Four Black Dragons
(Stephen Sondheim)
Fisherman
I was standing on the beach
Near the cliffs
At oshama.
I was spreading out the nets
For the morning sun.
It was early in july
And the day was getting hot,
And i stopped to wipe my eyes,
And by accident i turned
And looked out to sea ...
And there came,
Breaking through the mist,
Roaring through the sea,
Four black dragons,
Spitting fire.
And i ran,
Cursing through the fields,
Calling the alarm,
Shouting to the world,
"four black dragons,
Spitting fire!"
And the earth trembled,
And the sky cracked,
And i thought it was the end of the world.
Thief
I was rifling through the house,
Of some priests
In uraga.
It was only after dawn,
They were sleeping still.
I had finished with the silks,
I was hunting for the gold,
When i heard them getting up,
So i bolted through a door
Which looked out to sea ...
Fisherman
And there came ...
Thief
And there came ...
Fisherman
Breaking through the mist ...
Thief
Boiling through the mist ...
Fisherman
Roaring through the sea ...
Thief
Rising from the sea …
Fisherman
Four black dragons …
Thief
Four volcanoes …
Fisherman
Spitting fire …
Thief
Spitting fire!
And i ran …
Fisherman
And i ran …
Thief
Cursing down the halls …
Fisherman
Cursing through the fields …
Thief
Shouting to the priests …
Fisherman
Shouting to the world …
Both
"notify the gods!
Four black dragons,
Spitting fire!"
Reciter
And the feet pattered
And the men came down to stare,
And the women started screaming
Like the gulls.
Hai! hai!
And the crowded into temples
And they flapped about the square —
Hai! —
Like the gulls.
Hai!
Townspeople
Hai! hai!
Four black dragons,
Spitting fire!
Reciter
Then the hooves clattered
And the warriors were there,
Diving quickly through the panic
Like the gulls.
Hai! hai!
And the swords were things of beauty
As they glided through the air —
Hai!
Like the gulls.
Hai!
Townspeople
Hai! hai!
Four black dragons,
Spitting fire!
Thief and company fisherman
And the sun darkened i had seen
And the sea bubbled, dragons before,
And the earth trembled, never so many,
And the sky cracked, never like these,
And i thought it was the end and i thought it was the end
Of the world! of the world!
Reciter
And it was.
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