Suffering

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Suffering is the first song of The Thunder Saga and the opening number of EPIC's Act 2. During this song, a siren disguises herself as Penelope to lure in and kill Odysseus, while the latter asks the siren for the best path to get home.

Lyrics[]

[SIRENS]
Penelope (Ah; ooh)
Penelope (Ah; ooh)

["PENELOPE"]
Don't you miss me?

[ODYSSEUS]
More than you know

["PENELOPE"]
Then jump in the water and kiss me

[ODYSSEUS]
Penelope, I've told you this before
You know I'm afraid of the water

["PENELOPE"]
I'll make sure that you are safe and sound
Come play with me and our daughter
And let's watch our love leave the ground

[ODYSSEUS, "PENELOPE"]
Oh, I would
But I'd be suffering trying to float the whole time
I would take the suffering from you
Ooh, as good as that sounds, right here I'm just fine
I can take the suffering from you
You know that I prefer my feet on the ground
I will take the suffering from you
Fine, but only if you answer a question or two

["PENELOPE", spoken]
Of course!

[ODYSSEUS, spoken]
Okay! So, let's say I was on the run. Or hiding!
From, I don't know, Poseidon?
And let's say he blocked the way home
With giant waves and giant storms!

["PENELOPE", spoken]
Oh no...

[ODYSSEUS]
How am I to evade him?
How am I to get home?
Which route should I take?
Where am I supposed to go?

["PENELOPE"]
He will chase you high and low
So find a place he'd never go
The one way you'll get home
Is sailing where he's scared to roam, oh
It's through the lair of Scylla

[ODYSSEUS, spoken]
No...

["PENELOPE"]
This is your only way home
The lair of Scylla

[ODYSSEUS, spoken]
But Scylla has a cost!

["PENELOPE"]
Well, you asked and now you know

["PENELOPE", spoken]
Now jump in the water!

[ODYSSEUS, "PENELOPE"]
Penelope, why?
You know I'm too shy and terrified
I would take the suffering from you
Ooh, for you I would die
But can't you let me stay dry?
I can take the suffering from you
You should come onto the ship
We'll jump at the same time
I will take the suffering from you
(Sigh) The things I do for you...

Trivia[]

This song is in A♭ major/F minor and has a 4/4 time signature.
Penelope's theme is playing throughout the song, but it is slightly altered, musically representing that it is a trick and the siren is not actually Penelope.
- Another clue towards this is the lack of violas, despite them being her signature instrument.
Before this song was revealed, Jorge was insistent that the sirens would not be in the musical making a joke saying the sirens were 'cut', alluding to what would happen to them in Different Beast.
A meme has circulated involving Jorge tucking his hair when saying the line "Penelope, why? You know I'm too shy!"
Jorge uses dual messaging in this song to symbolize Odysseus addressing 'Penelope', as well as the siren, at the same time:
- "More than you know" shows the extent he misses his wife and the lack of awareness the siren has towards who he is.
- "For you, I would die" shows the love Odysseus has for Penelope, and the fact that joining the siren would kill him.
In a video posted by Jorge, he explains that in order to accurately collect information and memories, a siren's song must fully reach her victims' ears. Due to the beeswax that Odysseus and his crew used, the siren could not do so, and apart from the lyrics (i.e. claiming that Odysseus has a daughter), the music shows this in several ways:
- For example, an important instrument used, rather than a viola, is from Polites' music: a mallet. The mix-up occurred because Polites was also someone Odysseus deeply cared about.
- When the siren is explaining how to evade Poseidon ("He will chase you high and low, so find a place he'd never go"), she uses Zeus' melody from The Horse and the Infant as he describes a future Astyanax's vengeance. She understands the idea of chasing Odysseus down and taking vengeance, but mixes up the melodic motif between people.
When the siren says “The lair of Scylla”, Circe's motif is played but on piano. This hints the connection between Circe and Scylla.
According to Greek Mythology, Circe was in love with the sea god, Glaucus. However, he was infatuated with the nymph Scylla. To get revenge, Circe poisoned the water where Scylla bathed, transforming her into a monstrous creature