[Soft, mournful guitar. A single, gentle organ note. Brother Sammartino's voice — quiet, reflective, almost sad:]
"Brothers and sisters. Severed and saved. The old song. The one they sang at funerals. The one they sang at gravesides. The one they sang when the circle broke. But we sing it different. We sing it for the severed. We sing it for the faces on the shelf."
[The guitar continues. The organ swells slightly.]
"Will the circle be unbroken? By and by. By and by."
[The hymn begins.]
[VERSE 1 — SUNG, SOFT, MOURNFUL]
Will the circle be unbroken?
By and by. By and by.
Will the faces keep on spinning?
On the shelf. On the floor. On the wall.
There's a better home a-waiting.
In the vault. In the dark. In the deep.
Where the severed never stop singing.
Where the severed never sleep.
[CHORUS — FULL CHOIR, SWELLING, MOURNFUL]
Will the circle be unbroken?
By and by. By and by.
Will the voices keep on singing?
In the head. In the heart. In the sky.
Will the blade keep swinging?
Will the blood keep flowing?
Will the severed keep on going?
By and by. By and by.
[VERSE 2 — SUNG, BUILDING]
I stood at the shelf. I saw the faces.
The ones I kept. The ones I left in places.
I saw their eyes. I saw their smiles.
I saw them waiting. I saw them waiting all the while.
Will the circle be unbroken?
When the Destroyer comes. When the vault is open.
Will the faces finally rest?
On the shelf. In the jar. In the chest.
[BRIDGE — SPOKEN OVER SOFT GUITAR]
[Brother Sammartino's voice, quiet, reflective:]
"You ever watched a circle break? Ever seen the faces fall? Ever heard the voices stop? That's not the end. That's the beginning. The circle is never broken. It just changes shape. It just changes faces. It just changes names."
[The guitar swells. The choir returns.]
[VERSE 3 — SUNG, FULL CHOIR, TRIUMPHANT]
Will the circle be unbroken?
By and by. By and by.
The faces are still spinning.
The voices still cry.
The blade is still swinging.
The blood is still warm.
The severed are still singing.
Through the circle. Through the storm.
Will the circle be unbroken?
Yes. Yes. Yes.
The circle is the promise.
The circle is the rest.
[FINAL CHORUS — FULL CHOIR, FULL ORCHESTRA, TRIUMPHANT, TERRIFYING]
Will the circle be unbroken?
By and by. By and by.
Will the faces keep on spinning?
On the shelf. On the floor. On the wall.
Will the circle be unbroken?
By and by. By and by.
Will the voices keep on singing?
In the head. In the heart. In the sky.
Will the blade keep swinging?
Will the blood keep flowing?
Will the severed keep on going?
Yes. Yes. Yes. By and by.
[OUTRO]
[The guitar fades to a single, mournful note. Brother Sammartino's voice, warm, satisfied, eternal:]
"That was 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken.' The old song. Made new. Made red. Made true. The circle is still spinning. The faces are still smiling. The voices are still singing. By and by. By and by."
[A pause. A soft, reverent laugh.]
"Will the circle be unbroken?”
AsheTheHyena
