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Caucasian Chalk Circle

by Mark Nichols

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    Music by Mark Nichols, Lyrics by Bertholt Brecht with additional translations and lyrics by Mark Nichols. A number of songs for the epic play, Caucasian Chalk Circle. Music inspired by traditional Grusinian folk music and traditional music of Georgia. First performed at Whitman College in 2004. Directed by Chris Petit. These Demos are performed by Mark Nichols & Julie Lewis. Sheet music available from stiltbat@hotmail.com Cover Photo by Mark Nichols is of Julie Lewis.
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1.
Once upon a time When the blood ran like rain And this city was called "The city of the Damned" It had a governor His name was Georgie Abashvilli Once upon a time He was extremely rich He had a beautiful wife He had a healthy little baby And a wonderful life Once upon a time No other governor in Grusinia Had as many horses in his stable Had as many beggars on his doorstep As many soldiers in his service As many petitioners in his courtyard Once upon a time
2.
The city is still and quiet Pigeons strut in the churchyard square A soldier of the palace guard is loitering there He's joking with a kitchen maid As she comes up from the river with a bundle
3.
The city is still and quiet But why are there armed men The governor's palace is at peace But why is it a fortress And the governor returned to his palace And the fortress was a trap And the goose was plucked and roasted But the goose was never eaten And noon was no longer the hour to eat And noon was the hour to die
4.
Blind Man 02:03
Look at you Blind Man, you're walking tall like God Taller than the bent-back throng Sure of hired fists, sure of all your power Your might has lasted long But long is not forever, forever's much too long Wheel of fortune take a turn Turn from age to age Hope eternal hope on fire Fortune burn with rage Look at you blind man, what are you going to do? What good is an architect, when a simple carpenter That would be substantial to build a brand new home It won't be in a castle, but a little hole in the ground Wheel of fortune take a turn Turn from age to age Hope eternal hope on fire Fortune burn with rage
5.
Go calmly in to battle now Your bloody bitter battle From which so few return But you'll come back I know you will On a day, a day so fair, You'll come riding over the hill to where I will have waited there, I will have waited there, I will have been waiting there, I will have waited there I will have been waiting there when you come back from battle The bloody, bitter battle No boots will lie before the door When you return on a day so fair When you come riding over the hill to where I will have waited there I will have waited there I will have been waiting there I will have been waiting there I will have waited there And the pillow beside mine Will have been empty all the time My mouth will have been kissed You will have been greatly missed by one When you return from battle I will have been waiting there I will have waited there I will have waited there I will have been waiting there I will have been waiting there I will have waited there
6.
As she wandered between courtyard and gate She heard--or she thought she heard A low voice calling And the child called to her Not whining but calling quite sensibly, Or so it seemed. "Woman," it said, "help me", And it went on not whining, but saying quite sensibly "Know woman, he who hears not the cry for help But passes by with troubled ears, will never hear The gentle call of a lover nor the blackbird at the dawn, Nor the happy sigh of the exhausted grape picker At the sound of the angelus [bell].
7.
[Grusha escapes the soldiers running into the high mountains] How can a barefoot girl escape, Oh, how, tell me how can a barefoot girl? Leave those bastards in the dirt, Damn them all to hell, she's just a barefoot girl! The Ironshirts are close behind the bloodhounds smell a trail They set a trap, no time to nap Those Kosak pricks can't fail They hunt by day they hunt by night With torches blazing high for light How can the girl put up a fight It doesn't quite seem fair or right! CHORUS Pursuers never tire, and butchers never sleep Like well-diggers will dig it deep And shepherds will abide their sheep Those bastards have a writ to keep It's Atilla the Hun verses Little Bo Peep
8.
Look how happy Grusha is, she's on her own she's rid of him Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, she's happy, so happy, she's happy So happy, she's happy and free And that is that, she's rid of the brat, Imagine how happy she feels about that She's rid of the child, she's single and free Imagine how happy that you would be Da da da Even though I've done my part That burden had a beating heart If you are robbed of heart and soul You start to feel like there's a hole I guess that's why I'm sad I'm sad because I'm free She's sad because she's free, She's sad because she's free She's happy but she's sad because she's free She's happy but she's sad because she's free Because she's...
9.
She Runs 00:17
Run, kind girl! The soldiers are coming fast Help the helpless! So she runs
10.
Why did you have a nose so small Why did you have to speak to me at all? My legs are tired and my back is sore From where you kicked me to go faster So let us tear your silk shirt Wrap you in rags no one will ever know We'll baptize you in a nearby stream With the mountain's glacier ice water Nobody wants you, so I'll guess I'll have to take you Because nobody will take you, Then I guess you'll have to take me too
11.
Your father is a bastard and your mother is a whore! But baby all the nice people gonna love you even more The child of blood spilt tiger brings the baby horses feed And to the mother's milk the son of snake knows what they need. Oh, things don't always go the way they're planned.
12.
13.
Oh my dear, my dear, when you go to Fight as soon you will when death is coming the hill, dear Don't go with the front line, dear Also, don't go at the back for they will die of red smoke there. Stay, somewhere in between, dear Near the standard bearer, in the center Somewhere in between Those in front, dear, always die, dear Only those who stay in the middle ever come home The first will die, the last are also killed. Stay, somewhere in between, dear Near the standard bearer, in the center Somewhere in between
14.
When pretty Miss Fatbottom Wed A rich man with no teeth in his head They inquired, "is it fun?" She replied, "No it's none, So I sleep with a candle instead." There once was a girl from Moscow Who worked as a milkman's house frau And when he would dream, he'd rise up like cream And he'd have to be milked like a cow There once was pretty young lass Who took as a husband an ass On the wedding night he Asked if she liked donkey With a smile she said, "No sir, I'll pass"
15.
So many words are said, So many words are left unsaid The soldier has come Where he comes from he does not say Hear what he thought, but did not say The battle began grey at dawn Grew bloody at noon The first man fell in front of me The second fell behind me The third fell at my side I trod on the first, left the second behind The third run threw by the captain One of my brothers died by steel The other by smoke My neck caught fire My hands froze in my gloves My toes froze in my socks I fed on aspen buds, I drank maple juice I slept on stone in water
16.
There was yearning, but There was no waiting The oath is broken Neither could say why Hear what she thought, but did not say While you fought in the battle, love The bloody battle I found a helpless infant and Had not the heart to destroy him I cared for a creature who was lost Had to look for breadcrumbs, I broke myself for that which was not mine That which other people started Someone must help The little tree needs water The lamb loses its way When shepherds are asleep And its cry is unheard Someone has to help it
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20.
Am I Right? 02:22
Why don't our sons bleed any more And why don't our daughters weep? Why is it only the slaughterhouse cattle who seem to have blood in their veins? The king must have a new province So the peasant turns over his savings, his bread They come and search under his mattress for him And god rest his soul if he hides it he's dead Raise the roof off the world Rip the roof off his cottage That drive our good men to the ends of the earth So the "great ones" can have a nice meal by the fire Watch the greedy pig widen his girth And the soldiers'll kill each other marshalls salute It's all in good fun, gentlemen, that's how it's done It's all the peasants and soldiers are made for The battle was lost, but the helmets were paid for That's why our sons don't bleed anymore And that's why our daughters don't cry Am I right? Yes you're right! Yes, yes, you're right yes you're right Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, you're right! And me who can't even find their dicks rule countries now Offices jam packed streets overrun With officials, beaurocracies, I'm telling you that's the status quo, buddy, That's how it's done! One man's got no home, while one's got twelve horses A man who can't count to four needing eight courses the weaver goes home from his loom dressed in rags While the corn farmer's starving with his empty corn bags Am I right? Yes you're right! Yes, yes, you're right yes you're right Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, you're right! And that's why don't our sons bleed any more And that's why don't our daughters weep? And that's why only the slaughterhouse cattle who seem to have blood in their veins
21.
Part 1 When wisdom burned to ashes And blood ran down the street And rats poured from the gutters And maggots soured the meat When the towns were set on fire and The river of blood rose higher And cockroaches crawled out of every crack And you'd kill your only friend for a little bric-a-brac And the courts overrun with schemers And the church was made up of blasphemers Your son stole food from the lowliest poor And your wife became a festering whore And the only one on the level Is the one up there on the bench Who can it be? Who can it be? Azdak! Part 2 While won't do much for a shilling But for a pound they might be willing Twenty pounds and it's in the sack Fifty pounds he won't be back As for those without a penny As for those without a horse They've only got one recourse A lone and honest legal forcer Who can it be? Who can it be? Azdak! Part 3 All mankind should love each other But bring an ax when you talk to your brother When miracles are preaching A good sharp blade will do His honor of the high court knew And understood it too! When sharks the sharks devour Little fish will have their hour Tis fishy to fix the scales of power Thankfully he's in the ivory tour The poor man's magistrate Who's the man to seal your fate The one the only potentate Who's the wise, who's the great Who can it be? Who can it be? Azdak! Part 4 He gives to the forsaken All the riches from the rich that he hath taken Good and evil man he Smiled upon Grusinia's granny Our man's neither mamby Nor is our man pamby Justice for nothing Mercy for free Give it the poor, give it to me! Who can it be? Who can it be? Azdak!
22.
The drowning he did save them Broken laws like breath he gave them Justice to the poor and lowly Like an angel but not so holy Swim them all to shore on his tired, crooked back For two years was his pleasure Give the beasts of prey his measure From the forests to the hallows He could smell the dung from the gallows In the use of the noose he was never slack Like a cornered wolf he would take on the pack The only one with the point Is the man sitting there on the tack Who can it be? Who can it be? Azdak!!
23.
He who walks on shoes of gold Tramples down the week and old He who frowns all day long Can't form the vowels of a sacred song And a led heart made of stone Makes for a heavy weight to own And being greedy low, and bad Is hard on even an evil lad So let starvation be his fear Not the starving who are hungry, dear And let him fear the dark of night, But never fear the daylight Never fear the daylight!
24.
What there is shall go to those Who are worthy of it Children to the loving folks That they may grow strong Carts to good drivers Those who drive them well And the valley to the waters That it may give fruit
25.

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released November 13, 2012

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Mark Nichols Bellingham, Washington

Is a writer, composer, and filmmaker
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