Written and recorded for radio.
One Translation for Each Phrase
Voice 1...
You do not need to know of the "otherthings". Let me tell you the one about the printed man - the man who inverted himself. Who put his interior on his skin to provide a buffer between himself and the sheep so that he'd have space to study the "otherthings". He was so sure of his plan that he wagered his forever. But this provoked the sheep to act in solidarity and thus, his plan failed and the print became like fire and singed his skin. In an effort to find relief, the man ran toward the bridge that overlooked the water. The printed man remembered that there was always a breeze there. He remembered that the water nymphs always greeted him with butterfly kisses leaving him covered in cold beads of water. So he ran there. He ran past one hundred sheep who all stood, beautifully poised and deliberately passive. And when the printed man reached the bridge and cried out for the nymphs, the sheep took their deepest breaths and upon exhalation they blew him over the edge.
Chorus.
One translation for each phrase. One translation for each word of every phrase dependent on the motive. One translation for each word of every phrase which adds unto itself at every inflection determined by each individual motive which increases exponentially each time that the entire phrase is repeated, regardless of whether or not the phrase has been heard.
Voice 2...
The first one arrived, but you didn't understand because you couldn't see it. So you suffered a traumatic disassociation, but we gave you time to recover before sending you a second one. The second one arrived with minor flaws so that it would seem more recognizable to you. Since it was only partially recognizable, it came in and out of your field of vision and you became suspicious. When you were able to see it for what it was, the flaws disappointed you and you felt betrayed. So you suffered once again, this time, with something to blame. The third one arrived, shattered and in pieces, and this pleased you because it was entirely visible and you recognized it fully. But by this stage, the third was unable to do anything resembling that for which it was intended. It was at this point that you regretted your useless need for homogeneity, for there are very few things that are as unproductive as your own reflection.
Chorus.
Voice 3...
Try this. Please. And if you like it - if you agree - then you are good. And for this I'll reward you handsomely. Here, try this too. Please. You'll be glad you did. And if you like it as much as I do, then I'll give you this gift. It's not something you want, it's something you need. But if you don't like it - if you don't agree, then you will have to manage without this needed thing. It's entirely up to you. Here's something that I think you'll like. Try it - do it for me. If you don't I may suffer more than you are capable of handling. You're not really trying it for me, in that case. You're trying it because it is in your best interest. You should be more responsible. It will make you better - far more superior than you are now. Try it but do not own it, because I own it. I own it, and because it is mine, I will own you once you try it. You will be in debt to me until I say otherwise. But you should try it, for your own sake.
Chorus.
Voice 4...
Black eyes, cupcakes 1...2...3, monsters with a sweet tooth pretty like me. We come to free your dark side to make you complete, cradled in its bosom religiously sweet.
A new handsome lie for each new person you meet, on top of every other like a tomb of concrete. Smiling pretty for the people tired of the upkeep, we promise you freedom and a sense of relief.
Mad hatter, moonlight 4...5...6, only when you're here can you pull off the best tricks. The magic in the mantras never blessed to cross lips, and the thoughts that last long enough to make beliefs stick. Play chess with the fallen to learn the best tactics, coat the lesson in icing so you'll want to swallow it. We aim to be as dark as humans are manipulative. We're here to bring the balance through covert mathematics.
Orgies and fruit punch, the rites of the 7. Their arrogance gives you wings because they never feel threatened. You'll meet to have tea on the edge of the heavens, to discuss the strategies that make transitions more pleasant.
3 moons, hopscotch 8...9...10, we're here to give you rest from the games of humans. Your skin is too taut for eradication, just to have to leave here and start reconstruction. We offer you shelter and mood asylum, enough to refuel and to be cloaked among them. Pretty, icky girl who was once undone, has an open invitation to the monsters kingdom.
Chorus.