Stephen Sondheim - Prologue: Into The Woods [Movie Version]
Once upon a time in a far-off kingdom, there lay a small village at the edge of the woodsI wish
And in this village-
More than anything
Lived a young maiden-
More than life
More than jewels
A carefree young lad-
I wish
More than life
And a childless baker-
I wish
With his wife
More than anything
More than the moon
I wish
The King is giving a Festival
More than life
I wish
I wish to go to the Festival
More than riches
And the ball
I wish my cow would give us some milk
More than anything
I wish we had a child
Please, pal-
I want a child
Squeeze, pal
I wish to go to the Festival
I wish you'd give us some
Milk or even cheese (I wish we might have a child)
I wish
You wish to go to the Festival?
The poor girl's parents had died-
You, Cinderella, the Festival? (What, you, Cinderella, the Festival?)
What, you wish to go to the Festival?
The Festival?
The King's Festival?
And now she lived with her stepmother-
The Festival?
Ha!
Who had two daughters of her own
Look at your nails!
Look at your dress!
People would laugh at you
Nevertheless
I still wish to go to the Festival
And dance before the Prince
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
All three were beautiful of face, but vile and black of heart
The young lad had no father, and his mother-
I wish
Well, she was at her wit's end
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
Ooh! What in heaven's name are you doing with the cow inside the house?
I thought if he got nice and warm he might produce some milk
It's a she
How many times do I have to tell you that only she's can give milk?
And then there was a hungry little girl who always wore a red cape
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
Just a loaf of bread, please
Cinderella, if you can pick up these lentils and finish your chores in time
Then you may go to the ball with us
Come along, ladies
Yes, Mother
Good luck
Come, little birds
Down from the eaves
And the leaves
Over fields
Out of castles and ponds
Now, squeeze, pal
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Quick, little birds
Flick through the ashes
Pick and peck, but swiftly
Sift through the ashes
Into the pot
Now listen to me well, son
Milky-White must be taken to market
Mother, no, he's the best cow in the world!
Was
She has been dry for weeks now
We've no food or money and no choice but to sell her
But Milky-White's my best friend
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
But-
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 wonder what's going on in that head of yours
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
Into the woods to Grandmother's house
Are you certain of your way?
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?
Yes, we do
I don't suppose you're planning on buying any of these
Oh, shh
Now, don't stray and be late, alright?
You might save some of those sweets for Granny
Oh my-
Just leave it
She's a thief!
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!
Get up here!
Fly, birds
Back to the sky
We're waiting!
Back to the eaves
And the leaves
And the fields
And the-
Hurry up and do my hair, Cinderella!
Are you really wearing that?
Here, I found a little tear, Cinderella
Can't you hide it with a hat?
You look beautiful
I know
She means me
No, she didn't
Mother said be good
Father said be nice
That was always their advice
So be nice, Cinderella
Good, Cinderella
Nice, good, good, nice
Tighter!
What's the good of being good
If everyone is blind
Always leaving you behind?
Never mind, Cinderella
Kind Cinderella
Nice, good, nice, kind, good, nice
Ow! Not that tight! Clod!
Who might that be?
We've sold our last loaf of bread!
It's the witch from next door
We have no bread
I don't want your bread
Then what is it you wish?
It's not what I wish
It's what you wish
Nothing cooking in that belly now, is there?
And there will never be unless you do exactly as I say
In three days time a blue moon will appear
Only then can the curse be undone
What curse?
The one I placed on this house
What are you talking about?
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 lovely couple, but not lovely neighbors
You see, your mother was with child, and she developed an unusual appetite
She admired my beautiful garden
And she told your father that what she wanted more than anything in the world, was-
Greens, greens, nothing but greens:
Parsley, peppers, cabbages and celery
Asparagus and watercress and
Fiddle ferns 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-
I could have turned him into stone
Or a dog
Or a chair
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 call it square"
I had a brother?
No
But, you had a sister
Where is she?
She's mine now! And you'll never find her
Small price to pay for what else your father stole from me
It cost me my youth, my beauty
My mother warned me
She would punish me with the curse of ugliness if I ever lost any of them
Lost what?
The beans
Beans?
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
When bang! Crash!
A lightning flash!
Well, that's another story
Never mind-
Anyway, at last, the big day came
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
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
Oh!
How could you do that?
And when your mother died, your father deserted you
Your father was no father, so why should you be?
Now 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
Yeah, but why do we have to go to the next village?
Because everyone in this village knows the cow hasn't given a drop of milk in weeks
That's cheating!
We're starving, Jack! Don't you understand that?
Now, you're not to accept less than five pounds for her
Are you listening to me?
Yes
How much are you to ask?
No more than five pounds
Less than five! Than five!
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 to the woods and don't delay
We have to face the marketplace
Into the woods to journey's end
Into the woods to sell a friend
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
Tis' then the blue moon reappears
Which comes but once each hundred years
Bring them and I guarantee
A child as perfect as child can be
Go to the wood!
Ladies, our carriage awaits
Now may I go to the Festival?
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!
The Festival lasts three nights
Surely, you could let me be there for one of them
The King is trying to find his son a wife
Not a scullery maid
We must be gone! Go!
I wish
Beans? Oh, these must be the witch's beans!
We'll take them with us
We?
Yes!
We? You're not coming
It's not safe out there
I can help you!
No! I can do this on my own
The spell is on my house
Only I can lift the spell
The spell is on my house
No, no, the spell is on our house
We must lift the spell together
The spell is on our house!
Now tell me, what am I to return with?
Ugh, 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
The cow as white as milk
The cape as red as blood
The hair as yellow as corn
The slipper as pure as gold
I still wish to go to the Festival
The cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood (but how am I ever to get to the Festival?)
The hair as yellow as corn
I know!
I'll visit Mother's grave
The grave at the willow tree (the slipper as pure as gold)
And tell her I just want to go to the King's Festival (the cow, the cape)
The slipper as pure as gold
The hair!
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
Into the woods
The path is straight
You know it well
But who can tell
Into the woods to lift the spell
Into the woods to visit Mother
Into the woods to sell the cow!
To get the money!
To go to the Festival!
Into the woods to grandmother's house!
Into the woods to grandmother's house!
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
No need to be afraid there
There's something in the glade there
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 to see the King
To sell the cow
To make the potion
To see
To sell
To get
To bring
To make
To lift
To go to the Festival!
Into the woods! (To see, to sell, to get, to bring)
Into the woods! (To make, to lift, to go to the Festival)
Into the woods, into the woods (To see, to sell, to get, to bring)
Into the woods, into the woods (To make, to lift, to go to the Festival)
Into the woods
Then out of the woods
(To see, to sell, to get, to bring)
(To make, to lift, to go to the Festival)
Into the woods
Then out of the woods
And home before dark!
Written by:
Stephen Sondheim
Publisher:
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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