George Friderich Handel (1685-1759) wrote his oratorio Judas Maccabeus based on the historical figure of Judas Maccabeus. The plot follows the life of Judas and how he led the Jewish people to reclaim the Second Temple of Jerusalem. In the oratorio, Simon, Judas’ brother, is a priest who asks God to help drive out the presence of Greek, Roman, and Syrian deities from the holy land.       

The Lord worketh wonders takes place in part II of the story, where Simon is decreeing to the people of Israel that the lord will work wonders to help his people. The music of this aria is quick and thunderous, showing the might of the Lord. This is also reflected in the text, with the singer always placing the word wonders on long and flowing melismatic lines, showing how the wonder of the Lord’s power is ever flowing and moving. The music also utilizes a good bit of text painting, particularly on the line “his glory to raise” by placing the word raise at the apex of the phrase every time it is repeated. This text painting quite literally raises the glory of the lord above the rest of the text of the aria, ultimately showing the message of Simon and his goal of rallying the Israelites. This text painting is repeated in the second section with the text “and still as he thunders” with the stress of the phrase being placed on the word thunders to allow the singer to really let loose and let the voice reflect the thundering power of the text.

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was a French composer during the late romantic period and early 20th century known for his many art song compositions. L’horizon chimérique (The shimmering horizon) is the final set of songs that Fauré wrote before his death in 1924. The cycle is based on poetry by Jean de la Ville de Mirmont, who died in 1914 during the first world war.

The second song of the set Je me suis embarqué tells the story of a man setting out for a new life on the sea. This song immediately sets the perfect feeling for the story with its ¾ time signature that evokes the image of a ship rocking side to side on the ocean. The accompaniment keeps that consistent rocking motion throughout the entire piece, reflecting on the thoughts of the singer and their desire to leave land forever and seek out a new life on the sea. The singer further reflects on this with both the text of the along and the overall structure of the melody, flowing and swelling from phrase to phrase with a similar motion to the waves of the open sea. The dynamic contrast presented in this piece also allows the singer to further represent this idea of wavelike movement, with the dynamics rising and falling like the natural rhythm of the ocean.

Diane, Séléné is a lament to the goddess of the moon and stands as a sort of love letter to the peacefulness of the night sky. The light and ethereal sound of the accompaniment build an image of the moon shining on a field at night. The lightness of this piece is also shown in the tenderness of the vocal line, with the singer’s voice floating over the chords playing in the piano accompaniment. The elegant legato phrasing of the vocal line really helps to drive home the calmness of image being painted by the singer. The poetry of this song also reflects the calmness and serenity that the singer finds in the moon and how the world at night stays so tranquil. The only time that the piece really breaks this tranquil feeling is with the line “Injurieuse au trouble vain des pauvres âmes, Et mon cœur, toujours las et toujours agité,” which means “Mocking the fruitless commotion of wretched souls, And my heart, ever weary and ever uneasy,”. This text is painted well by the singer’s change in dynamics, which show the mounting feelings of the singer’s overflowing heart regarding the moon’s peacefulness.

Richard Strauss (1864-1949) wrote Acht Geidchte aus ‘Letzte Blätter,’ as his first full song cycle with poetry written by the same poet. This cycle was based off works by Hermann von Gilm, a relatively unknown poet at the time. He originally wrote the set to be sung by a tenor or soprano voice, but the set was later transposed down for lower voices. This set of songs are among Strauss’ most well-known works, especially the songs Zueignung, Die Nacht, and Allerseelen.

Zueignung (or dedication) is a testament to love and the commitment between the singer and their loved one. The music takes a steady tempo throughout the entire piece that gives the song a sense of steadiness and assuredness in its tone. The steady pulse of the accompaniment could be likened to that of a beating heart, and this pulse keeps steadily beating up until the climax of the piece in the third verse, where it finally erupts into a beautiful cacophony of sound on the phrase “Heilig, Heilig, ans Herz dir sank” which means “holy, holy, into your embrace I sank”. This phrase is both the climax of the piece for the singer and the piano, with the two joining together here to showcase the depth and fullness of the love being described in the poetry. The vocal line of this piece follows this same kind of steady pulse, but it stays mostly quiet and thoughtful during the first two verses of the piece. Then as the song builds into the third verse, the vocal line starts to grow higher in pitch and more intense dynamically until this climax right before the final phrase of the piece, which is the singer giving thanks to their love for allowing them to love as they have.

Nichts is the second song of the cycle and is a drastic change in tone and pace from the previous song, with a very quick and upbeat tempo, and quicker, more clipped vocal lines. The vocal phrases in this song are much more conversational in this song, which gives it a lighter and more buoyant feeling. This tone is also reflected in the text of the song, with the singer responding to a question posed by someone asking him to name the queen of all song. The lightness of the conversation is shown both in the shorter phrases and the text that the singer uses. At one point he even says “fools that you are” which implies some level of comfortability and friendship rather than romantic intimacy. As the second enters the second section, the tune slows down a bit and gets more of a wistful feeling as the singer begins to ponder on what this “queen of song” might look like, before coming back to the tone established in the opening by saying “Ach! What do I know of all that.”. The final section of this song combines the two established tones, beginning with the more slow and wistful feeling before the singer seems to interrupt himself and go back to the lighter and more friendly feeling from the song’s opening section.

Die Nacht is the third song in this cycle, and this song takes on a much different tone that the previous two. The song begins with a very soft piano accompaniment, which stays consistent throughout the entire song. The entire picture painted by the music in this piece is very quiet and at times a little fearful. This piano accompaniment of this piece does a very good job of helping the singer create this imagery with its steady eight note pulses, which create a sense of quiet suspense. This suspense becomes more apparent as the sections of the song begin to reveal the story and why the night is something to be more feared rather than enjoyed. This becomes increasingly more apparent the further along in the text the singer gets, starting with how the night takes away all the color from the world, then moving into how it takes away all that is precious like silver and gold, and the final stanza the singers says that they fear that the night will also steal a person from them. The music becomes increasingly more intense as the singer moves through these stanzas, showing the shift in tone from a more observational point of view in the beginning of the song to a fearful one at the ending.

The final song of the cycle is Allerseelen which is a poem about All Soul’s Day. This final song returns to the loving tone of the first of the set, but with an added sense of loss and longing. The piano has a much more involved presence in this piece, with longer melodic lines that seem to linger on the ear moreso than in the other songs of this cycle. The sense of longing and loss is further exemplified by this more involved piano accompaniment, and the long phrases of the piano allow for more vocal inflection from the singer. This added rubato of the piano also affects the singer’s ability to tell the story of this song, allowing for more variations between the different sections of this song. Each of the stanzas of this song have a distinct feeling that help the singer tell the story of that Von Gilm tried to convey with his poetry. The first section is the most romantic of the three, with the singer describing setting a table for two for All Soul’s Day. The opening section of this song is a slow build up to the phrase “wie einst im Mai” meaning “as once in May”, this phrase is repeated several times by the singer throughout the piece as they reminisce on a love lost. The second section of this song is much more subdued and quieter, signifying the tenderness of the love that the singer once had with the object of their affections. The third and final section of the song starts out similarly to the second with a quiet, somber tone, but it quickly builds into a huge declaration of how once a year the singer is allowed this day to love again. The climax of the piece is on the phrase “Komm an mein Herz, dass ich dich wieder habe” meaning “come to my heart, so that I can have you again”, this is where the singer’s emotions fully overflow and show the depth of this lost relationship. This final declaration is followed by a final wistful “wie einst im Mai” as the song ends.

Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) was a French composer and teacher duing the romantic period. He is probably most well-known for his operas Hamlet and Mignon. He originally released his operatic interpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in 1868, just two years after Mignon.

Doute de la Lumiere is a duet sung by Hamlet and Ophelia during the first act where they first confess their love for one another. Right before this scene Ophelia expresses her worry that Hamlet will leave the country following the death of his father, and the two eventually reconcile with this duet. The musical accompaniment throughout the duet takes more of a backseat while Hamlet and Ophelia sing to each other, which draws the focus onto the text and emotion of the singers. The text repeats itself quite often during this duet, especially the lines about doubt, and never doubting the love that these two have for each other. One great quality is that the singers both have their own separate declarations to each other before joining together for the last section of the duet. It’s a very tender and emotional duet between the two singers, and the way that the vocal lines of both singers always build up to an overflowing of emotion right before they say never to doubt their love is a great vehicle for showing the emotional connection that these two characters have.

Earth and Air and Rain is a song cycle written by British composer Gerald Finzi between 1928-1935 and published in 1936. Finzi wrote this cycle based off of poetry by Thomas Hardy, and this cycle was not the first or the last time that Finzi worked with Hardy’s poetry for his music.

Summer Schemes starts off the cycle with a light and upbeat tempo that celebrates the return of summer and all the joyful noise and picturesque scenery that comes along with it. The piano mirrors these pictures with the same kind of smooth and light accompaniment that is established by the text of the song. One interesting feeling about this opening song is how Finzi switches time signature constantly throughout this song, which in turn allows for the meter of the poetry to be changed and not become stale or stuck, because this time signature change can either help the singer shorten phrases or elongate them depending on the text. One of the most precious aspects of this song is how the pianist and singer echo each other’s phrases and melodic lines in a way that makes the piece feel fluid and connected, just like the nature that the singer describes all throughout the song. As the song comes to a close there is a gorgeous moment of suspension between singers and pianist on the final phrase “but who may sing of what another moon will bring”. This final question posed by the singer is intentionally left unanswered by Finzi, which I believe is his own way of saying to enjoy the beauty of nature because you never know if you will have the chance to do so again.

When I set out for Lyonesse starts up with a marching beat, steady but not heavy. It still leaves room for some of the lightness and playfulness that had already been established in the previous song. This song tells the story of a man who set out on a journey to the mythical Lyonesse and returns from the journey with a newfound sense of magic in and wonder. The melodic line of the singer also reflects this journey, utilizing the fullness of a singer’s range with both highs and lows spanning over an octave and a half. The piano accompaniment on this piece is a bit more subdued, allowing for the singer to take precedence and tell the story that Hardy wrote. However, this less involved accompaniment gives way to my personal favorite moment of the entire song, where the singer gets into the third section of the piece and the piano makes an ever so slight shift from e minor to E Major when the singer “returns” from Lyonesse. This small shift in tone really helps to sell the idea that the singer has returned from their journey a changed person, with a newfound sense of magic in their eyes.

Waiting Both is a short and mysterious song that paints an image of a clear starry night. The descending arpeggios played by the pianist during the opening of the song are the perfect representation for showing the stars in the sky, the range of the pitches employed by the pianist combined with the slower tempo of this song evoke the exact imagery that Finzi wished to convey with this song. To go along with the wide arrangement of pitches, the song also carries phrases over bar lines, which makes it difficult to hear a steady pulse in this song, which adds on to the established sense of mystery. This piece places the singer into two different narrative roles, as a star looking down to Earth, and the singer who is responding to the star’s question. The singer first narrates the part of the star, and asks “here, I and you stand each in our degree. What do you mean to do?”. The piano then has a brief interlude that mirrors the opening of the song with the twinkling piano responding to the star’s question. The singer then gives their response “wait and let time go by, till my change comes”.

Proud Songsters the final song of the set takes some of the focus off of the singer and allows the piano to tell most of the story. It includes a lengthy introduction with several layers of melodies and harmonies overlapping and creating a scene of birdsong in the forest. The singer’s entrance is mostly just commenting on the image that the piano has been painting during the introduction about thrushes and birdsong. Once the singer finishes with this section the piano again takes off into its own interlude that builds to the same kind of dynamic heights of the introduction before slowing and becoming still before the transition into the final section of the song. The last section of the song reflects on the youth of the birds and how just a year ago they were nothing but particles of grain, and earth, and air, and rain. Finzi closing this cycle with the title of the entire piece is such a poetic moment, and it feels like he really captured the beauty of how cyclical nature can be with this entire song cycle.

Dust and Ashes is a solo sung by Pierre in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. The show is based around the novel War and Peace and follows the events of Natasha’s affair with another man while her fiancée is away fighting in a war. This song takes place just after Pierre fights a duel against one of the most dangerous men in Moscow, and miraculously wins. It’s a very emotionally charged song, with Pierre contemplating his own mortality and his near-death experience. It begins with just a simple piano accompaniment that helps to set a mournful tone for the beginning of the song, and the entire first section of the song is mostly just the singer repeating the question “Is this how I die?” and reflecting on the life that he has lived. The song picks up a bit more at the first chorus, when the singer mentions falling in love, and this is where the piano also starts to get more involved, showing that the singer is slowly “waking up”. After this first chorus comes a more intense section where the singer again starts to question that life that he has lived, saying things like “life and love I don’t deserve” and "was there ever any other way my life could be?”. This quicker section shows some more of the panic and depth of Pierre’s character as he continues this downward spiral about his own mortality. Another return to the chorus follows this quick section, slowing the song back down and really giving the singer a moment to make the commitment to have this final moment to “wake up”.

Razzle Dazzle from Chicago is Billy Flynn’s song to Roxie Hart about how to work the court system during her first murder trial. It’s a very light and jazzy piece, which is a stark contrast to actual contents of the ongoing murder trial. The singer’s vocal line in this song is very smooth and connected, playing into the character of Billy Flynn and his occupation as a trial lawyer, staying smooth and knowing how to work a crowd. The jazz influences of this song also work for the more theatrical aspects of this song, allowing for more audience work and fourth wall breaking during the actual show. It’s a song that is meant to entertain and distract in the context of the show, and the jazz accompaniment along with showmanship of the character really allow for a fun exploration of character that I enjoy getting to work with.

The Impossible Dream is one of Don Quixote’s songs in the musical Man of La Mancha. This song is the first one that Don Quixote sings in the show, and it gives the audience an idea of what kind of man the Quixote believes himself to be, a chivalrous knight who will take on this quest to uphold the ideals of courage, righteousness, and chivalry. As a fictional figure, Don Quixote is known as a crazy old man who is just imaging his mundane life to be something much more extraordinary that the reality that he sees. But the character of Don Quixote and the ideals that he loves to espouse are real and tangible, and while his great quest might be fiction his drive and passion can still be found in the real world. This song that he sings about his quest is one of purpose and drive, and the song reflects this with the constant growth through the phrases of the singer. This song really feels like one large crescendo up to the final declaration of Don Quixote to reach the unreachable stars, and his drive to complete his impossible dream.

Der Hirt auf dem Felsen
Franz Schubert
(1797–1828)

Der Hirt auf dem Felsen

Wenn auf dem höchsten Fels ich steh,
Ins tiefe Tal hernieder seh
Und singe,

Fern aus dem tiefen dunkeln Tal
Schwingt sich empor der Wiederhall
Der Klüfte.

Je weiter meine Stimme dringt,
Je heller sie mir wiederklingt
Von unten.

Mein Liebchen wohnt so weit von mir,
Drum sehn ich mich so heiß nach ihr
Hinüber.

In tiefem Gram verzehr ich mich,
Mir ist die Freude hin,
Auf Erden mir die Hoffnung wich,
Ich hier so einsam bin.

So sehnend klang im Wald das Lied,
So sehnend klang es durch die Nacht.
Die Herzen es zum Himmel zieht
Mit wunderbarer Macht.

Der Frühling will kommen,
Der Frühling, meine Freud,
Nun mach ich mich fertig
Zum Wandern bereit.

The shepherd on the cliff

When I stand on the highest cliff
I look down into the deep valley
And sing,

Far away out of the deep dark valley
There soars up an echo
From the ravines,

The further my voice reaches
The brighter it resounds to me
From below.

My beloved lives so far from me,
So I feel such hot longing for her
Over there!

I am eating myself up in deepest sorrow,
Joy has abandoned me!
There is no hope left for me on earth,
I am so lonely here!

The song rang out in the forest with such longing,
It rang out with such longing through the night;
It draws hearts towards heaven
With an amazing power.

Spring is going to come,
Spring, my joy!
I shall now prepare myself
So that I am ready to travel.

Translation courtesy of Malcom Wren, Schubert Song Texts (schubertsong.uk)

Cinq mélodies populaires grecques
Maurice Ravel
(1875–1937)

1. Chanson de la mariée
2. Là-bas, vers l’église
3. Quel galant m’est comparable
4. Chanson des cueilleuses de lentisques
5. Tout gai!

I. Le réveil de la mariée

Réveille-toi, réveille-toi, perdrix mignonne,
Ouvre au matin tes ailes.
Trois grains de beauté,
mon cœur en est brûlé!

Vois le ruban d'or que je t'apporte,
Pour le nouer autour de tes cheveux.
Si tu veux, ma belle, viens nous marier!
Dans nos deux familles, tous sont alliés!

I. The bride’s awakening

Wake up, wake up, pretty partridge,
Spread your wings to the morning.
Three beauty spots– and my heart’s ablaze.
See the golden ribbon I bring you
To tie around your tresses.
If you wish, my beauty, let us marry!
In our two families all are related.

II. Là-bas, vers l’église

Là-bas, vers l'église,
Vers l'église Ayio Sidéro,
L'église, ô Vierge sainte,
L'église Ayio Costanndino,
Se sont réunis,
Rassemblés en nombre infini,
Du monde, ô Vierge sainte,
Du monde tous les plus braves!

II. Down there by the church

Down there by the church,
By the church of Saint Sideros,
The church, O Holy Virgin,
The church of Saint Constantine,
Are gathered together, buried in infinite numbers,
The bravest people, O Holy Virgin,
The bravest people in the world!

III. Quel galant m’est comparable

Quel galant m'est comparable,
D'entre ceux qu'on voit passer?
Dis, dame Vassiliki?
Vois, pendus à ma ceinture,
pistolets et sabre aigu...
Et c'est toi que j'aime!

III. What gallant can compare with me?

What gallant can compare with me
Among those seen passing by?
Tell me, Mistress Vassiliki?
See, hanging at my belt,
Pistols and sharp sword…
And it’s you I love!

IV. Chanson des cueilleuses de lentisques

Ô joie de mon âme,
Joie de mon coeur,
Trésor qui m'est si cher ;
Joie de l'âme et du cœur,
Toi que j'aime ardemment,
Tu es plus beau qu'un ange.
Ô lorsque tu parais,
Ange si doux
Devant nos yeux,
Comme un bel ange blond,
Sous le clair soleil,
Hélas! tous nos pauvres cœurs soupirent!

IV. Song of the lentisk gatherers

O joy of my soul, joy of my heart,
Treasure so dear to me;
Joy of the soul and of the heart,
You whom I love with passion,
You are more beautiful than an angel.
Oh when you appear, angel so sweet,
Before our eyes,
Like a lovely, blond angel
Under the bright sun– 
Alas, all our poor hearts sigh!

V. Tout gai!

Tout gai! gai, Ha, tout gai!
Belle jambe, tireli, qui danse;
Belle jambe, la vaisselle danse,
Tra la la la la!

V. So merry!

So merry,
Ah, so merry;
Lovely leg, tireli, that dances,
Lovely leg, the crockery dances,
Tra la la.

Songs of a Fairy Princess
Karol Szymanowski
(1882–1937)

I. Samotny księżyc

Czasem mnie gniewa księżyc srebrnolicy,
Co w noc wiosenną skrada się zza chmur,
By nam miłosne wydrzeć tajemnice!
Lecz gdy pomyślę, że biedny samotnik
W zimnej gwiazd ciszy, tęskne pędząc noce,
Nigdy płomieniem nie gorzał miłości!
Tak mi go żal! Tak żal!

I. Lonesome moon

Sometimes the silver-faced moon angers me,
Which on a spring night creeps up from behind clouds,
To snatch love secrets from us!
But when I think that the poor recluse
Spending his yearning nights in the cold silence of the stars,
Has never burnt with the flame of love!
I am so sorry for him! So sorry!

IV. Taniec

Gdy w twym objęciu, kochanku mój,
Na skrzydłach miłości, jako ptak lekka pląsam w krąg,
To wszystkie, wszystkie kwiaty w moim ogrodzie
Wraz z nami radosny wiodą tan!

IV. Dance

When in your embrace, oh my lover,
On the wings of love, like a bird I dance around,
Then all, all the flowers in my garden
Perform a joyful dance together with us!

V. Pieśń o fali

Chciałabym srebrną być falą, co burt twej łodzi całuje.
Na harfie rozwianych grzyw tęskne śpiewałabym pieśni.
A gdyby gniewne wichry twą łódź rozbiły o skałę,
Na mej piersi białej, ukołysała bym cię
Na wieczny sen!

V. Song of a Wave

I would like to be a silver wave, which kisses the sides of your boat.
On the harp of wind-blown crests I would sing mournful songs.
And if angry gales crashed your boat on a rock,
On my white breast I would rock you
To eternal sleep!

VI. Uczta

Na mą cześć, w szkarłatów przepychu,
Gwarna, królewska wre uczta.
Lecz mi ten jasny pałac mrocznym jest więzieniem,
Bo oto złote słońce z różanych wstaje zórz,
A w dali srebrzysta dzwoni pieśń, przy dźwiękach fletni,
Miły mój, miły mój, pląsa radośnie, wśród kwietnych łąk!

VI. Feast

In my honor, in the splendor of crimson hues,
Bustles the noisy royal feast.
But for me this bright palace is a dark prison,
Because there the golden sun rises from rosy dawn,
And in the distance a silvery song rings, by the sound of a flute,
My beloved, my beloved dances joyfully, amidst blossoming meadows!

Translation courtesy of Benjamin Schultz, Singing in Polish

Youkali

C’est presqu’au bout du monde
Ma barque vagabonde
Errant au gré de l’onde
M’y conduisit un jour.
L'île est toute petite
Mais la fée qui l’habite
Gentiment nous invite
A en faire le tour.

Youkali
C’est le pays de nos désirs
C’est le bonheur, c’est le plaisir
C’est la terre où l’on quitte tous les soucis
C’est, dans notre nuit, comme une éclaircie,
l'étoile qu’on suit,
C’est Youkali.

Youkali
C’est le respect de tous les vœux échangés
C’est le pays de beaux amours partagés
C’est l'espérance
Que est au cœur de tous les humains
La délivrance
Que nous attendons tous pour demain

Mais c’est un rêve, une folie
Il n’y a pas de Youkali!

Et la vie nous entraîne
Lassante, quotidienne
Mais la pauvre âme humaine
Cherchant partout l’oubli
A, pour quitter la terre, su trouver le mystère
Où nos rêves se torrent
En quelque Youkali.

Youkali

Just at the end of the world
My vagabond boat
Carried by the waves
Brought me here one day
The island is quite small
But the fairy that lives there
Gently invites us
To look around

Youkali
It is the land of our desires
It is happiness, it is pleasure
It is the land where you can leave behind all your cares
It is, through our night, like a ray of light, the star that we follow
It is Youkali.

Youkali.
It is the respect of vows exchanged
It is the land of beautiful shared love
It is the hope
That is at the heart of all humans
The deliverance
That we all wait for

But it is a dream, a madness
There is no Youkali!

And the life we lead
Uhhhhh, mundane
But the poor human soul
Looks always for oblivion
To leave the world, to discover the mystery
Of where our dreams are buried
In some Youkali.

Is it him or is it me?

What happens now?
What do I do?
I never really thought
We ever would be through.
I never dreamed
I’d see the day,
But maybe he is right
We’re better off this way.

No, I’m not going to cry,
I won’t, what’s done is done.
It’s time that I was happy.
Oh God, what have I done?

I still can smile when I remember
How very much in love were we.
Now who’s to blame it’s dead and over,
Is it him or is it me?

We used to share our every moment,
We were as close as two can be.
Why are we now just bitter strangers?
Is it him or is it me?

Gone are all the idle dreams and fancies,
Silent are the future plans,
And I know when all the idle dreams are torn into tatters, nothing matters.

Oh how I hate this life I’m leading,
And so does he, it’s plain to see.
So what’s the use of all the endless wondering?
Is it him or is it me?

Pirate Jenny

You gentlemen can watch while I’m scrubbing the floors,
And I’m scrubbing the floors while you’re gawking,
And maybe once you tip me and it makes you feel swell,
On a ratty waterfront in a ratty old hotel,
And you never guess to who you’re talking.

Suddenly one night, there’s a scream in the night, 
And you yell, “What the hell could that ‘a been?”
And you see me kinda grinning while I’m scrubbing.
And you say, “What the hell’s she got to grin?”

And a ship, a black freighter, with a skull on its masthead
Will be coming in.

You gentlemen can say, “Hey girl, finish the floors! 
Get upstairs, make the beds, earn your keep here!”
You toss me your tips and look out at the ships;
But I’m counting your heads as I make up the beds
‘Cause there’s nobody gonna sleep here.
Tonight, none of you will sleep here.

Then that night, there’s a bang in the night,
And you yell, “Who’s that kicking up a row?”
And you see me kinda staring out the window.
And you say, “What’s she got to stare at now?”

And the ship, the black freighter, turns around in the harbor,
Shooting guns from the bow!

Then you gentlemen can wipe off the laugh from your face,
Every building in town is a flat one.
Your whole stinking place will be down to the ground,
Only this cheap hotel standing up safe and sound,
And you yell, “Why the hell spare that one?”

All through the night with the noise and to-do,
You wonder who’s that person lives up there.
Then you see me stepping out into the morning,
Looking nice with a ribbon in my hair.

And the ship, the black freighter, runs the flag up its masthead
And a cheer rings the air!

By noontime the dock is all swarming with men,
Coming off of that ghostly freighter.
They’re moving in the shadows where no one can see
And they’re chaining up people and bringing them to me,
Asking me, “Kill them now or later?”

Noon by the clock, and so still on the dock,
You can hear a foghorn miles away.
In that quiet of death, I’ll say,
“Right now!”

And they’ll pile up the bodies and I’ll say,
“That’ll learn you!”

Then the ship, the black freighter,
Disappears out to sea,
And on it is me.