Roger D. Linder: Tigerman vs. The Purple Mosquito

A rock opera currently being developed alongside an uunfinished novel that has set the theme.

  1. Tigerman - Origin - Part 1
  2. Tom and Lee
  3. Tigerman - Origin - Part 2
  4. Tom and Lee - Continued
  5. Brandywine
  6. The Purple Mosquito
  7. The Cat in the Hat
  8. Tom's Lament
  9. What just happened
  10. Tiger's prey
  11. Opportunistic Beast
  12. Through The Rift
  13. Reach
  14. What's It Like?
  15. Disguise

Tigerman - Origin - Part 1

The cat was silent
No noise he made
From his mission, no one could dissuade

Is it mercy
Or evil afoot?
He scans the area for more input

The lightning strikes
The thunder rolls
Neither distracts him from his patrols

If one could see
His frightening form
They'd fear him more than the outside storm

His quiet vigil
Disturbed no more
He stands as if to strike once more

No frightened child
Not one small peep
Young Wade Brandywine has gone to sleep

Tom and Lee

[Lee]
And what is this, a comic book?

[Tom]
Lee, won't you take another look?

[Lee]
The mystery is clear to see
It doesn't make much sense to me

[Tom]
It isn't fiction, it is fact
Before you go on, make a pact
What you see here, it's reality
I reveal my secret identity

[Lee]
This says "Wade" and who is that?
And what's the purpose of the cat?
And secret? I know you as Tom
To me it reeks of bad sit-com

[Tom]
Wade is me, it's not a role
I feel him deep down in my soul
He is as real as the two of us
There's no further need to discuss
But if you doubt that I'm sincere
Take for example, the story here
It says one Clark was once Jor-el
On that you cannot quarrel

[Lee]
You have your recollections wrong
But sure, OK, I'll play along
It's Kal-El that became a Kent
The name you do misrepresent

[Tom]
It doesn't matter, it's fictional
My mistake is forgivable
But more will be revealed to all
And I am sure you'll be enthralled

Tigerman - Origin - Part 2

In India, deep in its heart
Begins this tale which I impart
A tiger, lone, now stalks his prey
The deer is spied, his feast this day

His stealth, his silence, unafraid
His blood lust raised, his teeth displayed
His empty stomach churns in hunger
He cannot make a single blunder

Slowly stretching muscles, sinews
Dark and dreary, rain continues
Thunder rumbles, flash of light
The deer runs off into the night

Enraged, engaged, now is chasing
That same deer who now is racing
Wanting only a safe haven
Tiger only wants his craving

Deer must flee or be consumed
Leap to live, or else be doomed
The tiger stops, his prey eluded
Wade Brandywine observes, secluded

Tom and Lee - Continued

[Tom]
This character of Brandywine
Is he someone you can define?
The novel, when's it coming out?
A bestseller? I have my doubts

[Lee]
It's not a book, it's my true tale
But at this stage, the truth is veiled
I've given you but a small taste
I won't stand to see his name disgraced

[Tom]
So he's a he, or he is you
It seems you don't know what to do
To bring him out onto the page
You think that he deserves a stage

[Lee]
I tell you true, that Wade is me
It's just that you refuse to see
He's not a simple entity
He's my secret identity

[Tom]
So tell me, just what does Wade do?
Is he the hero you pursue?
He seems to be obsessed with cats
Can't you take time to explain that?

[Lee]
Wade is me, as you've been told
The tale slowly starts to unfold
I/We observe the jungle beast
A stealthy cat, to say the least

[Tom]
The purpose of this observation
That occupies this strange narration?

[Lee]
I trust you to tell no one here
I can't make this any more clear
The secret life, the master plan: 
Wade and I are Tigerman

Brandywine

It’s Brandywine again I see
Your obsession makes no sense to me
A character from history
Or from your own mind’s fantasy?

This Brandywine he makes no sense
But yet you come to his defence
Why keep me in such fake suspense?
Eliminate all this nonsense?

What is the reason, this pursuit?
The chance he's real is too minute 
And your claim he can transmute
It's something that I must refute

The poison that infects your mind
Is surely something you can find
To be a detriment to mankind
It's something you should leave behind

So Brandywine is just a myth
A simple fiction from a wordsmith
Not worth a piece of my bandwidth
I see a crack in your monolith

The Purple Mosquito

I am the one you were warned about
The one who promises to take out
Everything you've fought for and won
Everything will now be undone

I am the menace, the Purple Mosquito
Damage, destruction are part of my credo
Always be wary, don't let down your guard
A moment's distraction and I'll hit you hard

You may think I'm the essence of evil
You may think that I am the devil
But from my point of view
It's the same way for you
This world is due for upheaval

The Purple Mosquito, as the legend foretold
Is the one who brings dangers that can't be controlled
The hatred against me that you have amassed
With come back and bite you in time at long last

So Tigerman still has a bite, I can see
But the Purple one's bite is the one most deadly
It's tiny, yet fatal, and you soon shall be
Aware it's for your own life that you will soon plea.

The Cat in the Hat

That cat in the hat
Is a bit of a brat
He thinks he's all that
But his efforts fall flat

He's no fashion plate
Cannot master the gait
His manners do grate
Must obliterate

I can see him from a mile away
All of that flash is just one way to say
"Hey, I'm important, the top of my class"
Well, I think he's just a self-styled pompous ass

Wade Brandywine is a fake and a fraud
Is nothing but fluff, a scam, a façade
He's touts himself worthy of great wide appeal
Truth to be told, he comes off as a heel

Silver-spooned upbringing, check the result
The way that he moves is just an insult
His rabid fans are no more than a cult
It's time that I show him how to be an adult

That cat, his chapeau
Really does have to go
It is nothing but show
He has reached his plateau

Tom's Lament

I dream at night
It's been revealed
Wade Brandywine is me

But now I fight
I'm ridiculed
When someone doesn't see

It was so long ago, I fear
It was the distant past
When me, as Wade, it was so clear
But now I'm just harassed

I didn't just wake to this thought
It wasn't like it's all for nought
It's something known my whole life through
It's something that I know is true

Why can't the prophecies unfold?
Why can't they just appear?
Why are the tales left untold?
Why are they left unclear?

Another life, another time
It really is my destiny
Why not when I was in my prime?
Consider it my infamy

The years have passed, and nothing yet
The heartache's there, I can't forget
Is it more than my mindset?
Will it all end with my regret?

What just happened

What just happened 
The tale you tell is true 
It’s like I always knew 
Wade Brandywine is you
I don’t know what I’m doing in thuds

Fantasy 
Or is it reality
Now that I really see
No longer up to me
The enemy is me

I wake from a dream and then
I fall into a trap again 
A

Fantasy 
Or is it my reality
Now that I can really see
I think we both agree
The enemy is me

I woke from a dream and then
I fell into the trap again 
I cannot comprehend the facts
I cannot justify my acts

There I go
My tale is one of woe
This is the status quo
No reason to bellow
The truth I must follow

Choice is mine
Where do I draw the line?
I take this as a sign
I no longer can malign
Apologies are genuine

Tiger's prey

Wade Brandywine, set in his place
Observer of the tiger's trait
He spies the cat in locked embrace
A bear who understands his fate

The struggle's real, a fight ensues
The tiger 'round the neck he wraps
The bear is now about to choose
'Tween life or death, a moment's lapse

A fatal strike, the sharpened claws
A swipe, the blood begins to flow
The bear goes limp, his only flaw
Could not anticipate the blow

The bear, he falls upon the ground
The tiger, victor on this day
More daily sustenance he's found
Another victim he has slayed

Opportunistic Beast

Never heeding words of warning
To you I am just a feast
Any room you'll find your way in
Such an opportunistic beast

Doesn't matter my protection
Cannot get away from you
I wonder why I'm your selection
When I see you, troubles brew

I won't bear the indignation
Hoping you'll just go away
It results in altercation
Just a victim that you prey

In my mind I make a war plan
Something buzzing at my ear
Surely it is nothing more than
Just a tiny thing I fear

At the time I'm restless, searching
Time to make that fatal blow
On my arm it's you there perching
One slap, dead, you mosquito

Through The Rift

I come through an interdimensional rift
I come through to bring you the ultimate gift

Not power, or riches, or instant appeal
But you will discover that this one's for real

It's knowledge you'll need to make sense of this time
And wisdom to recognize this paradigm
A fighter you'll be 'gainst the most heinous crime
Even though your self-doubt thinks you're way past your prime

The tiger in you will lash out with its claws
The criminal element slashed by its flaws

When strife seems to weigh on you down to the core
While hopelessly triggered by those from before
You'll find that you strengthen and gain a rapport
With natural forces you'll need to explore

This won't be the only time I come to you
I'll be there to guide you, to help you get through

The fate of the world on your shoulder it lies
Your courage and faithfulness keeps it alive.

Reach

For all these years I'm trying to reach you
To stop your tears, so much to teach you

So listen, don't refuse my call
Accept, or you will lose it all

I've tried through dreams to make our contact
But even those you often reject

You really need to pick it up
You need to make that followup

Reach out to you from this dimension
Yet you think it's a deception
Don't bury it with apprehension
It's you that I have chosen

You just sit there addle-headed
Something that I've always dreaded
My choice of you I've not regretted
Take that chance, don't be frozen

The powers I have I must endue
They're something that you must accrue
There aren't even a chosen few
It's only you, it's only you

To reach your goal you make an effort
The words I give you have great import

No wasting time, not for an instant
You'll be there to make a difference

You clear your mind, you close the trap
Someday truth will be unwrapped
I've laid it all out like a map
It's up to you to follow

What's It Like?

What's it like to be a tiger?
What's it like to be a man?
Is it strength and muscle fiber?
Is it someone's master plan?

I can't be man/cat together
I can't be a blend of both
I refuse to choose whatever
Fate, selection, or sworn oath

Never will I follow that path
Never will I tread that trail
I would rather face the sure wrath
Than to live beyond the pale

Is it choice, or is it fate?
Was it set back in my youth?
Could it be that it's too late?
That my fear is now the truth?

What's it like to be a tiger?
That is what I have to face
Man or beast, a great divider
It's a fate I must embrace

Disguise

They say I’ve got the tiger’s eyes
Transformation’s my disguise 
There’s no mask and there’s no cape
Transformation’s my escape

No horn-rimmed glasses hide my face
I’m in my alter ego’s space
We occupy the same domain
And Tigerman I do remain


Lyrics v. 2.4.2
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