The Sondheim Lyrics Chain

[Chris L]

I just joined last week and found the words people picked to be pretty obvious with several matches jumping to mind quickly. I was trying to throw a challenge out there. I was surprised to see a picture of the score to Pacific Overtures as evidence that "Excellent" wasn't in the score to that show. I was happy to see that overruled, but then I was called a "bunny." I assure you "Excellent" is in a Sondheim score. I checked several sources - copies of music and recordings. In fact, it is in the same song twice.

I assumed this was a forum of devoted Sondheim fans with extensive knowledge of his lyrics.

Good luck. I'm looking for higher ground

Not a bunny

Wittyandbright,

You weren't being called a "bunny," honest. The lyric is the "bunny." (At least that's how I understand it. I didn't play this game when it was first developed some years ago.) I probably jumped the gun a bit in declaring that there was no match for it, but I wanted to keep to keep the game moving. While, yes, we actually are a knowledgeable group, I feel a responsibility as administrator to keep the games moving so that people won't get bored and stop checking in. In retrospect, I should have given you another day to check in and verify that there was a match.

I hope you don't leave. Despite your first impression we're very welcoming to newcomers, but we're also struggling to hold on to a user base that's more accustomed to the Facebook messaging model where things happen quickly if they happen at all. Given your assurance that there is another excellent in Sondheim's lyrics, we'll go back to the word and start again from there. I'd appreciate it if you'd stick around to give hints about its location and hope you'll forgive me for a too rapid assumption.

[Chris L]

With wittyandbright's assurance that the second "excellent" exists, let's all return to the task of finding it. I know we have some people here with exhaustive knowledge of the Sondheim canon and I genuinely believe that it's there. Any ideas? I'll be checking lyric sites and Sondheim lyric books.

[Vera Charles]

With wittyandbright's assurance that the second "excellent" exists, let's all return to the task of finding it. I know we have some people here with exhaustive knowledge of the Sondheim canon and I genuinely believe that it's there. Any ideas? I'll be checking lyric sites and Sondheim lyric books.

I, too, believe that excellent does indeed appear somewhere in the Sondheim lyrical canon. I've just spent a hugely pleasant couple of hours meandering through the Sondheim vocal scores that I own and been diverted off to my piano a number of times to "play" through songs I haven't thought of in a long time. So, a huge thank you to @wittyandbright for enabling me to revisit some of the wonderful music Sondheim has given to us. I'll have to take a break from it for now, but will come back to it in a few hours if nobody finds it before I get there!

[Bobster]

I just joined last week and found the words people picked to be pretty obvious with several matches jumping to mind quickly. I was trying to throw a challenge out there. I was surprised to see a picture of the score to Pacific Overtures as evidence that "Excellent" wasn't in the score to that show. I was happy to see that overruled, but then I was called a "bunny." I assure you "Excellent" is in a Sondheim score. I checked several sources - copies of music and recordings. In fact, it is in the same song twice.

I assumed this was a forum of devoted Sondheim fans with extensive knowledge of his lyrics.

Good luck. I'm looking for higher ground

Not a bunny

Those snide remarks notwithstanding, there were times in the past that non-pitched words--though notated--were not considered acceptable but that had changed and I'd forgotten.  Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

[Vera Charles]

With wittyandbright's assurance that the second "excellent" exists, let's all return to the task of finding it. I know we have some people here with exhaustive knowledge of the Sondheim canon and I genuinely believe that it's there. Any ideas? I'll be checking lyric sites and Sondheim lyric books.

I, too, believe that excellent does indeed appear somewhere in the Sondheim lyrical canon. I've just spent a hugely pleasant couple of hours meandering through the Sondheim vocal scores that I own and been diverted off to my piano a number of times to "play" through songs I haven't thought of in a long time. So, a huge thank you to @wittyandbright for enabling me to revisit some of the wonderful music Sondheim has given to us. I'll have to take a break from it for now, but will come back to it in a few hours if nobody finds it before I get there!

I wonder if, while we wait for one of us to find where excellent appears and/or @wittyandbright comes back to us with a clue, we should continue the parallel thread (i.e. Leighton's enough) just to keep a version of the thread going. What do you think, @Chris L ?

[Chris L]

I wonder if, while we wait for one of us to find where excellent appears and/or @wittyandbright comes back to us with a clue, we should continue the parallel thread (i.e. Leighton's enough) just to keep a version of the thread going. What do you think, @Chris L ?

There have been no hints yet from @wittyandbright as to where the second excellent is, so yes, I think we need to keep playing from enough.

[Vera Charles]

Wouldn't do in my shop
Just the thought of it's enough to make you sick
And I'm telling you them pussycats is quick
No denying times is hard, sir

[MartinG]

If you're quick,
For a kick,
You could pick
Up a christening,
But please,
On my knees,
There's a human life at stake!

Listen everybody, I'm afraid you didn't hear...

[scenicdesign71]

I'm so happy I'm afraid
I'll die
Here in your arms.
What would you do if I died,
Like this, right now,
Here in your arms?
That we ever should have met is a miracle...

[Ed.: While hardly an obscure word, 'miracle' doesn't seem like a wildly common one either (no more so than, say, "excellent").  So I was mildly surprised by how many times SJS has used it: there are at least five other instances (i.e., not including "Happiness") that I'm aware of, so take your pick!]

[The indefinite article is almost a freebie; in general usage, my guess is that it probably introduces the word "miracle" more often than any other modifier, so it shouldn't -- and in fact doesn't -- really make this a particularly more-difficult target than "miracle" alone would be: four of the five instances mentioned above include it.]

[Bobster]

You need never again have a worry or care
I will show you a miracle marvelous rare!
Gentlemen, you are about to see something that rose from the deaaaaad!
On the top of my head!

Scarcely a month ago, gentlemen,
I was suddenly struck with a rare Oriental disease!
Though the finest physicians in London were called
I awakened one morning amazed and appalled
To discover with dread that my head was as bald
as a novice's knees!

[Bobster]

{PS  Christopher of the old board was I believe the originator and became moderator of this game.  He loves bunnies   and always has one in his classroom for his students.
He determined when there was a word that didn't appear in the Canon it would be called a Bunny.

I can't remember if that changed to the 3 post warning of Butler Subtler Locksmith to show a stall or if that was another game.}

[Chris L]

{PS  Christopher of the old board was I believe the originator and became moderator of this game.  He loves bunnies   and always has one in his classroom for his students.
He determined when there was a word that didn't appear in the Canon it would be called a Bunny.

I can't remember if that changed to the 3 post warning of Butler Subtler Locksmith to show a stall or if that was another game.}

I think "locksmith" was in the All Lyricists Except Sondheim game.

[scenicdesign71]

Al?
No.
Big?
Fat.
Young?
Bald.
Harry!
Yeah.
Okey-doaks.
Come on, folks!
And where we gonna go?

[MartinG]

Wherever we go, whatever we do,
we're gonna go through it together.
We may not go far, but sure as a star,

wherever we are, it's together.

[scenicdesign71]

There won't be trumpets,
But sure as shooting,
You'll know him when you see him.

Don't know when, don't know where--
And I can't even say that I care.
All I know is, the minute you turn
And he's suddenly there...