Man In Black: I have to go. Mother: Why? Man In Black: Because I don't belong here. - Across the Sea
This is a sort of companion piece to This Island Is My Home in which the Man in Black is daydreaming about leaving the Island and trying to figure out how to convince Jacob to go with him.
The Home That She Denied Me
I’d like to be across the sea
In the home that She
denied me as a babe.
I'd watch my twin grow thicker skin
Claire: Look at me! This Island's made me crazy, I - I don't want Aaron to see me like this. I don't even know how to be a mother anymore. Kate: Listen to me, none of us do. Not at first. But you're not alone. Let me help you. Come on, let's go. - The End
Kate is more sympathetic to Claire than Sawyer is in season six. Here's Kate in the finale to the tune of Feels Like Home, one of my dad's favorite songs at the moment.
Please Come Home With Me
Someone you despise tried to make you lose yourself,
Tried to make you lose yourself, but he’s gone.
Yes, Claire, you have a choice. Just forget the past.
You can leave at last and reclaim your life.
I can tell how lonely your life has been.
To feel strong, you cling to that gun,
But it won’t bring what you’ve wanted since he first led you wrong.
I’m here so you can raise your son.
So please come home with me. Oh, please come home with me.
You feel like you’re much too messed up to be a mom,
But please come home with me. Oh, please come home with me.
I promised to help you get back where you belong.
We’ve made mistakes. Hey, you think I'm clean?
But we try, then fail, then do right.
You look a fright; you could use some Maybelline.
Still, I believe you’ve seen through the dark to the light.
Well, do you know how much this moment means to me?
You don’t need that cradle or that hutch.
Though I have been the mother you were meant to be,
Your little boy deserves your love for him so much.
So please come home with me. Oh, please come home with me.
You feel like you’re much too messed up to be a mom,
But please come home with me. Oh, please come home with me.
I promised to help you get back where you belong.
I promised to help you get back where you belong.
"Sayid's a zombie and Claire's nuts. She gave up her ticket when she tried to kill Kate. And I ain't gonna let that happen again."
- Sawyer, The Last Recruit
The Claire of season six is quite a bit different from the Claire the castaways came to know and love. Here, Sawyer tries to convince Hurley that she's not worth bringing along in their great escape, to the tune of Carly Simon's You're So Vain. (The above quote is from a conversation with Jack, but I figure his conversation with Hurley would have been similar...)
Claire’s Insane
She showed up with her rifle
And stitched up Jin in her creepy hut.
But then he flinched as she axed that Other guy.
She got ‘im right in the gut.
Well, it’s only smart to fear her now
‘Cause she’s a gnarly nut.
Lounged here with Locke for too long, and she lost it.
Clearly, she lost it.
Yeah,
Claire’s insane
And horribly in need of a hairbrush.
She’s insane, (She’s insane),
And bringin’ her along would just scare us,
Scare us, scare us...
Well, we knew her several years ago.
Back then, she was so naive.
Oh, but now we are stuck with a crazy Claire
With homicide up her sleeve.
Now, I know you’re really big on love.
You’re eager to believe
People can change, but I’m not gonna chance it.
Not gonna chance it.
No,
Claire’s insane.
She hangs around with skeletal babies.
She’s insane. (She’s insane!)
I wonder if that thing gave her rabies,
Rabies, rabies, rabies!
Think she can change? Well, I’m not gonna chance it.
Not gonna chance it.
No,
Claire’s insane.
Apparently she’s also Jack’s sister.
She’s insane. (She’s insane!)
I guess it’s lucky he never kissed her,
Kissed her, kissed her!
Did you hear she went after Kate with a knife?
Sayid, he didn’t step in.
He could not be bothered with a threatened friend’s life.
I’d say the Dark Side is fixin’ to win.
Well, I know we’re runnin’ out of time,
And Hugo, we don’t need
A chick who’s unhinged or a kid-killin’ zombie,
Kid-killin’ zombie.
No,
Claire’s insane.
Yeah, those two gave their tickets up early.
She’s insane. (Insane!)
We can’t succeed with someone so squirrelly,
Squirrelly, squirrelly, squirrelly!
Claire’s insane
And horribly in need of a hairbrush.
Claire’s insane
And horribly in need of a hairbrush.
Claire’s insane...
"Your father and mother and all of you are - as you used to call it in the Shadowlands - dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning."
- Aslan, The Last Battle
Christian: Everyone dies sometime, kiddo. Some of them before you, some... long after you. Jack: But why are they all here now? Christian: Well, there is no "now" here.
- The End
Here's Christian talking to Jack in the church at the end of The End, to the tune of the Irish Rovers' The Shadow of O'Casey. (It looks like iTunes is the only place online to hear this song, so you have to pay a dollar if you want to listen to this one. Or buy the album; it's fantastic!)
Outside of Time
Bid farewell to your sorrow. If you have the faith to follow,
A brighter tomorrow is what you will find.
At the end of one story’s the pathway to glory.
We’ll evermore be outside of time.
Please accept that you’ve reached the morning, and the nightmares won’t return.
You have walked in painful darkness, but the light will always burn.
You should know there is no “now” here. Those people all have died.
But life in here is bigger that it was on the outside.
Bid farewell to your sorrow. If you have the faith to follow,
A brighter tomorrow is what you will find.
At the end of one story’s the pathway to glory.
We’ll evermore be outside of time.
Jack, I know this is surprising. We’re scientific men.
But we’re also wiser than we used to be back then,
And the answers to your questions all lie beyond the door.
Let’s go in together. What are we waiting for?
Bid farewell to your sorrow. If you have the faith to follow,
A brighter tomorrow is what you will find.
At the end of one story’s the pathway to glory.
We’ll evermore be outside of time.
There were days you were lost and lonely, but kiddo, those are done.
The knife that monster wielded, it cut right through you, son.
But with Vincent there for comfort, you departed with a smile
And arrived to a glorious new sunrise. It was all worthwhile.
Bid farewell to your sorrow. If you have the faith to follow,
A brighter tomorrow is what you will find.
At the end of one story’s the pathway to glory.
We’ll evermore be outside of time.
Bid farewell to your sorrow. If you have the faith to follow,
A brighter tomorrow is what you will find.
At the end of one story’s the pathway to glory.
We’ll evermore be outside of time.
Outside of time.
"I wanna know why. I wanna know that Sun and Jin and Sayid didn't die for nothing."
- Kate, What They Died For
I've been trying to get into the heads of each of the major Island players as they move into the final chapter, and I've had a harder time getting a handle on Kate than most. But I think I have a pretty good understanding of where she's coming from, and I don't begrudge her the angry questions she hurls at Jacob. Here's Kate to the tune of Michael Card's Spirit of the Age.
This War You Had to Wage
My eyes are red from crying for Jin, Sayid and Sun,
And I can’t stop thinking of their little girl Ji Yeon.
So what Locke said to Sawyer... Swear to me he lied.
I cannot continue till you tell me why they died.
So Jacob, did you care about the wailing?
What about the sorrow and the rage?
It’s time that you apologized for killing
Victims of this war you had to wage!
You seem so understanding, benevolent and kind.
But does it even bother you that we left them behind?
And what about my number? How come it has been crossed?
Is that your way of saying that all hope for me is lost?
So Jacob, did you care about the wailing?
What about the sorrow and the rage?
It’s time that you apologized for killing
Victims of this war you had to wage!
The accidents and murders that piled up here in Hell
Ought to haunt you even if you only meant us well.
If you’re to be our mentor, our shining spectral sage,
Say sorry for the victims of this war you had to wage!
So Jacob, did you care about the wailing?
What about the sorrow and the rage?
It’s time that you apologized for killing
Victims of this war you had to wage!
Because of me, my best friend died for nothing,
And ever since I’ve craved a blank page.
So how can you accept there are so many
Victims of this war you had to wage?
The victims of this war you had to wage...
Spirit of the Age
"My ashes are right there in that fire... When it burns out, you’ll never see me again."- Jacob, What They Died For
LOST is so filled with wonderful characters, and I love nearly all of them, but there will always be an extra special place in my heart for Jacob and Hurley. In the great epics, this always tends to be my favorite pair: the wise mentor and the loving, humble apostle. Gandalf and Sam. Dumbledore and Hagrid. Aslan and Lucy. Granted, Aslan is something More than those others, Jacob included. But Jacob reflects the light in a powerful way, and Hurley feels a deep sense of connection to him. I was very saddened by Jacob's words to Hurley in What They Died For. I thought of Lucy leaving Narnia in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and I anticipate this parting being equally difficult for Hurley. But even as he dreads the loss, his chief concern is harmony, and something tells me this Star Wars geek holds the key to a satisfying resolution. Here's Hurley to the tune of Michael Card's A Face That Shone.
When It Ends
Though Richard raved and ranted to Jack on the Black Rock,
I was sure that we should follow, for we’re Jacob’s chosen flock.
I knew it from the moment he blessed me with his touch.
When he gave me that guitar case, his assurance meant so much.
He met me at the Temple, and he helped me find the stone
That hid a secret passage to a lighthouse long unknown.
Jacob never acted like he thought that I would fail.
I began to think that maybe the light of kindness could prevail.
So when it ends, I will feel I’ve lost a father,
A faithful friend who believed that I had worth.
But when it ends, I will know that I would rather
Have been blessed to briefly know him.
I’ve been searching for him since my birth.
He brought us to the Island. We became his flustered flock,
And he’s charged us now with stopping his old friend who looks like Locke.
Oh, I know that he’s a monster and he really isn’t John,
But he used to be his brother. That part of him’s not gone.
Jacob said he’d try to kill us and we would need to guard the light,
But reconciliation’s the best end to this fight.
We’ll somehow find the balance so the conflict can be done.
Like Anakin and Luke, the fractured family will be one.
And when it ends, I will feel I’ve lost a father,
A faithful friend who believed that I had worth.
But when it ends, I still will know that I would rather
Have been blessed to briefly know him.
I’ve been seeking him since birth.
He said to me, “You’ll never see me once it’s ended.
I’ll have to go, but you will know you have my love.
You’ll bear the light, and everyone who you’ve befriended
Will snatch a spark, and they’ll be mended both from within and from above.”
And when it ends, I will feel I’ve lost a father,
A faithful friend who believed that I had worth.
But when it ends, I still will know that I would rather
Have been blessed to briefly know him.
I’ve been seeking him since birth.
A Face That Shone
"I only picked one name."
- Claudia, Across the Sea
The epic rivalry between Jacob and his brother started with their birth. Here's a reflection on that to the tune of Michael Card's They Called Him Laughter.
He Called Him Brother
A stormy wind and a restless sea
Left Claudia lost. She was destined to be
A pawn in the game of the woman who guarded the Island.
Accepting the help of the stranger who spoke,
She pushed, and her baby was born and awoke.
But Jacob would soon have a brother because there were two.
He called him Brother thanks to their mother.
Though she was expecting,
She didn’t know twins would be due.
So Jacob was frozen in the name she had chosen,
But he called him Brother.
There weren’t enough names for two.
She clothed him in darkness and Jacob in light
And planned for the day when she’d force them to fight.
She applauded the sins of the brother, and poor Jacob knew.
He tried to be faithful to mother and twin,
But given the choice between parent and kin,
He stuck with the former, becoming a desolate boy.
He called him Brother thanks to their mother.
Though she was expecting,
She didn’t know twins would be due.
So Jacob was frozen in the name she had chosen,
But he called him Brother.
There weren’t enough names for two.
He called him Brother thanks to their mother.
Though she was expecting,
She didn’t know twins would be due.
So Jacob was frozen in the name she had chosen,
But he called him Brother.
There weren’t enough names for two.
They Called Him Laughter
"It's where I was told I could summon the monster. That's before I realized that it was the one summoning me."
- Ben, What They Died For
Ben's actions on the Island in What They Died For initially really depressed me because it felt like such a sad regression back into villainy. But the more I think about it, the more certain I am that Ben is running his own con, and because of his incredibly dark past and his willingness to kill his old enemy to get his point across, he may just be able to pull it off where Sawyer failed. Here's hopin'. Here is Ben to the tune of Michael Card's God's Own Fool.
I Will Destroy the Beast
Seems he misled me for all of my life
Since I came to this place as a kid,
And he molded me into a murderous man.
I cringe at the things that I did.
For ever since Jacob clutched me as he died
And then Miles confirmed that he cared,
I've seen how this monster made use of my pride
Until I was wholly ensnared.
So I, in my foolishness, ate up his lies.
I was his tool then, but now I’ve grown wise.
When I was a leader, he conned me so long.
Now I’ve been humbled and know I was wrong.
And so I’ll make that thing a fool.
I owe that to Jacob at least.
I won’t stand by and be his tool.
I will destroy the beast.
I’ll give up my life for the sake of this con
That will rid us of evil at last.
I’ll do it for Jacob and Alex and John.
I’ll purge the mistakes of my past.
I’ll surrender the power that never was mine,
Be the man Jacob hoped I could be.
For I’ve been through the fire and I’ve been refined,
And though I was blind, now I see.
Yes, I, in my foolishness, ate up his lies.
I was his tool then, but now I’ve grown wise.
When I was a leader, he conned me so long.
Now I’ve been humbled and know I was wrong.
And so I’ll make that thing a fool.
I owe that to Alex at least.
I won’t stand by and be his tool.
I will destroy the beast.
So I’ll make that thing a fool.
I owe that to John Locke at least.
I won’t stand by and be his tool.
I will destroy the beast.
"It's Alex... It's your daughter... After you left, I buried her."
- Richard, What They Died For
One of my favorite parts of What They Died For was the small scene in which Richard tells Ben that he buried Alex. It was such a testament to his decency and his long friendship with Ben. Additionally, I've been thinking a lot about Jacob as an Obi-Wan figure and his brother as akin to Anakin, and I've decided that Richard is like Yoda: old, wise, spending most of his life as an adviser. He's certainly acted as a mentor to Ben, and here I see him using this as one last teaching moment as he differentiates between violence for the sake of vengeance and for the sake of eradicating evil. Here's Richard, to the tune of the Irish Rovers' The Minstrel of Cranberry Lane.
Alex’s Grave
I have a confession to make.
I hope it helps ease your ache.
See, our friend here has found
Where I laid her in the ground.
We’re standing on Alex’s grave.
I heard the news, and I grieved
To think of your being bereaved
And remembered her wings
When she soared on these swings.
We’re standing on Alex’s grave.
Though I have felt the weight of grief
And the wrath that enticed me to kill,
It’s best to restrain every urge to cause pain,
To exert our virtue and will.
Ben, I know that has never been easy for you.
I’ve been trying to teach you for years.
Yes, I’ve told you that hate is a deadly drug
That only will lead to more tears.
But foiling the Devil could free us from Hell,
So let’s collect some C-4.
Although violence is wrong, it is time for the end.
It’s time we concluded the war.
We’ve gone through our ups and our downs,
With our laughs less abundant than frowns.
But you always will be important to me.
We’re standing on Alex’s grave.
Little Jacob: You know the rules. You can't kill him. Smokey: Don't tell me what I can't do!
- The Substitute
When that mysterious boy showed up in the jungle in The Substitute, it was a strange thing indeed. We now know that this was Jacob as a boy, so I presume that he is a ghost, which Smokey can see but Richard can't (though it's surprising to think that Desmond and Sawyer can). Here's a little reflection about little ghostly Jacob, to the tune of the Irish Rovers' Oh You Mucky Kid.
Creepy Kid
Oh, you are a creepy kid.
Smokey knows just what you did.
Are you merely his ego or id?
Are you a ghost, jungle lad?
You look so spooky standing there
Under your shock of golden hair,
And Richard claims to be unaware,
So is Smokey going crazy?
Your arms and hands are limply spread,
Augmented now with trails of red.
So are you a vision or are you dead?
Are you a ghost, jungle lad?
Oh, you are a creepy kid.
Smokey knows just what you did.
Are you merely his ego or id?
Are you a ghost, jungle lad?
You’ve cleaned up nicely now for James.
Is this another of your games?
When you warn your rival not to kill,
He doesn’t like rules, so he’s angry.
Perhaps it is your youthful plight
That’s reminded James to bear the light.
He’ll follow “John,” but it’s a con.
You’re counting upon his trickery.
Oh, you are a creepy kid.
Smokey knows just what you did.
Are you merely his ego or id?
Are you a ghost, jungle lad?
You really have an impish face,
But it could be his saving grace.
Yes, maybe the Smoke can be erased,
And you’ll be left with your brother.
Oh You Mucky Kid
Smokey: Come with me, Jacob. Please... What are you gonna do when she dies? Jacob: She's never gonna die. Smokey: Jacob, everything dies. Jacob: Well, I don't wanna leave this island. It's my home.
- Across the Sea
Here's a conversation between Smokey and Jacob as the former tries to convince the latter to leave the Island, to the tune of Don McLean's Castles in the Air.
This Island Is My Home
Smokey: What do you plan to do when she dies? Jacob: I don't believe she ever will.
This Island is my home.
I don’t know why you’re so inclined to roam. Smokey: Why should you stay? You’ll just be left alone.
Living here with men, I have watched them steal and lie,
And I have learned that everyone must die.
The tide has turned, and Mother’s end is nigh.
How I have yearned to bid this place goodbye!
Jacob, can’t I convince you to join in?
How I have missed our times together, gentle twin. Jacob: Brother, you know how lonely I have been,
But if I left her now, I would shudder in chagrin.
Remember long ago, back when she led us to the water
Where we saw the ever-glowing light?
She said, “One day, I’m going to incite
One of you boys to protect it, day and night.”
Smokey: Look, I do not belong on this God-forsaken Island.
Can’t you see we’re in a foreign land?
What must I say to make you understand?
Don’t go along with what that woman’s planned.
Jacob, can’t I convince you to join in?
How I have missed our times together, gentle twin. Jacob: Brother, you know how lonely I have been,
But if I left her now, I would shudder in chagrin.
Smokey: What do you plan to do when she dies? Jacob: I don't believe she ever will.
This Island is my home.
I don’t know why you’re so inclined to roam. Smokey: Why should you stay? You’ll just be left alone.
Mother: It has to be you, Jacob. Jacob: No, it doesn't. You wanted it to be him. But now I'm all you have.
- Across the Sea
When I set myself a goal of finishing 200 LOST songs before the finale, I didn't really expect to achieve it. I was sure that the strange writing streak that began on my birthday would peter out soon. But it didn't, and here I am, a week before the finale, posting number 200. I decided to go with Don McLean's Superman's Ghost for this one; I'd had it on the back burner since season three, always intending it to be from Ben's perspective, sulking about John's favored status, but I always felt like I needed more of the story. Across the Sea showed me that Ben and John were just perpetuating a long pattern. After the episode ended, I announced that it was probably my second-favorite episode of the season. The more I think about it, the more sure I am of that. Though I thoroughly expect the last three and a half hours to blow even Dr. Linus out of the water. Here's Jacob, wondering along with us what's coming next.
The Back-Up Plan
“I don’t want the cup to pass to me.
He was your favorite son.
I never questioned. I never disobeyed.
The best one grew restless, and he strayed,
So I had to be your back-up plan.”
We came from another place over the sea,
Though I didn’t know that as a boy.
I lived with my brother harmoniously;
Our companionship brought me such joy!
But I was contented and he was a rover,
And Mother encouraged the rift.
So when she insisted her time here was over,
I snapped at the sight of her gift.
“I don’t want the cup to pass to me.
He was your favorite son.
I never questioned. I never disobeyed.
The best one grew restless, and he strayed,
So I had to be your back-up plan.”
He claimed she would die, and I yelled, “It’s a lie!”
But her weariness weighed on my mind,
And I was in fear of my solitude here
If he succeeded and he left me behind.
No, I never asked to take on the task
That she had intended him for,
But when I tried to protest, she wasn’t impressed
And said, “You have no choice anymore.”
“I don’t want the cup to pass to me.
He was your favorite son.
I never questioned. I never disobeyed.
The best one grew restless, and he strayed,
So I had to be your back-up plan.”
She damaged us both, but I still took the oath,
And her death sent me into a rage,
So I perverted my twin with the source of all sin,
And my penance has lasted an age.
I’d proven him right that between dark and light,
People always will choose the wrong course.
But I dreamed of one day discerning a way
To reap good from the seeds of remorse.
“I don’t want the cup to pass to me.
He was your favorite son.
I never questioned. I never disobeyed.
The best one grew restless, and he strayed,
So I had to be your back-up plan.”
Well, I’ve watched from above and witnessed the love
That humanity strives to embrace.
But the women and men, down to little lost Ben,
Have succumbed, although some have sought grace.
I can’t be sure how it all will end now,
But children, acknowledge my plea:
You have shown, through this test, that you’re special and blessed,
And so don’t mess it up just like me.
“I don’t want the cup to pass to me.
He was your favorite son.
I never questioned. I never disobeyed.
The best one grew restless, and he strayed,
So I had to be your back-up plan.
I never questioned. I never disobeyed.
The best one grew restless, and he strayed,
So I had to be your back-up plan.”
Here's a song from Jacob and Smokey set during one of their clandestine meetings prior to their adoptive mother's death, to the tune of the cowboy song Partners. (And I know his brother isn't "Smokey" yet, but I'm set in my ways...)
Brothers
Jacob: You want to leave; I want to stay.
You rebel, while I obey.
Although you now live far away,
We’ll always be brothers.
You’re insolent, and I’m polite.
You dress in black, and I dress in white.
We still will meet; we have that right.
We’ll always be brothers.
How I miss when we could spend
Days together, from start to end.
I never will forget that, friend,
‘Cause we’ll always be brothers.
Smokey: I love the sea; you love the land.
I crave adventure; you like things bland.
But here’s what we both understand:
We’ll always be brothers.
I’ve grown mature; you’re still a child.
I’m in the village; you’re in the wild.
If Mother knew, she might be riled,
But we’ll always be brothers.
How I miss when we could spend
Days together, from start to end.
I never will forget that, friend,
‘Cause we’ll always be brothers.
Jacob: Can you show me how to play? Smokey: If you promise not to tell Mother. Jacob: Why can't we tell her? Smokey: Because she'll take it away.
- Across the Sea
How do such good friends become such mortal enemies? Destructive parenting doesn't help... Here's a song about Smokey and Jacob to the tune of the Irish Rovers' Little Boy Blue.
Brother in Black
The curious game washed up on the shore,
Half-buried within the sand.
So the brother in white asked, “What is it for?”
As he held a piece in his hand.
That was long before the days of Jack
And of Hurley and all the rest.
Oh, and that was when the brother in black
Stated his small request.
“Don’t you tell Mother what I found.
You know she won‘t let us play.”
But Jacob, so honest and honor-bound,
Reported it right away.
“You’re special,” said Mother, who took a seat
Right next to the brother in black.
“You are quick and cunning. You'll lie and cheat,
Skills that Jacob will always lack.”
“Don’t you tell Mother what I found.
You know she won‘t let us play.”
But Jacob, so honest and honor-bound,
Reported it right away.
Mother assured him she understood
And urged him to keep the game,
While Jacob was told he was very good
And she loved each of them the same.
She was laying the rails of a tragic track
That would lead to an epic fight.
Oh, how she damaged the brother in black
And the brother who dressed in white!
“Don’t you tell Mother what I found.
You know she won‘t let us play.”
But Jacob, so honest and honor-bound,
Reported it right away.
Little Boy Blue
"At some point in your life, James, probably when you were young and miserable and vulnerable. he came to you, he manipulated you, pulled your strings like you were a puppet. And as a result, choices you thought were made, were never really choices at all. He was pushing you, James. Pushing you.. to the Island."- Smokey, The Substitute
Jacob and Smokey have very different perspectives on their ongoing battle. Here's Smokey addressing Sawyer in the cliffside cave, to the tune of the Irish Rovers' The Village of Brambleshire Wood.
The Island He Ruled
Written here on this wall are the numbers and names
Of the people he brought to the Island he ruled.
I’ve freed us at last from his tedious games
And his endless insistence on preserving the light.
Goodbye to his silly white stone!
See the names of the chumps who have died?
He carelessly crossed out the names and the numbers
Of people he brought to the Island he ruled.
Goodbye to his games and his silly white stone
And the names in this cave on the Island he ruled!
You’ll notice, I think, not all of the names here
Are split and obscured with a chalk line of white.
They're potential replacements who somehow aren't dead,
Who've survived their ordeal on the Island he ruled.
There’s Shephard and Reyes and Kwon,
And Jarrah, and I think both of us recall John.
His time here is through, so I’ll cross him out too,
Just a pawn Jacob brought to the Island he ruled.
Goodbye to his games and his silly white stone
And the names in this cave on the Island he ruled!
Now you’re number 15. Don’t look so astonished.
Yes, you met Jacob a long time ago.
He gave you a push, James, and look where it led you.
It brought you, like the rest, to the Island he ruled.
Since he’s dead, three choices are yours:
Do nothing, and stay on these infernal shores;
Take on the position of pointless protector;
Or you join me, and we leave the Island he ruled.
Here's an ode to Jacob taking Across the Sea into account, to the tune of the Irish Rovers' Penny Whistle Peddler.
The Guardian
I hope you meet the guardian chosen to protect the light,
A sage and ancient man who prefers to dress in white.
Set on disproving his brother’s fatalistic view,
He’ll bless you with his touch if he believes in you.
In a distant, distant land across the sea,
The guardian took on his role, but sadly and reluctantly.
He had given in to violence, hurt his brother in his wrath,
Shown again that people always pick the evil path.
I hope you meet the guardian chosen to protect the light,
A sage and ancient man who prefers to dress in white.
Set on disproving his brother’s fatalistic view,
He’ll bless you with his touch if he believes in you.
But goodness was his goal, for himself and all.
He slowly gained wisdom as ships began to heed his call.
When he met Ricardo, also steeped in penitence,
Jacob saw that intervening made a lot of sense.
I hope you meet the guardian chosen to protect the light,
A sage and ancient man who prefers to dress in white.
Set on disproving his brother’s fatalistic view,
He’ll bless you with his touch if he believes in you.
So lately, Jacob wanders within the world at large.
He seeks the flawed but virtuous, entrusting each one with a charge.
As he thinks about his brother, the one he wronged so viciously,
He wonders, “If I win, will it set him free?”
I hope you meet the guardian chosen to protect the light,
A sage and ancient man who prefers to dress in white.
Set on disproving his brother’s fatalistic view,
He’ll bless you with his touch if he believes in you.
Penny Whistle Peddler
Across the Sea gave me a lot to mull over. I have a feeling I won't entirely understand its significance until I can put it together with the last two episodes, but at first glance, I found it epic and moving, and I wound up staying up until 4 in the morning writing my first song inspired by this foray into Jacob and Smokey's distant history. I imagine that he feels very guilty about turning his brother into the Smoke Monster and hopes that proving that humanity can choose goodness will somehow undo that fusion. Here's Jacob to the tune of America's A Horse With No Name.
The Man With No Name
Started out when we were children.
I was happy with Island life.
With my mother and my brother there,
Why would I go anywhere?
That wasn’t enough for my curious kin.
He was drawn to the sea.
He thought there must be a land beyond,
Far from Mother, far from me.
I blemished my brother. He’s the man with no name
Whose corruption is my lifelong shame,
And I’ve forced him to keep on playing my game.
It seems pointless, but I will try all the same.
Mother led us to this. It’s a cosmic fight.
I must end it by sharing the sacred light.
Near the village Mother tried to hide,
He said he wanted to leave.
When he told how our true mother died,
I was fuming far too much to grieve.
So he stayed with the men while I went home again.
I did not know what to believe.
You see, I blemished my brother. He’s the man with no name
Whose corruption is my lifelong shame,
And I’ve forced him to keep on playing my game.
It seems pointless, but I will try all the same.
Our mother led us to this. It’s a cosmic fight,
And I must end it by sharing the sacred light.
Decades later, we still conferred in peace,
But civility soon would cease.
When I saw our mother’s lifeless form,
I became a raging storm.
The heartbeat of the Island pounded deep in the stream,
Where I gave him a sullen shove.
I watched the smoke spread like a darkening dream,
Coldly claiming the twin I love.
That’s how I blemished my brother. He’s the man with no name
Whose corruption is my lifelong shame,
And I’ve forced him to keep on playing my game.
It seems pointless, but I will try all the same.
Our mother led us to this. It’s a cosmic fight,
And I must end it by sharing the sacred light.
Our mother led us to this. It’s a cosmic fight,
And I must end it by sharing the sacred light.
Mother led us to this. It’s a cosmic fight,
And I must end it by sharing the sacred light.
Mother led us to this. It’s a cosmic fight,
And I must end it by sharing the sacred light...
Here's another ditty inspired by the Anne Murray album There's a Hippo in My Tub, a wonderful collection of lullabies. This is a not-so-soothing rundown of some of the strange creatures on the Island, to the tune of Hey Daddy.
A Monster By the Cockpit
Hey, Sawyer, there’s a bear out in the jungle.
Good thing you’re a trigger-happy man.
Hey, Charlie, run quick, ‘cause there’s a monster by the cockpit,
And it seems to me he’s not a Drive Shaft fan.
It’s a scary sort of Island
With a roving DHARMA shark.
Sometimes you suspect that
You’d prefer Jurassic Park.
I tell ya,
Hey, Sawyer, there’s a bear out in the jungle.
Good thing you’re a trigger-happy man.
Hey, Charlie, run quick, ‘cause there’s a monster by the cockpit,
And it seems to me he’s not a Drive Shaft fan.
Well, the bandit boars are a menace here,
And the Hurley bird is bizarre,
But if velociraptors trash the camp,
That’s going too far.
Meanwhile,
Hey, Sawyer, there’s a bear out in the jungle.
Good thing you’re a trigger-happy man.
Hey, Charlie, run quick, ‘cause there’s a monster by the cockpit,
And it seems to me he’s not a Drive Shaft fan.
And it seems to me he’s not a Drive Shaft fan.
Yeah, it seems to me he’s not a Drive Shaft fan.
Jacob: I see you got my present. Smokey: Don't gloat, Jacob. It doesn't become you.
- Ab Aeterno
Here's a little ditty about Jacob giving Smokey the white rock at the end of Ab Aeterno, to the tune of Danny and the Juniors' At the Hop.
Have a Rock
Jacob: Have a white rock. Have a white rock.
Have a white rock. Have a white rock.
Have a rock.
Well, I am overcome with glee now
Since Ricardo is with me now.
Have a rock.
See the bright alabaster
And recall who is the master.
Have a rock.
With a new adviser,
Those I bring will be wiser.
Have a rock.
Do you like your rock?
Do you like your rock?
Do you like your rock? Smokey: Stop gloating! Jacob: Do you like your rock?
Tell me, do you like your rock?
Smokey: Well, now you got yourself a steward.
What a happy day for you!
I got a rock.
Since he helped you win this wager,
Alpert doesn’t have to age.
I got a rock.
Now he never will die.
In the meantime,
I got a rock.
And so...
Do I like my rock?
Do I like my rock?
Do I like my rock? Jacob: Well, do you?
Smokey: Do I like my rock?
Let’s see, do I like my rock? Jacob: Well?
Smokey: No!
Jacob: Well, I am overcome with glee now
Since Ricardo is with me now.
Have a rock.
See the bright alabaster
And recall who is the master.
Have a rock.
With a new adviser,
Those I bring will be wiser.
Have a rock.
Smokey: Well, you got yourself a steward.
What a happy day for you!
I got a rock.
Since he helped you win this wager,
Alpert doesn’t have to age.
I got a rock.
Now he never will die,
And meanwhile,
I got a rock.
And so...
Do I like my rock?
Do I like my rock? Jacob: Well, do you?
Smokey: Do I like my rock? Jacob: Well, do you?
Smokey: Do I like my rock?
Let’s see, do I like my rock?
Stupid white rock. Stupid white rock.
Stupid white rock. Stupid white rock.
Stupid rock!
Working through my feelings on the end of LOST a couple weeks ahead of time.Darlton, are you listening?
The End (A LOSTie’s Salute)
A long, long time ago,
Back when television was an idle, passionless routine,
An epic promo stopped me cold.
It seemed like cinematic gold
Created for a more convenient screen.
A fiery crash, a pressing query,
A score that sounded more than eerie.
I embraced this new show,
This fresh Robinson Crusoe,
This stunning tale of tattered lives.
Even if I’m pleased with who survives,
It’s sure to cut like John Locke’s knives
The day The End arrives.
A dry eye will be hard to come by.
No more series, no more theories,
No more castaway high,
And at this point, I’d be a fool to deny
That I hate to bid the Island goodbye.
Hate to bid the Island goodbye.
Do you know I came to love
All the folks who fell from far above
In September of ‘04?
And I soon made room inside my soul
For one crazed Scotsman in a hole
And Ben, who isn’t Henry anymore.
I’ve envisioned Richard as a sage
Since I noticed that he doesn’t age.
Fantastic Frank’s a find,
And I dig dear dizzy Dan's mind.
I sympathized with Dogen’s tragic case,
And Ilana touched me with her quiet grace.
I just don’t see how I can face
The day The End arrives.
I guarantee a dry eye will be hard to come by.
No more series, no more theories,
No more castaway high,
And at this point, I’d be a fool to deny
That I hate to bid the Island goodbye.
Hate to bid the Island goodbye.
Now for six years, it’s been on the air.
No other series can quite compare
In terms of sheer complexity.
Every episode hides a crucial clue. Stranger in a Strange Land matters too,
Though tattoos are not exactly key.
Who’d’ve thought that run-down DHARMA van
Would fuel a hero’s rescue plan?
Who knew the code equates
To Jacob’s Candidates?
You’ve dropped crumbs along the twisted trail.
What tiny Season One detail
Will clinch who wins and who will fail
The day The End arrives?
I’m convinced a dry eye will be hard to come by.
No more series, no more theories,
No more castaway high,
And at this point, I’d be a fool to deny
That I hate to bid the Island goodbye.
Hate to bid the Island goodbye.
Faith and reason, loyalty and treason,
Enigmas deepening every season.
Cuselof, I tip my hat.
The polar bears, Hurley bird
And ancient monster are so absurd;
I appreciate it all the more for that.
There’s a four-toed statue on the beach.
When wet Walt spouted garbled speech
And Jacob’s cabin shook,
I had to take another look.
How do pylons form a Smokey shield
And why are Temple bathers healed?
What mysteries will be revealed
The day The End arrives?
I guarantee a dry eye will be hard to come by.
No more series, no more theories,
No more castaway high,
And at this point, I’d be a fool to deny
That I hate to bid the Island goodbye.
Hate to bid the Island goodbye.
Now all those phrases are in my head,
Like “Are you him?” and “Dead is dead”
And “Live together, die alone.”
“Don’t mistake a coincidence for fate!”
And Jack’s cry, “We have to go back, Kate!”
By leaps and bounds, the lexicon has grown.
It’s always a hoot to spout the names
So snarkily assigned by James.
Though “Jabba’s” kinda mean,
I’m keen on “Mr. Clean”.
All the allusions make me feel obtuse.
How many more will you produce?
My library card will get some use
The day The End arrives.
I’m convinced a dry eye will be hard to come by.
No more series, no more theories,
No more castaway high,
And at this point, I’d be a fool to deny
That I hate to bid the Island goodbye.
Hate to bid the Island goodbye.
I said farewell to Jin and Sun.
Sadly, Charlie’s rock star days are done -
In this dimension, anyway.
Scott and Eko had violent deaths,
And I always will remember Seth’s,
Since you deigned to turn the pilot into prey.
From fatal falls and time disease
To filicide (curse you, Eloise!),
You’ve shown a special talent
For killing off the gallant.
Michael wound up a remorseful ghost.
Sayid repented and then was toast.
I wonder who I’ll miss the most
The day The End arrives.
I guarantee a dry eye will be hard to come by.
No more series, no more theories,
No more castaway high,
And at this point, I’d be a fool to deny
That I hate to bid the Island goodbye.
Hate to bid the Island goodbye.
I’m convinced a dry eye will be hard to come by.
No more series, no more theories,
No more castaway high,
And at this point, I’d be a fool to deny
That I hate to bid the Island goodbye.
