[act 1–open with a false time signature. we are frenetic then switch to a slower almost reverent pace] her hands in his, her eyes of wind, her touch of fire Her face close her perfume of desire, Circe in his ear “Ulysses hear me the siren’s song enchant all, only you will hear them, their songs of truth and the divine wisdom of the Olympians. [time change, theme change. accelerate] Your men must bind you hand and foot to the stolid mast of your withered ship Their songs will be yours and even when you scream, your man must lash you tighter They must not hear your commands to unbind you.” Scylla’s rock on the horizon beyond a verdant mound atop the wine dark sea The Sirens began to sing, each second ecstasy only for him [now we slow down, we select a new motif and reach for the divine as the music itself is an analog to hearing the siren’s song] “Come to us….. closer….come to us Ulysses we sing of wisdom only known to the lady of Delphi His men, ears filled with the wax of bees frightened of his unheard screams they looked away, never hearing the songs that rang through the air [frenetic] Ulysses raged “Unbind me! I command! can you not hear their song, see their sublime faces their feathered wings as wondrous as the Aphrodite?” The men bound him tighter The men rowed harder faces down to their feet tears mixed with the salty spray of the roiling sea His eyes wild, his body strained in their silence [production pivot: as if the band has inserted a cassette tape into a player as they are all huddled in the small confines of a janky panel van they use for self funded tours] his men did not hear the siren’s melody the songs that shattered sailor’s wills until they dashed their ships on the rocks they did not hear the songs learn the secret truths that could only offer oblivion and an endless sleep below the wine dark sea
