Merrily We Roll Along / Good Thing Going
By Original Broadway Cast of Merrily We Roll Along (1994)
On album Merrily We Roll Along (1982)
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[COMPANY, variously]
Dreams don't die
So keep an eye on your dream
'Cause before you know
Where you are
There you are
TIme goes by
And dreams go dry
But you can't give up on your dream...
[SOLO]
1964...
[SOLO]
1963...
[SOLO]
1962...
[GUSSIE and JOE'S brownstone on Sutton Place, complete with piano and cocktail pianist. Door panels UPSTAGE lead to an adjoining greenhouse. A huge PARTY is going on. The slide reads "SUTTON PLACE 1962"]
[GUESTS (GROUP I), Solos variously]
Have you seen—?
How was it—?
You're not serious!
Do you mean—?
That does it!
You're not serious!
[GROUP II, overlapping]
Darling!
We bought the most—!
Darling!
We had the best—!
Darling!
We saw the first—
Darling!
Was that the worst—?
[GROUP III, overlapping]
Did you read—?
It'll never—!
We saw the first—!
What they need—!
Did you ever—!
Was that the worst—?
It's the—
[ALL GUESTS]
Best—!
It's the first—!
It's the finest—!
It's the latest—!
It's the least—!
It's the worst—!
It's the absolutely lowest—!
It's the greatest—!
It's the single—!
It's the only—!
It's the perfect—!
It's the—!
[GROUP I]
Hi!
[GROUP II]
Dreadful!
[GROUP III]
Fabulous!
[Loud BABBLE fading under dialogue as FRANK and BETH ENTER.]
[GUSSIE bangs on the piano.]
[GUSSIE, spoken]
All right, now quiet, everybody, please. Fermez all those bouches, because someday you're going to be able to say, "I was there when."
[MARY brings CHARLEY over.]
The most exciting composer ever is going to play a song we hope is going to be in our new show, and when he finishes playing you are all going to want to swallow poison because there will be nothing more to live for.
[CHARLEY, spoken]
Frank, what is she talking about?
[FRANK, spoken]
Later, Charley.
[Frank starts to play the intro on the piano.]
[CHARLEY]
[Rattled and nervous at first, but gradually becoming calmer and more confident as he receives encouraging glances and signs from MARY and BETH and a sense that the listeners are enthralled.]
It started out like a song
We started quiet and slow
With no surprise
And then one morning I woke
To realize
We had a good thing going
It's not that nothing went wrong:
Some angry moments, of course
But just a few
And only moments, no more
Because we knew
We had this good thing going
And if I wanted too much
Was that such
A mistake
At the time?
You never wanted enough—
All right, tough
I don't make
That a crime
[A few wordless bars, during which HE and FRANK exchange a warm and happy look.]
And while it's going along
You take for granted some love
Will wear away
We took for granted a lot
And still I say:
It could have kept on growing
Instead it just kept on
We had a good thing going
Going
Gone
[Much APPLAUSE and OOHING and AHHING follows.]
[GUSSIE, leading the applause, yelling]
Wait, wait, wait! Keep them there. We want to heat it again. Tell them! One mo' time!
[CHARLEY, spoken]
Frank, say 'no.'
[FRANK, spoken]
Charley, they loved it. They thought we were great
[CHARLEY, spoken]
You wanna know what true greatness is? It's knowing when to get off.
[FRANK, spoken]
I'll sing with you. Come on
[CHARLEY, spoken]
No, no, no, that's not the point. I really—
[THEY start again, clearly to CHARLEY'S discomfort.]
[CHARLEY & FRANK]
It started out like a song
We started quiet and slow
With no surprise
And then one morning I woke
To realize—
[GUSSIE]
Shh!
[CHARLEY]
It's not that nothing went wrong:
Some angry moments—
[MARY]
Shh!
[CHARLEY continues singing, but the GUESTS' attention gradually splinters.]
[CHARLEY]
—We had a good thing going
[GUESTS' babbling overtakes the singing.]
Dreams don't die
So keep an eye on your dream
'Cause before you know
Where you are
There you are
TIme goes by
And dreams go dry
But you can't give up on your dream...
[SOLO]
1964...
[SOLO]
1963...
[SOLO]
1962...
[GUSSIE and JOE'S brownstone on Sutton Place, complete with piano and cocktail pianist. Door panels UPSTAGE lead to an adjoining greenhouse. A huge PARTY is going on. The slide reads "SUTTON PLACE 1962"]
[GUESTS (GROUP I), Solos variously]
Have you seen—?
How was it—?
You're not serious!
Do you mean—?
That does it!
You're not serious!
[GROUP II, overlapping]
Darling!
We bought the most—!
Darling!
We had the best—!
Darling!
We saw the first—
Darling!
Was that the worst—?
[GROUP III, overlapping]
Did you read—?
It'll never—!
We saw the first—!
What they need—!
Did you ever—!
Was that the worst—?
It's the—
[ALL GUESTS]
Best—!
It's the first—!
It's the finest—!
It's the latest—!
It's the least—!
It's the worst—!
It's the absolutely lowest—!
It's the greatest—!
It's the single—!
It's the only—!
It's the perfect—!
It's the—!
[GROUP I]
Hi!
[GROUP II]
Dreadful!
[GROUP III]
Fabulous!
[Loud BABBLE fading under dialogue as FRANK and BETH ENTER.]
[GUSSIE bangs on the piano.]
[GUSSIE, spoken]
All right, now quiet, everybody, please. Fermez all those bouches, because someday you're going to be able to say, "I was there when."
[MARY brings CHARLEY over.]
The most exciting composer ever is going to play a song we hope is going to be in our new show, and when he finishes playing you are all going to want to swallow poison because there will be nothing more to live for.
[CHARLEY, spoken]
Frank, what is she talking about?
[FRANK, spoken]
Later, Charley.
[Frank starts to play the intro on the piano.]
[CHARLEY]
[Rattled and nervous at first, but gradually becoming calmer and more confident as he receives encouraging glances and signs from MARY and BETH and a sense that the listeners are enthralled.]
It started out like a song
We started quiet and slow
With no surprise
And then one morning I woke
To realize
We had a good thing going
It's not that nothing went wrong:
Some angry moments, of course
But just a few
And only moments, no more
Because we knew
We had this good thing going
And if I wanted too much
Was that such
A mistake
At the time?
You never wanted enough—
All right, tough
I don't make
That a crime
[A few wordless bars, during which HE and FRANK exchange a warm and happy look.]
And while it's going along
You take for granted some love
Will wear away
We took for granted a lot
And still I say:
It could have kept on growing
Instead it just kept on
We had a good thing going
Going
Gone
[Much APPLAUSE and OOHING and AHHING follows.]
[GUSSIE, leading the applause, yelling]
Wait, wait, wait! Keep them there. We want to heat it again. Tell them! One mo' time!
[CHARLEY, spoken]
Frank, say 'no.'
[FRANK, spoken]
Charley, they loved it. They thought we were great
[CHARLEY, spoken]
You wanna know what true greatness is? It's knowing when to get off.
[FRANK, spoken]
I'll sing with you. Come on
[CHARLEY, spoken]
No, no, no, that's not the point. I really—
[THEY start again, clearly to CHARLEY'S discomfort.]
[CHARLEY & FRANK]
It started out like a song
We started quiet and slow
With no surprise
And then one morning I woke
To realize—
[GUSSIE]
Shh!
[CHARLEY]
It's not that nothing went wrong:
Some angry moments—
[MARY]
Shh!
[CHARLEY continues singing, but the GUESTS' attention gradually splinters.]
[CHARLEY]
—We had a good thing going
[GUESTS' babbling overtakes the singing.]
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Not the right song? Post your comment for help
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