Staying with the Bomb (The Ballad of Charlie from Die Hard with a Vengeance) by Wolfie's Just Fine

Sometimes I write "Wolfie’s Just Fine" songs from the point of view of supporting characters from movies from my childhood (Pigeon Lady from Home Alone, Todd and Janelle from Terminator 2, the Graboid from Tremors "Trying to Sleep," are examples from previous albums). I make up backstories for the characters, try to imagine what their lives are like, what they're struggling with... On the surface it may seem kind of silly and tongue in cheek, but these are the songs that tend to be the most emotionally grounded for me. I’m not sure why I started doing this, but this process seems to help me access a part of myself that is unavailable when writing about my own life. “Staying with the Bomb” is one of those songs. It’s from the point of view of “Charlie the NYPD bomb expert” (Played with nuance, depth, and humor by the great Kevin Chamberlin) from the movie “Die Hard with a Vengeance.” I was 14 when I went to see that movie at the local theater, and there’s a moment near the end that always stuck with me… Charlie is (unsuccessfully) attempting to disarm a bomb that has been placed in an elementary school. The school has just been evacuated, and with two minutes left on the timer, he is told that it’s his turn to evacuate, and to leave the bomb. However, a moment later, officers stationed outside hear cries for help coming from a third story window… There are still kids in the building. This information is relayed to Charlie, he pauses for no longer than a second, and replies “I’m staying.” He sits back down and continues his attempt to disarm the bomb, knowing that he will most likely die. It makes me cry just thinking about it. New "Wolfie's Just Fine" album "Everyone Is Dead Except Us" out now. Stream links here: https://stem.ffm.to/wolfiesjustfineeveryoneisdeadexceptus