Charcoal Dreams

1 week ago by @cbmagic

Charcoal Dreams

cbmagic

00:00

00:00

Liner Notes

This is what I have so far.
(A Broadway Song Inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s Letters)
Music and Lyrics by C.B. Crosby
Possible Placement in a Broadway Show:
• Act 1, Climax Song: This could serve as a pivotal moment in the show, capturing Vincent’s determination in the face of hardship.
• Act 2, Reflection Song: If structured later, it could be a reflection of his struggles before finding his artistic triumph.
(This is a muscal in the works.)

Lyrics

(Verse 1 – Vincent, alone in his studio, candlelit)
(Soft piano, a melancholic but determined melody begins.)
VINCENT:
I trace the lines upon the page,
A world of light in black and grey.
No gold to paint the setting sun,
No blues to kiss the skies undone.
(He looks around at his empty studio, holding up a piece of charcoal.)
But I have dust, I have fire,
I have hands that won’t retire.
If color fades, if paint is gone,
I’ll still create—I must go on.
(Chorus – Rising with strings and choir)
(Hopeful, passionate, with Broadway power.)
VINCENT & CHOIR:
If I must draw in charcoal dreams,
Then I will carve my soul in seams.
A stroke of night, a shade of pain,
A world alive in black remains!
Through dust and ash, through joy and screams,
I’ll paint my love in charcoal dreams!
(Verse 2 – Vincent’s letter to Theo, a duet)
(Theo enters, reading a letter aloud, harmonizing with Vincent.)
THEO (spoken, then singing):
"My dear Vincent, don’t lose heart,
Your hands create, that is the art.
A world in grey, in dusk, in black,
Still shines with fire—it fights back!"
VINCENT (responding):
Brother, paint is life to me,
But even if the well runs dry,
I'll find a way—I'll sketch the sky,
In shadows deep, I’ll let light be!
(Bridge – Intensified orchestration, swelling emotion)
(Vincent steps forward, desperate yet triumphant.)
VINCENT:
You cannot break an artist’s will,
Even if the world stands still.
If there’s no color, if there's no gold,
I’ll weave my stories, dark and bold!
(A burst of instrumental solo—strings, drums, swelling into final chorus.)
(Final Chorus – Grand Broadway finish, full orchestra)
(Powerful, passionate, the climax of the show.)
VINCENT & CHOIR:
If I must draw in charcoal dreams,
Then I will carve my soul in seams!
A stroke of night, a shade of pain,
A world alive in black remains!
(Music softens, Vincent kneels, touching the charcoal-stained paper.)
VINCENT (soft, emotional):
Through dust and ash, through joy and screams,
I’ll paint my love in charcoal dreams…
(Lights fade, ending in silence.)

Comments