1. When The City Is Ours 
2. The Invisible Man 
3. The Burning Ground (This Is Fire) 
4. So Runs The Beast 
5. The Creeper Man (Nobody, Nobody) 
6. One Mistake
7. The Day I Blacked Out All My Dreams 
8. Back County Ghost 
9. The Spark Of Life (Bride Of The Beast) 
10. I Caught Fire

Jackson Crash in an original one-man musical performed by Jonathan Riedel, and written by Jonathan Riedel and Sherri Muroff Kalt.  It depicts, with humor and vulnerability, a queer young man’s journey from bullying and parental neglect to becoming a truck driver, starting a family, surviving addiction, and searching for his own honest identity --  all the while being chased by an insidious demon called The Creeper-Man --  the dark embodiment of his anxiety and depression.  The show emphasizes the fundamental importance for all human beings to be grounded in their authentic core, and revels in the adventure to find  the people we can call family and places where it is safe to be you.  Jackson Crash is both an everyman and  his own unique creation.  Come hear his story. 

Jackson Crash libretto

All songs by Jonathan Riedel © 2018, 2020, 2021.


 

 

1. WHEN THE CITY IS OURS

 

This town doesn’t love us

They laugh as they cut us

If nobody wants us, my dear

We’ll tear down the border

 

And when the city is ours

The freaks will be free

 

The werewolves will turn them

The witches will burn them

The zombies will learn how to steer

We’ll shake the world order

 

And when the city is ours

The freaks will be free

The stars will burn brighter

And the freaks will be free

 

We’ll storm through the streets, love

We’ll wake all the creeps, love

We’ll climb until heaven is near

And topple it over

 

And when the city is ours

The freaks will be free

The stars will burn brighter

And the freaks will be free

With no one to stop us

The freaks will be free

 

 

2. THE INVISIBLE MAN

 

When the world’s so blind

How can I be seen

When the the world’s so bound

How can I be free

 

It’s like I wear a veil 

On my ugly face

Like I’m camouflaged 

And put in my place 

 

No one even glances

It’s criminal

I guess I’m born to be

Invisible

 

Invisible

 

One day I dared to scream

And someone dared to look

They pointed claws at me

They laughed until they shook

 

It’s like I’ve got these horns

And these scars to match

It’s like I’ve got this hump

Growing out my back

 

Every shameful mark is 

Indelible

I’ve got to keep this freak

Invisible 

 

Oh, Invisible

 

I might as well not be

Here at all

I fade into these streets

And these padded walls

 

I’m just a mix of flesh

And chemicals 

That’s what it takes to be…

 

I paid a pretty price 

Just to be me

I had to bleach my heart

Just to get clean 

 

Don’t even say my name

it’s pitiful 

There are no words for me

Just…invisible

 

Only angel eyes

Can see a ghost

You never had my back

When it mattered most

 

And how can I be saved when

Your plate is full

I guess I’m born to be…(invisible)

 

The only thing that’s left is

Oblivion

I turn my eyes to see

The setting sun

 

I never had the strength for

The trigger pull

And so I walk this earth

Invisible

 

I am invisible 

 

I am invisible

 

You’ll never see me cry

 

You’ll never see me cry

 

I am invisible

 

I am invisibleh of us

 

 

3. THE BURNING GROUND (THIS IS FIRE)

 

It was a hot day

The sky was stark white

I couldn’t think straight

For all the bright light

 

My clothes were soak’d wet

My mouth was suck’d dry

I stank of hot death

I cracked a black eye

 

You left me broke’ neck’d

You left me ship wrecked

 

These heart strings

Cut like a wire

This isn’t love

This is fire

 

Burns so clean

There’s nothing for miles

Nothing but ecstasy

And fire

 

I staggered to my feet

I hobbled through the pain

I caught you on the street

Your face a mess of flames

 

I clapped you on the back 

You whipped your head around

A thunder cloud c-rack’d

The rain began to pound

 

You threw the first punch

I popped your sweet face

It didn't take much

To trash up the place

 

The fists were flying fast

The guns began to blast

 

These heart strings

Cut like a wire

This isn’t love

This is fire

 

Burns so clean

There’s nothing for miles

Nothing but ecstasy

And fire

 

When God is away

The devils go wild

This is hell

This is fire

 

Just broken bones 

And little bits of wire

Everything else burned

In the fire

 

And now we lie here

Staring out in space

And Mars is so clear, oh

I can see his face

 

We could’ve laid low

We could’ve played meek

We could’ve let it go

Or turned the other cheek

 

But it was too late

The world had run red

We couldn’t fight fate, no

It was a made bed

 

These heart strings

Tangles and briars

We burn at the stake

Tied to the fire

 

See my eyes

And call me a liar

It’s only gasoline

For the fire

 

This burning ground

Kiss it goodbye

And feel yourself float, float, float

Oh-oh

 

We built this house

On vengeance and ire

There’s nothing here for us

But fire

 

There’s nothing here for us

But fire

 

 

4. SO RUNS THE BEAST

 

From the cage I’m unleashed

I move like a beast

I tear back the curtain

I pound through the streets

 

I hunt with the wolves

I swim with the sharks

I stare down the light and

I howl in the dark

 

You can be my 

Hallelujah

You can be my 

Saving grace

You can be the one to ride me

As long as you can keep the pace

 

I slide through the deep

I slouch and creep

I coil and I wait for

The city to sleep

 

I’ve got tails, I’ve got horns

I’ve got fire in my breath

I’ve got wires in my brain

I’ve got bombs in my chest

 

You can be 

La bella donna

You can be 

The knight in white

You can be the hand that feeds me

As long as you don’t mind the bite

 

From the heart I’m released

I flood through your streams

I swell with the tides

And I stride with the steeds

 

I’m a primal sc-ream

I’m a wet, hungry dream

I’m a grip on the clothes

And a rip at the seams

 

You can be the blushing beauty

You can be the shepherd meek 

You can be the dragon slayer

But tell me, can you slay a beast

 

I fight like a beast

I bite like a beast

I feed like a beast

I need like a beast

 

I’m built like a beast

I move like a beast

I love like a beast

I’ll die like a beast, so to live

I will live like a beast

 

From the pit I upheave

I shake off the fiends 

I stand on my four legs

And stretch out my wings

 

I’m a scourge in the north

I’m a plague in the east

I’m a war in the south

I’m a western disease

 

You can be my common logic

You can be my moral ground

You can be the voice inside me

As long as you don’t make a sound

 

You can be the righteous lover

You can be the dirty freak

You can be the tragic figure

As long as I can be the beast

 

You can be the devil’s spider

You can be the angel’s wings

I will be a thing of beauty

I am a beast

 

And so runs the beast

And so runs the beast

And so runs the beast

 

 

5. THE CREEPER-MAN (NOBODY, NOBODY)

 

I’ve got one leg chained to the other

Bound at the waist and bound at the collar

Bag on my head and my face is smothered

Gag in my mouth, rope burns like a mother

 

And the creeper-man is coming

And the creeper-man is coming

And the creeper-man is coming

 

He’s dangerous and stunning

He’s ludicrous and cunning

He sends the angels running

 

Nobody, nobody gonna hear me scream

Nobody, nobody gonna wake this dream

Nobody, nobody gonna shake this fear

Nobody, nobody gonna find me here

 

Floating in the ocean, bobbing in the water

No blood left so the sharks don’t bother

Thinking of my little boy, thinking of my daughter

I wonder if they’re out there looking for their father

 

Alone in the dark tonight

Alone in the dark I wait tonight

Alone in the dark tonight

 

And the creeper-man is coming

And the creeper-man is coming

And the creeper-man is coming

 

Nobody, nobody gonna wake this dream

Nobody, nobody gonna hear me scream

Nobody, nobody gonna shake this fear

Nobody, nobody gonna find me here

 

And the creeper-man is coming

And the creeper-man is coming

And the creeper-man is coming

 

 

9. ONE MISTAKE

 

Just like the story of Matthew

That shepherd was battered and run through

They tied him to a fence

They left him there defenseless

They claimed that his love was an issue

 

Sometimes I feel afraid

Just being how I’m made

Sometimes I lie awake

And pray to God I make

No mistakes

 

Just like the march of the Queen

Her riots caused millions to dream

She lead the great parade

She kept her children safe

They found her like driftwood downstream

 

Sometimes I feel afraid

Just being how I’m made

Sometimes I lie awake

And pray to God I make

No mistakes

 

Sometimes I feel ashamed

I’m cursed. I’m sick. I’m blamed

My life and soul at stake

I can’t afford to make

One mistake

 

 

7. THE DAY I BLACKED OUT ALL MY DREAMS

 

It was a dark and violent night

I lost a long, long vicious fight

It was the crime of the century 

The day I blacked out all my dreams

 

I rolled my car down a crooked road

I heard the crash and the tank explode

I threw my keys into the night

I turned my back on the burning light

 

I walked a year into the trees

Another ten under the sea

I trekked the mountain to its peak

I felt the ground fall from my feet

 

I tried to read from the book of old

I tried to buy what the prophet sold

I tried to preach what the cult would say

I tried to wash my brain that way

 

I couldn’t dam those rapid streams

I couldn’t pipe down pressured steam 

I couldn’t pen my pacing rage 

It only bit right through its cage

 

And so I soaked my life in bleach

I sold my blood to a hungry leech

I broke my back and I burnt the rest

And still I bear this beating chest

 

I sewed my eyes so they couldn’t seek

I bit my tongue so it couldn’t speak

I tied my throat so I couldn’t breathe

I cursed a god I could not believe

 

And now I run from the blazing sun

I’m gonna run ‘til the blazing’s done

I’m gonna crash through a million walls

I’m gonna thrash 'til the towers fall

 

The day I blacked out all my dreams

(The day I blacked out all my dreams)

The day I blacked out all my dreams

(The day I blacked…out…all)

 

I told my son I would always stay

My little girl, I would never stray

And even though I’m standing here

I haven’t been right here for years

 

It was a dark and violent night

I lost a long, long vicious fight

It was the crime of the century 

The day I blacked out all my dreams

 

The day I tore down all my beams

The day I ripped out all my seams

The day I silenced all my screams

The day I blacked…out…all…

 

 

8. BACK COUNTY GHOST

 

Midnight I drive

Twist, climb and dive

Roll through red lights 

Cut turns too tight

 

Snap go my wires

Slack go these tires

Skid down back county road

My whole life on fire

 

And I’m burning 

And I’m floating

And I’m turning 

And I’m choking

 

Pain cleans my mind

Eyes see through time

Body spills out 

Heart stains like wine

 

And I’m reeling 

And I’m reaching 

And I’m steeling 

And I’m breaching

 

And I’m flying 

And I’m dreaming 

And I’m crying 

And I’m screaming

 

Quiet and still

Violent and shrill 

No one sees me 

Ghost on the hill

 

Kiss me good bye

Give me this lie

Tell them how tried

Lived free and died

 

And I’m soaring 

And I’m sailing

And I’m warring 

And I’m wailing

 

And I’m flying

And I’m dreaming 

And I’m crying

And I’m screaming

 

And I’m dreaming

And I’m screaming

And I’m dreaming

And I’m screaming

 

 

9. THE SPARK OF LIFE (BRIDE OF THE BEAST)

 

The art of the wait

To know when to strike

You can’t rush the storm

You can’t push the pull of the tides

 

The monster will wait

’Til he’s ready to rise

He’ll dream of his lover

He’ll shudder and open his eyes

 

Maybe tonight

Maybe tonight

 

We’ll open our wounds

We’ll undo our seems

We’ll trade all our parts

Be something the world’s never seen

 

You’ll be the man

And I’ll be the wife

I’ll give you my body

You’ll give me the spark of life

 

Maybe tonight

Maybe tonight

The spark will ignite

Maybe tonight

 

Awaken the creature

Awaken the beast

Awaken the wild one

Awaken the witch

Awaken the priest

 

The wires will fray

The currents will cross

The shackles will break

The scaffolds will fall

We’ll laugh through it all

 

We’ll break through the bars

We’ll bathe in the stars

This lightning in jars 

It all could be ours

 

The power to be

The power to give

The power to change

The power to live

 

The world is electric

The world is aflame

To live is our duty

To live is our game

 

The creed of the scarred

To dream is an art

A scream from the heart

The stream and the spark of life

 

We’ll be what we are

This beauty bizarre

Regal and naked 

And wired to the spark of life

 

We’ll love like machines

Fruitful and clean

Our children will lead

With their hearts and the spark of life

 

Until the night

We walk to the light

And shine in the sky 

Like the gods and the spark of life

 

 

10. I CAUGHT FIRE

 

I was just a pile of bones

Brittle and dry and all alone

’Til I stood up on my own

 

I put myself on hold

So safe and so controlled

And all the scars and the creases, 

The wrinkles and the imperfections

I ironed out the folds

 

And I was faceless

And I was empty

And I was spit shined and 

see-through, a pane of glass with no reflection

And I was nothing

 

But not now

But not tonight

I caught fire

I burn bright

 

There was a violent jerk

My system ran berserk

And all my flesh burned, my skin flayed

My sweat was steaming up to heaven

The angels did their work 

 

Now I’m aflame

Now I’m alight

I caught fire

I burn bright

 

And so today

And so tonight

I caught fire

I burn bright

 

“And I rolled around in bleach

And I shaved my head

And I pulled my teeth

And I wrapped my eyes with tape

And I shut my mouth

And I gut my shape

 

Now I shine like a diamond ring

Like a holy fire 

Like a pearly wing

Now I’m whet and galvanized 

Like a soldier’s blade

Like an Eagle’s eye

 

I’m wider than the sky

I’m flying ten miles high

And all the fear and the pain and

The wicked ones who pull me under

I pluck them from my eye

 

And they’ll be faceless

And they’ll be empty

And they’ll be bad dreams I wake from

that fade away with light of morning

And they’ll be nothing

 

This is the hour

This is the night

I catch fire

I burn bright

 

I won the war

I won the fight 

I caught fire

I burn bright

 

And I rolled around in bleach

And I shaved my head

And I pulled my teeth

And I wrapped my eyes with tape

And I shut my mouth

And I gut my shape

 

Now I shine like a diamond ring

Like a holy fire 

Like a pearly wing

Now I’m whet and galvanized 

Like a soldier’s blade

Like an Eagle’s eye

 

Now I’m deep as the ocean

As I press the sky

As I carve the mountains

As I fly from star to star

‘Til the edge of eternity isn’t far

 

Now I roll with the old ones

with the mighty gods

and the quantum motions

All I can do is expand

with the whole of the universe in my hand

 

All I can do is expand

with the whole of the universe in my hand

 

I caught fire!

 

I caught fire!

 

And with my song complete

The world will hear me sing

I'll burn a mighty heat

Until I'm everything 

 

And with my song complete

The world will hear me sing

The world will hear me sing

 

I'll burn a mighty heat

Until I'm everything

Until I'm everything

Until I'm everything

Until I'm everything

 

I caught fire!


 

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