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