12am

A cancer diagnosis has a way of changing one’s view on life. 300 Seconds is a reflection on this new perspective, and marks the beginning of a new day.

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twilight greets the dawnunder the midnight sunnight and day bow downto the eternal now
when a child is bornwrapped in a world so warmsheltered from the cold100 seconds old
not what was, nor shall behere and now, everything
give me just one daywe’ll pass the time awayand I’ll write a song300 seconds long

At 12:05am on November 3, 1930, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel between the U.S. and Canada officially opened to car traffic. At the time it was the only international subaqueous tunnel in the world. The first passenger car through the tunnel was reportedly a 1929 Studebaker.

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high above us shining downnight awakens with the soundthe excitement all aroundcars are waiting for a signgetting ready for the timeI’m the first one in this line
the silhouettes under the starscity people near and farI’m here with you and here we areI can hear the radiowe can take it fast or slow30 seconds ‘til we go
so amazing to be hereworld is changing so fastanything is possible, nothing that we can’t achieve
water all around us we’re sheltered from the elementsheaded to the border, we’re driving through the waterthe pavement smooth and shiny, the basement so invitingarrival, destination, we follow through the tunnel of life
still the weekend in my mindsunday night we’re gonna rideall the headlights light the nightI can breathe the autumn airmy ’29 will take us therenothing like it anywhere

On January 28, 2011, Egypt took the unprecedented step of shutting down all Internet connections and cellphone services, beginning at 12:12am. This song contemplates the relationship between a long-distance couple and the heightened insecurity that ensues when their technology- dependent efforts to communicate go unanswered.

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will there be a day when we can leave all of these images behind?start in our new world, boy or a girlnothing but solitude and timemaybe if we try we’ll find a placewe’ll never have to say goodbye
tree fall in the forest, silent explosionnobody notices at allsea meets with the ocean, strait of gibralterpillars of hercules stand tallnow trying to reach you, looking for secretsbetter to think that it’s alrightcut all of the wires, all our desiresharboring darkness from the night
last night in a dream I heard your voicefloating around inside the roomI followed the sound, no one aroundonly the darkness and the moondoor opening slow, someone insidenot sure if that someone is you
I wanna see you, I need to hear your voicefate brought us together, gives us a simple choice(fear/faith)

On November 15, 1931, at 12:15am, police responded to reports of raucously loud activity at the residence of Father Divine, a spiritual leader whose followers believed him to be God. This song envisions a young man who turned down an invitation to attend a Father Divine weekend retreat. The invitation came from a young woman who is now at the retreat and about to answer a door where police are waiting on the other side.

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buildings black outside my windowcold air trying to get inmidnight lying on my pillowwaiting for sleep to come again
let me dream a dream beyond the sky‘cause I can’t see a way to make it rightevery time I look at who I amwhy do I see the reflection of a boy in the image of a broken man?
whole world’s trying to bring you down, cheat you for a smile while you search for something betterno one knows how to stop it now, living in denial, you keep looking for foreverpeople hoping for miracles line up at the doorstep just to get a little food and drinkempty glasses are more than full, nothing but a cardtrick to see god in a limousine
ask me if I wanna hang outI do, but hesitate withinpeaceful, I don’t even know howyou make me feel alive again
let me be a vision for your eyes,I will speak the truth from deep insidewe can leave, the train departs tonightwhat we think doesn’t have to be the same as the masses’ view of wrong or right
you ask me who I am, I try to find an answeryou tell me it’s alright but clearly you need something betterwe talk about ourselves, music and motion picturescagney, harlow, chaplain, cab calloway and the boswell sisterswe walk the city streets with leaves of every colorwe find a parkbench by the water and we sit togetheryou ask if I believe that God could be a man among usif he was I think he’d sit all the way at the back of the bus

On September 18, 2014, at 12:20am, Egyptian scuba diver Ahmed Gabr (أحمد جبر ) surfaced from a record-breaking dive of 332.35 meters (1,090.4 ft).

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travel to a place no one’s ever been beforesacrifice it all just to give a little morewindy up above but it’s quiet down belowevery breath of life, living life like no one knows
see them smiling at the surface, darkness comes in focus, welcome homebreathing, back like odysseus, all that’s been accomplished for the thronedreams can lift you past the heavens, sink you to the seven seas belowhere and forward from this moment all will know your name to bethe greatest merman in the world
left it all behind 14 hours in the pastmatter undermined, perseverance gonna lastif pride can kill a man only peace can save his souleverything you want, first you gotta let it go
استثنائيحازممدهشديناميكيجريءبطلرابح

The first same-sex couple to be legally married in Maine exchanged their vows during a short ceremony in the Portland City Clerk’s Office at approximately 12:25am on December 29, 2012.

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so baby standing hand in hand with you here by my sideI’m overwhelmed and humbled with emotionready for a vow now and always share this lifea celebration of our devotioneven under lights camera action here we gowe’re standing at the edge of the futureif love is all you need and all you need is lovethen I’ve got everything that I could ever wish for, ‘cause
now I’ve got you
it’s been a while since the time we settled downwe’ve seen our share of stormy weathereven if this world may wanna try and bring us downI know that we will stay togetherbut this is something that we have been waiting forI never thought this day would ever get hereand now it doesn’t matter if we end up rich or poorI feel complete with you and that’s forever
love is love
in this moment that we find ourselveswith every single staring eye upon us, we realize thatmoving forward from today and onward evermore we will declare a simple fact:that the truth is real and love is love and it conquers all

Apollo 17, the last time astronauts were sent to the moon, launched at 12:33am on December 7, 1972. This song imagines the child of one of the astronauts watching the liftoff on a tv set in the middle of the night, half-awake, and dreaming about a scenario where she herself sneaks onto the spacecraft so that she can be with her father. He discovers her mid-flight, and sends her back to earth in a small capsule, but she plans to re-route the flight so that she can meet up with her dad on the moon.

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let myself follow you through the doorno one will notice me as I gofinding my hiding place by the stairsI can see everything from in here
I’ve got a perfect view of the worldreach for a shooting star shaped like a pearlgotta tell all my friends back at homegreatest adventure I’ve ever known
and if you go away from me I am gonna followno matter where you go away I am gonna follownothing will keep me away cause I am gonna followall the way to the moon
suddenly everything starts to shakemaybe I’ve made a real big mistakeyou start to look for me everywhereI’m sitting silently in your chair“it’s time to get you home” is what you say“how did you get in here anyway?”personal rocketship just for mebut I’ve got a better plan, just wait and see

The Book of Ruth describes the story of Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth, and the precarious position Ruth is put in.

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long ago someone I knowlived with happinessmisfortune came and took everythingand gave her bitterness
now you go to that place belowwhere everything will start to turn out rightthe catalyst for a little bliss, the place where you can start a brand new life
midnight in the threshing room
you’ve taken care and washed your hairthat perfume is enchantingyour will is strong, you’ve got your best dress onbut still you’re wondering
quietly you start uncoveringwith nothing but the night to hide your fearif morning comes before the deed is donewill there be anywhere to disappear?

Forty minutes after being abandoned by the woman of his dreams, Prince Charming is alone and confused.

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people will ask me what I wantI don’t knowI just want happinessnow I’m waiting heredon’t know what I’m waiting for
the party is over, I sent them all awayfar away, all of themI’m pretty sure a lot of them didn’t wanna be here anywaybut you, I can see youstanding right in front of me, beautifulwhy did you leave?
I’ll remember you
I don’t think that I’ll be able to sleeptrying to figure out if this night was a dream or something realyou seemed so real, so genuinelooking at me, making me feel like I was royaltythen suddenly you disappear for no apparent reasonwas it something I said? was it someone you saw?I don’t know your name or where you went or why you left, but you know where I’ll beso will you find me?
I’m gonna find you if it’s the last thing that I doI’ve never been with anybody quite like youwho makes me feel alive inside waiting to see another daythat’s filled with happiness and all the wonderment that this world may sometimes bringif I ever give up hope and find myself inside despairI’m gonna think about tonight and how we shared this midnight airand in 100 years from now I may have nothing left inside of mebut I will never lose the feeling of the joy I felt tonight
you and I dancing in the moonlightour shadows falling to the flooreverything was magical around usthen suddenly you’re running out the door

On March 3, 1991 at about 12:45am, Rodney King pulled over and stopped on Foothill Boulevard after a high speed pursuit by LAPD officers.

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why am I here?I should leavenowhere to gomaybe some waynever againno one no onemakes no sense at allI’m gonna do itjust stopkeep goingthe mistakes we makethe colorsI’m gonna go away

On May 11, 2007 at 12:50am, journalist Tasneem Khalil was at home playing with his 6-month old son when Bangladeshi army security officers forced their way into the apartment. Without a warrant, officers proceeded to ransack the residence and confiscated personal belongings before taking Mr. Khalil into custody.

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do not allow these uniforms to be what they’re pretendingwith stolen guns the cowards cometheir crimes are never ending
revolutionnothing’s certainwhat’s the question?forward back againmass delusionno good reasonstand with treasonjustify the means with the ends
say it will and it’ll all be over, it’ll all go away, I’ll be ok
with weapons drawn the cowards come to look for what is not therethe evidence does not exist but justice won’t be found here
turn away fromwhat has becomearmageddonsay it with a smilehope may followwords we swallow‘til tomorrowthe winners lost and the losers just won
I’ve forsaken all that’s certainbut I won’t lose what I foundthere’s a ghost behind this curtainbut I won’t go down

Having already endured three failed open-water attempts between Cuba and Florida, Diana Nyad began a fourth attempt on August 18, 2012. Halfway to the finish line and forty-one hours later, a decision was made to end the swim early due in part to severe jellyfish stings and extreme weather; she was pulled out of the water at 12:55am.

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waters embracestars in the skyechoes of dreamsfade through the night
knowing that it’s not enoughnothing left to lift you uplosing all the things you’ve wonclosing in but now it’s gone
there is nothing left anymore
now begin to feel your boundaries, the limits on your living, oh this life, what a pittance, what a pity to be cloistered and divided from your vision, and how should you presume once subsumed, swallowed by fatigue, sorrow, drifted down several leagues toward oblivion, soul stretched, taut over several miles, several hours, but it’s over in the now
short of breath, though short of death, spent, every cent, every ruble, every blood shot sclera, every dilated pupil pointing clearly to a future unforeseen, not for me, pointing sternly to some dark eternity, give a smile, take a bow, give your crown to the clown, blow a kiss to your pal in the clouds, such is life, show your face to your fate, nothing more to be gained
in the absence of a goal can we grow in the chasm, in the void, is there meaning in the pause between the noise, when sucked into the deep on the amniotic precipice of sleep, what is seen, what is you, what is me, this flesh, this pulsing cage of meat, a torrent of blood, taken by a torrential flush, am I dry after giving so much to rise new from primordial sludge, to find peace with the origins of, to give lease to a brand new looking about, the wet mouth of an empty cup, a skull in which the buzzards buzz, some action of which nothing comes, is that enough?nothing like it anywhere