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