Dragon in the Laserdisc

Lyrics

It's quiet now.
The other cabinets are sleeping.
But you, you still smell of hot ozone.
Even in the dark, I can see Dirk the Daring on your side, sword held high.
They said it was a movie you could play.
A cartoon from Don Bluth himself, come to life.
Fifty thousand cels, hand-painted light.
A princess, a dragon, a promise in a beautiful box.
They stood in line in August, 1983.
Just to watch. Just to see if it was real.
But your heart is a mirror, a spinning silver disc.
One wrong move, a flash of skull and bone.
It wasn't a world, just a path. A choice.
And the laser burns so hot inside you.
Beautiful, fragile thing.
You were never built to last.
Rick Dyer's dream from 1979.
Fifty cents to see the future.
I can hear the Pioneer LD-V1000 whirring inside your chest.
I can feel the heat from the vent in the back.
Four hundred plays, maybe.
Then the screen goes black. The story skips.
And I get the call again.
Because your heart is a mirror, a spinning silver disc.
One wrong move, a flash of skull and bone.
It wasn't a world, just a path. A choice.
And the laser burns so hot inside you.
Beautiful, fragile thing.
You were never built to last.
All those artists, painting ink on glass.
Did they know it would end like this?
A technician on his knees with a screwdriver,
Swapping out another dead drive.
You burned so bright for one summer.
A perfect picture that couldn't move, not really.
Just jump from track to track.
There it is.
The clunk. The seek failure.
The dragon is gone.
Just a reflection on the dark glass now.
My own face, tired in the neon glow.
You were so beautiful.
You almost convinced me.