02 - When the First White Snows of Winter Fall

Scene Two

IN THE ALASKAN FRONTIER

(JOHN and ANNA are working to repair the old homestead they've purchased.)

ANNA.

The sun is hanging lower now

There's a chill upon the wind

The world begins to quiet down

For what tomorrow brings

A calm

A peace

A rest

For the fox it's time to burrow

For the grouse it's time to nest

When first white snows of winter fall

we'll have our fire-side

JOHN.

When the first white snows of winter fall

me and you, my loving bride

ANNA.

Tucked away among the trees

And the morning mountain air

JOHN.

We'll fix our little homestead

For the life we dreamed we'd share

When the first white snows of winter fall

Our working will be done

ANNA.

When the first white snows of winter fall

We'll live our days as one

BOTH.

If a cage is more than iron bars

A house is more than marble walls

We'll build a home for you and I

Before the snow of winter falls

ANNA.

We don't need much to have it all

BOTH.

Together here

When the first white snows of winter fall

When the first white snows of winter fall

01 - The Story of the One-Armed Sailor

Act One

Scene 1

THE DOCKS OF A SMALL FINISHING TOWN

(Dock workers are busy, unloading hauls, coiling ropes, sharing the news of the day. A younger dock-hand approaches the group.)

DOCK-HAND.
(spoken)
Is it true? Is it true what they say?

OLDER SAILOR.
(spoken)
Every word, boy. And we all learned it by heart when we was younger than you.

SOLO.

The story of the one-armed sailor

It's a cautionary tale

SOLO.

Of the dangerous of monotony

SOLO.

In a heart that longs to sail

A FEW.

See monotony's a poison

And it can kill you nice and slow

THE GROUP.

But the sea can kill you quickly

As the sailor'd come to know

SOLO.

What do you smell in the salty air, as you look t'ward the unseen

OLDER SAILOR.
The grass on the distant shore-line is rarely quite so green

THE GROUP.
So heed the tale 
     So heed the tale
Of the one-armed sail-or
     Of the one-armed sail-or
Heed the tale
     Heed the tale
For it is true!

Oh, heed the tale
     Heed the tale
Of the one-armed sail-or
     Of the one-armed sail-or
You might not be so lucky when it happens to you.

SOLO.

The story of the one-armed sailor

Is a tale we've heard before

SOLO.

Of a lesson learned the hard way

SOLO.

Of a life lived best on shore

A COUPLE.

When the news came if of a deadly storm

No one blinked an eye

SOLO.

Not for the shipwreck nor the slavers

A FEW.

Nor the sailor left to die

SOLO.

What do you see where the sun meets the sea in a shiny golden glow

SOLO.

The only sunset we will get, is the darkness deep below

THE GROUP.
So heed the tale 
     So heed the tale
Of the one-armed sail-or
     Of the one-armed sail-or
Heed the tale
     Heed the tale
For it is true!

Oh, heed the tale
     Heed the tale
Of the one-armed sail-or
     Of the one-armed sail-or
You might not be so lucky when it happens to you.

But we feel it

The longing

And it whispers to us all

When routine starts to deafen us

We hear another call

Cause we feel it

The longing

Drawing us to sea

That is where a sailor longs to be

So heed the tale

Heed the tale

The ocean is indifferent

And the best laid plans can fail

Heed the tale

Oh, Heed the tale

When e're your heart is flooding

Your head can be your pail

And heed the tale of the one-armed sailor

OLD SAILOR.
(spoken)
His name was Fitzwallace.

SAILOR.
(spoken)
Brother of captain Andrew Fitzwallace, from the Old Marquis.

OLD SAILOR.
(spoken)
He had a homestead about fifty miles from Teller.

The Poor Sailor

The Poor Sailor

a Maritime Folk Opera