Good to Be Alive

Scene 6

(LIGHTS up on the DARLINGS OF LUMBERLAND, who have assembled in their regular place in the club, sans TRIO. PEGGY sees them, the hair raising on the back of her neck.)

PEGGY

(Fascination winning over terror, but just barely.)

Oh. Now I get it, Doris. You were setting me up for... Oh.

DR. WORM

(Speaking directly to audience.)

Boy! That was a long one! You're a patient audience, you know that? We'd like to do something special for you, as our way of saying, 'Thanks!' One, two, three!

1.11 TURN AROUND

(As he begins to sing from his place at the drums, the unseen patrons of the Jay Darling burst into enthusiastic applause. This is clearly a crowd favorite. DORIS, JOHN, and PEGGY sit at a table that has appeared near the stage. DORIS continuously scans the crowd for DR. MINOTAUR; PEGGY and JOHN watch everything in terrified wonder, although they start to settle in by the end of the song.)

I WAS WORKING ALL NIGHT IN MY OFFICE

WHEN A MAN I HAD RECENTLY KILLED

CALLED ME UP FROM A PHONE NEAR MY BUILDING

SO I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AT HIM

HE HAD THE SAME OBSEQUIOUS MANNER

THAT WAS THE REASON I HAD HIM KILLED

SO TO CALM MY NERVES I SANG THIS SONG

TO HIM, OVER THE PHONE

TURN AROUND, TURN AROUND

THERE'S A THING THERE THAT CAN BE FOUND

TURN AROUND, TURN AROUND

IT'S A HUMAN SKULL ON THE GROUND

HUMAN SKULL ON THE GROUND

TURN AROUND

(MANHOUSE, the Accordionist, steps up to the microphone and takes a verse.)

MANHOUSE

I WAS OUT BY MYSELF IN THE GRAVEYARD

I WAS DOING AN INTERPRETIVE DANCE

WHEN I FELT SOMETHING HEAVY AND POINTED

STRIKE ME IN THE BACK OF MY NECK

AND THEN THE GHOST OF MY DANCE INSTRUCTOR

PUSHED ME DOWN INTO AN OPEN GRAVE

AND AS DIRT RAINED DOWN SHE PLAYED A XYLOPHONE

AND SANG ME THIS SONG

DR. WORM, MANHOUSE, and CLUBGOERS

TURN AROUND, TURN AROUND

THERE'S A THING THERE THAT CAN BE FOUND

TURN AROUND, TURN AROUND

IT'S A HUMAN SKULL ON THE GROUND

HUMAN SKULL ON THE GROUND

TURN AROUND

(The BAND stops playing. DR. WORM stands up at his drum kit and continues to tap out a simple rhythm with one drumstick, accompanied by the BAND on their chairs and music stands, as he conducts the CLUBGOERS - and the audience - in the enthusiastic final verse with the other - this verse is the highlight of the evening.)

CLUBGOERS

WE WERE WAVING OUR ARMS OUT THE WINDOW

OF A FAST MOVING PASSENGER TRAIN