Prologue: Into The Woods

Once upon a time
(I wish) in a far-off kingdom (more than anything)
Lived a young maiden (more than life)
A sad young lad (more than jewels)

(I wish) and a childless baker (more than life)
(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 (squeeze, pal)
I want a child (squeeze, pal)
I wish to go to the festival (I wish you'd give us some milk)
I wish we might have a child
I wish

You wish to go to the festival?
The poor girl's mother had died
You, Cinderella, the festival? (What, you Cinderella-)
You wish to go to the festival? (What festival? The festival?)
The festival? The King's festival?

And her father had taken for his new wife- (the festival?)
A woman with 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
Jack, on the other hand, had no father
And his mother- (I wish)
Well, she was not quite beautiful

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!

Oh, you foolish child
What in heaven's name are you doing
With the cow inside the house?
A warm environment might be
Just what Milky-White needs to produce his milk
It's a 'she', how many times must I tell you?
Only 'shes' can give milk

Why, come in, little girl
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's stepmother had a surprise for her

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!
And perhaps a sticky bun or four

Birds in the sky
Birds in the eaves, in the leaves
In the fields, in the castles and ponds
And a few of those pies, please (come little birds)
Down from the eaves and the leaves
Over fields out of castles and ponds
No, squeeze, pal (aah)

Aah, aah, aah
Aah, aah, aah

Quick, little birds
Flick through the ashes
Pick and peck
But swiftly sift through the ashes
Into the pot

Ah, listen well, son
Milky-White must be taken to market
But. mother, no! He's the best cow
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

But Milky-White is my best friend in the whole world
But, look at her! There are bugs on her dugs
There are flies in here eyes
There's a lump on her rump
Big enough to be a hump

(But-) 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

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

You're 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?

Don't stray and be late
And save some of those sweets for granny

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

Fly birds back to the sky
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 (put it in a twist)
Who will be there?
Mother said be good, father said be nice
That was always their advise
So be nice, Cinderella, good Cinderella
Nice, good, good, nice (tighter!)

What's the good of being good if everyone is blind?
And you're always left behind? Never mind, Cinderella
Kind Cinderella
Nice, good, nice, kind, good, nice (ow!)

Not that tight! (Sorry) Clod
Hmm, hmm, hmm, ha!

Because the Baker had lost his mother and father
In a baking accident
Well, at least that's what he believed
He was eager to have a family of his own
And was concerned that all efforts until now had failed

Who might that be?
We have sold our last loaf of bread
It's the Witch from next door
We have no bread!

Of course you have no bread
What do you wish?
It's not what I wish, it's what you wish
Nothing cooking in there now, is there?

The old enchantress went on to tell the couple
That she had placed a spell on their house

What spell?
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, pepper, cabbages and celery
Asparagus and watercress and fiddle-ferns and lettuce
He said, 'alright', 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 out the rampion, my champion, my favorite!

I should have laid a spell on him right there
Could have turned him into a stone
Or a dog, or a chair
Or a s-

But I let him have the rampion, I had 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'
I had a brother? (No, but you had a sister)

But the witch refused to tell him any more of his sister
Not even that her name was Rapunzel
She went on

I thought I had been more than reasonable
And that we all might live happily ever after
Well how was I to know
What your father had also hidden 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 (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
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

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!

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 you ever, never. ever mess around with my greens
Especially the beans

Now listen to me, Jack
Lead Milky-White to market
And fetch the best price that you can
Take no less than five pounds
Are you listening to me? (Yes)

Now, how much are you to ask?
No more than five pounds
Less! Than five! (Less than five)
Oh, 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 leave, 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
Into the woods to sell a friend
Oh, someday you'll have a real pet, Jack
A piggy?

Meanwhile, the Witch, for purposes of her own
Explained how the Baker might lift the spell

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 tree days' time and you shall have
I guarantee, a child as perfect as child can be
Go to the wood!

Ladies! Our carriage waits

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 carriage is waiting

We must be gone
Goodnight, father
I wish
Look what I found in father's hunting jacket
Six beans?
I wonder if they are-
The witch's beans
We'll take them with us
No, you are not coming
We know you are fearful of the woods at night

The spell is on my house, only I can lift the spell
No, no, the spell is on our house (the spell is on my house)
We must lift the spell together (no, you are not to come)
The spell is on our house! (And that is final!)

Now, what am I to return with?
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)
And so the baker reluctantly (the cape as red as blood)
Set off to meet (the hair as yellow as corn)
The enchantress demands (the slipper as pure as gold)
As for Cinderella

I still wish to go to the festival (the cow as white as milk)
But how am I ever to get to the festival (the cape as red as blood, the hair-)
I know, I'll visit mother's grave (as yellow as corn, the what?)
The grave at the hazel tree (the slipper, the slipper as pure as gold)
And tell her I just want to go (the cow, the cape)
To the King's festival (the slipper as pure as gold)

(The hair!) Into the woods, it's time to go
It may be all in vain, I know
Into the woods, but even so
I have to take the journey

Into the woods, the path is straight
I know it well but who can tell?
Into the woods to lift the spell
Into the woods to visit mother

Into the woods to fetch the things
To make the potion (to go to the festival)
Into the woods without regret, the choice is made
The task is set

Into the woods but not forgetting
Why you're on the journey
Into the woods to get my wish
I don't care how, the time is now

Into the woods to sell the cow
Into the woods to get the money
Into the woods to lift the spell
To make the potion, 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
Into the woods
Into the woods
Then out of the woods
And home before dark