Torchlight on the Rooftops

[MALE SOLO — male, low, tired, intimate] I know that my last breath will be choking on my rage, dragging my tin cup against this blinding silver cage. The snowflakes on my scars have numbed me more than booze. If Death shall be my only rest, then that's the peace I choose. [FEMALE SOLO — female, Brazilian Portuguese, soft, seductive] Não é tão difícil É quase dor Há um caminho mais fácil Se você soltar o peso, o rancor [MALE SOLO — male, low, tired, intimate] Your words are sweet, but I have learned "almost" is not enough. If "almost" all mankind could hear, Then "almost", we'd rebuff... [Quiet rumblings, like a crowd approaching from afar] [CHOIR — fervent, marching, from afar] We have counted down the months, down the weeks, down the days, until the People join to celebrate in all their varied ways. The advent of this calendar ignites us all the same: even neon evergreens will dim beside the flame. [MALE SOLO — male, German, chant-like, reverent, spacious] Wenn die Lichter an den Bäumen schwächer werden Und die Kerzen in der Dunkelheit erlöschen Wir sehen die Sterne, die schimmern Im Himmel, in den Augen, in Ihnen [CHOIR — fervent, marching, closer] And the bells shall ring again, But not as silver chains. We ring as we ascend above the guilt and pain. We renounce the lie of plenty that hollows out our soul. We renounce the superficial that isolates us all. [CHOIR — arrives, firm, resolute] We choose presence over presents. We choose warmth instead of Reels. We choose something old and human, something stubborn, something real. [CHOIR — quiet, steady] The sugarplums hold vigil, and in the frozen air, a rhythm starts beneath us — a pulse that we all share. [CHOIR — Melodic and dynamic explosion, triumphant and dense] Sing we now! Sing we all! Sing we every song! Sing the dissonance and harmonies! Sing the broken tunes and fractured keys! [MCHOIR - Soaring vocals] We rise, though we are broken We lift, though we are bound Our bodies keep their gravity Our souls outrun the ground Feet still buried in the snowbank Hands still numb from what we’ve known But our spirits soar above us As those before have flown [CHOIR — rhythmic, forward] We move like fire across the rooftops Not to burn, but to be seen Poke the bear — you’ll find a riot. Torches in our eyes will gleam. Torches raised against the dark Yes, with wrath, but in reply: We are here We are together We are not afraid tonight [BENEDICTION — warm, human] Whatever name you give the season Whatever rites you hold most dear May they lead you back to shelter May they always bring you here [CODA — hushed, expectant] And now we wait at winter’s edge, Between the last star and the sun, Because even the longest night Succumbs to the dawn. [CHOIR — full, defiant, triumphant, exhuberant] To the dawn... To the dawn... We are marching, we are marching, We are marching to the dawn. To the dawn (We are one!) To the dawn (We are one!) Together, now, forever, We are marching to the dawn! To the dawn! (To the dawn!) To the dawn! (To the dawn!) The winter cannot hold us, For we march unto the dawn! [CHOIR — soft] To the dawn! [CHOIR — a cappella, voices only] To the dawn! [CHOIR — explosive, defiant, triumphant, exhuberant] WE'RE ON THE CUSP OF FREEDOM! WE MARCH! WE MARCH! WE MARCH UNTO THE DAWN! [Jingle Bells plays quietly]