Wednesday, February 15, 2006

I even love the slush


Once I hated this city,
Now it can't get me down.
Slushy, humid and gritty,
What a pretty town.



What, thought I, could be duller,
More depressing, less gay.
Now my favourite color
Is grey.

A wall of rain as it turns to sleet,
The lack of sun on a one-way street,
I love the grime all the time.
And what more do I need?



My window pane has a lovely view:
An inch of sky and a fly or two.
Why, I can see half a tree.
And what more do I need?


The dusk is thick and it's galling;
It simply can't be excused.
In winter even the falling snow looks
Used.

My window pane may not give much light,
But I see you, so the view is bright.
If I can love you, I'll pay the dirt no heed!
With your love, what more do I need?


Someone shouting for quiet,
Someone starting a brawl,
Down the block there's a riot,
And I'll buy it all!



Listen, now I'm ecstatic,
Hold me close and be still.
Hear the lovely pneumatic
Drill!

A subway train thunders through the Bronx,
A taxi horn on the corner honks.
But I adore ev'ry roar.
And what more do I need?

I hear a crane making street repairs,
A two-ton child running wild upstairs.
Steam pipes bang, sirens clang,
And what more do I need?



The neighbors yell in the summer,
The landlord yells in the fall,
So loud I can't hear the plumber
Pound the wall.

An airplane roars across the bay,
But I can hear you as clear as day:
You said you love me
Above the sound and speed.

With your love,What more do I need?

What More Do I Need? Music and lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Show: Saturday Night (1997; the show was to have been produced in 1955, but was abandoned when Lemuel Ayers, the producer, died.)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I like Dawn Upshaw's recording of that song.