
Can’t you feel it crashing down?
Everything that we believe in
Is subject to be compromised
Everybody has their price
Everybody has their price
So what’s yours?
So what’s your soul worth?
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8. |
Rope and Ladder
05:46
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I’ve been infected by a vile venom
This skepticism has crept inside of me
And it’s rendered useless my ability
To trust a single soul other than me
Oh, they all are after more than their doctrine suggests
Don’t believe a word they’re feeding you, they’re poisonous
They’re all lies caramelized to taste so sweet, sugar coated fabrications and deceit
Your blood is gold and the knife is just a tap
And the riches out will flow of the incisions in your back
They’ll braid my veins and stack my bones
They’ll make rope and a ladder
They’ll climb up and over, they’ll climb up and over
Don’t believe a word they’re feeding you, they’re poisonous
They’re all lies caramelized to taste so sweet, sugar coated fabrications and deceit
Your blood is gold and the knife is just a tap
And the riches out will flow of the incisions in your back
My love, my bride, I’ve never been so terrified
I see deceit in their eyes, I see the greed in their smiles
And all we know, for all we know could be a lie
It could all be a lie, it could all be a lie
You’re the only truth I’ve ever known
You’re the only seal that’s never broken
The only skin that’s never scarred
The only rule that hasn’t bent
You’re the purest of intents
You illuminate as bright as a light can get
But this world is dark and cold
And you’re blinding and burning it
Don’t let them put you out
You’re the only light left
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9. |
Betrayed/ Condemned
03:58
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The king, his bed
Sheets red, no breath
My sword, his flesh
My God, I’m next
Framed, betrayed
I’ll be tried, hanged
Alone, aghast
A back blow, a whiplash
Now I’m condemned
To either death or a life of
A fugitive with nothing left except a glimmer of light
Light grows, footsteps
My God, I’m next
Oh God, it’s her
Horror, she turns away
No please, wait! I can explain, I can explain, I can explain!
Your father was slain in my name
And it’s clear that this all was arranged
Someone we trust is trying to murder us
Someone we love has left us to die
And when he’s found
They’ll all think they’ve figured it out
That I was behind it all
My God, I’m next
I know a place
Where we can hide away
I know a place that’s safe
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10. |
Safehouse
01:16
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11. |
The Confrontation
05:56
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We’ve got to go, they’re coming, they must have known that we were here
And if they get a hold of us they’re going to have our heads, we’ve been exposed
My darling, our death is approaching and it’s all my fault, but there must be a way out
I’m watching my life flash before me and all I see is you
I can’t believe I kept you tethered as I drowned, I pulled you down
But it can’t be too late now, think, Goddamnit!
There must be a way out
The boat has been sunk, the horse has been slain, the forest is on fire, they set it ablaze
The swell of their footsteps and the calls for my head
Play a song of insurrection of a mob of angry men
He’ll pay for his treason, he’ll burn for his sins
He stole our trust and leveraged us to overthrow the king
Oh, God, hear my prayer, as I make one dying wish
Forgive, please, my betrayer, he knows not of what he did
And take my wife into your light and hold her in your arms and tell her that I’m sorry
My dear, I am so sorry
Oh, how could they have known?
Because the only one I told is
You
Don’t tell me that you knew all along
Don’t tell me it was you all along
Don’t tell me that you knew all along
Don’t tell me it was you
We have you surrounded, you’re finished, give up
Your soul has been summoned, your flesh and your blood will nurture our pasture, will water our crop
Your time here is over, you’ll answer to God
I’ll answer to God? No! He’ll answer to me
What God of mercy sighs and idles by while I scream?
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12. |
The Queen
02:56
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Too careful to let me live
Too coward to let me die
So here, instead, I lie
Somewhere in between
By order of
The Queen
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13. |
Dust
08:53
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I built my faith from ground up, I laid every stone
I stood on it through storm and wind to see if it could hold
I built my whole life all by the sweat of my face
I hand-picked every brick that I laid
I built the trust and reverence of man with bloodshed and bare hands
I stood alongside them so we could lean on our shoulders and hold each other up
When the winds and waves got rough
I built my whole love out of everything I had left
I gave her everything I had left
Everything I had, everything I was, holds nothing in size to what I would become
With my faith, friends, life, and love building me up
But all I’ve made and am made of
It all collapsed to ash at once
It’s gone
It’s dust
It’s all dust
It’s all it ever was
I tried to build a better man, but I was piling sand ashore a rising tide
And all I could do was watch it wash away, a little every day
I was never up to me to decide, no matter how you fortify
You live, you love, you die
All you get to leave behind are all your ashes in a pile
It’s gone, it’s dust, it’s all dust, it’s all it ever was
If it’s all dust, my body and blood
God and a heaven above, and unconditional love
Then this is all dust
My pain and my pride, these walls which confine
And all I’ll need is time, time is all I have
I will see to my rise, I will hunt what is mine, and I will take it all back!
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Rope and Ladder Boston, Massachusetts
Rope and Ladder is the band and rock opera created by Jay Clark and Ryan Dolen.
The project has
been more than 10 years in the making—in that time, Jay and Ryan pieced together a narrative of epic scope steeped in intrigues of war, love, and betrayal.
The album balances delicate piano against distorted guitars, driving the palpable tension that accompanies the rising stakes of the plotline.
... more
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