Stravinsky: The Soldier's Tale, K29 (Translation: Flanders & Black): No. 6, Narration. Hurray, Here We Are! We're Home at Last

Hooray, here we are

We're home at last

Good morning, Mrs. Gray

She's in her garden

Hello there, how's the world with you?

She doesn't hear me

Never mind

There's Arthur

Hey, hey, Arthur

He's mowing the five-acre meadow

A good old friend and true

Eh?

What's the matter? He doesn't reply

Arthur, hi

Don't you know me?

Why, it's Joseph

Joseph the soldier

Joe

You remember him

You know

The mower mows on and on we go

And there's the school with the tower and the bell

Joseph, old Joe, you remember him well

Here's the mill, the inn

Now villagers everywhere

Men, women and children stand and stare

What's the matter?

What's up with the lot of you?

What's got into you all?

Are you afraid of me or what?

You know me

All of you there

Joseph

No one speaks

And then a door slams and another slams

And more and more

And the rusty hinges shriek

As every door slams shut

That's funny, he thinks

But mother will know

I'd better go

She sees him coming

She screams and runs away

So then he thinks

There's my fiancée

Married

With two children

Oh

Oh, the dirty cheat

The dirty rotten cheat

I know who you are at last

I know what's happened

I know you

I've taken my time about it too

It wasn't three days

Three years have passed

They all take me for a ghost

I'm dead among the living

Oh, the cheat

The dirty rotten

And like a fool I went and listened to him

Yes, I know I was tired and hungry