A Puzzlement - 1951 - The King And I

Dr. Pitt-Payne in London UK - 21 Nov 2001

[King speaks: 'I'm not sure of anything.']
[King] When I was a boy,
world was better spot,
what was so was so,
what was not was not.
Now I am a man,
World have changed a lot
some things nearly so,
others nearly not.

There are times I almost think
I am not sure of what I absolutely know;
very often find confusion in conclusion
I concluded long ago.
In my head are many facts that,
as a student I have studied to procure.
In my head are many facts,
of which I wish I was more certain I was sure.

[King speaks:'Is a puzzlement. What to tell a growing son.']

What, for instance,
shall I say to him of woman?
Shall I educate him on the ancient lines?
Shall I tell the boy, as far as he is able,
to respect his wives
and love his concubines?
Shall I tell him ev'ryone is like the other,
and the better one of two is really neither?
If I tell him this I think he won't believe it,
and I nearly think I don't believe it either!

When my father was a king
he was a king who knew exactly
what he knew,
and his brain was not a thing,
for ever swinging to and fro,
and fro and to.
Shall I, then, be like my father
and be wilfully, unmovable and strong?
Or is better to be right?
Or am I right when I believe I may be wrong?

Shall I join with other nations in alliance?
If allies are weak am I not best alone?
If Allies are strong with power to protect me,
might they not protect me out of all I own?

Is a danger to be trusting one another,
one will seldom want to do
what other wishes;
but unless someday,
somebody trust somebody,
there'll be nothing left on earth
excepting fishes!

There are times I almost think nobody sure
of what he absolutely know,
ev'rybody find confusion
in conclusion he concluded long ago.
And it puzzle me to learn that
tho' a man may be in doubt of what he know,
very quickly will he fight,
he'll fight to prove that
what he does not know is
[shouted:] so.

Oh! Sometimes I think that people going mad!
Ah! Sometimes I think that people not so bad.
But no matter what I think,
I must go on living life.
As a leader of my kingdom I must go forth.
Be father to my children,
and husband to each wife,
Etcetera, etcetera, and so forth.

If my Lord in Heaven, Buddha, show the way.
Ev'ryday I try to live another day,
If my Lord in Heaven, Buddha show the way,
Ev'ry day I do my best for one more day.
[Spoken:] But is a puzzlement!

[Blackout]

Soft karaoke
Words
synth str 1 treble
synth str 1 bass
synth str 1 mid range
fr hrn
Lyric Line
brass
pizz str
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KAI_13
A Puzzlement 1951 The King And I
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
© 1951 Williamson Music Inc.
Sequenced by Dr. Pitt-Payne in London UK
on Wednesday 21 Nov 2001 at 22.15
in association with Doug Grierson
and many thanks for the fish and chips
you bought for our consumption!
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© James Pitt-Payne, London UK, 2001
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File Label - KAI_13