Hand crafted films made in Vermont.
Garlic Resistance soundtrack
LYRICS
Golden Cloves
[Verse 1]
Out in the field where the daylight burns,
Farmers bend with the love they’ve earned.
A planting of bulbs in the rich, dark ground,
Life’s little wonders in the soil are found.
[Verse 2]
Through the frost and the summer haze,
They water and weed through the long, long days.
With dirt on their hands and hope in their hearts,
Growing us strength from these fragrant starts.
[Chorus]
Golden cloves, they heal and thrive,
Keep us strong, keep us alive.
From the farmer’s toil to the dinner plate,
A gift from the earth, we celebrate.
[Verse 3]
They say it’s magic for the weary soul,
A simple spice makes the body whole.
Blood runs steady, the heart beats true,
Thanks to the fields, and the folks who grew.
[Verse 4]
In every kitchen, across this land,
Their hard work rests in a mother’s hand.
Whispers in stews, a secret spice,
A clove of love that’s worth the price.
[Bridge]
So here’s to the farmers, with their heads bowed low,
In the rain, in the sun, where good things grow.
Through the seasons they sow and reap,
A promise to keep us safe and deep[Verse]
Big Red's Reign
Big Red stomps through the dirt sharp boots they crunch
Eyes like fire pits no soul to punch
Garlic fields quake under his stare
He’s the king of rot his crop to share
[Chorus]
Dale Big Red Henderson's wrath pure fire
Twisted vision dark twisted desire
Stole the roots from the ground took the flame
Northeast Kingdom boils with his name
[Verse 2]
Bulldozer fists plow through the cold
Vermont nights shatter stories he told
Roots scream silent stolen under the moon
Garlic weepers bend their heads too soon
[Chorus]
Dale Big Red Henderson's wrath pure fire
Twisted vision dark twisted desire
Stole the roots from the ground took the flame
Northeast Kingdom boils with his name
[Bridge]
The reaper of harvest all hope erase
Chain smoke veils his shadowed sky
Garlic kings whisper a doomed goodbye
[Verse 3]
Iron grip crushes tender green heads
Pungent air filled with what they dread
Farmers crumble beneath his iron sneer
Big Red’s rule spreads cold like
Harry and Harriet
[Verse 1]
Beneath the moon
A shadow stirs
Silent boots on the whisperin' furs
Hardneck Harry
With soil-stained hands
He plants his garlic
But never stands
[Verse 2]
The cold wind carried
A warning fell
"Do what Big Red wants
Or taste the knell."
Harriet listened
Her heart turned stone
The soil-bound walls
Now blood and bone
[Chorus]
Hardneck Harry
The earth's his choir
Garlic rows and a tempered fire
Harriet stands
Her courage drawn
Through the crashing night
Until the dawn
[Verse 3]
Thugs spoke sharp
With venom and steel
"Leave the rows
Or the night will seal."
Harry stayed firm
His roots held tight
No man should cower
No matter the blight
[Bridge]
Harriet’s hands found the iron's heft
Her voice unshaken
No courage left bereft
A shot rang loud in the midnight haze
It cracked like thunder
It spit like blaze
[Verse 4]
Big Red’s whispers still haunt the air
But the garlic rows
They yet grow there
Harry and Harriet
Their tale retold
Defied the thugs
Stood stubborn
Bold
The Restless Quill
Verse]
She stepped off the bus in the Northeast wild
Searching for truth since she was a child
Big Red's shadow looms under the pine
Amos King's daughter chasing the sign
[Verse 2]
Her notebook's heavy
Her heart's even more
Mickey Barnes waits but she's bound to explore
The restless wind calls her spirit to roam
A wanderer's battle
Torn far from home
[Chorus]
Oh restless quill write the truth tonight
Big Red’s secrets hiding out of sight
Love may chase her but can't tie her down
The Northeast calls where the answers are found
[Verse 3]
Her pen strikes sparks under Vermont skies
Each word a lantern where the mystery lies
Mickey’s letters speak of love and a dream
But her restless feet chase the whispering stream
[Bridge]
Oh Amos King’s daughter
Born to unfold
A story like no other waiting untold
She’s caught between love and the truth she defends
The ink and the paper become her old friends
[Chorus]
Oh restless quill write the truth tonight
Big Red’s secrets hiding out of sight
Love may chase her but can't tie her down
The Northeast calls where the answers are found
Wars start in the Kitchen
(Big Red at the Table)
[Verse]
Mary at the skillet, garlic perfume fills the air,
Sassy with the spatula, wisdom in her fiery glare.
Molly slicing veggies, heart steady, mind strong,
Emily stirring sauce, hummin' her favorite song.
[Chorus]
Big Red’s out there wreakin’ hell, leavin’ marks on the land,
Amos sips his whiskey, says, "We gotta take a stand.”
Mickey Barnes shakes his head, "This ain’t how it should be,"
Big Ben Cross grunts deep, Old Hecate sips her tea.
[Verse 2]
Plates heavy on the table, stories heavier still,
Hecate’s eyes glitter sharp, and the room feels real.
Barnes talks streets and corners, where Big Red plants his claims,
Ben Cross just leans and murmurs, “Man’s lost his name.”
[Chorus]
Big Red’s out there wreakin’ hell, leavin’ marks on the land,
Amos sips his whiskey, says, "We gotta take a stand."
Mickey Barnes shakes his head, "This ain’t how it should be,”
Big Ben Cross grunts deep, Old Hecate sips her tea.
[Verse 3]
Molly speaks of justice, fire flashin’ in her tone,
Sassy claps her hands and says, "We aren't fightin’ alone."
Emily leans in quiet, her hand rests on her chin,
This garlic-laden meal feels like where wars begin.
[Bridge]
Hecate starts a story, voice smokey and profound,
“Ain’t no devil worth his salt who won’t circle back around.
Big Red’s a phantom, puff-chested like a fool,
But storms brew in kitchens, and this one’s hot as fuel.”
The Farmer’s Daughter and the Vampire
Verse]
Out past the meadow, on a moonlit night,
Emily saw Chad, bathed in pale light.
Second time they'd met, by the old oak tree,
But she’d left her garland, trembling secretly
[Verse 2]
His eyes cut through her, dark as a storm,
A smile so cold, yet devilishly warm.
Close he came, with a whisper low,
But the reek of the garlic told him "no."
[Chorus]
Garlic on her hands, garlic in the air,
Fate had a way of laying her bare.
The farmer's scent, her unlikely shield,
A power she never thought it'd yield.
[Bridge]
Chad stepped back, with a hiss and a turn,
The hunger in his hollow eyes began to burn.
She felt her heartbeats drum in her chest,
But the garlic chose her, it knew what’s best.
[Verse 3]
Morning dew found her back on her land,
Pulling up bulbs with calloused hands.
The vampire lingered in the shadowed wood,
But her fragrance warned him: he never could.
[Chorus]
Garlic on her hands, garlic in the air,
Fate had a way of laying her bare.
The farmer's scent, her unlikely shield,
A power she never thought it'd yield.
Hecate and the Garlic Smuggler
[Verse]
Old Hecate whispers through the pine
Her garlic rows glint in moonlight fine
Fox waits quiet bloodshot stare
Big Red drones hum in the thick night air
[Verse 2]
She spits to the ground a warning rough
"This path ahead’s shadowed and tough"
Fox pulls his sack tight to his back
The stench of caution
The trail is black
[Chorus]
Run like shadows through the trees
Underneath Big Red's buzzing breeze
Garlic gold in a clandestine flair
Canada’s bite Vermont-bound dare
[Verse 3]
Hecate points to trails unseen
"That moss-covered crook keeps you lean"
Rustling leaves drown out the fears
The emerald stash worth all the tears
[Bridge]
Silent prayers against the hums
Every fox runs where the wild overcomes
Garlands of poison bloom in disguise
But garlic grants life to those who’re wise
[Verse 4]
Behind them the groans of a battalion wide
Big Red’s eyes swooping shadows divide
But garlic’s a torch a rebel’s fight
Its roots dangling against the night
Fields of Tomorrow
[Verse]
Molly walks where the green fields fade
Questions linger in the deals they’ve made
She talks to farmers with dirt-stained hands
Who whisper stories of stolen land
[Verse 2]
Down at the store she hears the woes
Empty shelves where the fresh food goes
The grocer shrugs they’ve raised the price
Progress cuts with a silver knife
[Chorus]
Fields of tomorrow they’re paving today
Dreams of the farmer taken away
Steel and circuits replace the grain
Echoes of progress sound like chains
[Verse 3]
Politicians in towering halls
Dodging questions ignoring calls
Their words are sweet but their pockets gleam
With the glitter of industrial schemes
[Bridge]
Molly digs through the paper maze
Finds their plans wrapped in coded haze
A billion voices will soon be machines
Where crops once grew in golden streams
[Chorus]
Fields of tomorrow they’re paving today
Dreams of the farmer taken away
Steel and circuits replace the grain
Echoes of progress sound like chains
Big Red’s Downfall
[Verse]
Big Red stood tall in the courthouse square,
His voice like thunder filled the air.
He pointed fingers, cursed the land,
Preaching fire and brimstone with a trembling hand.
[Verse 2]
The farmers stood with their work-worn eyes,
Townsfolk gathered 'neath the wide blue skies.
Little Sassy King, just a child of ten,
Crossed her arms and grinned at him right then.
[Chorus]
She laughed so light like a mockingbird’s tune,
Cut through the rant like a blade at noon.
The first to crack, then the rest joined in,
And Big Red's power fell thin and thin.
[Verse 3]
He stammered and sputtered, his face turned red,
The fire in his voice just simmered and bled.
What once seemed mighty was now so small,
Big Red crumbled in front of them all.
[Bridge]
He looked at their laughter, their shaking heads,
The words he slung came back like lead.
And Little Sassy King stood tall in her place,
With courage shining bright on her freckled face.
[Chorus]
She laughed so light like a mockingbird’s tune,
Cut through the rant like a blade at noon.
The first to crack, then the rest joined in,
And Big Red's power fell thin and thin.
Victory’s Harvest
[Verse]
The fields are golden the sun shines bright
The farmers stood strong through a long hard fight
Big red came roaring with its greedy schemes
But the folks stood firm and chased those dreams
[Chorus]
Sing it loud the land is free
Plowed by hands like you and me
The bullies fall the crops arise
Victory dances 'neath open skies
[Verse 2]
They tried to steal what the earth provides
With contracts twisted like tangled vines
But sweat and courage they can’t restrain
The seeds of justice grow through the pain
[Chorus]
Sing it loud the land is free
Plowed by hands like you and me
The bullies fall the crops arise
Victory dances 'neath open skies
[Bridge]
Beware the shadow creeping through the grain
New wolves wear smiles but bring the same chain
Farmers strong and hearts so wise
They’ll bend but never break their ties
[Verse 3]
Big red's gone but the tale ain’t done
The fight for freedom’s never won
Stay sharp stay bold keep steady hands
The power's always in the people’s plans
TAGLINE
“Garlic Resistance: One clove can spark a revolution.”
TREATMENT
Title: Garlic Resistance
Genre: Musical Drama / Folk-Fantasy / Rural Resistance
Length: 60 minutes
Tone: Lyrical, Mythic, Politically Charged, Whimsical, Fierce
Logline:
In the garlic fields of northeast Vermont, a farming community rises up against Big Red, a ruthless agricultural tyrant bent on corporate domination. Through garlic-powered resilience, unlikely heroes — including a farmer’s daughter, a poet, and a fearless child — unite their voices in song to defend their soil, their culture, and their souls.
Synopsis:
Set in a heightened folk-Americana universe where garlic is sacred and farming is both craft and creed, Garlic Resistance is a sung-through musical that traces a grassroots rebellion against Big Red Henderson — a symbolic villain of corporate greed and ecological destruction. Told through a series of ballads, laments, and anthems, the film follows:
• Hardneck Harry and Harriet, who resist Big Red’s land grabs.
• Amos King and his daughters, protectors of ancient garlic wisdom.
• Molly, a young journalist and poet, documenting the revolution.
• Mickey Barnes, her conflicted lover caught between pacifism and protest.
• Old Hecate, the smuggler sage.
• And Little Sassy King, who becomes the face of the resistance in the film’s climax.
The narrative builds from pastoral beauty (Golden Cloves) to terror (Big Red’s Rant) to unity (Small Town Fight Song), culminating in a communal uprising that topples Big Red’s regime (Big Red’s Downfall) and ends with a triumphant yet cautious celebration (Victory’s Harvest).
The film blends magical realism, protest folk traditions, and rustic fantasy aesthetics to tell a story of resistance, heritage, and the soul-saving power of garlic.
Why join the Garlic Resistance?
Relevance to Contemporary Events
Garlic Resistance taps into a deeply relevant political and economic landscape by imagining a scenario rooted in plausible policy outcomes and their ripple effects. The film envisions a dystopian version of the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, where local agricultural systems are thrown into chaos due to federal policies. With the reintroduction of high tariffs on imported garlic and restrictions on migrant labor—a critical workforce in U.S. agriculture—the garlic industry collapses into turmoil.
Policy Impact and Political Realities
If a new Trump administration were to implement policies raising tariffs on garlic from countries like China, which supplies a significant portion of the U.S. garlic market, domestic production would need to scale up dramatically to meet demand. However, the labor-intensive nature of garlic farming—planting, weeding, and harvesting—requires a workforce skilled in meticulous and repetitive tasks. Restrictions on migrant labor, another hallmark of past Trump administration policies, would exacerbate labor shortages, leaving U.S. farmers struggling to fill the gap.
Rise of Local Power Brokers
In this chaotic market scenario, the vacuum created by labor shortages and skyrocketing garlic prices could enable opportunistic figures to exploit the situation. Garlic Resistance uses the fictional figure of Dale "Big Red" Henderson to explore how a local bully might seize control of the garlic trade. By monopolizing the crop, using intimidation tactics, and hoarding supplies, such a figure could dominate the local economy, preying on both farmers and consumers.
Reflection of Broader Themes
The film speaks to broader anxieties about economic inequality, monopolistic practices, and the fragility of food systems in the face of protectionist policies. It also underscores how rural communities, often underrepresented in political discourse, can become battlegrounds for power struggles when systemic support falters. The fictionalized Northeast Kingdom serves as a microcosm for these tensions, making the film a sharp critique of contemporary political and economic realities while celebrating grassroots resistance.
Ultimately, Garlic Resistance invites audiences to consider the far-reaching consequences of seemingly abstract policy changes on local economies and human lives. By weaving these issues into an engaging cinematic narrative, the film resonates as both a cautionary tale and a celebration of communal resilience.