GLORY

A contest entry! The brief was to write an “I want” type musical song.

This song is sung by someone from a place that’s become a kind of decayed kingdom or a two-bit town, living off pity tourism and old memories.  But she genuinely loves her home and really wants to restore it to its former splendour, and she’s about to set off on her own to do that. It does appear that she’s very very okay if not downright keen to use unscrupulous means to do it, incidentally.  She also has some big issues of feeling inadequate and unwanted and like she can never live up to her dead mother… just by the by.

I DUNNO, it’s sweet and soaring and pretty morally ambiguous and I really wonder where this character would go in the rest of a musical…..

Everybody leaves and nothing ever changes
But that’s not gonna be me
I know this place in my bones, we’re the same
We are worth so much more than what they see

I’ve been raised on stories of the old days
How we used to have some pride
People say we can’t bring back the old days
But I don’t think they’ve really tried

To bring us glory, glory
When everyone knows your name and where you came from
I want to bring us glory, glory
And then we’ll see we’ve nothing to be ashamed of
We’ll scrub up nice, you’ll see, this place and me
I’ll get us on the right track
And so I’m leaving too, but one day soon I’ll be back

Don’t tell me I’m too young
Don’t tell me to be patient
Curtsying and politics, I can barely stay awake
We’ve been on our knees too long
A bowed and broken nation
Enough begging and borrowing, it’s high time that we take
Take it back
I’ll do something spectacular…

Oh glory, glory
Everyone will know my name and where I came from
I’ll bring us glory, glory
The world will see we’ve nothing to be ashamed of
We’ll scrub up nice, you’ll see, you and me
We’ll show them what we can do
And you’ll be proud of me, and I’ll be proud of you

So I can’t sit still
So I never fit in
They don’t want me here, but I’ll show them
If I can’t be your princess, I’ll be an outlaw queen
I’m doing for this for you, I don’t owe them—
And yes I know, Dad, I can never be what Mother was
But maybe I can still earn your respect because

I’ll bring you glory, glory
Everyone will know my name and where I came from
I’ll rewrite our story
And then you’ll see we’ve nothing to be ashamed of
We’ll scrub up nice, you’ll see, this place and me
And after all we’ve been through
You’ll be proud of me
Yes you’ll be proud of me
And you will love me
Like I’ve always loved you