Dust in our lungs
Dust Settles. Destiny Evolves.
Rock Opera – Complete Lyrics
Words modified for singing such as Hari is written as Hurry
1. Experiencing God
[Intro – Soft, reflective Female vocal]
My son, the world is wide, but faith must guide—
Your father prayed, his father too…
Walk in the light of the gods who shaped you.
[Male vocal – spoken]
Ma… there’s a world out there waiting.
Let me show you what I see.
[Verse 1 – Male]
I see towers of glass reaching into the sky,
A city of giants where dreams learn to fly.
A place where a boy from a dusty street
Can rewrite his life on his own two feet.
I built a game from nothing but thought,
A world of my making—my own work wrought.
If I can code new worlds, why not my fate?
Why sit here waiting for a heavenly gate?
[Pre-Chorus]
Ma, I love your stories, the gods you adore—
But I can’t bow down till I feel something more.
I’m not denying your truth or your nod…
But I must experience God—
If God exists at all.
[Chorus]
I walk my own road, I make my own name,
I’ll rise in the towers of glass and steel.
I’ll earn my way, I’ll stand up tall—
My destiny won’t be written by gods at all.
If there’s a voice in the heavens above,
Let it meet me halfway as I climb high enough.
Till that day comes, I’ll fight, I’ll strive—
To experience God
By living my life.
[Verse 2]
You see tradition, Ma… I see the spark
Of a life where I choose what lights up the dark.
The passport, the visa, the world I chase—
I want my own footprint in a far-off place.
The World Trade Center—two towers of light,
A beacon that calls to me every night.
A million dollars? No—more if I dare.
I’ll build an empire from thin Mumbai air.
[Mother’s Interjection]
But my son, the gods see the paths we tread—
They knew your fate long before you fled.
[Male]
Then let them watch me—
Let them see what I become.
[Chorus]
I walk my own road, I write my own song,
If faith wants to find me, it won’t take long.
I’ll build and break and rise and fall—
Through every trial, I’ll give my all.
If the heavens have power, let them show me a sign—
Till then, my actions and choices are mine.
I’ll cross every ocean, I’ll answer the call—
To experience God
By risking it all.
[Final Refrain]
May the gods protect you, wherever you roam…
Ma… I’ll find God
Somewhere far from home.
[Outro]
My destiny begins today.
2. Jag’s Welcome
VERSE 1 (Jag introduces himself):
My name is juggan
They call me Jag
That’s my sister Meena
We live in this flat
My friend Hurry is on his way
He should arrive here today
We've been friends forever
He is coming here to stay
CHORUS:
Oh, those were the days back in old Mumbai,
Climbing rooftops, yelling dreams to the sky.
And now the world’s changed, but we’re still the same three,
Here in America, makin’ new memories.
Yeah, those were the days
Verse 2:
Me, I teach English
Meena runs the store
Hurry sold a video game
For half a million or more
Welcome Hurry my friend
To our humble abode
It’s small but it’s home
There is chai on the stove
CHORUS (repeat)
3. The Con — 22-44-681
[VERSE 1]
I walked into Bank Larco with half a million in my hand,
Twenty two forty four six eight one Please deposit if you can
I came back a few days later “Ten thousand, if you please,”
The teller typed my number in and froze like she’d seized.
“Sir… that account number — it simply isn’t here.”
I said, “Half a million, it has to be there.”
She checked again and whispered, “Nothing can be found.”
And in that single moment… my whole world crashed down.
[CHORUS]
Twenty two forty four six eight one, where did it go?
How could it vanish — how could it disappear?
It’s gone, gone, gone.
Twenty two forty four six eight one
it was all just a con.
[VERSE 2]
I asked for the manager — he wouldn’t meet my eyes,
Said, “Sir, leave this bank,” like I’m the one with lies.
Security stepped forward, hands resting on their belts,
And in that cold fluorescent glare, I thought:
Is this how America felt?
[VERSE 3]
At home I told Meena how the balance disappeared.
She said, Larco’s known. It’s an institution to fear.
I whispered, “Meena… that was everything I had… in my life”
No proof, no trail, no record — they’ll bury you outright.”
[CHORUS]
(repeat)
[OUTRO]
Twenty two forty four six eight one
Gone.
4. Somebody to Someone
(Verse 1 – The Exploiters)
The Criminals in shadows
The Digital con begins
Fooling the innocent
Cash or crypto it still stings
(Chorus)
Everybody is a somebody to someone,
Somebody shares in the pain.
Everybody is a somebody to someone,
A parent, a child, a sibling or a friend.
People’s actions do cause unequal reactions,
life, liberty and happiness can end.
(Verse 2 – The Lawmakers)
laws written from marble halls
lives crumble at the weight of it all.
No mercy given, no faces seen,
Just numbers lost in a legal machine.
(Chorus repeat)
(Bridge)
Behind every sentence, a story untold,
A child grows bitter, a mother mourns
They call it order, we call it loss,
When empathy dies, humanity’s the cost.
5. Where do we go from here
Verse 1]
Where do we go from here?
How do I get over this fall?
I planned my whole lifetime
Around a dream so tall.
I worked so hard to fund my dreams,
Now my dreams are up in smoke, it seems.
I have vision but no means
[Chorus]
Where do we go from here
How do I fund my vision
Without money there is simply no way.
I have no chance, no chance at all
Help me, help me please, I need inspiration
[Verse 2 ]
Where there is will there is a way,
I have an idea. hear me out.
Make me a partner and I will pay
By selling my store for a million
That will fulfill your vision.
[Chorus]
Where do we go from here
How do I fund my vision
Without money there is simply no way.
You have offered me a chance
Help me, help me please, I need inspiration
[Bridge ]
Meena, I cannot ask you to give up your dream.
Hurry… my store is not my dream at all.
My dream is to help you build your vision
A company that can change our lives
Chorus
Where do we go from here
How do I fund our vision
Without money there is simply no way.
You have offered me a chance
We are partners now on a mission
Then where do we go from here?
Forward, together, forever
Forward , together, forever.
Forward , together, forever.
5. English Craziness
flock, of birds, swarm of bees, pack of wolves, gaggle of geese
A school of fish, A herd of cows
collective nouns, those English clowns
Army of frogs, A drift of hogs
Read it, speak it, write it, teach it
Stop it its driving me insane
Chaos and confusion, Feel it in my brain
English rules, senseless tense
Its all just Craziness
[Bridge:]
Teacher teacher what do I do,
English confuses me with its rules
I before E except before C
What about Efficient Ceiling feisty
every rule seems to have exceptions
Why is “knife” spelled with a K?
Why does “phone” start with P-H anyway?
We’ve got silent letters hiding
Like they’re running from a crime,
Rules that change their minds
Every second, every time.
Sit is sat, hit not hat, fit not fat, Tit for tat
Touch is touched but see is saw
Past tense makes no sense
Speak is spoke, hear is heard
Read it, speak it, write it, teach it
Stop it its driving me insane
Chaos and confusion, Feel it in my brain
English rules, senseless tense
Its all just Craziness
6.It's complicated
(Meena’s Solo — )
[Verse 1]
Back in the streets of Mumbai,
When the world was young and small…
I carried a quiet longing
You never knew at all.
I told myself the ocean
Would wash the feeling away…
That new cities and new people
Would pull my heart astray.
[Chorus ]
I feel so close to you
So close
And yet
So far…
It’s complicated.
Its complicated
So close
And yet
So far…
and yet so complicated
Complicated
Verse 2
Memories don’t listen,
They never fade or obey…
They linger like a fragrance,
A whisper that wants to stay.
And now you’re here beside me,
Closer than you’ve ever been…
But a line stands in the doorway
That I cannot step within.
[Chorus ]
Verse 3
You talk to me of visions,
Of the worlds you long to build…
But never see the quiet battles
Inside my heart concealed.
If I told you what I’m feeling,
Would your destiny derail?
Would love become our weakness
If partnership should fail?
[Chorus ]
[Verse 4]
So I smile and say I’m fine,
Though truth is burning in my eyes…
Because loving you in silence
Feels safer than a partnership that dies.
But every step you take with me
Reminds me of what cannot be.
Still I’ll love you quietly
Though it tearing me apart…
[Chorus ]
7. Eleven years in a moment
Nineteen ninety-one, I sold my little store,
Closed the book on childhood, opened up the door.
Every dream I owned, I placed it all on you—
Hoping all we pictured might somehow come true.
Ninety-two, the prototypes were scattered on the floor,
A borrowed desk, a buzzing fan,
But we kept building more.
Ninety-three—our first small office,
Five new hires, one big win…
A customer believed in us,
And that’s when things begin.
Eleven years in a moment,
Racing forward, never slow…
Step by step and code by code.
We built a world from nothing,
With everything to prove—
Eleven years in a moment,
We watched our vision move
Ninety-four, ninety-five—sales climbing every day,
Ten million dollars earned before
We learned what not to say.
I moved into my own place—felt like growing wings…
Ninety-six, I followed too,
While we chased lofty dreams
Funding came like summer rain,
We were bursting at the seams
Eleven years in a moment,
Climbing higher, burning bright…
Racing toward a future
We couldn’t see in flight.
Ninety-seven, ninety-eight—
Funding came in tidal waves…
Eighty people working late
Through long and endless days.
We moved into the towers,
A dream across the sky…
A home of steel and windows,
A world we watched rise high.
Eleven years in a moment,
We built, we grew, we climbed—
Not knowing in our joy
We were running out of time.
Eleven years in a moment,
Our faith, our hope, our trust—
Eleven years in a moment,
Before the sky turned to dust.
And there I stayed, in my old flat,
Teaching English, feeding cats…
My friends in towers made of glass—
While I just watched the years go past.
8. Determination
[Verse 1]
Some dream of glory, while others just try
Some chase the horizon, some stare at the sky
Some wait for fortune, to show them the way
Some make their future, with sweat every day
[Chorus]
Is it in your genes?
Is it in your stars?
Is it coincidental, or just how determined you are?
Was it accidental, or was it ordained?
Were you supremely blessed, or destined for fame?
[Verse 2]
Some stumble often, yet stay determined
Others lose one battle, and just give in
Maybe it's fire, or maybe it's fate
That pushes the winner, where doubt can't wait
[Chorus]
Do you consume, or do you create?
Do you love, or propagate hate?
Do you criticize, or encourage?
Or do you offer solutions, or depend on faith?
Do you have vision, or operate blind?
Do you take action, or just waste time?
Is your influence felt by all mankind?
[Chorus repeat]
9. The Tower Is Burning
HARI:
I raised my hand, I said the words,
My heart beat loud — the proudest I’ve ever heard.
“I pledge allegiance to the flag…”
I spoke it strong, not held, not dragged.
MEENA:
Hurryi… you did it. You belong here now.
you’re shining like a brand-new sun.
Today… you finally became someone
(Background)
We walked out smiling under a calm blue sky,
Not knowing the world was about to cry.
Hurry—LOOK!
A plane crashed into the tower—
Oh my God—LOOK!
The tower is burning…
The tower is BURNING—
The tower is burning—
How can this be real?
They have been grounded!
Airspace is locked!
Land anywhere now.
HOLD ON—BRACE!
My people…
My friends…
They’re in there…
Don’t say that,
We don’t know yet.
We just DON’T know.
Step by step, mile by mile,
Smoke grows thicker… sky grows vile.
Sirens screaming… distant cries…
The world is ending in our eyes.
Hurry
That sound—
What is that sound—?
Something huge—
Something BAD—
The towers are falling…
Oh God…
The towers are FALLING—
They’re burning—
They’re breaking—
How can that happen?!
HOW can that happen?!
Those buildings touched the sky!
Giants made of steel and stone—
How does something so mighty
Just FALL—
Like pieces of foam
10. Dust in Our Lungs
Dust in our lungs…
Dust in our lungs…
Can’t breathe… can’t see…
Where do we RUN?
We’ve been walking for hours…
Every bridge is closed…
Every train stopped…
This whole city is locked down…
[Distant radio]
“…coordinated terrorist attack…”
[Voices]
Don’t go that way—
angry groups forming—
people scared, shouting at strangers.
Dust in our lungs…
Dust in our lungs…
[Priest]
Come into our church
You are safe here
[Male]
You— You’re alive?!
[Female]
We all are.
the whole team.
We were at the trade show today—
only a few stayed behind…
and we all escaped.
[Male]
All of them… alive?
This is a miracle.
This has to be a miracle.
I have experienced God.
I wanted an experience
And that's what I got
[Ensemble]
Dust in our lungs…
Still we breathe…
Still we run…
I have experienced God.
11. The Promise We Keep
[MALE VOCAL – Verse 1]
Welcome, friends, to this celebration,
Nine long years rebuilding our nation.
Me and my team were spared that awful day,
And that blessing guides us in every way.
In those first years our dreams took flight,
From sleepless nights to towers of light.
This nation let our company grow,
And gave me more than I could ever know.
[MALE VOCAL – Pre-Chorus]
We worked with purpose, we worked with pride,
With gratitude we've carried deep inside…
[MALE VOCAL – CHORUS + optional choir]
This is the promise we keep,
For the fallen, for the brave—
For the dreams they couldn’t finish,
For the lives they fought to save.
With every breath we take,
With every chance we seek—
We rise for those who left us,
This is the promise we keep.
[MALE VOCAL – Verse 2]
That’s why today, with humble heart,
I pledge a gift to do my part—
A portion of everything I own.
the harvest from the seeds I have sown
To lift the families who still endure,
To keep their children safe and secure.
To honor lives no money replaces—
But may it soften the hardest places.
[MALE VOCAL – Pre-Chorus 2]
Me and my team survived that day—
With dust in our lungs, we got away…
[MALE VOCAL – CHORUS + optional choir]
This is the promise we keep,
For the fallen, for the brave—
For the dreams they couldn’t finish,
For the lives they fought to save.
With every breath we take,
With every voice we speak—
We rise for those who left us,
This is the promise we keep.
[BRIDGE – Male Vocal, soft]
For every name carved deep in stone,
Every family standing here alone…
Your sorrow lives inside our chest,
Your courage makes our nation blessed.
[FINAL CHORUS – Male + Choir lifting]
This is the promise we keep,
For the fallen, for the brave—
For the dreams they couldn’t finish,
For the lives they fought to save.
For every hope they held,
For every soul we weep—
We rise for those who left us…
This is the promise we keep.
11. The Stripe That Bleeds
Verse 1:
You came to our country and changed our land,
The color of your skin shows where you stand.
Look at our flag — the white stripe is clean,
It stands for the color of our unstained skin.
Other colors just do not belong
Here in this country that we call home.
By killing you the world will see
That white man is united and meant to be free
To live as an unblemished, pure-born race,
One religion, one color on our face.
Now say your prayers and prepare to die —
To fulfill my quest for vengeance, I will abide.
---
"The Stripe That Bleeds"
Verse 1:
You’ve got it all wrong —
The white stripe does not represent your skin,
But highlights the need for purity within.
The stripe that bleeds runs red for us all,
Chorus:
the stripe that bleeds unites us all.
It bleeds for the martyrs who stood tall
No colors, no religion — just all mankind.
Verse 2:
Take your shot if it will quench your hate —
For maybe this moment is my fate.
To help the world see
That the stripe that bleeds unites us all.
Chorus repeat
Add me to that list as I fall.
12. The Final Confrontation
[Verse 1 ]
[Male Vocals 1:]
This ground is sacred—
My brother’s final breath…
And now YOU stand here celebrating
Like you weren’t part of his death.
People like YOU
Made those towers fall—
So why should you
Live life at all?
[Verse 3 — Priest Intervenes]
[Male vocals 2;Older man]
Stand down, my son—
This is not the way.
Christ would not choose vengeance
To guide your heart today.
He’d lift your sorrow,
Not feed your flame…
He’d love the lost
And bless each name.
My son—
Forgive, not kill…
Even when
There’s nothing to forgive.
[Verse 6 ]
[Male Vocals 1]:]
Enough of words!
Enough of lies!
If no one pays—
Then EVERYONE dies!
[Instrumentation]
[Bridge]
[Male vocals 2. Older man:]
A message sent
When darkness grows…
The one responsible
Now lies below.
Your brother’s killer
Now is gone—
Your grief can finally
Wander on.
This is God
Reaching through the storm…
To calm your hand,
Your heart transform.
[Outro ]
[Male vocals1]
GUNMAN (sung, breaking):
I have been waiting for 10 years
I cannot believe that he is finally dead
I can now finally rest
Knowing my brothers death has been avenged
13. The Finale
[Verse 1 ]
Hurry… when I saw that gun…
My whole world fell apart.
I cannot hide this anymore—
You live inside my heart.
I’ve loved you since our Mumbai days,
Across oceans, across time…
My silence was protection—
But the cost was always mine.
[Verse 2]
Meena… why didn’t you speak
Before this trembling day?
Your words have lit a fire in me
I cannot turn away.
But now a promise calls me back,
A vow my family hopes I’ll keep—
Next week I fly to India
To meet the bride arranged for me…
[Verse 3 ]
A bride… you’re meant to meet?
Then what are we…
What can we be?
[Outro - Alternate male Vocal]
Where do we go from here
How do we work this out
Its complicated reprise
Determination reprise - Cast Bows
Phone rings
Hello? Hi Ma… is everything alright?
[FEMALE VOCAL – Mother – gentle, melodic]
Yes, my son… look behind you.
[MALE VOCAL – Hari – sung, stunned]
Ma… you’re here…
I don’t understand…
[FEMALE VOCAL – Mother – melodic reveal]
Hari, my child…
The girl I have chosen for you
Is not in India…
She is here
In the United States.
[MALE VOCAL – Hari – emotional, sung]
Ma… my heart is not in it.
Are you going to hold me
To that promise?
[FEMALE VOCAL – Mother – firm, loving, sung]
Yes, my son.
The girl I chose is perfect for you…
And you must marry her.
(slight pause)
She is…
Standing right beside you.
[Meena and Jag– soft, emotional]
Hari…
I arranged for your mother to be here.
She watched the entire ceremony.
[MALE VOCAL – Hari – soft]
You… knew?
[Meena]
We all knew.
Announcement
When the dust settles…
Destiny evolves.