The Same Person
Tenafly, NJ
2025, Senior, Performing Arts
[Verse]
Seventy years ago, you watched the lights
Explode into a million lives down from the sky,
They cried for war, and soot covered your view,
Now I look at you, a flower that blooms for two months,
Standing on the same ground, I feel the sadness creep on,
Asked your leaves if some good change at least ensued,
[Pre Chorus]
‘Cause the lights don’t stop,
And the end is getting closer,
The fight don’t stop with you,
[Chorus]
And you said,
Two months, too much,
But you’re the same person,
The same person, yeah,
Two sides, two minds,
But you’re the same person,
The same person
[Verse 2]
Sixty years ago, you watched the road
Rebuild on your streets like a miracle show
Lights filled the skies, but fine dust covered your view,
Now I look at you, a flower who’s stayed with me my whole life,
Sharing the same blood, I’m starting to just realize
The history shared in our lives I never knew,
[Pre Chorus]
‘Cause the lights don’t stop,
And the end is getting closer,
The fight don’t stop with you,
[Chorus]
So you said,
Two months, too much,
But you’re the same person,
The same person, yeah,
Two times, two fights,
But you’re the same person,
The same person
[Bridge]
But there’s a way to avoid the chaos and pain,
Restore the love we once felt back in the days,
Save power, stay peaceful, and plant more of my flowers,
And maybe the next time I breathe I will say,
[Chorus]
Two months, two lives,
And you’re a great person,
A great person,
But ‘til then,
Two months, too much,
And you’re the same person,
The same person.
Reflection
Reflection
History class taught us about the thousands of lives lost during wars and the thousands of buildings that were built after it, but it never taught us about the impact it had on the lives that live today. We always knew that our ancestors had gone through these historical events, but it wasn’t until we looked into the past of our home country and connected the history of our land to nature that we realized that it heavily impacted the horrible state of our current environment. The war hadn’t just spilled blood and split us into two, but had also contaminated our soil and air; the rebuilding of our country hadn’t just increased its growth, but had also cleared lands and forests; yet, humans continue to pollute and destroy nature through wars, factories, clear-cutting, and more despite having gone through these detrimental experiences. Time was passing, but nothing was changing. To convey this concern, we took the viewpoint of the Baekunsan Daylilies that used to grow in our garden and created our original song, “The Same Person,” corroborating the idea that our indifference towards the preservation of nature hasn’t changed even though generations of destructive events have torn down both humankind and the environment. The lyrics “two months, too much, and you’re the same person,” refer to this idea that even after each generation of the daylily’s blooming season, our attitude stayed the same. Writing this song has only made our passion to save both humans and the environment deeper, including both historical events in the verses and tying them with nature. We hope that our song can help others realize that we should change our environmentally degrading practices for the better and restore the healthy relationship we had with nature once again.