"The Archaeoptimist" lyrics
[I - The Fates Have Spoken]
[Father:]
Then, some say we were too many
Now, I'm afraid we're far too few
Fate made the call for the hammer to fall
And we fell away
In numbers that can't be conveyed
She turned the page in a moment of rage
Those swept away lie beneath the clay
[Daughter:]
Old ones talk of times of plenty
Now we scrape for all we can
It's all I've known to be skin and bone
But I fear the rain
So I dare not complain
It's all I've known this is how I've grown
So don't talk of "then" or "remember when..."
Nothing can kill or subjugate my will
Or it certainly would have by now
Fate's made its play, but I won't fall away
I reject what the fates disallow
[II - The Adventurous Child]
[Father:]
There she goes
Every morning it's the same old thing
There she goes
No curing her curiosity
There she goes
Mischief on her mind; hoping she might find
Something from a better time
Every day she strays a little further away
I think she thinks that I am blind
But I'm always watching; making sure she's doing fine
That's my girl, she's the optimist
The last one of her kind
Stay out of the way of the optimist
No telling what she might find
Don't you dare change her mind
There she goes
Here she comes
Last I saw, she was digging in the sand
Now she's holding something in her hand
She's grinning ear to ear and as she comes near
I can see her widened eyes
With a squeal of bliss, she opens up her fist
So she can reveal her prize
I hope she didn't see the disappointment in me
'Cause after all, it's just a key
(No honey, that's great!)
That's my girl, she's the optimist
The last one of her kind
Now she thinks she's an archaeologist
And don't you dare change her mind
Yeah, watch just what she'll find
[III - The Child Has Grown]
[Father:]
Seasons come and go
Fervently she keeps on seeking
Obsessing in the past
Has left an increasing sense of needing
She grew up so fast
In a world that's ever changing
Blooms while she retracts
Light creeps in where hers is fading
But when the sun goes down and we sit around the fire
I pull the key out; watch her somber eyes grow wider
She didn't know that I had kept it all these years
And strains for words while she's swallowing the tears
It wasn't just a key
A symbol or an allegory
A point of turning
In an otherwise dismal story
The moon it rises shadows dancing from the flame
And in her eyes I see reflections of the same
She didn't know what I had cherished all this time
And looks for meaning while emotions start to climb
She didn't know that, to me, she was a force
Unbridled outlook that kept everyone on course
Ya, she's the optimist; such a natural force
The Archeaoptimist
And just when I thought that her hope had fossilized
A glimmer of light was now returning to her eyes
She's the optimist
Force to reckon with
Archaeoptimist, oh
She's the optimist
Force to reckon with
Archaeoptimist, oh
She's the optimist
Force to reckon with
Archaeoptimist, oh
She's the optimist
Force to reckon with
Archaeoptimist, oh
[IV - The Leader]
[Father:]
And through this plight we just have to linger on
No end in sight I can put my finger on
No room for legacies just trying to survive
And struggle on to keep humanity alive
I'm the one they've all come to lean on
The strongest and the tall should lead on
It's not about control, just makes sense to me
It's me or you're my enemy
[V - Voice of Reason]
[Daughter:]
You would tell me stories of division
That led to all the chaos in the past
Is it your wrath that leads you down that path
Well then turn around; you're only losing ground
What have you gleaned from your history
If your posturing, you haven't learned a thing
If the bridges are all burned, what have you learned
[VI - The Successor]
[Father:]
We've fought for far too long
You're right that I was wrong
You're great; I'm the lesser
You'll be my successor!
Archaeoptimist, lead on!
[VII - The Acceptance Speech (excerpt)]
[Daughter:]
Nothing's secure; our future's unsure
But we have an open door
So listen to me; hope is the key
And the only thing worth fighting for
[Father:]
Then, some say we were too many
Now, I'm afraid we're far too few
Fate made the call for the hammer to fall
And we fell away
In numbers that can't be conveyed
She turned the page in a moment of rage
Those swept away lie beneath the clay
[Daughter:]
Old ones talk of times of plenty
Now we scrape for all we can
It's all I've known to be skin and bone
But I fear the rain
So I dare not complain
It's all I've known this is how I've grown
So don't talk of "then" or "remember when..."
Nothing can kill or subjugate my will
Or it certainly would have by now
Fate's made its play, but I won't fall away
I reject what the fates disallow
[II - The Adventurous Child]
[Father:]
There she goes
Every morning it's the same old thing
There she goes
No curing her curiosity
There she goes
Mischief on her mind; hoping she might find
Something from a better time
Every day she strays a little further away
I think she thinks that I am blind
But I'm always watching; making sure she's doing fine
That's my girl, she's the optimist
The last one of her kind
Stay out of the way of the optimist
No telling what she might find
Don't you dare change her mind
There she goes
Here she comes
Last I saw, she was digging in the sand
Now she's holding something in her hand
She's grinning ear to ear and as she comes near
I can see her widened eyes
With a squeal of bliss, she opens up her fist
So she can reveal her prize
I hope she didn't see the disappointment in me
'Cause after all, it's just a key
(No honey, that's great!)
That's my girl, she's the optimist
The last one of her kind
Now she thinks she's an archaeologist
And don't you dare change her mind
Yeah, watch just what she'll find
[III - The Child Has Grown]
[Father:]
Seasons come and go
Fervently she keeps on seeking
Obsessing in the past
Has left an increasing sense of needing
She grew up so fast
In a world that's ever changing
Blooms while she retracts
Light creeps in where hers is fading
But when the sun goes down and we sit around the fire
I pull the key out; watch her somber eyes grow wider
She didn't know that I had kept it all these years
And strains for words while she's swallowing the tears
It wasn't just a key
A symbol or an allegory
A point of turning
In an otherwise dismal story
The moon it rises shadows dancing from the flame
And in her eyes I see reflections of the same
She didn't know what I had cherished all this time
And looks for meaning while emotions start to climb
She didn't know that, to me, she was a force
Unbridled outlook that kept everyone on course
Ya, she's the optimist; such a natural force
The Archeaoptimist
And just when I thought that her hope had fossilized
A glimmer of light was now returning to her eyes
She's the optimist
Force to reckon with
Archaeoptimist, oh
She's the optimist
Force to reckon with
Archaeoptimist, oh
She's the optimist
Force to reckon with
Archaeoptimist, oh
She's the optimist
Force to reckon with
Archaeoptimist, oh
[IV - The Leader]
[Father:]
And through this plight we just have to linger on
No end in sight I can put my finger on
No room for legacies just trying to survive
And struggle on to keep humanity alive
I'm the one they've all come to lean on
The strongest and the tall should lead on
It's not about control, just makes sense to me
It's me or you're my enemy
[V - Voice of Reason]
[Daughter:]
You would tell me stories of division
That led to all the chaos in the past
Is it your wrath that leads you down that path
Well then turn around; you're only losing ground
What have you gleaned from your history
If your posturing, you haven't learned a thing
If the bridges are all burned, what have you learned
[VI - The Successor]
[Father:]
We've fought for far too long
You're right that I was wrong
You're great; I'm the lesser
You'll be my successor!
Archaeoptimist, lead on!
[VII - The Acceptance Speech (excerpt)]
[Daughter:]
Nothing's secure; our future's unsure
But we have an open door
So listen to me; hope is the key
And the only thing worth fighting for
