Lyrics I Love

Anyone seen the Music Man? The awesome movie version with Robert Preston and Shirley Jones? I love it so. In my repeated travels to Cleveland for training I listened to the soundtrack an awful lot. This is one particular song that I adore. Spoken parts are in plain text, parts that are sung are in bold. The conversation takes place during Amaryllis' piano lesson, and any parts that are sung are in harmony with the scales she is playing.

Marian: Mama, a man with a suitcase followed me home.

Mrs. Paroo: Oh--Who?

Marian: I never saw him before.

Mrs. Paroo: Did he say anythin'?

Marian: He tried.

Mrs. Paroo: Did you say anythin'?

Marian: Of course not, Mama! Now don't dawdle, Amaryllis. So do la re ti mi,
A little slower and please
Keep the fingers curved as nice
And as high as you possibly can. Don't get faster, dear.

Mrs. Paroo: If you don't mind my sayin' so,It wouldn't have hurt you To find out what the gentleman wanted.

Marian: I know what the gentleman wanted.

Mrs. Paroo: What, dear?

Marian: You'll find it in Balzac.

Mrs. Paroo: Excuse me fer livin' but I never read it.

Marian: Neither has anyone else in this town.

Mrs. Paroo: There you go again with the same old comment
About the low mentality of River City people,
And takin' it all to much to heart.

Marian: Now, Mama, as long as the Madison Public Library was entrusted
To me for the purpose of improving River City's cultural level,
I can't help my concern that the ladies of River City
Keep ignoring all my council and advice.

Mrs. Paroo: But, darlin'--when a woman has a husband and you've got none,
Why should she take advice from you?
Even if you can quote Balzac and Shakespeare
And all them other highfalutin' Greeks.

Marian: Mamma! If you don't mind my saying so,
You have a bad habit of changing ev'ry subject--

Mrs. Paroo: No, I haven't changed the subject! I was talking about that stranger--

Marian: What stranger?!

Mrs. Paroo: With the suitcase! Who may be your very last chance.

Marian: Mama! Do you think that I'd allow a common masher--
Now, really Mama! I have my standards where men are concerned,
And I have no intention--

Mrs. Paroo: I know all about your standards
And if you don't mind my sayin' so
There's not a man alive
Who could hope to measure up
To that blend'a Paul Bunyan, Saint Pat and Noah Webster
You've got concocted for yourself
Outta your Irish imagination,
Your Iowa stubbornness, and your liberry fulla' books!

I'm sure the effect is somewhat lost when you can't hear the music, but this is one of my happy songs at the moment, and I wanted to share. It's the very last part that Mrs. Paroo sings that I especially love.