Mona Lisa's Odyssy (82)

Mona Lisa’s Odyssey

(82)

Opera Version

(followed by Song One of Song version)

1

She's wine made out of water

And her name is Red Rebecca

She can now enjoy her freedom

From a gallery called the Louvre

She had been a static painting

Longing to be a guitar player

And become a planet saver

For the Lord she is serving

Her creator is an artist

Due to make a fresh start

After gambling for a while

With no thought for his art

Leonardo called her Mona Lisa

First in Florence and then Paris

On the cusp of her awakening

As a planet saving musician

How can beauty be abandoned

When it’s just the thing we need

To attract more light inside us

And to shun the kind of seed

That propagates corruption

And is pocketed by greed

At the altar of profiteering

Minus Jesus or a creed?

We need sharing and caring

And community at its best

With chains on competition

And an ending to approval

For the fittest to be cuckoos

That care nothing for the rest

John Milton lost his eyesight writing pamphlets for some cause

That celebrated Cromwell’s triumph by executing Santa Clause

It's just as well that Mona Lisa kept her dreams and hopes intact

By continuing to believe the illusion she was a free person in fact

There are changes to be making

And a causeway in the skies

That is different to a rainbow

That arrives but slowly dies

The good news is Red Rebecca

Has a little bit of heaven in her eyes

2

Mona Lisa is no longer

It all happened in a flash

First she outwitted security

And then made a frantic dash

After escaping from the Louvre

For a brand new life in England

She became a superb musician

And singer called Red Rebecca

Milton’s grave was desecrated

But by whom they couldn’t say

Since his Puritan religion

Was unpopular in its day

Back to humble Mona Lisa

With Leonardo at her heel

She agreed to be his sitter

As she had some time to kill

Resourceful Mona Lisa

Left the Louvre in a hurry

Free at last of being static

And denied making music

She had found her vocation

Beginning with her liberation

No more posing for Leonardo

Just to end up framed forever

Singing and playing the guitar

Is such a joy to Red Rebecca

Compared to picture hanging

And hearing Leonardo saying

Planet saving is much better

Than a berth on the Titanic

When it comes to being a genius then Leonardo is the man

And no womaniser either, unlike the gay gentlemen of Milan

What an artist and philanthropist to have painted Mona Lisa

Leaving us to grow in wisdom with the help of Red Rebecca

There are changes to be making

And a causeway in the skies

That is different to a rainbow

That arrives but slowly dies

The good news is Red Rebecca

Has a little bit of heaven in her eyes

3

What a wonderful song writer

Red Rebecca is her name

As a singer she's amazing

And deserving of her fame

There is something in her music

While her voice is just sublime

Leaving her fans captivated

By an artist in her prime

Plato had a profound vision

Of the limitations of our realm

Perfection is only for heaven

Where God is at the helm

When we become controlling

It’s the blind leading the blind

Leading to the New Jerusalem

Becoming a war-zone of a kind

Red Rebecca with her music

Is becoming a game changer

Rather than a lonely hostage

Pleading to a picture hanger

For his permission to recover

Her old life beyond the Louvre

No regrets for Red Rebecca

She's a star and planet saver

And a truly fabulous composer

Now that her internment is over

Touching others with her singing

And the beauty she is bringing

Through the wonder of her art

And the music in her heart

What a pleasure and a treasure to have Red Rebecca on our side

With community and planet saving values now ready to be applied

What a pity that Leonardo da Vinci could not resist a game of dice

Leaving Odysseus to plead forlornly, “art needs love and sacrifice”

There are changes to be making

And a causeway in the skies

That is different to a rainbow

That arrives but slowly dies

The good news is Red Rebecca

Has a little bit of heaven in her eyes

4

What a most amazing lady

And a musician on the rise

It’s au revoir to Mona Lisa

With the enigmatic eyes

We now have Red Rebecca

To sing and play her guitar

With poetry in her lyrics

Worthy of a superstar

Her creator is an artist

Due to make a fresh start

After gambling for a while

With no thought for his art

Leonardo called her Mona Lisa

First in Florence and then Paris

On the cusp of her awakening

As a planet saving musician

How can beauty be abandoned

When it’s just the thing we need

To attract more light inside us

And to shun the kind of seed

That propagates corruption

And is pocketed by greed

At the altar of profiteering

Minus Jesus or a creed?

We need sharing and caring

And community at its best

With chains on competition

And an ending to approval

For the fittest to be cuckoos

That care nothing for the rest

The values of evolution are decrepit in the main

Like survival of the fittest and logic without a brain

Well at least with Red Rebecca evolution takes a dive

After Mona Lisa said for certain that Jesus Christ is alive

There are changes to be making

And a causeway in the skies

That is different to a rainbow

That arrives but slowly dies

The good news is Red Rebecca

Has a little bit of heaven in her eyes

5

Red Rebecca builds up momentum

Gathering people to her side

Sharing with them the values

She would love to see applied

To a different way of living

That’s for the common good

With community to be thriving

In every neighbourhood

Milton’s grave was desecrated

But by whom they couldn’t say

Since his Puritan religion

Was unpopular in its day

Back to humble Mona Lisa

With Leonardo at her heel

She agreed to be his sitter

As she had some time to kill

Resourceful Mona Lisa

Left the Louvre in a hurry

Free at last of being static

And denied making music

She had found her vocation

Beginning with her liberation

No more posing for Leonardo

Just to end up framed forever

Singing and playing the guitar

Is such a joy to Red Rebecca

Compared to picture hanging

And hearing Leonardo saying

Planet saving is much better

Than a berth on the Titanic

Mona Lisa is the embodiment of nurture and new life

This blessing arrives from heaven to a man and his wife

By becoming Red Rebecca, her renaissance is complete

She’s a planet saving musician that is turning up the heat

There are changes to be making

And a causeway in the skies

That is different to a rainbow

That arrives but slowly dies

The good news is Red Rebecca

Has a little bit of heaven in her eyes

6

With the focus on planet saving

Tradition becomes a real asset

Because our vanity is a hazard

And our weaknesses enslaving

As creation reflects the creator

Then its assets become sacred

So not to be trashed or traded

By a farmer or financial raider

Plato had a profound vision

Of the limitations of our realm

Perfection is only for heaven

Where God is at the helm

When we become controlling

It’s the blind leading the blind

Leading to the New Jerusalem

Becoming a war-zone of a kind

Red Rebecca with her music

Is becoming a game changer

Rather than a lonely hostage

Pleading to a picture hanger

For his permission to recover

Her old life beyond the Louvre

No regrets for Red Rebecca

She's a star and planet saver

And a truly fabulous composer

Now that her internment is over

Touching others with her singing

And the beauty she is bringing

Through the wonder of her art

And the music in her heart

Symmetry embraces the chemistry that is found in another

Equilibrium brings harmony to the participants of difference

Music and silence come together for the sake of each other

Salvation and judgement make way for Grace's intervention

There are changes to be making

And a causeway in the skies

That is different to a rainbow

That arrives but slowly dies

The good news is Red Rebecca

Has a little bit of heaven in her eyes

7

She is special, Red Rebecca

At this moment I am thinking

She’s an inspiration to others

And a planet saving musician

There’s no joy in evolution

Unlike say in God’s creation

There’s a nation to be saving

And bad habits to be breaking

Her creator is an artist

Due to make a fresh start

After gambling for a while

With no thought for his art

Leonardo called her Mona Lisa

First in Florence and then Paris

On the cusp of her awakening

As a planet saving musician

How can beauty be abandoned

When it’s just the thing we need

To attract more light inside us

And to shun the kind of seed

That propagates corruption

And is pocketed by greed

At the altar of profiteering

Minus Jesus or a creed?

We need sharing and caring

And community at its best

With chains on competition

And an ending to approval

For the fittest to be cuckoos

That care nothing for the rest

Leonardo da Vinci shrugs his shoulders once or twice

In response to Odysseus demanding love and sacrifice

And bitterly complaining that genius denied is but a vice

Leaving Leonardo calculating how to win a game of dice

Meanwhile Red Rebecca puts her values on display

Liberty, fraternity and equality are all better than okay

Ecology and simplicity are glad to join the celebration

Morality and community too on receiving an invitation

There’s much that Red Rebecca doesn’t care to say

Fearful of coming across as arrogant and vain

Planet saving is not an easy occupation

In a world that has become obsessed

By the need to generate employment

And a meaningful life in a world crazy in the main

That cares only about a comfortable existence in the near future

That has not a clue of how to take the power away from those totally undeserving

And so serving the one coming at the opposite end of the spectrum to God

The amazing thing about Red Rebecca is that she is taking all of these forces on

Because she dearly loves this planet and the goodness that our God has given

Add to this, her appreciation of the wonder and beauty to be found in heaven

And the grief she experiences to see her brothers and sisters get it so badly wrong

There are changes to be making

And a causeway in the skies

That is different to a rainbow

That arrives but slowly dies

The good news is Red Rebecca

Has a little bit of heaven in her eyes

The End

© Frankie Espirit

Mona Lisa’s Odyssey

(82)

Song One of Seven

She's wine made out of water

And her name is Red Rebecca

She can now enjoy her freedom

From a gallery called the Louvre

She had been a static painting

Longing to be a guitar player

And become a planet saver

For the Lord she is serving

Her creator is an artist

Due to make a fresh start

After gambling for a while

With no thought for his art

Leonardo called her Mona Lisa

First in Florence and then Paris

On the cusp of her awakening

As a planet saving musician

There are changes to be making

And a causeway in the skies

That is different to a rainbow

That arrives but slowly dies

The good news is Red Rebecca

Has a little bit of heaven in her eyes

How can beauty be abandoned

When it’s just the thing we need

To attract more light inside us

And to shun the kind of seed

That propagates corruption

And is pocketed by greed

At the altar of profiteering

Minus Jesus or a creed?

We need sharing and caring

And community at its best

With chains on competition

And an ending to approval

For the fittest to be cuckoos

That care nothing for the rest

John Milton lost his eyesight writing pamphlets for some cause

That celebrated Cromwell’s triumph by executing Santa Clause

It's just as well that Mona Lisa kept her dreams and hopes intact

By continuing to believe the illusion she was a free person in fact

Well eventually Mona Lisa broke free from her oppressors

Hoping to use her music to make this world so much better

Not for the sake of ego but for the Lord that she is serving

And her love for God’s creation she is keen to be saving

There are changes to be making

And a causeway in the skies

That is different to a rainbow

That arrives but slowly dies

The good news is Red Rebecca

Has a little bit of heaven in her eyes

Leonardo da Vinci shrugs his shoulders once or twice

In response to Odysseus demanding love and sacrifice

And bitterly complaining that genius denied is but a vice

Leaving Leonardo calculating how to win a game of dice

Meanwhile Red Rebecca puts her values on display

Liberty, fraternity and equality are all better than okay

Ecology and simplicity are glad to join the celebration

Morality and community too on receiving an invitation

There are changes to be making

And a causeway in the skies

That is different to a rainbow

That arrives but slowly dies

The good news is Red Rebecca

Has a little bit of heaven in her eyes

The End

© Frankie Espirit

Hazardous Perfection (80)

Hazardous Perfection (80)

1

In our struggle for perfection

I was glad to lead the search

With the help of some kind lady

That belonged to my own church

She was well versed in perfection

Having gained her arts degree

But was highly disappointed

After going out with me

Chorus

She’s a lovely girl but

Perfection wasn’t there

So after tea and biscuits

We broke off our love affair

The perfection that we dreamed of

Though theoretically a good thing

Has no substance like a rainbow -

That’s for God alone to bring

2

In the circus, we had joined

I was asked to be the clown

But my costume didn’t fit me

And the public wore me down

So we fled in our Allegro

Hoping it would take us far

But the salesman was a liar

By calling this the perfect car

Chorus

She’s a lovely girl but

Perfection wasn’t there

So after tea and biscuits

We broke off our love affair

The perfection that we dreamed of

Though theoretically a good thing

Has no substance like a rainbow -

That’s for God alone to bring

3

In our struggle for perfection

All our energy was spent

So naturally, we parted

Only later to repent

How we wept for Vietnam burning

So the few might laugh with glee

And Monsanto’s Agent Orange

Could conduct a killing spree

Chorus

History is a bunsen burner

For some grand experiment

If we can ignore the carnage

And the asphodel of ill-intent

Given that we are imperfect

From our values to our mind

Then it’s hardly that surprising

When the best gets left behind

4

It’s not hard to split an atom

And create a massive cloud

Yet the science of perfection

Is no cause for feeling proud

Since power is destructive

It’s a dragon and not a dove

While simplicity and tradition

Bring together peace and love

Chorus

History is a bunsen burner

For some grand experiment

If we can ignore the carnage

And the asphodel of ill-intent

Given that we are imperfect

From our values to our mind

Then it’s hardly that surprising

When the best gets left behind

Epilogue

Years later at my chalet

Pausing by the front gate

Thinking for just a minute

About a girl I used to date

So I picked up the pieces

Lying forlornly on the mat

In the hope, I was arriving

At the place where love is at

The End

© Frankie Espirit

Leather Shoes (79)

Leather Shoes (79)

1

I tried to save this planet

For the hippies, I once knew

But my communist revolution

Was the goose that never flew

So capitalism was the winner

See it spreading everywhere

Like some obnoxious weed

In a realm beyond repair

Chorus

Must I truly offer something

For the debt I owe to Grace

Overwhelmed by corruption

Made by us, the human race?

Or can I forget this planet

And go easy on good news

So Grace can do the honours

And put on some leather shoes?

2

As I didn’t save our planet

Thanks to flawed humanity

What better than my saviour

With His promise to save me?

Liberation is my tonic

I don’t need to do a thing

Since Grace is my provider

And Jesus Christ is my King

Chorus

Must I truly offer something

For the debt I owe to Grace

Overwhelmed by corruption

Made by us, the human race?

Or can I forget this planet

And go easy on good news

So Grace can do the honours

And put on some leather shoes?

3

Well I gave up on this planet

Since I hadn’t won a round

And I settled for salvation

Like a ruby, I had found

But when Grace became exhausted

Well I knew something was wrong

And my works were preferred

To the couch, I slept upon

Chorus

I believe our works are worthy

To perform and serve to Grace

Overwhelmed by the corruption

That’s all around the human race

So I strive to save this planet

And I try to bring good news

By investing in kind actions

And a pair of leather shoes

4

Now in service to this planet

And to help the poor in need

I believe Grace will be happy

When I perform a kindly deed

Yet my planet-saving mission

Maybe thwarted I suppose

As I’m just a human being

So a thorn beside a rose

Chorus

I believe our works are worthy

To perform and serve to Grace

Overwhelmed by the corruption

That’s all around the human race

So I strive to save this planet

And I try to bring good news

By investing in kind actions

And a pair of leather shoes

The End

© Frankie Espirit

Evolution Versus Religion (78)

Evolution Versus Religion (78)

Round One

Natural selection

What a wicked way to be

We are slaves to competition

Generating misery

We can sell off social housing

We can trash the forests green

Since Richard Dawkins taught us

To support the selfish gene

Round Two

Never mind about the rivers

Or the health of oceans now

Or that naughty word, pollution

That is spreading fast somehow

We are slaves to competition

We are designed to be mean

Since a biologist has decided

God is probably a selfish gene

Chorus

Capitalism is our system

Competition our mindset

When the steed is evolution

Please meet Darwin’s little pet

What a pity it is losing

Oh my God, please return

Now that ruthless competition

Is giving cause for great concern

Round Three

Natural selection

Is the term that experts use

Now that God is dead and buried

Leaving scientists to wear his shoes

As the slaves of competition

There is little choice in this

Selfishness is our religion

Nurtured by big business

Round Four

Never mind about the rivers

Or the Shrinking forests green

Just remember Herbert Spencer

Who helped create the selfish gene

There may well be contradictions

What a monster we have reared

Otherwise called the corporates

That replace God with a beard

Chorus

Capitalism is our system

Competition our mindset

When the steed is evolution

Please meet Darwin’s little pet

What a pity it is losing

Oh my God, please return

Now that ruthless competition

Is giving cause for great concern

The End

© Frankie Espirit

The Planet Saver (77)

The Planet Saver (77)

1

I’m a planet-saving person

So a most unusual man

And I’m highly motivated

To achieve the best I can

But world saving is expensive

Everybody needs a hand

If you care about this planet

Then why not give me a grand?

2

I’m a very busy person

I have so much work to do

There’s a forest to be planted

And some oceans to clean too

If we are to save the rivers

That are in a dreadful state

Then dig deep into your pockets

Say two grand would be just great

Chorus

Planet-saving is expensive

People just have no idea

By nature I am frugal

How I hate the taste of beer

It’s not easy cleaning oceans

Planting forests is hard too

Believe me, I am wasted

So the meadows, I leave you

3

I’m a planet-saving person

Yet most days I work alone

I just need a small donation

And the loan of your iPhone

Well I need to stay connected

As most people will agree

As I try to clean the water

That is flowing in the sea

4

So be generous with your money

Let us save the world, my friend

From the usual high polluters

Chasing their next dividend

Money needs a social target

Rather than some Cadillac

To pollute our holy planet

Worse than any maniac

Chorus

Planet-saving is expensive

People just have no idea

By nature I am frugal

How I hate the taste of beer

It’s not easy cleaning oceans

Planting forests is hard too

Believe me, I am wasted

So the meadows, I leave you

The End

© Frankie Espirit

The Legacy (76)

The Legacy (76)

1

Red Riding Hood, I’m sorry

To hear granny is now dead

The wolfhound didn’t eat her

But old age killed her instead

You inherit granny’s cottage

I come free, a general hand

With a German motorcycle -

It’s a Horex looking grand

Well it has an open sidecar

Granny used to gather wood

So she might survive the winter

Keeping warm and looking good

As with any combination

Find a nice deserted track

Since to ride a combo safely

You will need to get the knack

Chorus

Granny gave us her religion

A fine treasure built on deed

So more valid than a sermon

That sees God inside a creed

To be scornful of the needy

Or to make fun of their plight

Is a trick used by the wealthy

To convince us greed is right

2

Red Riding Hood, I’m happy

To open your Granny’s plan

It’s about saving this planet

From the very worst in man

It will certainly take an effort

There can be no other way

Than a cultural revolution

To reverse moral decay

We can load our motorcycle

That was used to carry wood

With the kind of honest values

That stand out as fine and good

Add to this ethics from Heaven

And fine virtues once conveyed

With tradition in the background

And respect for what God made

Chorus

Granny gave us her religion

A fine treasure built on deed

So more valid than a sermon

That sees God inside a creed

To be scornful of the needy

Or to make fun of their plight

Is a trick used by the wealthy

To convince us greed is right

The End

© Frankie Espirit

The Law of the Jungle (75)

The Law of the Jungle (75)

1

Red Riding Hood my precious

What are we supposed to do

In the wake of Che Guevara

And the war on Vietnam too?

It’s dangerous to be a commie

And to share what we possess

Even though free competition

Has created a right mess

What a pity it’s a crime to be a Commie

When in fact Red Riding Hood is hard to beat

And much nicer than so many of the merchants

Trading shares or climbing stairs in Oxford Street

2

They don’t care about this planet

Justice doesn’t mean a thing

And they love to hurt religion

Like with Martin Luther King

They killed heaps in North Korea

About three million people dead

Well it’s good to kill a commie

Some American general said

To be a commie can be risky -

For Vietnam worse than bad

To see Agent Orange kill off

A big part of what they had

American napalm set on fire

Villages made out of straw

To an all American chorus

Let us kill commies galore

3

Red Riding Hood my precious

How can we be such a threat

For believing in the workers

Plus a decent safety net?

Competition can be ruthless

In a game of endless war

Called survival of the fittest

Or some Herbert Spencer law

What a pity it’s a crime to be a Commie

When in fact Red Riding Hood is hard to beat

And much nicer than so many of the merchants

Trading shares or climbing stairs in Oxford Street

4

They don’t care about this planet

Just as long as they grow rich

Minus kindness or compassion

The first things they love to ditch

You must beat the competition

And devalue human life

But then Natural Selection

Rides upon the back of strife

To be a commie can be risky -

For Vietnam worse than bad

To see Agent Orange kill off

A big part of what they had

American napalm set on fire

Villages made out of straw

To an all American chorus

Let us kill commies galore

5

Red Riding Hood my precious

Must they really be so cruel

With the values of a spider

That is climbing up a wall

Looking down at Humpty Dumpty

What a mess his body made

When he lost his old position

And then met-up with a spade

What a pity it’s a crime to be a Commie

When in fact Red Riding Hood is hard to beat

And much nicer than so many of the merchants

Trading shares or climbing stairs in Oxford Street

6

They don’t care about this planet

Trade is what they love the most

And those moments of perfection

Like some Rolls Royce Silver Ghost

Yet beyond their fine adornments

And the paper planes they make

It’s so easy to chase pleasure

That is transient or fake

To be a commie can be risky -

For Vietnam worse than bad

To see Agent Orange kill off

A big part of what they had

American napalm set on fire

Villages made out of straw

To an all American chorus

Let us kill commies galore

 

The End

© Frankie Espirit