Libretto

Libretto for D. C. Summer Night

 D. C. Summer Night is a story about a badass biker who undergoes a metamorphosis, as he struggles for redemption.

“The Kid” introduces the main character, a drug-addled biker and loner. “His Harley’s his old lady. He has no other queen, ‘cuz not too many ladies want a dude burned out on green. He rides all by himself. Other bikers put him down. They always disappear, when the Kid rides into town.”

He hooks up with “The Queen of Darkness.” He sings, “I’ll scare up some white lady, and chill a jug of wine. Don’t waste the time to call the Queen. Tonight the Queen is mine!” Or is it the other way around? We will see.

He becomes a “Black Book Man,” and gets run out of town. “Black book man, you’ve been so lucky. How long do you think it will last? Ride your lucky streak out of town, before you’re a thing of the past.”

In “Prisoner of the Highway,” he goes back on the road, and starts to show some introspection. “You’re fleeing from uncertainty, longing for that master plan. To almost any passerby, you’re just a hunted man. I see where you’re coming from, friend I can see your rhyme. You’re another lonely wanderer, seeking what you cannot find.”

He wanders into the nation’s capital in “D. C. Summer Night,” where he witnesses street violence. “The heavies grab their bricks, preparing for a fight. To me, this is just another D. C. summer night.” Everything changes after tonight. . .

“Playing with Fire Dying to Burn,” features the Queen of Darkness proclaiming her power over Kid. “He made a deal with me, the Queen. Now I pull his strings, if you know what I mean.”

Guilt is starting to get the best of him in “The Boys with the Special Eyes.” He sings, “I tried to make a run for it. I could only run in place. They all had an impish grin etched upon their face. They said, ‘we’ll be right behind you, until the day you die. We’ll be with you till forever. We’re the boys with the special eyes.’”

He meets a very conflicted young lady in “Dancing Girl.” He sings, “She said she’s known a lot of lovers, but it was all just part of a scheme. Searching for that perfect lover, a love that only comes in dreams.” Continuing, he shows his vulnerability: “Dancing girl, you look so lonely. Let me hold you for a while. Let me show you what you’re missing. Dancing girl, oh lonely child.”

Kid discovers that She is his savior in “Child of Rock and Roll.” He sings, “Then the Child went to sleep, all life gone from Her eyes. Before the world could say ‘farewell,’ the Child began to rise!”

In “Kidnapped,” Kid and the Child are approached by ruffians. “A struggle then ensued. I was beaten to the ground. When my eyes came back to focus, She’s nowhere to be found!”

© 2022 Craig Herberg – produced by Paul Sturm — engineered by Bill McElroy at Bias Studios