STORY/ SCENARIO: Broken and exhausted after a journey of many miles, an old man finally takes his repose on a deserted beach. Entranced by the serene beauty of the waves, he arrives at a fateful decision.
VARIATIONS: In BW this piece measures 24 bars in length, with the melody in bars 17-24 being very nearly a repeat of bars 9-16 but with different instrumentation. In my version bars 17-24 are deleted, reducing the song to 16 bars in length. The three quavers in bar 16 - i.e. the upbeat to bar 17 - are also deleted.
WARNING: Suicide reference
Ah, that feels good!
I came as far as I could.
I shall go no further than
Befits the life of a man.
I watch the whispering sea
That rushes endless and free
To where it touches the sky,
And know that soon, soon must I.
Oh, for a knife
To conquer heartache and strife!
Here on this desolate plain,
Lie down and open a vein;
Then see the memories spill
And flow out from me, until
I slumber still as the shore,
As darkness covers me o'er.
Then from my feet
The freezing waters retreat.
Above, the sky is serene -
By eyes wide open unseen!
No more life's burdens I bear:
I rise up lighter than air,
And no sensation recall
Save for the joy of it all.