Words (SA)

Having accepted the opportunity provided by Chorus America to write for young people, I wanted to compose something that would be relevant that might have a positive impact on the lives of those singing this commissioned work. I elected to focus on bullying, which has reached epidemic proportions in our schools and on-line culture. As I researched the real life consequences of bullying, I vowed to evoke a spirit of empathy, not with sugar-coated niceties, but with unedited emotions, real taunts and fears. While searching for lyrics, I read many heartbreaking poems by young people who had been bullied. Sadly, most were much too raw in content to use for this choral project; and so I opted to write the lyrics myself.

“WORDS” attempts to both reveal and to reach three distinct groups: the bullied, the bullies, and the bystanders who enable bullying by doing nothing. The first and last stanzas come from the perspective of the bullied, with the first addressing the bystander, and the last addressing the bully. The middle stanza is comprised of a bully’s taunts. The ‘question’ motif returns in the piano at the ending. But the final question is for the bully: after hearing the consequences of their cruel words and actions, the bully is asked to examine themselves, and how their words reflect their inner being.

-Joan Szymko