Quiet Victories

© Stephen Savitzky. CC-by-nc-sa

Lyrics [pdf]

This isn't meant to be a tragic song: It's a victory march.

	G	D7	G	C	G
S	it down w	ith m	e and t	alk	a while;

	G	C	D7
And pl	ease believe me wh	en I s	ay

	G	C	G
	I don't need much to m	ake me sm	ile,

	G	D7	G
Just t	ell me how you sp	ent your d	ay.

	C	G	C
	I don't need t	ales of heros b	old

	G	C	D7
G	entle lady, t	ell to m	e,

	G	C	G
S	ome tale of yours you've n	ever t	old;

	G	D7	G
	About some quiet v	ict	ory.

G D C G C

F orget her o ic f antas y

G C D7

Th at's not the tale I n eed to h ear,

G C G

T ell me of quiet v ictor y

G D7 G

Of l ove and life ag ainst y our fear.

Don't tell me of the Amazon

The battle-lust hot in her breast;

Just tell me what the mirror showed:

A warrior's scar across your chest.

Would he still love you after that?

Would you die beneath the knife?

The cancer gave you Devil's odds;

You rolled the dice and won your life.

And still you see your friends and kin

Make their throw, to lose or gain

Against the old familiar foes

Grief and fear and death and pain.

Don't tell me of the shieldmaid bold,

Her laughter in the face of death

I'll take the smile you gave your son

To cheer him as he fought for breath.

No matter that your heart was filled

With fear you gamely had to hide;

No matter what it cost to spend

The next two days there at his side.

You tell me that it wasn't hard,

and it was love that saw you through.

Yes, I believe you when you say

It's what a mother has to do.

I've heard you sing a Goddess' praise

On Athens' ramparts standing fast;

What did your grey-eyed lady sing

When she proclaimed her love at last?

What does it cost you two to share

A love that half the world despise?

What did it take to tell your Mom

And face the anger in her eyes?

It's not a myth you're living now

The hate you'll face is all too real;

You'll make it through the coming years

With hearts of glass and nerves of steel.

That tale of dwarves, and rings of gold,

Dragons flying through the air

Is that the movie that your girl

Was watching in intensive care?

And when at last she's home again,

You dread the word you'll have to say:

She asks, can she walk home from school?

You swallow hard, and say ``OK''.

Tires squeal all afternoon;

Sirens make your blood run cold.

She'll be a woman all too soon;

You let her grow up strong and bold.

(Written 2008-06-11 for N.)

Agamemnon stands prepared

To sacrifice his only joy,

That Artemis might free the wind

And let him sail at last for Troy.

Upon the altar lies a dream

And now it's you who holds the knife;

Your body's weakness holds it down:

Bid it farewell, and free your life.

No honor waging useless war

Against a foe you can't destroy.

Accept the dream you're living now,

Sail back to family, home and joy;

(Written 2008-06-17 for E.M.)

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

Mirror, mirror, tell me true.

It must be lying after all:

The face you see is never you.

Terror as you drain the cup;

Anger as you smash the glass.

But still you fear to tell your friends

About the change that's come to pass

You pass a mirror in the hall

The face you've chosen meets your eyes

Till now you've seen it but in dreams--

The glass no longer tells you lies.

(Written 2008-08-16 for C.P.)

Prince Charming sweeps you off your feet

And boldly carries you away;

Your rescuer has come at last--

But that's not what the bruises say.

You try to be the perfect wife,

But fail no matter what you do.

You hope that he won't see you cry.

There must be something wrong with you.

A friend comes by while he's away

You pack a bag and quickly leave

Those must be tears of joy, you say:

There's nothing left behind to grieve.

(Written 2009-08-18 for Naomi and her then partner)

The air is dark with demon wings;

The box's lid is open wide.

Pandora looks for treasure there,

But only Hope is left inside.

Grief and terror, plague and pain

Lay hidden 'neath a golden lid;

Who would have thought that such as these

Would be the spawn of what she did?

And in the darkness of despair,

It seems that even Hope has flown.

With friends around, you join to sing

The song that lights her way back home.

(Written 2008-07-16 for Bev) {\it keep at end}

It's not the woods you're walking in;

That was a foolish thing to do:

There's worse than big bad wolves tonight

Who prey on little girls like you.

He says he'll kill you, makes you kneel;

There's just one chance that you can snatch:

Squeeze, twist, and pull with all your might;

Nobody told you they detach.

And in the station, safe at last,

The laughter slowly calms your fears.

They'll tell their daughters what you did,

A legend growing through the years.

Instrumental first 2/3 of the next verse

men

Here's to the women, gently brave

Mothers, daughters, sisters, wives,

And to the quiet victories

We seldom notice in their lives.

women (optional, if onstage with a woman)

We stand together, sisters all

Braver than we realized

To celebrate the victories

We seldom speak of in our lives.

men and women together

Sometimes I write verses for particular people; they don't always get performed.

And it's Oh, No! a thousand times no / Even though it's my blood you'll be spillin'

I shouldn't write songs more than 10 minutes long; / I'm afraid I'm as bad as Bob Dylan.

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