The context: At the very end of the musical The Rocking Horse Winner, Paul, the ten-year old boy, has nearly given his life to win his mother's love by proving that he is "lucky". His mother, Hester, finds him dying and realizes the sacrifice he has made, and why he has made it. At first she is angry with him, then angry with herself. Then she accepts the love he has been trying to give her his whole short life. She loves him, and releases him.
A little about the creation of the song: This one was hard for me. The music was beautiful right from the beginning. It took me about nine months of working on this to get the lyrics to feel right for the song (and the lyrics don't even fill one page!). The song is about Hester working through her feelings, then giving herself over to love. I wanted the lyrics to travel along with the music. Rising when the music rises. Growing and progressing when the music grows and develops. "Sleep" becomes "dream", then "dream of me", "I will dream of you", then wishing that he dreams of giant horses carrying him off to Heaven. (A note: listen to the orchestration around "horses"; it sounds like the clip-clop of etherial hooves. It's gorgeous.) Sometimes it's hard when a song just has to be "pretty and sad" to get the job done. What we wanted for this song is for it to be incredibly specific to the moment and the character. Every note and every word in this song belongs there. I'm very proud of it.
A little about the creation of the song: This one was hard for me. The music was beautiful right from the beginning. It took me about nine months of working on this to get the lyrics to feel right for the song (and the lyrics don't even fill one page!). The song is about Hester working through her feelings, then giving herself over to love. I wanted the lyrics to travel along with the music. Rising when the music rises. Growing and progressing when the music grows and develops. "Sleep" becomes "dream", then "dream of me", "I will dream of you", then wishing that he dreams of giant horses carrying him off to Heaven. (A note: listen to the orchestration around "horses"; it sounds like the clip-clop of etherial hooves. It's gorgeous.) Sometimes it's hard when a song just has to be "pretty and sad" to get the job done. What we wanted for this song is for it to be incredibly specific to the moment and the character. Every note and every word in this song belongs there. I'm very proud of it.
A Dream for Paul (from the musical The Rocking Horse Winner)
Lyrics by David Rackoff, Music by Sahara Sunday Spain
LUCKY BOY,
YOU’VE BEEN A FOOL.
LUCKY BOY,
THE WORLD IS SHARP
AND CRUEL.
AND YOU’RE NAIVE.
PAUL,
HOW DARE YOU LEAVE?
LUCKY BOY,
I’VE BEEN UNKIND.
LUCKY BOY,
HAVE I BEEN DEAF
AND BLIND?
I LOST MY WAY.
STAY,
MY DARLING STAY.
RAISE YOUR HEAD.
BREATHE, MY DEAR.
AND KNOW THAT I
AM HERE.
LUCKY BOY,
WE’VE BEEN APART.
LUCKY BOY,
YOU ARE MY LUCK;
MY HEART.
I FIN’LLY SEE.
NOW,
I SET YOU FREE.
SLEEP, MY PAUL.
SOUND AND DEEP.
JUST PROMISE WHEN
YOU SLEEP...
DREAM OF ME.
WHEN YOU DO,
KNOW I WILL DREAM
OF YOU.
DREAM OF HORSES STRIDING TALL.
CLIMB ATOP AND NEVER FALL.
RIDE AWAY ABOVE US ALL.
I LOVE YOU, PAUL.
Lyrics by David Rackoff, Music by Sahara Sunday Spain
LUCKY BOY,
YOU’VE BEEN A FOOL.
LUCKY BOY,
THE WORLD IS SHARP
AND CRUEL.
AND YOU’RE NAIVE.
PAUL,
HOW DARE YOU LEAVE?
LUCKY BOY,
I’VE BEEN UNKIND.
LUCKY BOY,
HAVE I BEEN DEAF
AND BLIND?
I LOST MY WAY.
STAY,
MY DARLING STAY.
RAISE YOUR HEAD.
BREATHE, MY DEAR.
AND KNOW THAT I
AM HERE.
LUCKY BOY,
WE’VE BEEN APART.
LUCKY BOY,
YOU ARE MY LUCK;
MY HEART.
I FIN’LLY SEE.
NOW,
I SET YOU FREE.
SLEEP, MY PAUL.
SOUND AND DEEP.
JUST PROMISE WHEN
YOU SLEEP...
DREAM OF ME.
WHEN YOU DO,
KNOW I WILL DREAM
OF YOU.
DREAM OF HORSES STRIDING TALL.
CLIMB ATOP AND NEVER FALL.
RIDE AWAY ABOVE US ALL.
I LOVE YOU, PAUL.