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Correction Paroles
The Ballad of Booth
par
Stephen Sondheim
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Paroles
Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln! Sic semper tyrannis! Someone tell the story Someone sing the song Every now and then the country Goes a little wrong Every now and then a madman's Bound to come along Doesn't stop the story— Story's pretty strong Doesn't change the song... Johnny Booth was a handsome devil Got up in his rings and fancy silks Had him a temper but kept it level Everybody called him Wilkes Why did you do it, Johnny? Nobody agrees You who had everything What made you bring A nation to its knees? Some say it was your voice had gone Some say it was booze Some say you killed a country, John Because of bad reviews Johnny lived with a grace and glitter Kinda like the lives he lived onstage Died in a barn, in pain and bitter Twenty-seven years of age Why did you do it, Johnny? Throw it all away? Why did you do it, boy Not just destroy The pride and joy Of Illinois But all the U.S.A.? Your brother made you jealous, John You couldn't fill his shoes Was that the reason, tell us, John— Along with bad reviews? Damn! They're coming! They'll be here any minute— I need your help. I've got to write this. I can't hold the pen. Johnny, they've found us! We've got to get out of here! Not 'til I finish this. Johnny— No! Have you seen these papers? Do you know what they're calling me? A common cutthroat! A hired a**a**in! This one says I'm mad! We must have been mad to think that we could kill the President and get away with it! We did get away with it! He was a bloody tyrant and we brought him down! And I will not have history think I did it for a bag of gold or in some kind of rabid fit! Johnny, we have to go— No! I have to make my case! I need you to take it down! We don't have time! Take it down. An indictment. Of the former President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, who is herein charged with the following High Crimes and Misdemeanors— They say your ship was sinkin', John... One: That you did ruthlessly provoke a war between the States, which cost some six hundred thousand of my countrymen their lives. Two— You'd started missing cues... Two: That you did silence your critics in the North, by hurling them into prison without benefit of charge or trial. Three— They say it wasn't Lincoln, John Shut up! Three— You'd merely had A slew of bad Reviews— I said shut up! Booth! I have fifty soldiers out here, Booth! Give yourselves up or we'll set fire to the barn! Don't shoot! I'm coming out! No! I have given up my life for one act, you understand? Do not let history rob me of its meaning. Pa** on the truth! You're the only one who can. Please... He said "Damn you, Lincoln You had your way— Tell 'em, boy! —With blood you drew out Of blue and gray!" Tell it all! Tell them till they listen! He said: "Damn you, Lincoln And damn the day You threw the 'U' out Of U.S.A!" He said: Hunt me down, smear my name Say I did it for the fame What I did was kill the man who killed my country Now the Southland will mend Now this bloody war can end Because someone slew the tyrant Just as Brutus slew the tyrant— He said: Damn you, Lincoln You righteous w****! Tell 'em! Tell 'em what he did! You turned your spite into Civil War! Tell 'em! Tell 'em the truth! And more... Tell 'em, boy! Tell 'em how it happened How the end doesn't mean that it's over How surrender is not the end! Tell 'em: How the country is not what it was Where there's blood in the clover How the nation can never again Be the hope that it was How the bruises may never be healed How the wounds are forever How we gave up the field But we still wouldn't yield How the union can never recover From that vulgar High and mighty N***a lover Never—! Never. Never. Never. No, the country is not what it was... Damn my soul if you must Let my body turn to dust Let it mingle with the ashes of the country Let them curse me to hell Leave it to history to tell: What I did, I did well And I did it for my country Let them cry, "Dirty traitor!" They will understand it later The country is not what it was... Johnny Booth was a headstrong fellow Even he believed the things he said Some called him noble, some said yellow What he was was off his head How could you do it, Johnny Calling it a cause? You left a legacy Of butchery And treason we Took eagerly And thought you'd get applause But traitors just get jeers and boos Not visits to their graves While Lincoln, who got mixed reviews Because of you, John, now gets only raves Damn you, Johnny! You paved the way For other madmen To make us pay Lots of madmen Have had their say— But only for a day Listen to the stories Hear it in the songs Angry men don't write the rules And guns don't right the wrongs Hurts a while, but soon the country's Back where it belongs And that's the truth Still and all Damn you, Booth!
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