The Price

Dramatic

Playing

Song 12 of 25

“The Price” is Pharaoh’s grief-stricken solo, the moment the man behind the crown finally breaks. Immediately after his son’s death, he confronts the cost of pride, legacy, and the godhood he tried to claim. The song begins in a whisper over solo cello and soft piano, as if Pharaoh fears the sound of his own confession.

The musical style is restrained and cinematic. The cello carries a mournful minor-key pulse while Pharaoh’s bass voice enters nearly spoken, heavy with disbelief. Strings swell as his grief deepens. Subtle percussion and low sub-bass create pressure beneath the melody, mirroring the emotional collapse inside him.

Song Lyrics

[PHARAOH:]

“[(sung, nearly spoken, voice fragile and stunned)]
The boy is gone.
The house is clean.
The gold still shines
But none can see. “

“He was more than heir –
He was breath in stone.
I carved his laughter
Into walls of my own. “

“[PHARAOH. Deep Male Bass voice (sung, rising in intensity):]”
They daubed their doors
With borrowed blood
While I –
I stood like silence
In blood and mud.

[STRINGS SWELL – grief deepens, melody lengthens]

“[(The full string section rises with tragic warmth. Bow strokes widen, as if sorrow itself expands into the room.)] “

[PHARAOH. Deep Male Bass voice (sung):]

“[(His phrasing steadies but gains emotional weight. Piano adds subtle low-octave strikes.)]
I have raised cities
With one breath
But I could not hold
The hand of death “

[PHARAOH. Deep Male Bass voice (sung, bitter):]

“[(Tone darkens. Cello shifts to heavier bowing. Subtle percussion tremor may appear under the line.)]
You spared the fields
And took the flame
You passed their homes
And crossed my name”

[BRIDGE – lower strings bow slowly. Room for breath.]

“[(Music thins dramatically. Cello holds long tones. Pharaoh stands alone in a sonic void. His voice should feel exposed, almost shaking.)] “

[PHARAOH. Deep Male Bass voice (sung, slow, deliberate):]

“Tell me, God –
Is this Your grace?
To leave a throne
And fill its place…
…With silence? “

[TRANSITION – rage enters the phrasing]

“[(Strings tighten. Piano hits grow sharper. Low sub-bass pulses like a heartbeat under strain. Pharaoh’s voice becomes heavier, heated, but never shouted.)] “

[PHARAOH. Deep Male Bass voice (sung, full voice, burning):]

“Take your people
Take your priests
Take your shepherds
And your feasts “

[PHARAOH. Deep Male Bass voice (sung, near breaking):]

“[(Breath grows unsteady. The orchestra fractures around him, strings shaking, then pulling back.)]
Take your burdens Take your God
Take the promise
Take your blood! “

[CLOSING – return to piano + cello. Tempo slows.]

“[(The music collapses into near stillness. Only soft piano and a single cello line remain. Pharaoh sinks physically or emotionally.)]”

[PHARAOH. Deep Male Bass voice (spoken, whispered):]

“I am Pharaoh.
But what am I now?
The pillars still stand.
But now I bow.”

"The Cry"

"Chains Break"