The Orphan
Jane
A flood of memory washes over me
A lonely girl, betrayed and battered
Contrives affection from a doll she cradles so
Thinking it will be the only love she’ll ever know
Her spirit is in pieces
Her heart has broken at the seams
She craves one drop of kindness
But all she has are shattered dreams
She curses the injustice
And begs to know the reason why
She suffers in this prison
When all she wants to do is fly
Over mountains
Over oceans
How her restlessness stirs
For she longs for her liberty
When will liberty be hers?
Her life is not of value
Poverty secures her fate
Condemned to be a woman
Barely fit to educate
She swallows her rebellion
But there’s a storm within her breast
She tries to quell the downpour
Yet cannot tame her soul’s unrest
And the lightning strikes inside her
As she looks to the sky
And she pledges to spread her wings
Through a hurrican she’ll fly
Over mountains
Over oceans
How her restlesness stirs
For she longs for her liberty
When will liberty be hers?
Mr. Brocklehurst
There’s no sight so sad
No stench so bad
As that of a naughty girl
No crime so grave
As children who misbehave
When a girl can’t be saved
God hears her plea
But He leaves her soul to me
Children of God
Brocklehurst
Form classes! Silence! Order!
Schoolgirls
We are the children of God
And we praise His word
We are blind in His love
In His love we will trust
For we are taught that we must
Miss Scatcherd
Girls, don’t slouch, keep in line
Or my nerves will snap
Do not whisper or breathe
Or I’ll show you the strap
Schoolgirls
Oh, grateful we are for our daily bread
Oh, if only just once it could be instead
Sweetcakes and cottage pie
Food we could identify
Brocklehurst
I have a word to address to the students,
Here is a girl who is new to our school,
Her name is Jane Eyre, and she is brought here by her excellent benefactress, Mrs. Reed
Mrs. Reed
I should wish her to be brought up in a manner suiting her prospects – to be made useful – to be kept humble.
We must punish the flesh
She’s prone to deceit
I would caution you not to be
Fooled by her lies
Brocklehurst
Deceit is a cardinal sin
Mrs. Reed
She knows not the danger she’s in
Brocklehurst
These are the children of God
She will quickly learn
That a child deceitful
Forever shall burn
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Mr. Brocklehurst Disciplines are born To be humble and suffer Punish the flesh to chasten the spirit Purity comes from the pain of correction The torment of martyrs Is holy and Christian Starving the body will never extinguish the soul! |
Schoolgirls We are the children of God And we praise His word We are blind in His love In His love we must trust For we are taught that we must We are the children of God But we find it queer If we’re really His children Why isn’t He here? |
Mrs. Reed Let this teach you! Let this teach you! Wicked child! Horrid wretched child! God despises you! |
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Miss Scatcherd She is depraved The girl will be watched, sir Every hour Stand very still All eyes will be watching Watching a shameful child! |
Blind in his love We’re charity children No mother or father Just heavenly care God blesses our souls And yet we despair |
Forgiveness
Helen
You mustn’t be revengeful
You have to be strong
To offer good for evil
Return right for wrong
We must not hold a grudge
And we must learn to endure
Then as God is your judge
At least your heart will be pure
Forgiveness
Is the mightiest sword
Forgiveness of those you hate
Will be your highest reward
When they bruise you with words
When they make you feel small
When it’s hardest to bear
You must do nothing at all
Forgiveness
Is the simplest vow
Forgiveness
Of all their crimes
Is your deliverance now
Bless those souls
Who would curse your name
When the last bell tolls
You’ll be free of blame
You can continue to grieve
But know the Gospel is true
You must forgive those who lie
And bless them that curse you
Forgiveness
Is the mightiest sword
Forgiveness of those you hate
Will be your highest reward
The time will come when we will leave this world, and then the injustice and the pain and the sin will fall away from us, and only the spark of the spirit will remain – returning to God who created it
You must never lose faith
You must never lose heart
God will restore your trust
And I know you’re afraid
I’m as scared as you are
But willing to be brave
Brave enough for love
The Graveyard
Young Jane
Helen, I have brought you a lily today
For the roses were frail
nd the petals fell away
The morning mist has kissed your grave
Rest now in sleep
Our secrets will keep
Till we speak again tomorrow
When I lay myself down to sleep tonight
I pray I might
Know why God has tempered judgement
But with mercy
But with sorrow
Jane & Young Jane
Let the world forsake me
Let them do their worst, I will
Withstand it all
They will not break me
Both Janes & Ensemble
There is another world that watches us
I’m not afraid
The angels know when we have sinned
Or we have been betrayed
Miss Scratcherd
Jane Eyre!
Young Jane
Yes, Miss Stratcherd.
Miss Scratcherd
Get to your class! You’re late as usual.
Young Jane
Yes, Miss.
Miss Scratcherd
Miserable little child!
Jane & Ensemble
As I lay myself down to sleep tonight
I pray I might
Be granted strength to see
The spart of heaven’s guiding light
Jane
My rebellion waits
The silent cry my spirit sings
Goes far beyond these gates
Oh, Helen, what awaits?
Sweet Liberty
Jane
It’s seven o’ clock in the morning
I lift my eyes to autumn skies
I look out through the graveyard
A silhouetted swallow files
He flies to distant countries
I lose him just behind a cloud
I yearn to be that swallow
And go where I am not allowed
Over mountains, over oceans
Heaven take me away
For I long for my liberty
For sweet liberty I pray
It’s nine o’ clock in the morning
I teach what’s been instilled in me
But is this all we’re meant for
Condemned to mere tranquility?
Well, women feel as men do
We must engage out minds and souls
Let us, like our brothers
Let our worth define our roles
Breaking custom and convention
Let tradition give way
For we all need our liberty
For sweet liberty we pray
And I wake from my bed
With the urge to depart
And to follow the dreams of my heart
It’s twelve o’ clock in the pitch black night
I can’t contain my wanderlust
I seek a new adventure
I search the skies because I must
I hunger for new faces
To find a better destiny
And fly among the swallows
Far beyond the troubled sea
Over mountains, over oceans
Heaven take me away
For I love for my liberty
For sweet liberty I pray
‘Cross the rivers
Past the highlands
With God’s wind in my hair
I look out over boundless skies
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Jane My spirits rise And carry me Beyond my past Where I will find Sweet liberty My liberty At last |
Ensemble My spirits rise And carry me Heaven let my freedom Carry me Where I will find Liberty At last |
Secrets of the House
Ensemble
The secrets of the house
Are just beyond these walls
They hide in long-forgotten shadows
Framents of memories awakened and stirred
By a call my heart has heard
Perfectly Nice
Mrs. Fairfax
It’ll be perfectly nice
Having someone with whom to converse
The servants are fine
But a little perverse
And if I’m a tiny bit terse
It’s only because I just fired the chef
Are you talking to me?
I’m a little bit deaf
The weather’s been rainy and gray
Robert, stopp fussing, you’re just in the way?
He’s really a dear
Though a tiny bit queer
There was a time when winter was here
Milk?
Jane
No
Mrs. Fairfax
No one came by
No one came near
Sugar?
Jane
No
Mrs. Fairfax
I was alone, nearly a year
More?
And not a creature would come to the house
The vicar came once but he didn’t stay long
Or did he come twice?
Maybe I’m wrong
Then, as the days went along
Like it or not, I was not as depressed
And soon after that
We were finally blessed
With little Adele, darling, come here
This is Miss Eyre
Your governess, dear.
Adele
Bonjour, Miss Eyre.
Jane
Bonjour, Adele.
Adele
Oh, vous parlez francais
Jane
She is French, then?
Adele
Yes, I am French, but I speak English – frighteningly well!
Jane
You certainly do.
Mrs. Fairfax
Run along now, Adele.
Adele
Adieu mam’selle.
Jane
Au’voir, Adele…
What a spirited girl
Mrs. Fairfax
What a story to tell!
Her mother is gone
Gone to the Lord
And Mr. Rochester took her in as his ward
Jane
Mr. Rochester? Who is he?
Mrs. Fairfax
The owner of Thornfield! Did you not know he was called Rochester?
Jane
I thought Thornfield belonged to you!
Mrs. Fairfax
Bless you, child, what an idea!
I’m in charge of the hall
When he’s away I look after it all
And he’s away most of the time
Jane
What sort of man is he like?
Mrs. Fairfax
The kind of man who is never about.
Jane
Where does he go?
Mrs. Fairfax
I wouldn’t know…
One of a kind
Smart as a sage
And like good wine
Gets better with age
Modest and fair
Yet one wouldn’t dare
Behave in a manner unfitting one’s class
One has a place
That one mustn’t surpass
This is our lot
Like it or not…
I think I’ve forgotten my thought
What was it? Ah! No, that wasn’t it at all
Did I have a point?
I can barely recall
But you’ll settle in
Read a few books
You’ve got the brains, if not quite the looks
You’ll soon adjust
Everyone must
Heed my advice
Let’s be precise
Listen to me, I will not tell you twice
You will be in good grace if you face
That a girl in your place
Will suffice…
Mrs. Fairfax and Jane
…if she’s perfectly nice!
As Good As You
Rochester
Love!
Love is like a virus we’re infected with
You’re so naive
Wouldn’t it be wonderful
If life was just as you perceive?
Women are inhuman, worthless
Hard and savage
On the average
Never to be trusted
Completely maladjusted, it’s true
And if I’d not loved a few
I might ahave been as good as you
She was my flame, my gallic slyph
I was her fool’s delight
She put me in her spell and turned my
Rage to trust in just one night
With appetites for pleasure
We would search for buried treasure
In the excess of temptation
I thought it my salvation, it’s true
And if I had thought things through
I might have been as good as you
She found me handsome
My opera dancer
And like a fool I believed it was true
I held the world inside my hands, a man
Full in his prime
When she left me for another
Pierced my heart a second time
“Nothing lasts forever,” she said
“Find the door yourself, dear, won’t you?
Think me still your flower
I’ve treasured every hour, it’s true
And if I had loved you, too
I might have been as good as you.”
I came upong her some time later
The years had not been very kind
She has this child, Adele
Said she was mine, as well
“Nothing lasts forever, Edward
Take good care and, oh yes
Won’t you take our lovely daughter?
For you see, dear, I don’t want her
But I’m still your flower
I’ll just bloom elsewhere
Tell her my soul is in heaven, with God”
Miss Eyre, I tell you this
Because I want you to know
That I, with some luck
Without shame, without blame
Or the curse of my name
Might have been as good as you
Secret Soul
Jane
What can I do now, my precious Lord?
His dark love would be my best reward
I know I should not dare to go
Deeper in his madness
But it’s like a field I must run through
No one’s words will make me love him less
The secret voice that speaks to me
Tells me he’s in danger
Looking to the dust for tenderness
Deep in my secret soul
I stand alone
The purpose of why I’m here
Is still unknown
And I can’t help but sense
The darkness in his mind
But I keep looking for his goodness
Afraid of what I’ll find
My heart moves through his unquiet sea
I pray a wave will come and carry me
Closer to his troubled tide
Waters of his fury
But how can I swim this great divide?
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Jane Deep in my secret soul I cry his tears I weather his angry voice I feel his fears His life has infected every wound And every pore I feel his mystery possess me And I pray that mercy’s hand Will bless me Deep in his secret soul His heart is cursed I summon my deepest will To still his thirst God give me the strength to go Closer to where my heart is whole Deep within his secret soul |
Rochester Her spring of life Draws me near Her gentle voice I hold dear Her life has infected every wound And every pore I feel her mystery possess me And I pray that mercy’s hand Will bless me Deep in my secret soul I stand alone I will not atone And I will not ever let her Deep within my secret soul |
The Finer Things
Blanche
You have such exquisite taste
Chinese Chippendale
Walls swathed in festoons of silk
Such ornate detail
But there’s one thing that is not in this hall
Edward – this house could use a wife!
We’re lucky to live
In the great age of elegance
Poetry, opera and art
Sparing no expense
Rembrandt and Breughel and Bosch
In this room
With a rug form Chen Chou
That spent a thousand days on the loom
These are the finer things
And what is finer than a bride?
Pleasure and luxury
That only marriage can provide
The innuendo is implied
Chateau Lafitte twenty-eight
Oh! The perfect drink!
So much more drinkable now
Than last year, I think
Make no mistake
Like the taste of the wine
When it comes to a woman
You must scrutinize the vine
These are the finer things
And she must have what is her due
Priceless engagement rings
A family jewel, or maybe two
And, but of course, my darling – you!
Mozart and Schumann and Bach
Wrote the finest notes
Every cadenza delights
Every cadence floats
Music is glorious
But I declare
When it comes to a woman
Schumann just cannot compare
These are the finer things
That only beauty can supply
These are the finer things
And what’s more beautiful than I?
For not a soul could give you more
Arpeggios and trills
Frolics and frills
Soon you will see
Of all your things
The very finest thing
Is me!
The Pledge
Jane
Are you ill, sir?
Rochester
Jane, I’ve been dealt a blow – I’ve been dealt a blow, Jane.
Jane
What is it, sir?
Rochester
Will you ease my trouble?
Jane
If you tell me how
Rochester
Once you offered your sweet shoulder
Jane
You can have it now
Please take my arm, sir
Let me comfort you
Rochester
Jane, I wish that we were far away
On a quiet island in a distant country
Living day to day
Jane, what would you do?
If all the people that you see
Denounced my name and spat at me?
Jane
I would comfort you…
Rochester
Oh, Jane, what would you do?
If there was something I had done
To make them leave me one by one?
Jane
I would never lose faith
I would never lose heart
I would stand by your side
They could slander your name
They could brand you with shame
But so your heart be pure
There would be no blame
Sirens
Rochester
Damn the passion, damn the skies
Damn the light that’s in her eyes
I know too well where it has led before
She saves me but I can’t be saved
Frees me but I’m still enslaved
Now I battle what I most adore
Oh, let me sail away
And make this vow
That what my heart wants
I will not allow
For as sirens call the sailors
She calls me now
Jane
God save him if he can be saved
Free him if his soul’s enslaved
Clear the clouded refuge of his mind
Quell his anger, calm his scorn
Let his spirit be reborn
Help him gather sight where he is blind
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Rochester Oh, let me sail away Where I won’t hear her voice Where I am blind and free For as sirens call the sailors She calls to me |
Jane For I believe The ghosts of shame That haunt his past Will rest at last The pain will cease I’ll bring him peace |
Rochester
I cannot stand aonther knock
My body dashed upon the rocky shore
The darkness that invades my soul
It sucks my blood, it takes control
Well, I will not endure it anymore
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Rochester Damn the passion, damn the skies Damn the light that’s in her eyes I know too well where it has led before She saves me but I can’t be saved Frees me but I’m still enslaved Now I battle what I most adore Oh, let me sail away Get lost at sea Where I won’t hear her voice Where I am blind and free For as sirens call the sailors She calls me now |
Jane I cannot sleep I cannot breathe I cry his tears I sense the Secrets of his past I feel his fears And I believe That haunt his past Will rest at last The pain will cease I’ll bring him peace |
The Figure
Aaaah!
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Rochester She calls to me She calls to me |
The Figure Aaaah! |
Jane Heal his pain Calm his sea And let him sail on gentler waters To me |