Hope (Be Still, Isaac Slade)

Rose: It's a fine line between denial and faith. It's much better on my side.
Charlie: Help me.
Rose: Baby, I'm not the one that can help you...
- Whatever the Case May Be

Once I finally started writing LOST songs again, Dad started sending me song suggestions, and this is one of those.  I was especially touched when I read the story behind this gentle song of encouragement; the songwriter's brother called him in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, and after their conversation, this song came to him organically as a response.

It made me think of Rose's efforts to motivate and comfort Charlie in Whatever the Case May Be, some of my favorite scenes in the series.  While she is there for him, she points him in the direction of a higher help he seems to have given up on...

Hope

I still have hope, and you can, too.

I still have hope Bernard is near.

I still have hope, and you can, too.

Things aren’t that bad, you know.

A monster came upon you.

Though Claire is gone, you’re not to blame.

I still have hope, and you can, too.

Just call upon God’s name.

You almost wish that you were dead.

You’ve never felt this low.

But don’t give in to gloom and dread.

Things aren’t that bad, you know.

This isn’t the finale.

Though the story may get darker still,

The Lord of Light will help you see.

He will, He will, He will.

Reach out for help, and faith will grow.

Before your life began,

The Lord was preparing to guide you.

He always has a plan.

I still have hope, and you can, too.

He always has a plan.

Flaming Arrows (Burning Bridges, Lalo Schifrin)

One of my all-time favorite movie theme songs is Burning Bridges, from Kelly's Heroes. Here's a little dying rant from LOST's Neil, aka Frogurt, whose run on the show was as brief as it was bizarre...

Flaming Arrows

Scott - or was it Steve? Heck, even I don’t really know -
Took a fatal dose of Ethan several weeks ago.
Leslie got himself blown up into a billion bits.
This Minor Player status is the pits.

All the flaming arrows that came whizzing through the trees,
All the faded glory of my frogurt fantasies,
All the trials I endured away from prying eyes.
Flaming arrows! One more redshirt dies.

Had my eye on Libby, who was pretty as could be.
Figured she’d be happy to take a chance on me.
Well, Tubby got there first, though why she liked him, I can’t say.
Stuck with him, and she got blown away.

All the flaming arrows that came whizzing through the trees,
All the faded glory of my frogurt fantasies,
All the trials I endured away from prying eyes.
Flaming arrows! One more redshirt dies.

Nikki and poor Paolo got the short end of the stick.
No one ever really cared too much what made them tick.
It’s no surprise my number’s up. I guess I always knew.
I hope that Bernie somehow makes it through.

All the flaming arrows that came whizzing through the trees,
All the faded glory of my frogurt fantasies,
All the trials I endured away from prying eyes.
Flaming arrows! One more redshirt dies.
Flaming arrows! One more redshirt dies.

I'm Lost Without...

This past Christmas, I received a shirt that reads "I'M LOST WITHOUT CHARLIE". Turns out it was prophetic, since Charlie's run on the show actually ended with the conclusion of the third season. He's one of my four absolutely favorite characters. Luckily, the other three remain, but meanwhile other folks have been getting whacked left and right. It troubles me. Hence, this little rant...

I'm Lost Without...

I'm lost without Charlie, musician and hero.
I'm lost without Shannon and Boone.
I'm lost without Eko, whose death by Old Smokey
Seemed random and happened too soon.

I'm lost without gun-toting Ana Lucia.
I'm lost without Nikki the ditz.
I'm lost without Paolo, Joanna and Leslie,
Who got himself blown into bits.

I'm lost without Libby, collateral damage
And Hurley's best shot at romance.
I'm lost without dangerous Bonnie and Greta,
Who never had much of a chance.

I'm lost without Ryan, Colleen and Naomi.
I'm lost without Donald and Scott.
I'm lost without Roger and Kelvin, the putzes
Whose passing propelled the whole plot.

I'm lost without Danny, irascible hothead.
I'm lost without friendly foe Tom.
I'm lost without Goodwin, that overgrown boy scout.
I'm lost without vile Ethan Rom.

I'm lost without Edward, the dude with the shrapnel.
I'm lost without Cooper and Klugh.
I'm lost without Pilot-Whose-Name-Wasn't-Mentioned
And maybe without Mikhail too.

O Damon and Carlton, desist with the slaughter!
Have mercy! Consider the cost
Of killing each character I've come to love, lest
At last I am lost without LOST!

Fatal (Cat's in the Cradle, Harry Chapin)

When my brother was home last weekend, I told him I'd written close to 20 parodies, but aside from a line here and there in the group numbers, none of them were about Jack. I think we were watching The White Rabbit at the time, and Nathan suggested Harry Chapin's Cat's in the Cradle as a way of exploring Jack's relationship with his father. I deviated from that focus, but ultimately, it seems everything Jack does is motivated at least a little by a desire to prove himself worthy to his father. This chronicles the events leading up to what is probably my all-time favorite Jack moment.

Fatal

Jack: I met that man just the other day.
He'd been helping John hunt some different prey.
But he was set to catch poor Claire, and Kate,
It's all my fault. Before it's too late,
We have to track them through the jungle. If John goes too,
We can split up. I'll go with you, Kate.
I'll chase down Ethan Rom with you.

Any pause could be fatal.
We must find her soon.
Charlie's gone too
In the late afternoon.
Kate, we must make Ethan
Release our friends.
This isn't the way it ends.
This isn't how the story ends.

Kate: We've tramped around on this trail all day.
We're not sure that those three even went this way.
Maybe we ought to go. Jack, it's not smart to stay
Here in the wild. The sky has been turning gray.
If the ground is all wet and the lighting is dim,
I don't see how we will catch him, Jack.
It's gonna be tough catching him.

Going on could be fatal.
We should turn back soon.
Not much to do
By the light of the moon.
Jack, we can't make Ethan
Release our friends.
This may be the way it ends.
This may be how the story ends.

Jack: You can put your knowledge to a good use, Kate.
We will find that man. You are doing great.
Don't abandon me. Let's keep going a while.
It can't be far, just a couple of miles.
There must be some more clues in the brush and the palm trees.
Stick with me, Kate. Don't give up on them, please.

Any pause could be fatal.
We must find her soon.
Charlie's gone too
In the late afternoon.
Kate, we must make Ethan
Release our friends.
This isn't the way it ends, Kate.
This isn't how the story ends.

Kate: Jack, you're getting tired. He said, "Stay away!"
He'll kill you if you do not obey.
You have to give up, Jack. You're not gonna find...
Hey, is that Charlie strung up over there with twine?
Oh, Jack, he's gone. Jack, he's dead! There's not a thing you can do.
We're too late, but no one blames you, Jack.
How could someone blame this on you?
Stop pounding down on his chest. Give him dignity -
Wait! I saw Charlie breathe!
You got our friend to breathe!

Pausing would have been fatal.
I have changed my tune.
Your resolve grew
In the late afternoon.
You would not let Ethan
Destroy our friends,
And you'll find Claire in the end, Jack.
You're gonna find her in the end.