Story of My Life, The movie - The Greatest Gift lyrics
rate meALVIN<br>
The Greatest Gift.<br>
A story about Alvin and Thomas.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
Alvin and his father lived on the second floor above his father's bookstore.<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
It was called The Writer's Block - New and Used Books.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
One Christmas Eve,<br>
Alvin and I made snow angels and watched Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life.<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
Our annual tradition.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
Then Alvin took me downstairs to the bookstore. We were eleven.<br>
<br>
<br>
(They take a step into the past.)<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
Trust me.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
What are we doing?<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
We're going to pick out a book for your Christmas present.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
Cool. Which one?<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
I don't know, but it's somewhere in this mystical place.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
Mystical place?<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
Mystical place.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
It’s a bookstore.<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
No. It’s a great and powerful force capable of extraordinary feats.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
Alvin's father was known for having the uncanny knack<br>
of finding the perfect book for each of his customers.<br>
Of course, Alvin saw things... differently.<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
EVERY DAY<br>
PEOPLE COME INTO THIS BOOKSTORE.<br>
NEVER KNOWING IT WAS BUILT<br>
ON SACRED HOLLOWED GROUND.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
Don't you mean “hallowed”?<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
THEY TRAVEL HERE FROM ALL AROUND.<br>
POOR SOULS LOOKING FOR STORIES.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
Where's my present?<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
These desperate pilgrims enter this shrine. My father says...<br>
<br>
<br>
“GOOD AFTERNOON,”<br>
<br>
<br>
Or “morning” as the case may be.<br>
<br>
<br>
“I’M THE OWNER OF THIS BOOKSTORE.<br>
CAN I HELP YOU PLEASE?”<br>
AND THEY SAY, “NOT RIGHT NOW SIR, THANKS A LOT.<br>
BUT I’LL PERUSE THE BOOKS YOU’VE GOT.<br>
I’M JUST LOOKING FOR STORIES.”<br>
<br>
<br>
SO DAD ALLOWS THEM TO SEARCH THE STACKS.<br>
AND THEY HUNT AND BROWSE<br>
AND THEY READ THE BACKS.<br>
<br>
<br>
BUT EVENTUALLY,<br>
INEVITABLY,<br>
THEY ASK FOR DAD’S ADVICE.<br>
<br>
<br>
They talk a little.<br>
<br>
<br>
THEN HE GETS THIS LOOK ALL DAZED AND QUEER.<br>
AND HE MUMBLES THINGS I CAN'T QUITE HEAR.<br>
<br>
<br>
(Alvin imitates his father’s mumbling.)<br>
<br>
<br>
THEN, LIKE A SHOT,<br>
HE GOES RIGHT TO THE PERFECT SPOT<br>
AND FINDS THEIR SPECIAL BOOK,<br>
THE ONE DISTINCTIVE BOOK,<br>
THE STORY THAT WILL CHANGE THAT PERSON’S LIFE.<br>
<br>
<br>
You see?<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
See what?<br>
ALVIN<br>
This store speaks through my father. He's a conduit. He's an instrument.<br>
He's a vessel. And I am his son. I too hear the prophetic whisper of the bookstore spirit.<br>
I will now attempt to use my ancestral gifts to guide you to your present.<br>
<br>
<br>
(Alvin listens intently for the prophetic whisper.)<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
You couldn’t just get me a model airplane?<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
Shhh!<br>
<br>
<br>
SPEAK TO ME<br>
NOBLE SPIRIT OF THE BOOKSTORE.<br>
THIS IS ALVIN HERE.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
And Thomas.<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
IS THERE SOMETHING YOU CAN RECOMMEND<br>
AS A GIFT FOR THOMAS, MY BEST FRIEND?<br>
CAN YOU FIND HIM A STORY?<br>
<br>
<br>
(Alvin listens again.)<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
Do you hear anything yet?<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
No.<br>
<br>
<br>
Wait! It needs... something. It needs both of us.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
What do we do?<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
NOW WE STAND UP STRAIGHT LOOKING SHY AND MEEK.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
NOW WE STAND UP STRAIGHT LOOKING SHY AND MEEK.<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
AND WE HUMBLY WAIT FOR THE STORE TO SPEAK.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
AND WE HUMBLY WAIT FOR THE STORE TO SPEAK.<br>
<br>
<br>
BOTH<br>
SOON WE WILL HEAR THE ANSWER<br>
THAT WE'RE PREPARING TO RECEIVE.<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
NOW THE NEXT PART’S NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR.<br>
IT’S THE PART WHERE DAD GETS DAZED AND QUEER.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
I think you nailed that part.<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
I see... I see... I see a guy wearing cardboard wings,<br>
a coat hanger halo, carrying a bell and a homemade book...<br>
<br>
<br>
WAIT!<br>
HOLY COW!<br>
I KNOW WHICH BOOK TO GIVE YOU NOW.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
Well.<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
YOU’LL BE GRATEFUL THAT I INTERCEDED.<br>
AND FOUND THE BOOK YOU NEVER KNEW YOU NEEDED.<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
Come on.<br>
<br>
<br>
ALVIN<br>
THE STORY THAT WILL CHANGE MY BEST FRIEND’S LIFE.<br>
<br>
<br>
(Alvin plucks a book from the shelf and hands it to Thomas.)<br>
<br>
<br>
THOMAS<br>
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.<br>
By Mark Twain.<br>
A book report by Tommy Weaver.<br>
Sixth grade.<br>
<br>
<br>
(Thomas addresses his sixth grade class.)<br>
<br>
<br>
I got this book from my friend Alvin.<br>
It's a really good story but my favorite part is in the pre-face. It goes like this.<br>
<br>
<br>
(He opens the book and reads.)<br>
<br>
<br>
“Part of my plan has been to try to pleasantly remind adults of what they once were themselves,<br>
and what queer enterprises they sometimes engaged in. The author. Hartford.<br>
Eighteen seventy-six.”<br>
(He closes the book.)<br>
<br>
