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Introduction
[instrumental
introduction]
Narrator
1
(Sir
John Gielgud):
They sought it with thimbles,
they sought it with care;
They pursued it with forks and hope;
They threatened its life with a railway-share;
They charmed it with smiles and soap.
Children
of the sky
Boots
(Mike Batt):
Out in the deserts of darkness and dreams,
Out through the oceans of sadness we sailed:
Venturing onwards through mystical scenes,
Blown on a whim of the wind that prevailed.
We had no reason to doubt the truth,
Driven by danger and discontent,
And the drums of youth.
Refrain:
Don't let the memory die,
Children of the sky, heroes of the sea,
And as your life passes by,
Remember how it is to be
Children of the sky.
Searching on mountains of wisdom and fears,
Searching in forests of feathers and snow,
Travelling through valleys of secrets and tears,
Where only the brave or the foolish would go,
Watching for signs in an empty sky,
We never thought that the rain would fall,
As the years went by.
[Refrain]
[Instrumental section]
[Refrain]
Narrator 1
(Sir John Gielgud):
"Just the place for a Snark!" the Bellman cried,
As he landed his crew with care;
Supporting each man on the top of the tide
By a finger entwined in his hair.
Narrator 2
(John Hurt):
The Bellman himself they all praised to the skies-
Such a carriage, such ease and such grace!
Such solemnity, too! One could see he was wise,
The moment one looked in his face!
But the danger was past - they had landed at last,
With their boxes, portmanteaus, and bags:
Yet at first sight the crew were not pleased with the view,
Which consisted of chasms and crags.
Narrator 1:
He served out some grog with a liberal hand,
And bade them sit down on the beach:
And they could not but own that their Captain looked grand,
As he stood and delivered his speech.
The
bellman's speech
Bellman
(Cliff Richard):
Refrain:
Friends, Romans and countrymen!
Please lend me your ears,
And I will carefully impart what you may have thought for years,
But were too scared to ask;
By day or after dark;
In the hunting of the Snark.
This emotional occasion brings the moisture to my eyes
As I rise to remark
That I think we may be gaining on the Snark.
I'm of notional persuasion that I hear its distant cries.
And they're never very far away,
Crew + Bellman:
(No they're never very far away)
Bellman:
So I rise to remark
That I think we may be gaining on the Snark.
[Refrain]
Crew:
The hunting of the Snark, the hunting of the snark
Crew + Bellman:
In the hunting of the snark!
Bellman:
From my own investigations and the bearings on the chart,
In my heart I can see
A potential Snark may lurk in every tree.
As I make these observations I suggest that we should start,
For we haven't any time to spare,
Crew + Bellman:
(No we haven't any time to spare)
Bellman:
In your hearts you'll agree,
A potential Snark may lurk in every tree!
[Refrain]
Crew:
The hunting of the Snark, the hunting of the snark
Crew + Bellman:
In the hunting of the snark!
The
escapade
[Instrumental section]
Beaver
(Deniece
Williams):
It seems to me,
We have landed in a lonely place
Where the sun won't shine of its own volition,
And this crazy mission
May be just a wild goose chase.
We've sailed for years,
And we found ourselves upon this beach
Searching for some beast from the realms of fiction,
It's a wild addiction for something we'll never reach.
Bellman
(Cliff Richard) + Crew:
Pay no heed to the faint of heart!
Don't let these words of weakness fool you...
Ignore these words of dismay,
Don't let the chance slip away
This is the time to be strong!
The chips are down, the hunt is on!
[Guitar section and Main Theme]
Narrator 2
(John Hurt):
There was one who was famed for the number of things
He forgot when he entered the ship:
His umbrella, his watch, all his jewels and rings,
And the clothes he had bought for the trip.
Narrator 1
(Sir John Gielgud):
He had forty-two boxes all carefully packed,
With his name painted clearly on each;
But, since he omitted to mention the fact,
They were all left behind on the beach.
Narrator 2:
He came as a Baker: but owned, when too late-
And it drove the poor Bellman half mad-
He could only bake Bridecake - for which, I may state,
No materials were to be had.
Baker
(Julian Lennon):
I came as the baker on this escapade,
I knead the dough, but I can't look after the bread,
The Banker does it instead,
And although I never feel afraid,
Somehow I know
It could be the single worst mistake I've ever made,
To come as the Baker on this escapade.
Butcher
(Art Garfunkel):
I came as the Butcher on this escapade,
Without the heart for moving in for the kill,
It makes me want to be ill,
But my orders have to be obeyed;
Though I take part,
I'm not the one on whom the blame should all be laid,
I'm only the Butcher on this escapade.
Narrator 2:
He came as a Butcher: but gravely declared,
When the ship had been sailing a week;
He could only kill Beavers. The Bellman looked scared,
And was almost too frightened to speak:
Narrator 1:
But at length he explained, in a tremulous tone,
There was only one Beaver on board;
And that was a tame one he had of his own,
Whose death would be deeply deplored.
Beaver:
I came as a Beaver on this escapade,
Though I must say, I'm only here for the fun,
An optimist on the run,
I'm not lost, I've only been mislaid,
I know one day
I'll find the sun, though now I'm walking in the shade,
I'm only the Beaver on this escapade.
[Main Theme]
Narrator 1:
They roused him with muffins - they roused him with ice-
They roused him with mustartd and cress-
They roused him with jam and judicious advice-
They set him conundrums to guess.
When at length he sat up and was able to speak
His sad story he offered to tell;
And the Bellman cried "Silence! Not even a shriek!"
And excitedly tingled his bell.
Narrator 2:
"I skip forty years," said the Baker, in tears,
"And proceed without further remark
To the day when you took me aboard of your ship
To help you in hunting the Snark.
A dear uncle of mine (after whom I was named)
Remarked, when I bade him farewell-"
Narrator 1:
"Oh, skip your dear uncle!" the Bellman exclaimed,
As he angrily tingled his bell.
Narrator 2:
"He remarked to me then," said that mildest of men,
"'If your Snark be a Snark, that is right:
Fetch it home by all means - you may serve it with greens,
And it's handy for striking a light.
"'But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day,
If your Snark be a Boojum! for then
You will softly and suddenly vanish away,
And never be met with again!'"
Midnight
smoke
Baker
(Julian
Lennon):
Sing your hymns of Evensong,
Sail out to far lagoons,
All you fisherman and you fortune hunters,
Sharpen your harpoons.
Sing rhapsodies to the fickle gods that guide you,
Awake the brave adventurer that sleeps inside you.
Baker, Boots
(Mike Batt)
+ Crew:
Before you vanish away like midnight smoke,
So that no signs or memories remain,
You might vanish away like midnight smoke,
And never be seen again.
Baker:
You sailers, sail your stormy seas;
You gamblers, roll your ball.
All you butterflies and you ballerinas,
Dance until you fall.
Dream and believe; follow what you're searching for,
One day the brave adventurer will be no more.
Baker, Boots + Crew:
You just vanish away like midnight smoke,
So that no signs or memories remain,
You'll just vanish away like midnight smoke,
And never be seen again.
[Instrumental break]
Baker, Boots + Crew:
You just vanish away like midnight smoke,
So that no signs or memories remain,
You'll just vanish away like midnight smoke,
And never be seen again.
Narrator 2
(John Hurt):
"I engage with the Snark - every night after dark-
In a dreamy delirious fight:
I serve it with greens in those shadowy scenes,
And I use it for striking a light:
But if ever I meet with a Boojum, that day,
In a moment (of this I am shure),
I shall softly and suddenly vanish away-
And the notion I cannot endure!"
Narrator 1
(Sir John Gielgud):
"'Tis a pitiful tale," said the Bellman, whose face
Had grown longer at every word:
"But, now that you've stated the whole of your case,
More debate would be simply absurd.
The rest of my speech (he explained to his men)
You shall hear when I've leisure to speak it.
But the Snark is at hand, let me tell you again!
'Tis your glorious duty to seek it!
To seek it with thimbles, to seek it with care;
To pursue it with forks and hope;
To threaten its life with a railway-share;
To charm it with smiles and soap!
For the Snark's a peculiar creature, that won't
Be caught in a commonplace way.
Do all that you know, and try all that you don't:
Not a chance must be wasted today!"
The
snooker song
Narrator 2
(John Hurt):
Then the Banker endorsed a
blank cheque (which he crossed),
And changed his loose silver for notes.
The Baker with care combed his whiskers and hair,
And shook the dust out of his coats.
The maker of Bonnets ferociously planned
A novel arrangement of bows:
While the Billiard-marker with quivering hand
Was chalking the tip of his nose.
Billiard Marker
(Captain Sensible):
It's only a game, so
Put up a real good fight,
I'm gonna be snookering you tonight.
I'm famed for my aim, so
Y' better believe I'm right,
I'm gonna be snookering you,
Snookering you tonight!
I could spend days
Gazing across the baize at you,
You'll never win
When I begin
My break of fifty-eight
(or maybe more, who can be sure?)
Refrain:
To say its a frame-up
Wouldn't be fair or right,
I'm gonna be snookering you tonight.
Resist me in vain, but
Victory's in my sight,
I'm gonna be snookering you,
Snookering you tonight!
Love is a game
Snooker's the same so join the queue,
Get a good grip
Don't let it slip
And think about the pink
(Don't let a red go to your head!)
It's only a game, so
Put up a real good fight,
I'm gonna be snookering you,
Snookering you tonight!
[Refrain]
Snookering you, snookering you tonight!
Snookering you, snookering you tonight!
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The
pig must die
Narrator 1
(Sir
John
Gielgud):
He dreamed that he stood in a
shadowy Court,
Where the Snark, with a glass in its eye,
Dresed in gown, bands, and wig, was defending a pig
On a charge of deserting its sty.
Barrister
(Roger Daltrey):
I dreamed last night I was standing in a Court of Law,
And the Snark was the Counsel for Defence,
He was trying to establish the innocence,
Of a pig that I clearly saw,
As stated hereinbefore
In a Court of Law."
And while I was standing in a Court of Law,
The jury talked so they missed a lot,
And some were listening and some were not,
So the Judge cried, "I implore,
Bring it down to a deafening roar,
In this Court of Law."
Barrister + Jury:
Refrain:
Let's teach it a lesson it'll never forget
For a devious deed it will live to regret,
It's clear that the pig must die.
We're of the opinion the pig must pay,
We can't let it live for another day,
We fear if the rules apply,
It's clear that the pig must die.
Barrister:
The Snark replied, "I beg you my learned friends,
For it seems to me with the naked eye
That the pig can live or the pig can die,
And it's happiness all depends
On the mercy that now extends
From my learned friends."
Jury:
Let's teach it a lesson it'll never forget
For a devious deed it will live to regret,
It's clear that the pig must die.
Barrister + Jury:
We're of the opinion the pig must pay,
We can't let it live for another day,
We fear if the rules apply,
It's clear that the pig must die.
[Refrain]
Narrator 1:
Then the Snark pronounced sentence, the Judge being quite
Too nervous to utter a word:
When it rose to its feet, there was silence like night
And the fall of a pin might be heard.
Barrister:
Let's teach it a lesson it'll never forget
For a devious deed it will live to regret,
It's clear that the pig must die.
Barrister + Jury:
We're of the opinion the pig must pay,
We can't let it live for another day,
We fear if the rules apply,
It's clear that the pig must die.
Narrator 1:
But their wild exultation was suddenly checked
When the jailer informed them with tears
Such a sentence would have not the slightest effect,
As the pig had been dead for some years.
The
beaver's lesson
Narrator 2
(John Hurt):
They sought it with thimbles, they sought it with care;
They pursued it with forks and hope;
They threatened its life with a railway-share;
They charmed it with smiles and soap.
Then the Butcher contrived an ingenious plan
For making a separate sally;
And had fixed on a spot unfrequented by man,
A dismal and desolate valley.
Butcher
(Art Garfunkel):
In the valley, where the shady people roam,
I was walking in the dark,
When I realised that I was not alone.
Beaver (Deniece Williams):
In the valley, all those miles away from home,
I was hunting for the Snark,
When I realised that I was not alone.
Narrator 2:
But the valley grew narrow and narrower still,
And the evening got darker and colder,
Till (merely from nervousness, not from goodwill)
They marched along shoulder to shoulder.
Then a scream, shrill and high, rent the shuddering sky,
And they knew that some danger was near:
The Beaver turned pale to the tip of his tail,
And even the Butcher felt queer.
"'Tis the voice of the Jubjub!" he suddenly cried.
(This man, that they used to call "Dunce.")
"As the Bellman would tell you," he added with pride,
"I have uttered that sentiment once.
'Tis the note of the Jubjub! Keep count, I entreat;
You will find I have told it you twice.
'Tis the song of the Jubjub! the proof is complete,
If only I've stated it thrice."
The Beaver had counted with scrupulous care,
Attending to every word:
But it fairly lost heart, and outgrabe in despair,
When the third repetition occured.
The Beaver confessed, with affectionate looks
More eloquent even than tears,
It had learned in ten minutes far more than all books
Would have taught it in seventy years.
Such friends, as the Beaver and Butcher became,
Have seldom if ever been known;
In winter or summer, 'twas always the same-
You could never meet either alone.
And when quarrels arose - as one frequently finds
Quarrels will, spite of every endeavour-
The song of the Jubjub recurred to their minds,
And cemented their friendship for ever!
A
delicate combination
Butcher
(Art Garfunkel) + Beaver
(Deniece Williams):
Oh it's hard
to believe we could end up friends,
By a delicate combination
Butcher:
Of fear of the dark,
Beaver:
Belief in
the Snark
Both:
And
intelligent conversation.
Who would have
guessed on this windswept night,
We would balance the whole equation?
Butcher:
Who would
have forseen, friendship between,
Beaver:
Female
Beaver
Butcher:
And male
caucasion?
As
long as the moon can shine
Butcher
(Art Garfunkel):
I must have known that it
existed but I couldn't quite conceive it,
I was always the loser in affairs of the heart,
Well, you know when you find something that you want, you don't believe it,
No, you can't quite believe it when the good times start.
I used to think of love as just a dream that disappears,
But you've taught me more tonight than I have learned in all those years.
Refrain:
As long as the moon can keep on shining,
And the sun keeps hanging in the sky,
No-one can take what flows between us,
No-one alive.
As long as the moon can keep on shining,
And the years keep rolling slowly by,
You'll be a friend of mine,
As long as the moon can shine.
Some people search for people, and some people search for freedom,
And some search for nothing but the thrill of the chase;
Well you know sometimes you search for things just to find that you don't need
them,
Or you search for the right things in the wrong kind of place,
I used to think of love as just a promise people make,
Or a game that people play, or just a risk that people take.
[Refrain]
As long as the moon can shine.
Narrator 2
(John Hurt):
They returned hand in hand, and the Bellman, unmanned
(For a moment) with noble emotion,
Said "This amply repays all the wearisome days
We have spent on the billowy ocean!"
Dancing
towards desaster
Beaver
(Deniece
Williams):
Forget the risks we are taking
Let it rain, let it hail, let it snow;
We could be wrong all along
But at least if we keep on we soon will know,
Although:
Refrain:
We could be dancing towards disaster
With every movement we make,
We could be dancing to desaster,
We could fail with every step we take,
We could be dancing towards desaster,
With every thrill that we share,
We could be dancing to desaster
But I get the feeling we don't care.
There is no time left for wasting
Looking back round the corners we've turned.
Don't count the cost or we're lost,
For the bridges we have crossed have all been burned,
And we've learned:
[Refrain]
Beaver + Crew:
Dancing, dancing,
For all we know we're dancing to disaster.
Dancing, dancing
Dancing to disaster.
Dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing,
Dancing to disaster!
[Refrain]
We don't care,
We don't care.
The
vanishing
[including "The Dance Of
The Bandersnatch"]
[Instrumental section]
Baker
(Julian Lennon):
It seems to me,
Since we landed in this lonely place,
That the sun now shines of it's own volition,
And this crazy mission isn't just a wild goose chase;
We sailed for years
Till we found ourselves upon a beach,
Gaining on this beast from the realms of fiction,
I've a strong conviction it's a thing we soon may reach.
Narrator 1
(Sir John Gielgud):
"The Baker is shouting!" the Bellman said.
"He is shouting like mad, only hark!
He is waving his hands, he is wagging his head,
He has certainly found a Snark!"
Narrator 2
(John Hurt):
Erect and sublime, for one moment of time.
In the next, that wild figure they saw
(As if stung by a spasm) plunge into a chasm,
While they waited and listened in awe.
Narrator 1:
"It's a Snark!" was the sound that first came to their ,ears
And seemed almost too good to be true.
Then followed a torrent of laughter and cheers:
Then the ominous words: "It's a Boo - -"
Narrator 2:
They hunted till darkness came on, but htey found
Not a button, or feather, or mark,
By which they could tell that they stood on the ground
Where the Baker had met with the Snark.
Narrator 1:
In the midst of the word he was trying to say,
In the midst of his laughter and glee,
He had softly and suddenly vanished away-
For
the Snark was a Boojum, you see
Hope
(Maggie Reilly):
Don't let the memory die,
Children of the sky, heroes of the sea,
And as your life passes by,
Remember how it feels to be
Children of the sky.
[Instrumental section]
All:
Don't let the memory die,
Children of the sky, heroes of the sea,
And as your life passes by,
Remember how it feels to be
Children of the sky.
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