Ari Bagley's musical monologue follows woodwind players who feel invisible in a brass-dominated school band. Multiple speakers express fading away unheard, being background noise, and getting lost in the loudness. By the end, they refuse to stay invisible anymore.
There it goes again. The moment's gone and I'm too lame to speak. Another wasted opportunity. Always waiting for something to happen, but nothing's gonna happen.
Not for me.
I'm always buddy. I'm a girl, for your information. Forever in this situation, waiting and hoping he'll notice how I'm feeling. But every time I get him near, I fade away, I disappear. That's me, never getting heard. He just smiles and walks away like I never said a word.
Whoa, can anybody hear me? Am I just blowing air while the whole world The world marches past. Still I blow and blow, though I know it gets me nowhere.
I just get lost, lost in the brass.
Flutes don't sparkle quite like batons. There's no visual attraction and no stimulus reaction. Pretty music. That's all the pretty that I've got. I'm special in a quiet way. At least that's what my parents say.
Whatever.
They were never in the band. Their hair is going gray.
No, they don't understand. Whoa! Can anybody hear me? I just know, I know, I could sparkle in the grass. But my melody will never be heard clearly.
I just get lost, lost, lost. I get so lost, lost in the brass.
Listen, I'm not background noise. Listen, I make music. See me, I'm not one of the boys. I shine, I shine, I shine on my own.
So I don't wear makeup, I don't stick my hair up with some awesometastic pink barrette. No, I'll never be a majorette. I'm plain, I'm basic, and I sweat when I get nervous. I suck at popularity, people just don't notice me. Someday high school's got to end, and I'll finally find this place where this woodwind doesn't blend.
Whoa, I'll be solo obligato—
vibrato, cutting loud and clear right through the tube of blast, soaring high above that clumsy bass vibrato.
I won't be lost, lost in the brass.
I'm glad-a-da-da-da-da, cutting loud and clear right through the tube of blast, soaring high above that clumsy bass vibrato.
I won't be lost, lost in the brass.
And finally they'll see there's so much more to me.
At last I won't be lost. Lost in the brass.
Lost in the brass. Apparently it's a family trait.
