His Kiss the Riot - Anaïs Mitchell

The devil take this Orpheus

And his belladonna kiss

Beautiful, poisonous, lovely, deadly

Dangerous this jack of hearts

With his kiss, the riot starts

All my children came here poor

Clamoring for bed and board

Now, what do they clamor for?

Freedom

Freedom

Have I made myself their lord

Just to fall upon the sword

Of some pauper’s minor chord?

Who will lead them?

Who lays all our best-laid plans?

Who makes work for idle hands?

Only one thing to be done

Let them go but let there be some term to be agreed upon

Some condition

Orpheus the undersigned shall not turn to look behind

She’s out of sight and he’s out of his mind

Every coward seems courageous in the safety of a crowd

Bravery can be contagious when the band is playing loud

Nothing makes a man so bold

As a woman’s smile and a hand to hold

But all alone his blood runs thin

And doubt comes- doubt comes in