Standing on my head on the edge of the ledge

I just heard a song called, "Standing on My Head on the Edge of the Ledge." Well, I guess I'm not sure if that's the title, but that line sure came up over and over!*

That's often what we have to do with our characters: Stand them on their heads. Put them on a ledge. Put them out on the edge of that ledge. Maybe not all at once; maybe bit by bit. Things start off good and get bad, or they start bad and get worse.

It also occurs to me that amid the danger, there should be some hope, some last c...