"Seven Sins, Seven Wonders, Seven Dwarfs" is a song cycle written by Andrew Ratshin,
consisting of 25 songs that are based on, about, or inspired by, the seven sins,
the seven wonders, and the seven dwarfs.
(Why 25? One for each sin, wonder, and dwarf,
one for each section, and one overall "Sevens" song . . . get it? )
As songs are finished, the lyrics will be added to this page, in alphabetical order, and when it's complete
the recording process will begin. We hope to constantly update this page as things progress.
The World Premiere of the entire song cycle, as performed by the group Uncle Bonsai,
will be at The Triple Door, in Seattle, on March 31, 2023.
[Click here for information about a private Dress Rehearsal/Preview performance!]
If you have any desire to donate to the project, you can always send a donation to paypalme/ebonsai.
Here are a few samples of the songs, performed by Electric Bonsai Band (it's not electric, it's not a band): |
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- click titles for lyrics -
Doc (Mirror, Mirror)
Keep her safe
Keep her warm
There are less important duties to perform
And if danger comes along
We can sing a silly song
Keep her safe
Keep her warmKeep her safe
Keep her near
Why expose her to the world that lead her here
We can fuss and we can fight
But we’ll watch her day and night
To keep her safe
Keep her near Think of all who might have hurt her
How they tore her world apart
And the ones who might desert her
Who would try to steal her heart
Everything I ever learned says she is charmed
So do no harm
First do no harm Mirror, mirror on the wall
Please don’t tell this story
Keep the secret after all
There’s nothing here to see
Mirror mirror on the wall
You’ve been such a know-it-all
No need to involve the family
You can show them what they want to see Keep her safe
Let her rest
She doesn’t have to breathe to “be our guest”
And until the spell has past
We will keep her under glass
Keep her safe
Let her rest
Think of all the ever afters
Never realized
We will be the family
To keep her well disguised
Is it duty or desire, I guess it’s both
We took an oath
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Please don’t send this picture
Never mind the protocol
Time to choose a side
Mirror mirror on the wall
Here is grace before the fall
Don’t you think that you could let her be
There’s a time and place for honesty Look outside this cottage window
See who passes by
Nothing here will ever show them
Who we have inside
Have some faith in what we’re tending
Keep the fairy tale from ending
No one needs to know
Heigh ho Mirror, mirror on the wall
You don’t have to answer
Who’s the fairest one of all
Who are we to judge
Mirror, mirror on the wall
You can stutter, strike, or stall
Give her time to choose her destiny
You can be the one to set her free Keep her safe
Keep her warm
This might only be the calm before the storm
All the turns that we will take
’Til it’s time for her to wake
Keep her safe
Keep her warm
We will watch for any motion
Call it faith or blind devotion
Keep her safe
Keep her warm
Heigh Ho
Dwarfs Theme Song (Woman on the Table)
Come home late, work all day
Woman on the table
Cups and plates pushed away
Woman on the table
Don’t know how it coulda come to pass
Still as stone in a box of glass
Gotta wonder if it’s gonna last
Woman on the tableNo one here knows her name
Woman on the table
Don’t know why or when she came
Woman on the table
Don’t know if she is a wicked witch
Ain’t a thing thats gonna make us rich
Doc says he never even seen her twitch
Woman on the table Oh, Oh, Oh
Oh, Oh, Oh
Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho
Heigh Ho Come home late, what you see
Woman on the table
Kind of strange scenery
Woman on the table
How we ever ’sposed to fold our clothes
Sit and wait for her to decompose
Gotta break at least a hundred codes
Woman on the table Oh, Oh, Oh
Oh, Oh, Oh
Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho
Heigh Ho You try so hard to make a house a home
A place that seven men can live alone
Everybody gets a chair and bed
Tryn’ to minimize the overhead
Where the hell are we supposed to dine
When the table’s got a princess shrine
How ya gonna sing a happy tune
When there’s a coffin in the living room Better keep that candle lit
Woman on the table
Might not get used to it
Woman on the table
Skin like powder such a scary sight
Hair so black but her face so white
No one gettin’ any sleep tonight
Woman on the table Heigh Ho
Heigh Ho
Heigh Ho
Gluttony (All You Can Eat)
Moments like these I forget I’m a delicate flower
Challenged by choices and charged by the pound or the hour
How many people will stand in my way
Don't want to keep any demons at bay
Life's not fine dining it's more just an endless buffet
And I love a buffetSometime I feel like I’m wasting away by the minute
I see the mirror but don’t really think that’s me in it
Don't wanna play with the hand that I'm dealt
Best way to handle those feelings I felt
Is to tighten my grip and to loosen my belt
Waiting in line
Reading the sign It said all you can eat
So I ate all that I could
I really don’t remember seeing a warning
Now I fill out my clothes
Because I filled up my hole
And I’ll be testing my blood in the morning
I saw my life go flashing by on a plate
I think it might have been too little, too late
Maybe it was something I ate
‘Cause now I can’t find my feet
But it said all you can eat Now and again I’m aware that I might be complaining
Faced with a face and a body that’s waxing and waning
I know what’s learned and what’s bred in the bones
All the concern with the bread and the scones
Nobody sees the less flattering zones
And I’m pushing down what I feel
To get a happier meal The sign said all you can eat
So I ate all that I could
Although I pushed all the greens to the corners
And now I have to admit
That I’m a long way from fit
And I’ve been making a list of the mourners
Every smorgasbord is the same
And you know I ain’t annoyed or ashamed
But there’s a barbeque that’s calling my name
And I can hear the mesquite
It’s saying all you can eat And my extremities are starting to tingle
I can feel it in my finger and toes
Everybody here appears to be single
And they’re letting out clothes
So my complexion is increasingly pallid
And I should be coming up for some air
But there was bacon between me and the salad
Over there, Is that fair It said all you can eat
So I ate all that I could
And I’m afraid I never counted the dishes
And now I’m saying a prayer
To the enabler up there
But I’m craving the loaves and the fishes
And they say chicken soup is good for the soul
And they say keep the diet under control
But there was chocolate overflowing a bowl
A waterfall of defeat
And I just couldn’t retreat
You know it really looked sweet
And it said all you can eat
Great Pyramid of Giza (Beautiful Death)
I want a beautiful death
One minute I’m here
One minute I’m gone
I would take one shallow breath
No lingering on
I want to be
A fond memory
Nobody’s burden, nobody’s mess
I’ve considered it all
And nevertheless
I want a beautiful deathI want a beautiful death
No desperate good byes
Just turn off a light
I could just exit stage left
Nobody cries
Just say goodnight
Oddly enough
All of my stuff
Could be spread out for all to digest
If there’s something there
They might want to possess
That’s part of a beautiful death Some people tell me that they want time to plan
For the end of the arduous journey
Spending each day just wasting away
With the help of the nurse & the family attorney
But I want a gathering, garish and grand
While I’m still around to enjoy it
A moment of pleasure, by anyone’s measure
No doubt or disease to destroy it I want a beautiful death
That’s not much to ask
While we are all here
I could ignore any debts
Strike up some fear
While my thinking is clear
Maybe a shrine, something that’s mine
It’s fine, no I couldn’t care less (Nobody dare to protest)
Let’s have an offering
With my silhouette
That’s part of a beautiful death You can plant me inside of a mountain of stone
(You’ll build the highest one yet)
A quaint reminder
Of the years of excess
Is part of a beautiful death
Part of a beautiful death
Greed (Born Again)
I have visited my enemy
And eaten him for lunch
I have acted out my fantasies
While acting on a hunch
I have faced down every friendly smile
That ever came my way
I have taken things that weren’t mine
And never thought to payYou can see where needles marked me
On my arms, beween my toes
You can see a trail of money
Down the drain or up my nose
I have welcomed all the evil
That I thought I could receive
You don’t know the kind of freedom
I have hidden up my sleeve I’m born again, I’m born again
I can taste forbidden fruit ‘cause I am born again
Say you’re sorry, make amends
Hate thy neighbor? Kill thy friends?
Have some wine and say amen
I’m born again I have wagered with the devil
I have traded on my soul
And I found my lucky penny
In the wallet I just stole
Oh the good things come so easy
If you take from someone’s plate
I’ll get everything I ever want
From those who sit and wait And I’m born again, I’m born again
I am keeping all the loot ‘cause I am born again
It’s a blessing, not a trend
Off the wagon? Why pretend?
True forgiveness, in the end
I’m born again Oh I tasted guilty pleasures
And I drank from bloody water
And I tore apart my fam’ly
With my hands and with my voice
Then I learned about forgiveness
Oh I really like forgiveness
I have asked for his forgiveness
And he doesn’t have a choice I’m born again, I’m born again
I am turning out the vote ‘cause I am born again
Screwed my brothers way back when
It was either me or them
Dona eis requiem
I’m born again Keep the faith? Well, that depends
If I reap the dividends
Next year in Jerusulem
I’m born again
Grumpy (We're All Playing Dodgeball Again)
It’s run like a schoolyard
Decisions made quick
That initial impression
Is sure gonna stick
I don’t care if I’m first
I just want to be picked
‘Cause I know scars like these never fadeAnd it only gets worse
When they call you by name
Thought I’d left this behind
But it’s seems I’m fair game
Keep my head down, keep distance
It’s more of the same
And I dive on another grenade So you peek through your fingers
Think when will this end
And you yell out in anger
Or sell out a friend
There’s a line in the sand you could never defend
And we’re all playing dodgeball again It’s unfolding before me
This line of attack
And the only defense
Might be turning my back
Though it’s seems like there’s time
I’m too slow to react
And I’m acting so numb and naive
So I stumble, I bob, and I weave So you peek through your fingers
Think when will this end
And you’re underprepared
So you overextend
And you know they won’t break, so you learn how to bend
‘Cause we’re all playing dodgeball again And I’m not the fastest or fiercest
And I’ve got the weakness in me
I’m not the smartest or bravest
Hey, stop me if you disagree
The strong and the pretty
Don’t rule be committee
No purpose or pity at all
So I curl up and make myself small
And prepare to be hit by the ball With the times getting tougher
The tough do just fine
And this rising and falling
Is all by design
So you crawl serpentine
Put your toes on the line
Holding steady, I’m ready to go
And I wait for the whistle to blow So you peek through your fingers
Think when will this end
Just a sip of the poison
You’re own special blend
If you can’t hit the wall, then you better pretend
And we’re all playing dodgeball again So you peek through your fingers
Think when will this end
Taking one for the team
Has it’s own dividend
It’s your personal stoning, you have to attend
And we’re all playing dodgeball again
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Life Is Like A Garden
She poisoned him with mushrooms
That she found out in the yard
It might have been an accident
But accidents are hard
And no one is suspicious
When a traveler moves on
A quiet celebration on the lawnShe poisoned him with mushrooms
And it wasn’t her best meal
Nothing really special
But it seemed to close the deal
And people come and people go
And maybe some are rushed
Maybe some are hidden in the brush Life is like a garden
Her mother said it’s true
You water it and tend to it
And it will care for you
So she watered it and tended it
And buried something too
Life is like a garden and she grew She poisoned him with mushrooms
That she thought could not be traced
She took down every photograph
And once he was erased
She tossed his few remaining things
And found some breathing space
There’s a place for everything
Now everything’s in place Life is like a garden
She’d come to recognize
You water it and tend to it
And it will please your eyes
So she watered it and tended it
And even fertilized
Life is like a garden then it dies It was a foregone conclusion
They’d look into everything
And possibly confusion
When the thaw came in the spring
But the flowers looked so lovely
And the Summer turned to Fall
And he wasn’t really family after all Life is like a garden
There’s always something new
You water it and tend to it
And it will grow for you
So she watered it and tended it
And pruned a little too
Life is like a garden and she grew
She watered it and tended it
And no one ever knew
Life is like a garden and she grew
Happy (When Someone Else Feels Sad)
I can tell you ‘bout the friend I got
With lots of rare diseases
Or the guy I know who pees a little
Every time he sneezes
But I know to never talk about
The good day I just had
Everyone feels better
When someone else feels badI can see your pupils widening
With every tale of horror
Like the loving wife who killed a man
Because he was a snorer
But heaven help the story teller
Who just can’t be sad
Everyone feels better
When someone else feels bad It’s the pitter pat of little feet
That fills the house with folly
It’s the sleeping beauty on the table
Makes you want to clean
I whistle while I work
To keep from being melancholy
Isn’t it exciting
What we’re hiding from the queen I can see you like a tale of woe
That’s woe-er still than Poe wrote
And how you’ll ignore the nevermore
And try to be the showboat
But you’re old enough to know
That wearing black is just a fad
And everyone feels better
When someone else feels bad It’s the pitter pat of little feet
I’m talking ‘round a dozen
Some miners in a forest
With a minor under glass
I sing a silly song
So someone doesn’t call the fuzz in
And smile like the righteous
‘Cause it might just save my ass Some say an apple a day
Will keep the doctor away
But doc has proof
You shouldn’t take ‘em from strangers
I say let all of that go
And keep on smiling though
You oughta know
The woods are filled with dangers I can see that you’ve been listening
I’m too polite to mention
This is less an invitation
And it’s more an intervention
So you can put your hand down
If there’s nothing else to add
Everyone feels better
When someone else feels bad
Dopey’s in the kitchen
If you think I’m raving mad
Everyone feels better
When someone else feels bad
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (When You Talk About Me)
I will build a testament
To last a thousand years
You will be beside me
For eternity
We will move through marble
With the worries of the wind
For the promise, for the people
For posterity
I will build a story book
To document our lives
Made of sacred stone
And solidarity
We will move a mountain
While the world is rushing by
For the fable, for the future
For the family
And when you talk about me
If you talk about me
Tell them that I loved you more each day
Centuries will pass and we will stay
Monuments will rise and fall
Carve our stories in the wall
Tell them there was something here to see
When you talk about me
I will build a history
For after we are gone
Pieces of our past
Will keep our memory
We will have a tale to tell
In everything to come
Of our love, our believers
Of our legacy
And when you talk about me
If you talk about me
Tell them I was honoring our love
Tell them that one world was not enough
Memories will start to fade
We’ll remain in what we made
Tell them there was something here to see
When you talk about me
And if the oceans start to drain
If the deserts fall to rain
We will be revered in all this glory
And when the empire turns to dust
As every empire must
Our stones will still remain here with our story
I will build a testament
To last a thousand years
You will be beside me
For eternity
Statues fail and turn to sand
We will rise above the land
There will still be something here to see
When you talk about me
The Seven Sins (Sins Theme Song)
You take a piece of paper
You write a little note
Everybody changes
Draw the circle of life
You underline the problem
The children are excused
You break another pencil
You take another big sliceA tiny piece of crayon
A little bit of thread
You separate the people
So the colors won’t bleed
You iron out the troubles
You iron on the patch
You chew up all the scenery
There are faces to feed And the city goes on
And the rhythms don’t stop
And the people are gone
Every day a new crop
Then the moment is gone
And the movement begins
So we toast to the dawn
And a new set of sins You type another letter
You fax another form
You notify the peasants
Just the way that it’s done
You tape the conversation
You mail another card
You plan for obsolescence
And you’re having such fun And the city goes on
And the rhythms don’t stop
And the progress is gone
And it rots from the top
Then the movement is gone
And the money moves in
So we toast to the dawn
And a new set of sins Can you find the strength to eat some more
Just show us what you’re made of
Are you staring at the folks next door
Don’t you want it all
Do you separate the sick and poor
Or kill what you’re afraid of
You have never worn that look before
It’s pride before the fall Another reservation
A little taste of fame
You wait another minute
You got nothing to lose
You see another victim
You turn another head
Any way you spin it
You got an angle to choose And the city goes on
And the rhythms don’t stop
And the spirit is gone
And we’re closing up shop
Then the money is gone
And we’re trading in skins
So we toast to the dawn
And a new set of sins And the city goes on
And the people go on
And the movement is gone
And the moment is gone
And we move with the pawns
And the pawns never win
So we toast to the dawn
And a new set of sins You take a piece of paper
You write a little note
Everybody changes
Draw the circle of life
Sevens (Project Theme Song)
There were seven brides for seven brothers
Seven wonders, seven sins
Seven dwarfs, maybe others
Seven seas and continents
Seven colors in the rainbow
Seven words you can not say
Seven seals and seven chakras
Seven minnow castawaysThere were seven swans and seven sages
Seven pools and seven pearls
Seven sorrows, seven ages
Seven days to make the world
Seven causes, seven metals
Seven notes to make the scales
Seven Buddhas, seven petals
Seven virtues, Seven veils They say that
Three is a magic number
I’ve heard before
They know for sure
I say if three is a magic number
Seven’s more
More by four There were seven loaves and seven faces
Seven gates and seven hints
Seven hills and seven races
Seven joys and sacraments
Seven virgins, seven senses
Seven ways to die in clue
Seven ways to roll a seven
None of those are really true Three is a magic number
Those keeping score
They know for sure
I say if three is a magic number
Seven’s more
More by four There are seven way to get on base
Seven final sayings
Seven years of bad luck
Seven things you recognize
Seven daggers, seven churches
Seven summits, seven foods
Seven blessings, seven trumpets
Seven samurai There were seven sins and seven wonders
Seven dwarfs and days to mourn
Seven planets, seven heavens
Seven sections in this song
Sneezy (Dead Man Walking)
It was just a cough
And oh the dirty looks
Pull your children close
See the dead man walking
Backing off
Turn and burn the books
Quick one more dose
For the dead man walkingIt was just an itch
Oh i had to scratch it
Cover up your children’s eyes
There’s a dead man walking
Oh it’s so rich
Got the medicine to match it
It’s gonna be a big surprise
For the dead man walking And a sneeze is just a sneeze
I don’t need to clear my throat
It’s the worst kind of disease
And I’m in this tiny boat
There are spies in the trees
Though they spray everywhere
I’d get down on my knees
But I’m already there One runny nose
And they’re heading out with torches
Just a simple meet and greet
With a dead man walking
Meet your hosts
Waving pitchforks from their porches
It’s gonna be a big defeat
For the dead man walking
And a sneeze is just a sneeze
I don’t need an antidote
And I’m paying all the fees
Just to try to stay afloat
Put the public at ease
Let’s pretend that you care
I’d get down on my knees
But I’m already there They can see through your disguise, you’ll never win
Just a pair of runny eyes will do you in
So you spit and you commit the cardinal sin
Meeting everybody’s stare
We have lost the double-dare
Say the word, we’ll alert the next of kin A hint of death
The movers and the shapers
Gotta clear a little space
For a dead man walking, dead man walking
One shallow breath
And, oh they’re signing papers
They’ve got the perfect place
For a dead man walking, dead man walking And a sneeze is just a sneeze
Someone find my overcoat
You can test me if you please
You know only witches float
At a hundred degrees
I am saying a prayer
I’d go down on my knees
But I’m already there
There’s no God in the breeze
This is devil may care
I’d go down on my knees
But I’m already there It was just a cough
Just an itch
One runny nose
A hint of death
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Your father was a true believer
Evenings on his knees
He fought through all the sins he could
They were his true disease
And he never said a word about
The ways he thought he’d burn
The building might be crumbling
So why do you returnYou grew up with a handsome face
Another act of God
Your father brought you back
And saw the cracks in the facade
He never really rallied
Questioned motives, answered prayers
The measure of the man
Is in the way that he prepares When you see through the distractions
When all the walls come down
Are you glad someone hung in there
That faith was still around
No one knows what it’s like to die
Who gets lost or found
You never know what’s on the other side
When all the walls come down Where do you go to pray these days
Now your temple’s out of reach
The proselytizers line the way
But all they do is preach
No one taught you anything
About the ways of men
The building might be crumbling
But you go back again When you see through the distractions
When all the walls come down
When the men of war who saw it all
Are startled by the sound
Maybe that’s the lesson learned
When you go to ground
You never know what’s on the other side
When all the walls come down And so the fire comes and takes the air away
And so the battle lines turn inward like the flame
When the smoke has cleared and nothing else remains
What kind of man would burn it down to make his name Your father was a true believer
That was his mistake
He grew up with an angry God
Who took what he could take
It doesn’t take a fool to see
The lengths he went to live
But the measure of the man might be
The things that you forgive When you see through the distractions
When all the walls come down
When the family and the fervor
And the faith could be unbound
You stole away with pieces
Of your father’s broken crown
You never know what’s on the other side
When all the walls come down
Wrath (Jesus Saw You Coming)
You watch the news, it only gets worse
Taking the views no one can swallow
You pick and choose the chapter and verse
Don’t want to lose anyone who might followAnd you believe in your beliefs
That makes it much more frightening
You say that some will see your light
But all need some enlightening
And the big plane gets you higher
So the prayers will all get through
And they believe in you, they believe in you Jesus saw you coming
So he quickly hid his face
He didn’t want you thinking
You were welcome in this place
Here’s someone who understands
The terror in your eyes
Jesus saw you coming
You’re in for a surprise You read the book, but not every page
Taking a look, at what is persuasive
And then you took a bit of the rage
Turned it into something invasive And you believe in your beliefs
Which amplifies the tension
You say that everyone has sinned
You’re here to help with their ascension
And you pass the plate to build a place
That God can really see
From sea to holy see, the holy see Jesus saw you coming
And he said a little prayer
For all the folks who followed you
But would not make it there
I’m pretty sure he heard you say
That everybody lies
Jesus saw you coming
You’re in for a surprise How far do you think that you can go to sell redemption
How much do you need to shear the flock
Just a little tithing for the real estate and pension
And you get to be the big church on the block You’re eyes get small, it’s gonna get worse
After all, there’s more you can pilfer
You don’t recall your chapter and verse
Who took the fall but had all the silver
And you just know that there’s a God
‘Cause all the toys you got through prayer
And he’ll be waiting there, we’ll be waiting there Jesus saw you coming
And he thought it was a joke
The cloud you had your eye on
Was just a puff of smoke
And he knows where you are going
You can almost hear the cries
Jesus saw you coming
You’re in for a surprise
We’ll gather at the gates
Where we can say our last goodbyes
Jesus saw you coming
You’re in for a surprise
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