On the Edge
Irene Sankoff and David Hein
[CLAUDE, spoken]
Some people spend their days crammed inside shoulder to shoulder with nothing to do but watch the news and wait for something to happen

[COMPANY]
On the edge

[BEULAH, spoken]
We've got the TVs going 24/7 in the cafeteria and the more they watch the more scared and angry they get

[COMPANY]
On the edge of the -

[OZ, spoken]
Some of the plane people haven't slept in three days
None of us have either
And we're jumping at our own shadows

[COMPANY]
On the edge of the world

[BEULAH, spoken]
Around suppertime on Thursday, people are waiting to use the phones and there’s a fight in the hallway
(ALI is speaking in Arabic on the phone to his mother)

[ALI, spoken]
Ana Kwyiss Alhamduliallah. El aakl hena helw awi. Hagga Faw’a el wassif. Lekin, fee ness, fee naass kateera hena, Be-yeboosooly
Akiny Irtakept gereema

[PASSENGER 11, spoken]
Hey, hey! What the Hell you sayin'?

[ALI, spoken]
I beg your pardon?

[PASSENGER 11, spoken]
You celebrating this? You praying for your friends?

[ALI, spoken]
MaaMa, Laazim ‘afil el sikha delwaa’ty — salaam bahibik —

[PASSENGER 11, spoken]
Why doesn’t he speak English?

[ALI, spoken]
Excuse me?

[PASSENGER 8, spoken]
You telling your Muslim friends where to bomb next?
[ALI, spoken]
This was not all Muslims! And I was not –

[PASSENGER 11, spoken]
Go back where you came from!

[PASSENGER 2, spoken]
I'm Muslim and I was born in Connecticut. I'm an American citizen!

[PASSENGER 11, spoken]
You don't look American!

[PASSENGER 2, spoken]
What does that even mean?!

(an argument ensues)

[COMPANY]
On the edge of the world or wherever we are
We are – we are – we are on the edge
Is there something - I need to do something
To keep me from thinking of all those scenes on the tube
I need something to do – 'cause I can't watch the news
No, I can't watch the news anymore
On the edge
[CLAUDE, spoken]
FAA keeps delaying opening the airspace – and here on the ground, we're dealing with a whole mess of other problems

[COMPANY]
On the edge of the -

[BEVERLEY, spoken]
Some of the planes are parked on a runway where the surface is all torn up. That debris gets into an engine and they'll never leave

[COMPANY]
On the edge of the world

[CLAUDE, spoken]
One of the big planes, a triple-7, is sinking into the asphalt
If we don't do something, she'll be stuck here forever

[COMPANY]
On the edge of the world or wherever we are
We are - we are - we are on
We are - we are - we are - we are on the edge!

[JANICE, spoken]
I interview a woman from Queens - a mother
Her son’s a firefighter and they still can’t account for him
She starts crying, and I start crying too, and I can’t stop shaking
I don’t want to do this anymore

[BEVERLEY, spoken]
I check in with air traffic control again and it’s more bad news
Not only is the airspace still closed, but there’s a storm headed for Newfoundland!
Hurricane Erin is making landfall tomorrow or the day after
If we don’t get these planes in the air soon, no one’s going anywhere!

[OZ, spoken]
Claude, people are starting to crack

[CLAUDE, spoken]
Let’s get everyone down to the Legion

[KEVIN T, spoken]
Everyone’s going down to the Legion for a drink

[KEVIN J, spoken]
Hi, have you seen my boyfriend? His name is Kevin. He’s about this tall and he’s lost his mind

[KEVIN T, spoken]
I just want to go out!

[KEVIN J, spoken]
Well, I don’t

[KEVIN T, spoken]
Well, I’m not going without you

[KEVIN J, spoken]
Well, I’m not staying for a long time

[KEVIN T, spoken]
One drink?

[KEVIN J, spoken]
One drink

[BEULAH, spoken]
Hannah, everyone’s going out tonight

[HANNAH, spoken]
You go on without me, Beulah. I need to wait by the phone

[BEULAH, spoken]
I’ll wait with you

[BEVERLEY, spoken]
I keep waiting to hear from the airline, so I’ll just be here by the phone, Tom, if the kids want to speak with me

[DOUG, spoken]
Bonnie, I know you’re not leaving the animals, so I brought you some chili. But I really think that tonight, you should come home and get some sleep -

[BONNIE, spoken]
Doug! Oh my, get in here! We are about to have the first rare bonobo chimpanzee born in Newfoundland!

[CLAUDE, spoken]
Beulah, they need some food down at the Legion, if you can spare any

[ALI, spoken]
Miss Beulah, please let me help with the food!

[BEULAH, spoken]
No, my love, you’re a guest!

[ALI, spoken]
Please! I am a master chef for an international hotel chain. I oversee restaurants around the world - I would like to help with the food!

[BEULAH, spoken]
Get in there!

[DIANE, spoken]
Everyone’s going out to the bar, and Nick is going -

[NICK, spoken]
I’m going if Diane is going

[DIANE, spoken]
And I think - nobody here knows me! I can be whoever I wanna be!

[BOB, spoken]
I’m not worried about my wallet
I’m not worried about getting shot -
I am a little worried about how much Irish whiskey I’m drinking!
Write the lyrics for a rock song made in 2017, titled "On the Edge", by artist "Irene Sankoff and David Hein".