The musical "Man of La Mancha" was written by Dale Wasserman, with lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh.
Sources: Penny Proctor (private email), Donutrun, and mpegs from Napster (transcribed by Jemima)
* Overture
* Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote)
I shall impersonate ... a man.
Come, enter into my imagination, and see him:
Boney, hollow faced, eyes that burn with the fire of inner vision.
He conceives the strangest project ever imagined ...
To become a knight errant
And sally forth into the world, righting all wrongs!
Hear me now, oh thou bleak and unbearable world
Thou art base and debauched as can be!
And a knight with his valors all bravely unfurled
Now hurls down his gauntlet to thee!
I am I, Don Quixote,
The Lord of LaMancha,
My destiny calls, and I go!
And the wild winds of fortune
Shall carry me onward ... To wither so ever they blow ...
Wither so ever they blow ...
Onward to glory I go!
I'm Sancho, yes, I'm Sancho
I'll follow my master till the end ...
I'll tell all the world, proudly,
I'm his squire ... I'm his friend.
Hear me heathens, and wizards, and servants of sin:
All your dastardly doings are past!
For a holy endeavor is now to begin
And virtue shall triumph at last!
I am I, Don Quixote,
The Lord of LaMancha,
My destiny calls, and I go!
And the wild winds of fortune
Shall carry me onward ... To wither so ever they blow ...
Wither so ever they blow ...
Onward to glory I go!
* It's All the Same
Aldonza!
Aldonza!
I come for love!
I come for love!
I come to Aldonza for love!
One pair of arms is like another
I don't know why or who's to blame
I'll go with you or with your brother
It's all the same, it's all the same
This I have learned, that when the light's out
No man will burn with special flame
You'll prove to me before the night's out
You're all the same, you're all the same
So do not talk to me of love
I'm not a fool with starry eyes
Just put your money in my hand
And you will get what money buys
One pair of arms is like another
I don't know why or who's to blame
I'll go with you or with your brother
It's all the same, it's all the same
Oh I have seen too many beds
But I have known too little rest
And I have loved too many men
With hatred burning in my breast
I do not like you or your brother
I do not like the life I live
But I am me, I am Aldonza
And what I give, I choose to give
One pair of arms is like another
It's all the same, it's all the same
* Dulcinea
I have dreamed thee too long,
Never seen thee or touched thee, but known thee with all of my heart,
Half a prayer, half a song,
Thou hast always been with me, though we have been always apart.
Dulcinea ... Dulcinea ...
I see heaven when I see thee, Dulcinea,
And thy name is like a prayer an angel whispers ...
Dulcinea ... Dulcinea!
If I reach out to thee,
Do not tremble and shrink from the touch of my hand on thy hair.
Let my fingers but see
Thou art warm and alive, and no phantom to fade in the air.
Dulcinea ... Dulcinea ...
I have sought thee, sung thee, dreamed thee, Dulcinea!
Now I've found thee, and the world shall know thy glory.
Dulcinea ... Dulcinea!
* I'm Only Thinking of Him
Padre, on my way here I was informed by at least ten people...
Yes, padre, my uncle is the laughing-stock of the entire neighborhood,
But in spite of the humiliation his madness is bringing down upon our heads...
I'm only thinking of him
I'm only thinking of him
Whatever I may do or say
I'm only thinking of him
In my body it's well known
there is not one selfish bone
I'm only thinking and worrying
About him
I've been told he's chasing dragons
And I fear it may be true
If my groom should hear about it
Heaven knows what he will do
Oh I dearly love my uncle
But for what he's done to me
I would like to take and lock him up
And throw away the key
But if I do
But if I do
There is one thing that I swear will still be true
I'm only thinking of him (I know, I know, my dear)
I'm only thinking of him (Of course you are, my dear)
I'm only thinking (I understand)
And worrying about him
Oh I think he's been too lonely
Living years without a spouse
So when he returns I fear
I may have trouble in the house
For they say he seeks a lady
Who is all true love can be
God forbid that in his madness
He should ever think it's me
If he should try
I'll surely die
And I will grimly guard my honor as I cry
I'm only thinking of him (I know, I know, my dear)
I'm only thinking of him (Of course you are, my dear)
I'm only thinking (I understand)
And worrying about him
They're only thinking of him
They're only thinking of him
How saintly is that plainted plea
They're only thinking of him
What a comfort to be sure
That their motives are so pure
As they go thinking and worrying about...him.
* I Really Like Him
I Really Like Him
I like him. I really like him.
Tear out my fingernails one by one, I like him.
I don't have a very good reason.
Since I've been with him cuckoo-nuts have been in season.
But there's nothing I can do,
chop me up for onion stew.
Still I'll yell to the sky tho I can't tell you why that I like him.
I like him. I really like him.
Pluck me naked as a scalded chicken, I like him.
Don't ask me for why or wherefore;
'cause I don't have single good because or therefore.
You can barbecue my nose, make a giblet of my toes,
Make me freeze, make me fry, make me sigh, make me cry,
Still I'll yell to the sky tho I can't tell you why
That I like him.
* What Do You Want of Me?
Why Do You Do (The Things You Do)
Why do you do the things you do?
Why do you do these things?
Why do you march through that dream that you're in,
Covered with glory and rusty old tin,
Why try to be what nobody can be and
What do you want of me?
What do you want of me?
Why do you do the things you do?
Why do you do these things?
Why do you rush at the world all alone
Fighting mad battles that aren't your own?
Why do you live in a world that can't be and
What do you want of me?
What do you want of me?
Why don't you know that you're laughed at, wherever you go?
But I cannot laugh with the rest and why, I don't know.
Why do the things you do?
Why do you do these things?
Why do you batter at walls that won't break?
Why do you give when it's natural to take?
Where do you see all the good that you see and
What do you want of me?
What do you want of me?
* The Barber's Song
B: Oh, I am a little barber and I go my merry way.
With my razor and my basin I can always earn my pay.
Though your skin be smooth as satin you will need me soon I know
For the Lord protects his barbers and he makes the stubble grow.
If I slip while I am shaving you and cut you to the quick,
You can use me as a doctor, for I also heal the sick.
* Golden Helmet of Mambrino
Q: Hand it over!
B: But this is nothing but a shaving basin!
Q: Shaving basin? Dost not know what this really is?
Q: Thou golden helmet of Mambrino
With so illustrious a past
Too long hast thou been lost to glory
Thou'rt rediscovered now at last
Golden helmet of Mambrino
There can be no hat like thee
Thee and I now ere I die now
Will make golden history
B: I can hear the cuckoo singing in the cuckooberry tree.
S: If he says that that's a helmet, I'd suggest that you agree.
B: But he'll find it is not gold and will not make him bold and brave.
S: Then at least he'll find it useful if he ever needs a shave.
Q: Thou golden helmet of Mambrino
Thy deeds the world will not forget
Now Don Quixote de la Mancha
Will bring thee greater glory yet.
All: Golden helmet of Mambrino,
There can be no hat like thee
Golden helmet of Mambrino,
Will make golden history.
* To Each His Dulcinea (To Every Man His Dream)
To each his Dulcinea
that he alone can name,
To each a secret hiding place
where he can find the haunting face
To light his secret flame ...
For with his Dulcinea beside him so to stand,
A man can do quite anything:
Outfly the bird upon the wing,
Hold moonlight in his hand
Yet if you build your life on dreams,
It's prudent to recall:
A man with moonlight in his hands
Has nothing there at all
There is no Dulcinea ...
She's made of flame and air,
And yet how lovely life would seem
If every man could weave a dream
To keep him from despair.
To each his Dulcinea
Though she's only flame and air ...
* The Impossible Dream (The Quest)
To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love, pure and chaste, from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest, to follow that star
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To fight for the right, without question or pause
To be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause
And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove, with his last once of courage
To reach the unreachable star.
* The Combat
* Little Bird, Little Bird
Little Bird
Little Bird, little bird, in the cinnamon tree
Little bird, little bird, do you sing for me?
Do you bring me word of one I know?
Little bird, little bird, I love her so
Little bird, little bird, I have to know,
Little bird, little bird.
Beneath this tree, this cinnamon tree
We learned to love, we learned to cry
For here we met and here we kissed
And here one cold and moonless night
We said goodbye.
Little bird, little bird, oh have pity on me!
Bring her back to me now, 'neath the cinnamon tree;
I have waited too long without a song
Little bird, little bird, please fly, please go
Little bird, little bird and tell her so,
Little bird, little bird.
Little bird, little bird!
* The Dubbing (Knight of the Woeful Countenance)
L: Don Quixote de la Mancha
Having proven yourself this day in terrible and glorious combat
And by my authority as lord of this castle
I hereby dub thee knight.
Q: But your lordship!
L: Didn't I do it right?
Q: Well it is customary to grant the new knight an added name...
Hail, Knight of the Woeful Countenance,
Knight of the Woeful Countenance
Wherever you go, people will know
Of the glorious deeds of the Knight of the Woeful Countenance!
Farewell and good cheer, oh my brave cavalier,
Fight onward in glorious strife
I swear when you're gone I'll remember you well
For all of the rest of my life.
Hail, Knight of the Woeful Countenance,
Knight of the Woeful Countenance
Wherever you go, face to the foe,
They will quail at the sight of the Knight of the Woeful Countenance!
Oh valorous knight
go and fight for the right
and battle all villans that be
For oh, when you do, what will happen to you, thank god I won't be there to see
Hail, Knight of the Woeful Countenance,
Knight of the Woeful Countenance
Wherever you go, people will know
Of the glorious deeds of the Knight of the Woeful Countenance!
* The Abduction
Little bird, little bird
In the cinnamon tree
Little bird, little bird
In the cinnamon tree
Little bird, little bird
Do you sing for me?
Do you bring me word of one I know?
Little bird little bird I love her...
* Moorish Dance
* Aldonza
Q: My lady!
A: I am not your lady! I am not any kind of a lady!
I was spawned in a ditch by a mother who left me there
Naked and cold and too hungry to cry
I never blamed her, I'm sure she left hoping
That I'd have the good sense to die.
Then of course, there's my father - I'm told that young ladies
Can point to their fathers with maidenly pride
Mine was some regiment here for an hour
I can't even tell you which side.
So of course I became, as befitted my delicate birth,
The most casual bride of the murdering scum of the earth.
Q: And still are my lady!
A: Still he torments me! How should I be a lady?
For a lady has modest and maidenly airs
And a virtue I somehow suspect that I lack.
It's hard to remember these maidenly airs
In a stable laid flat on your back.
Won't you look at me, look at me, God, won't you look at me
Look at the kitchen slut reeking of sweat.
Born on a dung heap to die on a dung heap,
A strumpet men use and forget.
If you feel that you see me not quite at my virginal best
Cross my palm with a coin and I'll willingly show you the rest.
Q: Never deny thou art Dulcinea!
A: Take the clouds from your eyes and see me as I really am!
You have shown me the sky, but what good is the sky
To a creature who'll never do better than crawl?
Of all the cruel devils who've badgered and battered me
You are the cruelest of all.
Can't you see what your gentle insanities do to me -
Rob me of anger and give me despair?
Blows and abuse I can take and give back again;
Tenderness I cannot bear.
So don't reach out to me when your sweet Dulcinea you call.
I am only a boomza! I'm no one, I'm nothing at all.
{alternate - sung on the Original Cast Album}
So reach out to me as your "sweet Dulcinea" no more
I'm no one, I'm nothing, I'm only Aldonza the whore.
* The Knight of the Mirrors
* A Little Gossip
A little gossip, a little chat,
A little idle talk of this and that -
I'll tell him all the troubles I have had
And since he doesn't hear, at least he won't feel bad.
When I first got home my wife Tereza beat me
But the blows fell very lightly on my back.
She kept missing every other stroke and crying from the heart
That while I was gone she'd gone and lost the knack.
(spoken) Of course I hit her back, your grace
But she's a lot harder than I am
And you know what they say
Whether the stone hits the pitcher
Or the pitcher hits the stone
It's going to be bad for the pitcher.
So I've got bruises from here to...
A little gossip, a little chat
A little idle talk of this and that -
If no one listens then it's just as well
At least I won't get caught in any lies I tell.
Oh I haven't fought a windmill in a fortnight
And the humble joys get duller every day.
Why when I'm asleep a dragon with his firey tongue a waggin'
Whispers "Sancho won't you please come out and play?"
* Dulcinea (Reprise)
A: Please, try to remember.
You looked at me, and you called me by another name.
Dulcinea, Dulcinea
Once you found a girl and called her Dulcinea
When you spoke the name an angel seemed to whisper
Dulcinea, Dulcinea
Dulcinea, Dulcinea
Won't you please bring back the dream of Dulcinea?
Won't you bring me back the bright and shining glory
Of Dulcinea, Dulcinea
* The Impossible Dream (Reprise)
Q: Perhaps, perhaps it was not a dream
A: You spoke of a dream, and about the Quest.
Q: The Quest...the words...tell me, tell me the words
A: To dream the impossible dream - but they're your own words
To fight the unbeatable foe - don't you remember?
To bear with unbearable sorrow - you must remember!
To run where the brave dare not go
Q: To right the unrightable wrong (A: yes)
To love, pure and chaste, from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star
* Man of La Mancha (Reprise)
A: Thank you my lord!
Q: But this is not seemly, my lady
On thy knees to me?
A: My lord, you're not well.
Q: Not well?
What is illness to the body of a Knight Errant? What matter wounds?
For each time he falls he shall rise again, and woe to the wicked!
Sancho!
S: Here, your grace!
Q: My armor! My sword!
S: More misadventures!
Q: Adventures, old friend,
For the trumpets of glory now call me to ride
Yes the trumpets are calling to me
And wherever I ride ever staunch at my side
My squire and my lady shall be.
I am I, Don Quixote (all)
The lord of la Mancha
Our destiny calls and we go
And the wild winds of fortune shall carry us onward
Onward... (A: My lord! S: Master!)
Whithersoever they blow
Onward to glory...I go
A: My lord...
* The Psalm (Vulgate Ps. 129)
De profundis clamavi ad te
Domine, Domine
Exaudi vocem meam
Domine, Domine
Quis sustinebit?
* Finale (The Impossible Dream)
To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To run where the brave dare not go
Though the road be forever too far
To try, though your way worn and weary
To reach the unreachable star
To reach the unreachable star
Though you know it's impossibly high
To live with your heart striving open
To the one unattainable star