The Venusian's Debt (Arakawa Under the Bridge)

(Intro - Spoken Word over a cool, funky groove with a prominent bassline, wah-wah guitar, and cinematic strings) [The scene is Papa Midnight's club. He swirls his rum, a predatory grin on his face.] [Choir - soulful female vocals] Who tells the tale when a good man falls? [Papa Midnight - a deep, cool, spoken baritone] Midnight. [Choir] Who answers sanity when madness calls? [Papa Midnight] Midnight. [Choir] Who knows the price of a debt that's not a debt at all? [Papa Midnight] Can you dig it? (Verse 1) [Papa Midnight - his vocals are a smooth, half-sung, half-spoken monologue] Now let me tell you 'bout a cat named Mr. Jones A man of systems, bred in corporate zones His family motto, the code he held so dear Was "Never be indebted, never show your fear." He walked through Oz with a spine of steel and pride Then he slipped and fell right in the river's tide And as he's goin' down, a hand reaches from the blue... A pretty little thing with nothin' else to do. (Verse 2) [Papa Midnight] She pulls him out, he's gaspin' on the shore He says, "I'm in your debt, like no one was before! I'll give you stock, I'll give you gold, I'll give you a new car!" She just looks at him and says, "I'm from a distant star." He says, "My name is Jones!" She says, "That's not for me." Then a seven-foot turtle crawls out of the sea The Turtle says, "I'm 'The Chief,' and she is 'Nino,' friend. And your new name is 'Recruit'... until your very end." (Chorus) [The music swells with a powerful string section and the soulful choir.] [Choir] Oh, poor Recruit is learnin' fast... (Learnin' fast, fast, fast) How long can a good boy last? (It ain't gonna last) He owes a debt he can't repay... The price is love... he has to stay. (Verse 3) [The music shifts, becoming more quirky and theatrical, with bizarre synth stabs and a complex, Zappa-esque rhythm.] [Papa Midnight] He built her a mansion, a concrete delight She said, "My cardboard box just feels more right." He tried to teach her 'bout the world of men She said, "I'm from Venus... could you say that again?" He had to go to mass held by a "Sister" from the war A man in a habit with a machine gun at the door And Hoshi, with a star for a face, sang a tune so vile Recruit just sat there, smilin' a suicidal smile. (Chorus) [The music returns to the full, lush, funky "Shaft" groove.] [Choir] Oh, poor Recruit is learnin' fast... (Learnin' fast, fast, fast) How long can a good boy last? (It ain't gonna last) He owes a debt he can't repay... The price is love... he has to stay. (Bridge - Spoken Word, the music is smooth and cool) [Papa Midnight] See, that's the thing about this town... its sanity is upside down. Recruit's problem ain't the debt, you see... it's his philosophy. He thinks that everything has a price, that every soul can be bought. But the freaks under the bridge... they can't be taught. Their common sense is nonsense. Their treasure is their trash. And in their beautiful madness, they watch the systems crash. He's the only one in prison... and the bars are in his head. (Guitar Solo) [A blistering, funky, and soulful guitar solo erupts, full of wah-wah pedal, emotional bends, and intricate, slightly chaotic Zappa-esque phrasing, representing Recruit's mental breakdown.] (Outro) [The main groove vamps as the song begins to fade out. The choir ad-libs in the background.] [Papa Midnight] So now he's just another freak in the show... Learnin' a lesson he didn't wanna know... He's still tryin' to pay her back, day by day... For a life he saved... that he just threw away. Yeah... he's learnin'. [Choir - fading out] (Recruit... goin' down...) (Under the bridge... in Midnight's town...) (Oh, the golden boy... learnin' now...) [The final wah-wah guitar lick echoes into silence.] [End]