page tools :

The Mermaid

Commissioned by the School for its 50th anniversary.

Music by Evren Celilmli '89, lyrics by Ethan Forman '84.

Remember the mermaid who swam in from overseas

Born from a city's resistance

She taught you how to wag that tail of yours

And wave a sword of victory

She beat her sword into ploughshares

And hung her long locks on hooks

Despite her tail she dragged her books upstairs

No Pyrrhic victories here

She was just a girl who learned to walk by taking the subway

Back and forth to school

Learning for her was like the tides

Something she'd come back to again and again...

Remember the mermaid who swam in from overseas

Born from a city's resistance

Now each fall a new crop of mermaids come

Eager for sword and ploughshare lessons

Searching for meaning in struggle

Preparing for a life of action

Mermaid don't dwell too long

On all those crushes and first kisses

Don't wait too long

To celebrate and sing about your memories

She was just a girl who learned to walk by taking the subway

Back and forth to school

Learning for her was like the tides

Something she'd come back to again and again and again...

Send photos to Tristan Davies '83, director of communications!

Post a comment on the 50th Anniversary Blog!

We will update this site with photos, videos, text and more in the coming days.