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Into the Woods | Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Book by James Lapine
Lyrics
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Transcribed by Katie McKelvey, (mcke8478@uwwvax.uww.edu
  1. Prologue: Into The Woods
  2. Cinderella At the Grave
  3. Hello, Little Girl
  4. I Guess This Is Goodbye
  5. Maybe They're Magic
  6. I Know Things Now
  7. A Very Nice Prince
  8. First Midnight
  9. Giants In the Sky
  10. Agony
  11. It Takes Two
  12. Second Midnight
  13. Stay With Me
  14. On the Steps of the Palace
  15. Ever After
  16. Act II Prologue: So Happy
  17. Agony: Reprise
  18. Lament
  19. Any Moment
  20. Moments In the Woods
  21. Your Fault
  22. Last Midnight
  23. No More
  24. No One Is Alone
  25. Finale: Children Will Listen
  1. Prologue: Into The Woods [ Top ] Narrator: Once upon a time-- Cinderella: I wish... Narrator (NA): --in a far-off kingdom-- Cinderella: More than anything... NA: --lived a young maiden-- Cinderella: More than life... NA: --a sad young lad-- Cinderella: More than jewels... Jack: I wish... NA: --and a childless baker-- Jack: More than life... Cinderella, Baker: I wish... NA: --with his wife. Jack: More than anything... Cinderella, Baker, Jack: More than the moon... Wife: I wish.. Cinderella: the King is giving a Festival. Baker, Wife: More than life.. Jack: I wish.. Cinderella: I wish to go to the Festival-- Baker, Wife: More than riches.. Cinderella: --and the Ball.. Jack: I wish my cow would give us some milk. Cinderella, Wife: More than anything.. Baker: I wish we had a child. Jack (to cow): Please, pal-- Wife: I want a child.. Jack: Squeeze, pal.. Cinderella: I wish to go to the Festival. Jack (Overlapping): I wish you'd give us some milk Or even cheese.. Baker, Wife (Overlapping): I wish we might have a child. All Four: I wish.. Stepmother (to Cinderella): You wish to go to the Festival? NA: The poor girl's mother had died-- Stepmother: You, Cinderella, the Festival? You wish to go to the Festival? Florinda (Over): What, you, Cinderella, the Festival? The Festival?! Lucinda (Over): What, you wish to go to the Festival?! All Three: The Festival?! The King's Festival!!!??? NA: --and her father had taken for his new wife-- Stepmother: The Festival!!!??? NA: --a woman with two daughters of her own. Florinda: Look at your nails! Lucinda: Look at your dress! Stepmother: People would laugh at you-- Cinderella: Nevertheless-- Cinderella: Stepsisters: Stepmother: I still wish to go You still wish to go She still wants to go To the Festival. To the Festival-- To the Festival-- Stepsisters, Stepmother: --and dance before the Prince?! (They chortle with laughter musically, then fall about out of control.) NA: All three were beautiful of face, but vile and black of heart. Jack, on the other hand, had no father, and his mother-- Jack's Mother: I wish.. NA: Well, she was not quite beautiful-- Jack's Mother: I wish my son were not a fool. I wish my house was not a mess. I wish the cow was full of milk. I wish the walls were full of gold-- I wish a lot of things.. (to Jack) You foolish child! What in heaven's name are you doing with the cow inside the house? Jack: A warm environment might be just what Milky White needs to produce his milk. Jack's Mother: It's a she! How many times do I have to tell you? Only "she"s can give milk. [Two knocks on the Baker's door; Wife opens door; it is Little Red Riding Hood (LRRH)] Wife: Why, come in, little girl. LRRH: I wish.. It's not for me, It's for my granny in the woods. A loaf of bread, please-- To bring my poor old hungry Granny in the woods.. [Insistent] Just a loaf of bread, please.. [Baker gives her a loaf of bread.] NA: Cinderella's stepmother had a surprise for her. [Stepmother throws a pot of lentils into the fireplace] Stepmother: I have emptied a pot of lentils into the ashes for you. If you have picked them out again in two hours' time, you shall go to the Ball with us. LRRH: And perhaps a sticky bun?.. Or four?.. Cinderella: Birds in the sky, Birds in the eaves, In the leaves, In the fields, In the castles and ponds.. LRRH: ..and a few of those pies, Please.. Cinderella (Over): Come, little birds, Down from the eaves And the leaves, Over fields, Out of castles and ponds.. Jack: No, Squeeze, pal.. Cinderella (falling into a trance): Ahhh.. [birds descend to the fireplace] Quick, little birds, Flick through the ashes. Pick and peck, but swiftly, Sift through the ashes Into the pot.. Jack's Mother: Listen well, son. Milky-White must be taken to market. Jack: But, Mother, no--he's the best cow-- Jack's Mother: Was. Was! SHE'S been dry for a week. We've no food nor money, and no choice but to sell her while she can still command a price. Jack: But Milky-White is my best friend in the whole world! Jack's Mother: Look at her! There are bugs on her dugs. There are flies in her eyes. There's a lump on her rump Big enough to be a hump-- Jack: But-- Jack's Mother: Son, We've no time to sit and dither, While her withers wither with her-- And no one keeps a cow for a friend! Sometimes I fear you're touched. [LRRH has been compulsively eating sweets at the Baker's house; she now swallows, wiping her hands and mouth.] LRRH: Into the woods, It's time to go, I hate to leave, I have to, though. Into the woods-- It's time, and so I must begin my journey. Into the woods And through the trees to where I am Expected, ma'am, Into the woods to Grandmother's house-- [mouth full] Into the woods To Grandmother's house-- Wife: You're certain of your way? LRRH: The way is clear, The light is good, I have no fear, Nor no one should. The woods are just trees, The trees are just wood. I sort of hate to ask it, But do you have a basket? Baker: Don't stray and be late. Wife: And save some of those sweets for Granny! LRRH: Into the woods And down the dell, The path is straight, I know it well. Into the woods, And who can tell What's waiting on the journey? Into the woods To bring some bread To Granny who Is sick in bed. Never can tell What lies ahead. For all that I know, She's already dead. But into the woods, into the woods, Into the woods to Grandmother's house And home before dark! Cinderella: Fly, birds, Back to the sky, Back to the eaves And the leaves And the fields And the-- Florinda: Hurry up and do my hair, Cinderella! [to Lucinda] Are you really wearing that? Lucinda: Here, I found a little tear, Cinderella! [to Florinda] Can't you hide it with a hat? Cinderella: You look beautiful. Florinda: I know. Lucinda: She means me. Florinda [to Cinderella]: Put it in a twist. Lucinda: Who will be there?.. [She and Florinda continue babbling underneath.] Cinderella [to herself]: Mother said be good, Father said be nice, That was always their advice. So be nice, Cinderella, Good, Cinderella, Nice good good nice-- Florinda: Tighter! Cinderella: What's the good of being good If everyone is blind And you're always left behind? Never mind, Cinderella, Kind Cinderella-- [accenting each word with a twist of a strand of hair] Nice good good kind good nice-- Florinda [screams and slaps Cinderella]: Not that tight! Cinderella: Sorry. Florinda: Clod. Lucinda: Hee he hee-- [Florinda glares at her] hee hee-- [stops] NA: Because the baker had lost his mother and father in a baking accident-- well, at least that is what he believed--he was eager to have a family of his own, and concerned that all efforts until now had failed. [Knock on Baker's door] Baker: Who might that be? Wife: We have sold our last loaf of bread.. Baker: It's the witch from next door! [Witch enters] Wife, Baker: We have no bread. Witch: Of course you have no bread! Baker: What do you wish? Witch: It's not what I wish. It's what you wish. (Points to Wife's belly) Nothing cooking in there now, is there? NA: The old enchantress went on to tell the couple that she had placed a spell on their house. Baker: What spell? Witch: In the past, when you were no more than a babe, your father brought his young wife and you to this cottage. They were a handsome couple, but not handsome neighbors. You see, your mother was with child and she had developed an unusual appetite. She took one look at my beautiful garden, and told your father that what she wanted, more than anything in the world, was Greens, greens, and nothing but greens: Parsley, peppers, cabbages and celery, Asparagus and watercress and Fiddleferns and lettuce--! He said 'all right,' But it wasn't, quite, 'Cause I caught him in the autumn In my garden one night! He was robbing me, Raping me, Rooting through my rutabaga, Raiding my arugula and Ripping up the rampion (My champion! My favorite!)-- I should have laid a spell on him right there. Could have turned him into stone, Or a dog, or a chair, Or a sn-- [drifts off into a momentary trance] But I let him have the rampion, I'd lots to spare. In return, however, I said 'Fair is fair; You can let me have the baby That your wife will bear. And we'll call it square.' Baker: I had a brother? Witch: No. But you had a sister. NA: But the witch refused to tell him any more of his sister. Not even that her name was Rapunzel. She went on: Witch: I thought I had been more than reasonable, and that we all might live happily ever after. But how was I to know what your father had also hid in his pocket?! You see, when I had inherited that garden, my mother had warned me that I would be punished if I ever were to lose any of the Beans. Baker, Wife: Beans? Witch: The SPECIAL beans. I let him go, I didn't know He'd stolen my beans! I was watching him crawl Back over the wall--! And then bang! Crash! And the lightning flash! And--well, that's another story, Never mind-- Anyway, at last The big day came And I made my claim. "Oh, don't take away the baby," They shrieked and screeched, But I did, And I hid her Where she'll never be reached. And your father cried, And your mother died When for extra measure-- I admit it was a pleasure-- I said, "Sorry, I'm still not mollified." And I laid a little spell on them. You too, son. That your family tree would always be a barren one... [laughs] So there's no more fuss And there's no more scenes And my garden thrives-- You should see my nectarines! But I'm telling you the same I tell Kings and Queens: Don't ever never ever Mess around with my greens! Especially the beans. Jack's Mother: Now listen to me, Jack. Lead Milky-White to market and fetch the best price you can. Take no less than five pounds. Are you listening to me? Jack: Yes. Jack's Mother: Now how much are you to ask? Jack: No more than five pounds. [she pinches his ear] Jack's mother, Jack: Less! Than five. Jack's Mother: Jack Jack Jack, Head in a sack, The house is getting colder, This is not a time for dreaming. Chimney-stack Starting to crack, The mice are getting bolder, The floor's gone slack. Your mother's getting older, Your father's not back, And you can't just sit here dreaming pretty dreams. To wish and wait From day to day Will never keep The wolves away. So into the woods, The time is now. We have to live, I don't care how. Into the woods To sell the cow. You must begin the journey. Straight through the woods And don't delay-- We have to face The marketplace. Into the woods to journey's end-- Jack: Into the woods to sell a friend-- Jack's Mother: Someday you'll have a real pet, Jack. Jack: A piggy? [Mother shakes her head in disbelief] NA: Meanwhile, the witch, for purposes of her own, explained how the baker might lift the spell: Witch: You wish to have The curse reversed? I'll need a certain Potion first. Go to the wood and bring me back: One: the cow as white as milk, Two: the cape as red as blood, Three: the hair as yellow as corn, Four: the slipper as pure as gold. Bring me these before the chime Of midnight In three days' time, And you shall have, I guarantee, A child as perfect As child can be. Go to the wood! [disappears] Stepmother: Ladies, our carriage waits. Cinderella: Now may I go to the Festival? Stepmother: The Festival? Darling, those nails! Darling, those clothes! Lentils are one thing but Darling, with those, You'd make us the fools of the Festival And mortify the Prince! Cinderella's Father: The carriage is waiting. Stepmother: We must be gone. [they exit with a flourish] Cinderella: Good night, Father. [he grunts and exits] I wish... [cries] Baker: Look what I found in Father's hunting jacket. Wife: Six beans. Baker: I wonder if they are the-- Wife: Witch's beans? We'll take them with us. Baker: No! You are not coming. Wife: I know you are fearful of the woods at night. Baker: The spell is on MY house. Only I can lift the spell, The spell is on MY house. Wife [over]: No, no, the spell is on OUR house. We must lift the spell together, The spell is on OUR house. Baker [Over]: No. You are not to come and that is final. Now, what am I to return with? Wife [Annoyed]: You don't remember? The cow as white as milk, The cape as red as blood, The hair as yellow as corn, The slipper as pure as gold-- Baker [memorizing]: The cow as white as milk, The cape as red as blood, The hair as yellow as corn, The slipper as pure as gold... NA [Over]: And so the baker, reluctantly, set off to meet the enchantress's demands. As for Cinderella: Cinderella: I still wish to go to the Festival, But how am I ever to get to the Festival? Baker [simultaneously]: The cow as white as milk, The cape as red as blood, The hair as yellow as corn-- Wife: the slipper-- Baker: The slipper as pure as gold... Cinderella [Over]: I know! I'll visit Mother's grave, The grave at the hazel tree, And tell her I just want to Go to the King's Festival... Baker: The cow, the cape, The slipper as pure as gold-- Wife: The hair--! Baker, Cinderella: Into the woods, It's time to go, It may be all In vain, you (I) know. Into the woods-- But even so, I have to take the journey. Baker, Cinderella, Wife: Into the woods, The path is straight, You (I) know it well, But who can tell--? Baker, Wife: Into the woods to lift the spell-- Cinderella: Into the woods to visit Mother-- Wife: Into the woods to fetch the things-- Baker: To make the potion-- Cinderella: To go to the Festival-- Baker, Wife, Cinderella, Jack, Jack's Mother: Into the woods Without regret, The choice is made, The task is set. Into the woods, But not forget- Ting why I'm (you're) on the journey. Into the woods To get my (our) wish, I don't care how, The time is now. Jack's Mother: Into the woods to sell the cow-- Jack: Into the woods to get the money-- Wife: Into the woods to lift the spell- Baker: To make the potion-- Cinderella: To go too the Festival-- LRRH: Into the woods to Grandmother's house... Into the woods to Grandmother's house... All: The way is clear, The light is good, I have ho fear, Nor no one should. the woods are just trees, The trees are just wood. No need to be afraid there-- Baker, Cinderella: There's something in the glade there... All: Into the woods Without delay, But careful not To lose the way. Into the woods, Who knows what may Be lurking on the journey? Into the woods To get the thing That makes it worth The journeying. Into the woods-- Stepmother, stepsisters: To see the King-- Jack, Jack's Mother: To sell the cow-- Baker, Wife: To make the potion-- All: To see- To sell- To get-- To bring-- To make-- To lift-- To go to the Festival--! Into the woods! Into the woods! Into the woods, Then out of the woods, And home before dark!
  2. Cinderella At the Grave [ Top ] Cinderella: I've been good and I've been kind, Mother, Doing only what I learned from you. Why, then, am I left behind, Mother, Is there something more that I should do? What is wrong with me Mother? Something must be wrong! I wish.. Mother: Do you know what you wish? Are you certain what you wish is what you want? If you know what you want, then make a wish. Ask the tree, And you shall have your wish. Cinderella: Shimmer and glimmer, little tree. Silver and gold throw down on me. I'm off to get my wish!
  3. Hello, Little Girl [ Top ] Wolf: Mmmh.. Unhh... Look at that flesh, pink and plump. Hello, little girl... Tender and fresh, not one lump. Hello, little girl... This one's especially lush, Delicious... Mmmh... Hello, little girl, what's your rush? You're missing all the flowers. The sun won't set for hours, Take your time. LRRH: Mother said, "Straight ahead," Not to delay or be misled. Wolf: But slow, little girl, Hark! And hush-- the birds are singing sweetly. You'll miss the birds completely, You're traveling so fleetly. Grandmother first, then Miss Plump... What a delectable couple: Utter perfection, one brittle, one supple-- One moment, my dear--! LRRH: Mother said, "Come what may, Follow the path and never stray." Wolf: Just so, little girl-- any path. So many worth exploring. Just one would be so boring. And look what you're ignoring... Think of those crisp, aging bones, Then something fresh on the palate. Think of that scrumptious carnality twice in one day--! there's no possible way to describe what you feel When you're talking to your meal! LRRH: Mother said not to stray. Still, I suppose, a small delay... Granny might like a fresh bouquet... Goodbye, Mr. Wolf. Wolf: Goodbye, little girl. And hello... [howls]
  4. I Guess This Is Goodbye [ Top ] Jack: I guess this is goodbye, old pal. You've been a perfect friend. I hate to see us part, old pal, Someday I'll buy you back. I'll see you soon again. I hope that when I do, It won't be on a plate.
  5. Maybe They're Magic [ Top ] Wife: If you know what you want, Then you go and you find it And you get it-- Baker: [pointing off] Home. Wife: Do we want a child, or not? --and you give and you take And you bid and you bargain, Or you live to regret it. Baker: Will you please go home. Wife: There are rights and wrongs and in-betweens-- No one waits when fortune intervenes. And maybe they're really magic. Who knows? Why you do what you do, That's the point, All the rest of it is chatter. Baker: [about Milky-White] Look at her, she's crying. Wife: If the thing you do is pure in intent, If it's meant, and it's just a little bent, Does it matter? Baker: Yes. Wife: No, what matters is that everyone tells tiny lies-- What's important, really, is the size. Only three more tries, and we'll have our prize. When the end's in sight, you'll realize: If the end is right, it justifies The beans!
  6. I Know Things Now [ Top ] Little Red Riding Hood (LRRH): Mother said, 'straight ahead, Not to delay, or be mislead.' I should have heeded her advice. But he seemed so nice. And he showed me things, many beautiful things, That I hadn't thought to explore. They were off my path, so I never had dared. I had been so careful, I never had cared. And he made me feel excited.. Well, excited and scared. When he said, 'Come in,' with that sickening grin, How could I know what was in store? Once his teeth were bared, though, I really got scared. Well, excited and scared.. But he drew me close, and he swallowed me down, Down a dark, slimy path, where lie secrets that I never want to know, And when everything familiar seemed to disappear forever, At the end of the path, was Granny once again, So we wait in the dark, until someone sets us free, And we're brought into the light, And we're back at the start.. And I know things now, many valuable things, That I hadn't known before. Do not put your faith in a cape and a hood. They will not protect you the way that they should. And take extra care with strangers, even flowers have their dangers, And though scary is exciting, Nice is different than good. Now I know, don't be scared. Granny is right, just be prepared. Isn't it nice to know a lot? ..And a little bit.. not.
  7. A Very Nice Prince [ Top ] Cinderella: He's a very nice Prince. Wife: And--? Cinderella: And-- It's a very nice Ball. Wife: And--? Cinderella: And-- When I entered, they trumpeted. Wife: And--? The Prince--? Cinderella: Oh, the Prince?... Wife: Yes, the Prince! Cinderella: Well, he's tall. Wife: Is that all? Did you dance? Is he charming? They say that he's charming. Cinderella: We did nothing but dance. Wife: Yes--? And--? Cinderella: And it made a nice change. Wife: No, the Prince! Cinderella: Oh, the Prince?... Wife: Yes, the Prince. Cinderella: He has charm for a Prince, I guess... Wife: Guess? Cinderella: I don't meet a wide range. And it's all very strange.
  8. First Midnight [ Top ] Baker: One midnight gone... Mysterious Man: No knot unties itself... Witch: Sometimes the things you most wish for are not to be touched... Princes: The harder to get, the better to have... CP: Agreed? RP: Agreed. Florinda: Never wear mauve at a ball... Lucinda: Or pink... Stepmother [to stepdaughters]: Or open your mouth... Jack: The difference between a cow and a bean Is a bean can begin an adventure... Jack's Mother [at Jack]: Slotted spoons don't hold much soup... LRRH: The prettier the flower, the farther from the path... Cinderella's Father: The closer to the family, the closer to the wine... Rapunzel [offstage]: Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah... Witch: One midnight gone!... granny: The mouth of a wolf's not the end of the world... Steward: A servant is not just a dog, to a Prince.... Cinderella: Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor... Wife: You may know what you need, But to get what you want, Better see that you keep what you have. [All overlapping] Baker: One midnight gone... Witch: Sometimes the things you most wish for are not to be touched... Princes: The harder to get, the better to have... CP: Agreed? RP: Agreed. Baker: One midnight gone...one midnight gone... Florinda: Never wear mauve at a ball... Lucinda: Or pink... Jack's Mother: Slotted spoons don't hold much soup... Baker's Wife: To get what you want better keep what you... LRRH: The prettier the flower... All: One midnight one midnight one midnight gone.. Into the woods, Into the woods, Into the woods, then out of the woods and home before--
  9. Giants In the Sky [ Top ] Jack: There are giants in the sky! There are big, tall, terrible giants in the sky! When you're way up high, and you look below At the world you've left and the things you know, Little more than a glance is enough to show You just how small you are. When you're way up high, and you're on your own, In a world like none that you've ever known, Where the sky's like lead, and the earth's like stone, You're free to do whatever pleases you. Exploring things you'd never dared, 'Cause you don't care, When suddenly there's A big, tall, terrible giant at the door. A big, tall, terrible lady giant sweeping the floor. And she gives you food, and she gives you rest. And she draws you close to her giant breast. And you know things now, that you never knew before. After the sky. Only just when you've made a friend and all, And you know she's big, but you don't feel small, Someone bigger than her comes along the hall To swallow you for lunch! And your heart is lead, and your stomach's stone, And you're really scared, being all alone, And it's then that you miss all the things you've known, And the world you've left, and the little you own; The fun is done. You steal what you can, and run! And you scramble down, and you look below At the world you left, and the things you know.. The roof, the house, and your mother at the door. The roof, the house, and the world you'd never thought to explore. And you think of all of the things you'd seen. And you wish that you could live in-between. And you're back again, only different than before. After the sky. There are giants in the sky! There are big, tall, terrible, awesome, scary, Wonderful giants in the sky!
  10. Agony [ Top ] Cinderella's Prince (CP): Do I abuse her, or show her disdain? Why does she run from me? If I pursue her, how shall I regain The heart she has won from me? Agony! Beyond power of speech, When the one thing you want Is the only thing out of your reach. Rapunzel's Prince (RP): High in her tower, she sits by the hour, Maintaining her hair. Blithe and becoming, and frequently humming A lighthearted air.. A-a-a-a-a-a-ah.. Agony! Far more painful than yours! When you know she would go with you, If there only were doors! Both: Agony! Oh the torture they teach! RP: What's as intriguing-- CP: Or half so fatiguing-- Both: As what's out of reach? CP: Am I not sensitive, clever, well-mannered, considerate, Passionate, charming, as kind as I'm handsome, And heir to the throne?! RP: You are everything maidens could wish for. CP: The why no? RP: Do I know? CP: The girl must be mad! RP: You know nothing of madness.. ..Till you're climbing her hair, and you see her Up there, as you're nearing her, All the while hearing her 'A-a-a-a-a-a-ah.' Both: Agony! CP: Misery! RP: Woe! Both: Though it's different for each. CP: Always ten steps behind-- RP: Always ten feet below-- Both: and she's just out of reach. Agony, that can cut like a knife! I must have her to wife.
  11. It Takes Two [ Top ] Wife: You've changed. You're daring. You're different in the woods. More sure. More sharing. You're getting us through the woods. If you could see-- You're not the man who started, And much more open-hearted Than I knew you to be. Baker: It takes two. I thought one was enough, It's not true: It takes two of us. You came through When the journey was rough. It took you. It took two of us. It takes care, It takes patience and fear and despair To change. Though you swear to change, Who can tell if you do? It takes two. Wife: You've changed. You're thriving. There's something about the woods. Not just surviving, You're blossoming in the woods. At home I'd fear We'd stay the same forever. And then out here You're passionate, charming, considerate, clever-- Baker: It takes one To begin, but then once you've begun, It takes two of you. It's no fun, But what needs to be done You can do When there's two of you. If I dare, It's because I'm becoming aware of us As a pair of us, Each accepting a share Of what's there. Both: We've changed. We're strangers. I'm meeting you in the woods. Who minds What dangers? I know we'll get past the woods. And once we're past, Let's home the changes last Beyond woods, Beyond witches and slippers and hoods, Just the two of us-- Beyond lies, Safe at home with our beautiful prize, Just the few of us. It takes trust. It takes just a bit more and we're done. We want four, we had none. We've got three. We need one. It takes two.
  12. Second Midnight [ Top ] Witch: Two midnights gone! Cinderella: Wanting a ball is not wanting a Prince... CP: Near may be better than far, But it still isn't there... RP [echo]: Near may be better than far, But it still isn't there... Cinderella: The ball... CP: So near... RP: So far... Stepmother: You can never love somebody else's child-- Florinda, Lucinda: Two midnights gone! Stepmother: --the way you love-- CP: So near... Stepmother: --your own. Cinderella: The Prince... RP: so far... Granny: The greatest prize can often lie At the end of the thorniest path... All: Two midnights gone! Two midnights gone!
  13. Stay With Me [ Top ] Witch: What did I clearly say? Children must listen. Rapunzel: No, no, please! Witch: What were you not to do? Children must see-- Rapunzel: No! Witch: And learn. Why could you not obey? Children should listen. What have I been to you? What would you have me be? Handsome like a Prince? Ah, but I am old. I am ugly. I embarrass you. Rapunzel: No! Witch: You are ashamed of me. Rapunzel: No! Witch: You are ashamed. You don't understand. Rapunzel: It was lonely atop that tower. Witch: I was not company enough? Rapunzel: I am no longer a child; I wish to see the world! Witch: Don't you know what's out there in the world? Someone has to shield you from the world. Stay with me. Princes wait there in the world, it's true. Princes, yes, but wolves and humans, too. Stay at home. I am home. Who out there could love you more than I? What out there that I cannot supply? Stay with me. Stay with me, The world is dark and wild. Stay a child, while you can be a child. With me.
  14. On the Steps of the Palace [ Top ] Cinderella: He's a very smart Prince. He's a Prince who prepares. Knowing this time I'd run from him, He spread pitch on the stairs. I was caught unawares. And I thought, Well, he cares. This is more than just malice. Better stop and take stock while you're standing here stuck On the steps of the palace. You think, What do you want? You think, Make a decision! Why not stay and be caught? You think, Well, it's a thought.. What would be his response? But then what if he knew who you were, When you know that you're not what he thinks that he wants? And then, what if you are What a Prince would envision? Although how can you know who you are, Till you know what you want, which you don't, So then which do you pick: Where you're safe out of sight, And yourself, but where everything's wrong, Or where everything's right, And you know that you'll never belong? And whichever you pick, do it quick, 'Cause you're starting to stick To the steps of the palace! It's your first big decision.. The choice isn't easy to make. To arrive at a Ball is exciting, and all, Once you're there, though, it's scary. And it's fun to deceive when you know you can leave, But you have to be wary. There's a lot that's at stake, but you've stalled long enough, 'Cause you're still standing stuck on the stuff on the steps.. Better run along home! And avoid the collision. Even though they don't care, you'd be better off there, Where there's nothing to choose, so there's nothing to lose, So you pry up your shoes... And then, out of the blue, And without any guide, You know what your decision is.. Which is not to decide. You just leave him a clue. For example: a shoe. And then see what HE'LL do. Now it's he and not you who is stuck with the shoe In a stew.. In the goo.. And you've learned something too, Something you never knew, On the steps of the Palace!
  15. Ever After [ Top ] Cinderella: I didn't think I'd wed a Prince. CP: I didn't think I'd ever find you. Cinderella, CP, Baker, Wife: I didn't think I could be so happy!... NA: And it came to pass, all that seemed wrong was now right, the kingdoms were filled with joy, and those who deserved to were certain to live a long and happy life. Ever after... Company: Ever after! NA: Journey over, all is mended, And it's not just for today, But tomorrow, and extended Ever after! Company: Ever after! NA: All the curses have been ended, The reverses wiped away. All is tenderness and laughter For forever after! Company: Happy now and happy hence And happy ever after! NA: There were dangers-- Company: We were frightened-- NA: And confusions-- Company: But we hid it-- NA: And the paths would often swerve. Company: We did not. NA: There were constant-- Company: It's amazing-- NA: Disillusions-- Company: That we did it. NA: But they never lost their nerve. Company: Not a lot. NA, Company: And they (we) reached the right conclusions, And they (we) got what they (we) deserve! Company: Not a sigh and not a sorrow, Tenderness and laughter. Joy today and bliss tomorrow, And forever after! Florinda: I was greedy. Lucinda: I was vain. Florinda: I was haughty. Lucinda: I was smug. Both: We were happy. Lucinda: It was fun. Florinda: But we were blind. Both: Then we went into the woods To get our wish And now we're really blind. Witch [Over]: I was perfect. I had everything but beauty. I had power, And a daughter like a flower, In a tower. Then I went into the woods to get my wish And now I'm ordinary. Lost my power, and my flower. Florinda, Lucinda: We're unworthy. Florinda, Lucinda, Witch: We're (I'm) unhappy now, unhappy hence, As well as ever after. Had we used our common sense, Been worthy of our discontents... Company: To be happy, and forever, You must see your wish come true. Don't be careful, don't be clever. When you see your wish, pursue. It's a dangerous endeavor, But the only thing to do-- [in three groups: round] Though it's fearful, Though it's deep, though it's dark, And though you may lose the path, Though you may encounter wolves, You mustn't stop, You mustn't swerve, You mustn't ponder, You have to act! When you know your wish, If you want your wish, You can have your wish, But you can't just wish-- No, to get your wish [unison] You go into the woods, Where nothing's clear, Where witches, ghosts And wolves appear. Into the woods And through the fear, You have to take the journey. Into the woods And down the dell, In vain perhaps, But who can tell? Into the woods to lift the spell, Into the woods to lose the longing. Into the woods to have the child, To wed the Prince, To get the money, To save the house, To kill the wolf, To find the father, To conquer the kingdom, to have, to wed, To get, to save, To kill, to keep, To go to the Festival! Into the woods, Into the woods, Into the woods, Then out of the woods-- NA: To be continued... All: --And happy ever after!
  16. Act II Prologue: So Happy [ Top ] NA: Once upon a time-- --later-- Cinderella: I wish.. NA: --in that same far-off kingdom-- Cinderella: More than anything.. NA: --lived a young Princess-- Cinderella: More than life.. NA: --the lad Jack-- Cinderella: More than footmen.. Jack: I wish.. NA: --and the baker and his family-- Baby: Waaah! Jack: No, I miss.. Cinderella, Baker: I wish.. Baby: Waaah! Jack: More than anything.. Cinderella, Baker, Jack: More than the moon.. Wife [to baby]: There, there.. Cinderella: I wish to sponsor a Festival. Baby: Waaah! Baker: More than life.. Jack: I miss.. Cinderella: the time has come for a Festival.. Baby: Waaah! Wife: Shh.. Baker [Over]: More than riches.. Cinderella: And a Ball... Jack: I miss my kingdom up in the sky. Cinderella, baker: More than anything.. Wife: I wish we had more room.. Jack: Play, harp.. Baker: Another room.. NA: But despite some minor inconveniences, they were all content.. Cinderella: I never thought I'd wed a Prince.. CP: I never thought I'd find perfection.. Both: I never thought I could be so happy! Cinderella: Not an unhappy moment since.. Jack, Jack's Mother: I didn't think we'd be this rich.. CP: Not a conceivable objection.. Baker, Wife: I never thought we'd have a baby.. Cinderella, CP, Jack, Jack's Mother: I never thought I could be so happy! Baker, Wife [Over]: I'm so happy! Stepmother: Happy now, Happy hence, Happy ever after-- Stepmother, Stepsisters: We're so happy you're so happy! Just as long as you stay happy, We'll stay happy! Cinderella, CP: Not one row.. Jack's Mother: Pots of pence.. Jack: With my cow.. Baker, Wife: Little gurgles.. CP: Darling, I must go now.. Jack's Mother: We should really sell it. Baker: Where's the cheesecloth? All Others: Wishes may bring problems, Such that you regret them. All: Better that, though, Than to never get them.. Cinderella: I'm going to be a perfect wife! Jack [Over]: I'm going to be a perfect son! Wife, Jack's Mother: I'm going to be a perfect mother! Baker: I'm going to be a perfect father! I'm so happy! Cinderella, Jack, Jack's Mother, Wife: I'm going to see that he (she) Is so happy! All: I never thought I'd love my life! I would have settled for another! Cinderella: Then to become a wife.. Jack, Jack's Mother: Then to be set for life.. Baker, Wife: Then to beget a child.. All: That fortune smiled.. I'm so happy. [dialogue, then:] Baker, Wife, Jack, Jack's Mother: We had to go through thick and thin. Stepmother, Lucinda, Florinda: We had to lose a lot to win. Cinderella: I ventured out and saw within. All: I never thought I'd be so much I hadn't been! I'm so hap-- [crash, dialogue, then:] Baker: Who could do such a thing? Witch: Anything that leaves a footprint that large is no 'who.' Baker: Do you think it was a bear? Witch: A bear? Bears are sweet. Besides, you ever see a bear with forty-foot feet? Wife: Dragon? Witch: No scorch marks--usually they're linked. Baker: Manticore? Witch: Imaginary. Wife, Baker: Griffin? Witch: Extinct. Baker: Giant? Witch: Possible. Very, very possible.. [dialogue, then:] Baker: Into the woods, It's always when You think at last you're through, and then Into the woods you go again To take another journey. Wife: Into the woods, The weather's clear, We've been before, we've naught to fear.. Into the woods, away from here-- Jack: Into the woods, to find a giant--! LRRH: Into the woods to Grandmother's house.. Baker: Into the woods, The path is straight, No reason, then, to hesitate-- Wife: Into the woods, It's not so late, It's just another journey.. Cinderella: Into the woods, But not too long: The skies are strange, The winds are strong. Into the woods to see what's wrong.. Jack: Into the woods to slay the giant! Wife: Into the woods to shield the child.. LRRH: To flee the winds.. Baker: To find a future.. Wife: To shield.. Jack: To slay.. LRRH: To flee.. Baker: To find.. Cinderella: To fix.. Wife: To hide.. LRRH: To move.. Jack: To battle.. Cinderella: To see what the trouble is...
  17. Agony: Reprise [ Top ] CP: High in a tower-- Like yours was, but higher-- A beauty asleep. All 'round the tower, A thicket of briar A hundred feet deep. Agony! No frustration more keen, When the one thing you want Is a thing that you've not even seen. RP: I've found a casket Entirely of glass-- No, it's unbreakable. Inside--don't ask it-- A maiden, alas, Just as unwakeable-- Both: What unmistakable agony! Is the way always barred? RP: She has skin white as snow-- CP: Did you learn her name? RP: No, there's a dwarf standing guard. Both: Agony! Such that princes must weep! Always in thrall most To anything almost, Or something asleep. CP: If it were not for the thicket-- RP: A thicket's no trick. Is it thick? CP: It's the thickest. RP: The quickest is pick it apart with a stick-- CP: Yes, but even one prick-- It's my thing about blood. RP: Well, it's sick! CP: It's no sicker than your thing with dwarves. RP: Dwarves. CP: Dwarves... RP: Dwarves are very upsetting. Both: Not forgetting the tasks unachievable, Mountains unscalable-- If it's conceivable But unavailable, Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-- Agony! CP: Misery! RP: Woe! Both: Not to know what you miss. CP: While they lie there for years-- RP: And you cry on their biers-- Both: What unbearable bliss! Agony, that can cut like a knife! Ah well, back to my wife...
  18. Lament [ Top ] Witch: This is the world I meant. Couldn't you listen? Couldn't you stay content, Safe behind walls As I could not.. Now you know what's out there in the world. No one can prepare you for the world. Even I.. How could I, who loved you as you were, How could I have shielded you from her, Or them? No matter what you say, Children won't listen. No matter what you know, Children refuse to learn. Guide them along the way, Still, they won't listen. Children can only grow From something you love, To something you lose!
  19. Any Moment [ Top ] CP: Anything can happen in the woods.. May I kiss you? Any moment, we could be crushed.. Don't feel rushed. [kisses her] Wife: This is ridiculous What am I doing here? I'm in the wrong story! Wait, one moment please, sir! We can't do this.. you have a princess. CP: That's true. Wife: And I have a.. a baker. CP: Of course, you're right. How foolish! Foolishness can happen in the woods.. Once again, please. Let your hesitations be hushed. Any moment, big or small Is a moment after all. Seize the moment; skies may fall Any moment. [kisses her, deeply] Wife: No nononono.. this is not right. CP: Right and wrong don't matter in the woods, Only feelings.. Let us meet the moment unblushed. Life is often so unpleasant, You must know that, as a peasant. Best to take a moment present As a present, for the moment. [After] CP: I must leave you. Wife: Why? CP: The giant.. Wife: Oh, yes, the giant. Will we find each other in the woods again? CP: This was just a moment in the woods.. Our moment. Shimmering and lovely and sad. Leave the moment, just be glad For the moment that we had. Every moment is of moment When you're in the woods..
  20. Moments In the Woods [ Top ] Wife: What was that? Was that me? Was that him? Did a prince really kiss me, And kiss me.. and kiss me.. And did I kiss him back? Was it wrong? Am I mad? Was that all? Does he miss me? Was he suddenly getting bored with me? Wake up! Stop dreaming, Stop prancing about the woods. It's not beseeming. What is it about the woods? Back to life, back to sense, back to child, back to husband. No one lives in the woods! There are vows, there are ties, There are needs, there are standards, There are shouldn't and shoulds. Why not both instead? There's the answer, if you're clever. Have a child for warmth, and a baker for bread, And a prince, for.. whatever.. Never! It's these woods! Face the facts, find the boy, join the group, stop the giant-- Just get out of these woods. Was that me? Yes it was. Was that him? No it wasn't.. Just a trick of the woods! Just a moment, One peculiar passing moment. Must it all be either less or more, Either plain or grand? Is it always 'or'? Is it never 'and'? That's what woods are for: For those moments in the woods... Oh, if life were made of moments, Even now and then a bad one--! But if life were only moments, Then you'd never know you had one. First a witch, then a child, then a Prince, then a moment-- Who can live in the woods? And to get what you wish, only just for a moment-- These are dangerous woods.. Let the moment go.. Don't forget it for a moment, though. Just remembering you had an 'and,' when you're back to 'or,' Makes the 'or' mean more than is did before. Now I understand-- And it's time to leave the woods.
  21. Your Fault [ Top ] Baker: It's because of you there's a giant in our midst, and my wife is dead! Jack: But it isn't my fault, I was given those beans! You persuaded me to trade away my cow for beans! And without those beans, there'd have been no stalk To get up to the giant in the first place! Baker: Wait a minute, magic beans for a cow so old That you had to tell a lie to sell it, which you told! Were they worthless beans? Were they oversold? Oh, and tell us who persuaded you to steal that gold! LRRH [to Jack]: See, it's your fault. Jack: No! Baker: So it's your fault.. Jack: No! LRRH: Yes, it is! Jack: It's not! Baker: It's true. Jack: Wait a minute, though-- I only stole the gold to get my cow back From you! LRRH [to Baker]: So it's your fault! Jack: Yes! Baker: No, it isn't! I'd have kept those beans, but our house was cursed. She made us get a cow to get the curse reversed! Witch: It's his father's fault that the curse got placed, And the place got cursed in the first place! LRRH: Oh. Then it's his fault! Witch: So. Cinderella: It was his fault.. Jack: No. Baker: Yes, it is, it's his. Cinderella: I guess.. Jack: Wait a minute, though-- I chopped down the beanstalk, right? That's clear. But without any beanstalk, then what's queer Is how did the second giant get down here In the first place? ..second place.. Cinderella: Yes! LRRH: How? Baker: Hmm.. Jack: Well, who had the other bean? Baker: The other bean? Cinderella: The other bean? Jack [to Baker]: You pocketed the other bean. Baker: I didn't! Yes, I did. LRRH: So it's your f--! Baker: No, it isn't, 'cause I gave it to my wife! LRRH: So it's her f--! Baker: NO, IT ISN'T! Cinderella: Then whose is it? Baker: Wait a minute! [to Cinderella] She exchanged that bean to obtain your shoe, So the one who knows what happened to the bean is you! Cinderella: You mean that old bean-- that your wife--? Oh, dear-- [as they all look at her] But I never knew, and so I threw-- Well, don't look here! LRRH: So it's your fault! Cinderella: But-- Jack: See, it's her fault-- Cinderella: But-- Jack: And it isn't mine at all! Baker [to Cinderella]: But what? Cinderella [to Jack]: Well, if you hadn't gone back up again-- Jack: We were needy-- Cinderella: You were greedy! Did you need that hen? Jack: But I got it for my mother--! LRRH: So it's her fault then! Cinderella: Yes, and what about the harp in the third place? Baker: The harp--yes! Jack [referring to LRRH]: She went and dared me to! LRRH: I dared you to? Jack: You dared me to! [to the others] She said that I was scared-- LRRH: ME? Jack: --to. She dared me! LRRH: No, I didn't! Baker, Cinderella, Jack: So it's your fault! LRRH: Wait a minute--! Cinderella: If you hadn't dared him to-- Baker [to Jack] And you had left the harp alone, We wouldn't be in trouble in the first place! LRRH [to Cinderella, over]: Well, if you hadn't thrown away the bean In the first place--! It was your fault! Cinderella [referring to Witch]: Well, if she hadn't raised them in the first place--! Jack [over, to Witch]: Yes, if you hadn't raised them in the first place--! LRRH, Baker [to Witch]: Right! It's you who raised them in the first place--! Cinderella [simultaneously]: You raised the beans in the first place! Jack: It's YOUR fault! Cinderella, Jack, LRRH, Baker: You're responsible! You're the one to blame! It's your fault! Witch: Shhhhhhhhhhh! [goes directly into next song]
  22. Last Midnight [ Top ] Witch: It's the last midnight. It's the last wish. It's the last midnight, Soon it will be boom-- Squish! Told a little lie, stole a little gold, broke a little vow, Did you? Had to get your Prince, had to get your cow, Have to get your wish, doesn't matter how.. Anyway, it doesn't matter now. It's the last midnight, It's the boom-- Splat! Nothing but a vast midnight, Everybody smashed flat! Nothing we can do... Not exactly true: We can always give her the boy... No? No, of course, what really matters is the blame. Somebody to blame. Fine, if that's the thing you enjoy, placing the blame, If that's the aim, give me the blame. Just give me the boy. No? You're so nice. You're not good, you're not bad, You're just nice. I'm not good, I'm not nice, I'm just right. I'm the witch. You're the world. I'm the hitch, I'm what no one believes. I'm the witch. You're all liars and thieves, Like his father! Like his son will be too! Oh, why bother? You'll just do what you do! It's the last midnight, So goodbye, all. Coming at you fast, midnight-- Soon you'll see the sky fall! Here, you want a bean? Have another bean. Beans were made for making you rich! Plant them and they soar-- Here, you want some more? Listen to the roar: Giants by the score--! Oh well, you can blame another witch. It's the last midnight, It's the last verse. Now, before it's past midnight, I'm leaving you my last curse: I'm leaving you alone. You can tend the garden, it's yours. Separate and alone, Everybody down on all fours. All right, Mother, when? Lost the beans again! Punish me the way you did then! Give me claws and a hunch, Just away from this bunch And the gloom And the doom And the boom Cruuuunch!
  23. No More [ Top ] Baker: No more questions, please. No more tests. Comes the day you say, 'What for?' Please.. no more. Mysterious Man: We disappoint, we disappear, we die, but we don't. They disappoint in turn, I fear, Forgive, though, they won't. Baker: No more riddles. No more jests. No more curses you can't undo, left by fathers you never knew. No more quests. No more feelings. Time to shut the door. Just.. No more. Mysterious Man: Running away, let's do it. Free from the ties that bind. No more despair, or burdens to bear, Out there in the yonder. Running away, go to it. Where did you have in mind? Have to take care.. unless there's a 'where', You'll only be wandering blind. Just more questions.. different kind. Where are we to go? Where are we ever to go? Running away, we'll do it. Why sit around, resigned? Trouble is, son, the farther you run, The more you'll be wandering blind. For what you have left undone, and more, What you've left behind. We disappoint, we leave a mess, we die, but we don't. Baker: We disappoint in turn, I guess. Forget, though, we won't. Both: Like father, like son. Baker: No more giants waging war! Can't we just pursue our lives, with our children and our wives, 'Til that happy day arrives, how do you ignore All the witches, all the curses, All the wolves, all the lies, the false hopes, the good-bye's, The reverses, All the wondering what even worse is still in store! All the children. All the giants.. No more.
  24. No One Is Alone [ Top ] Cinderella: Mother cannot guide you. Now you're on your own. Only me beside you. Still, you're not alone. No one is alone. Truly. No one is alone. Sometimes people leave you Halfway through the wood. Others may deceive you. You decide what's good. You decide alone. But no one is alone. LRRH: I wish.. Cinderella: I know. Mother isn't here now. Baker: Wrong things, right things. Cinderella: Who knows what she'd say? Baker: Who can say what's true? Cinderella: Nothing's quite so clear now. Baker: Do things, fight things, Cinderella: Feel you've lost your way? Baker: You decide, but Both: You are not alone. Cinderella: Believe me, No one is alone Baker: No one is alone. Believe me. Truly. You move just a finger, You move just a finger, Say the slightest word, Say the slightest word, Something's bound to linger, Something's bound to linger, Be heard. Be heard. No one acts alone. Careful. No one is alone. People make mistakes. People make mistakes. Fathers, Mothers, People make mistakes, People make mistakes, Holding to their own, Holding to their own, Thinking they're alone. Thinking they're alone. Honor their mistakes-- Everybody makes-- Fight for they're mistakes-- Both: One another's terrible mistakes. Witches can be right, giants can be good. You decide what's right, you decide what's good. Cinderella: Baker: Just remember: [echo] Just remember: Both: Someone is on your side. Jack, LRRH: OUR side. Baker, Cinderella: Our side-- Someone else is not. While we're seeing our side-- Jack, LRRH: Our side.. Baker, Cinderella: Our side-- All: Maybe we forgot: they are not alone. No one is alone. Cinderella: Hard to see the light now. Baker: Just don't let it go. Both: Things will come out right now. We can make it so. Someone is on your side-- [interrupted]
  25. Finale: Children Will Listen [ Top ] Jack's Mother: The slotted spoon CAN catch the potato... Mysterious Man: Every knot was once straight rope.. Princes: The harder to wake, the better to have.. Snow White, Sleeping Beauty: (Yawn) Excuse me. Steward: The greater the good, the harder the blow.. Stepmother: When going to hide, know how to get there. Cinderella's Father: And how to get back.. Florinda, Lucinda: And eat first.. Granny: The knife that is sharp today may be dull by tomorrow.. Rapunzel: Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah.. Baker: Maybe I just wasn't meant to have children-- Wife: Don't say that! Of course you were meant to have children.. Baker: But how will I go about being a father With no one to mother my child? Wife: Just calm the child. Baker: Yes, calm the child. Wife: Look, tell him the story of how it all happened. Be father and mother, you'll know what to do. Baker: Alone.. Wife: Sometimes people leave you Halfway through the wood. Do not let it grieve you, No one leaves for good. You are not alone. No one is alone. Hold him to the light now, Let him see the glow. Things will be all right now. Tell him what you know.. Baker: Shhh. Once upon a time...in a far-off kingdom...lived a young maiden...a sad young lad..and a childless baker...with his wife. Witch [simultaneously with Baker]: Careful the things you say, Children will listen. Careful the things you do, Children will see. And learn. Children may not obey, But children will listen. Children will look to you For which way to turn, To learn what to be. Careful before you say, "Listen to me." Children will listen. Company: Careful the wish you make, Wishes are children. Careful the path they take, Wishes come true, Not free. Careful the spell you cast, Not just on children. Sometimes the spell may last Past what you can see And turn against you... Witch: Careful the tale you tell. That is the spell. Children will listen.. Company [in three groups: round]: Though it's fearful, Though it's deep, though it's dark And though you may lose the path, Though you may encounter wolves, You can't just act, You have to listen. you can't just act, You have to think. Though it's dark, There are always wolves, There are always spells, There are always beans, Or a giant dwells there. [unison] So into the woods you go again, You have to every now and then. Into the woods, no telling when, Be ready for the journey. Into the woods, but not too fast or what you wish, you lose at last. Into the woods, but mind the past. Into the woods, but mind the future. Into the woods, but not to stray, Or tempt the wolf, or steal from the giant-- The way is dark, The light is dim, But now there's you, me, her, and him. The chances look small, The choices look grim, But everything you learn there Will help when you return there. Baker, Jack, Cinderella, LRRH: The light is getting dimmer.. Baker: I think I see a glimmer-- All: Into the woods--you have to grope, But that's the way you learn to cope. Into the woods to find there's hope Of getting through the journey. Into the woods, each time you go, There's more to learn of what you know. Into the woods, but not too slow-- Into the woods, it's nearing midnight-- Into the woods to mind the wolf, To heed the witch, to honor the giant, To mind, to heed, to find, to think, to teach, to join, To go to the Festival! Into the woods, Into the woods, Into the woods, Then out of the woods-- And happy ever after! Cinderella: I wish...

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Last modified January 31, 1997 / musicals@musicals.mit.edu
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