Gilbert and Sullivan wrote 14 comic operas from 1871-1896, which are still performed often throughout the English-speaking world. Many of the songs are well-known. Most have many more words than the songs here. The text and songs are all at gsarchive.net.
►Oh, Better Far to Live and Die, or Pirate King, (87 words) from Pirates of Penzance, 1879
Oh, better far to live and die
Under the brave black flag I fly,
Than play a sanctimonious part,
With a pirate head and a pirate heart.
Away to the cheating world go you,
Where pirates all are well-to-do;
But I’ll be true to the song I sing,
And live and die a Pirate King.
For I am a Pirate King
And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King!
I am a Pirate King!
You are!
Hurrah for the Pirate King
And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King.
It is
Hurrah for the Pirate King
Hurrah for a Pirate King
Oh he is a Pirate King
He is
Hurrah for the Pirate King
And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King.
It is
Hurrah for the Pirate King
Hurrah for the Pirate King
When I sally forth to seek my prey
I help myself in a royal way.
I sink a few more ships, it’s true,
Than a well-bred monarch ought to do;
But many a king on a first-class throne,
If he wants to call his crown his own,
Must manage somehow to get through
More dirty work than ever I do,
For I am a Pirate King!
And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King!
I am a Pirate King!
You are!
Hurrah for the Pirate King!
And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King.
It is!
Hurrah for a Pirate King!
Hurrah for a Pirate King!
Away
Away
Oh, better far to live and die
Under the brave black flag I fly,
Than play a sanctimonious part,
With a pirate head and a pirate heart.
Away to the cheating world go you,
Where pirates all are well-to-do;
But I’ll be true to the song I sing,
And live and die a Pirate King.
For I am a Pirate King
And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King!
I am a Pirate King!
You are!
Hurrah for the Pirate King
And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King.
It is
Hurrah for the Pirate King
Hurrah for a Pirate King
Oh he is a Pirate King
He is
Hurrah for the Pirate King
And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King.
It is
Hurrah for the Pirate King
Hurrah for the Pirate King
When I sally forth to seek my prey
I help myself in a royal way.
I sink a few more ships, it’s true,
Than a well-bred monarch ought to do;
But many a king on a first-class throne,
If he wants to call his crown his own,
Must manage somehow to get through
More dirty work than ever I do,
For I am a Pirate King!
And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King!
I am a Pirate King!
You are!
Hurrah for the Pirate King!
And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King.
It is!
Hurrah for a Pirate King!
Hurrah for a Pirate King!
Away
Away
►When a Merry Maiden Marries, 92 words, from The Gondoliers, 1889
When a merry maiden marries,
Sorrow goes and pleasure tarries;
Every sound becomes a song,
All is right, and nothing’s wrong!
From to-day and ever after
Let our tears be tears of laughter.
Every sigh that finds a vent
Be a sigh of sweet content!
When you marry, merry maiden,
Then the air with love is laden;
Every flower is a rose,
Every goose becomes a swan,
Every kind of trouble goes
Where the last year’s snows have gone!
Sunlight takes the place of shade
When you marry, merry maid!
When a merry maiden marries,
Sorrow goes and pleasure tarries;
Every sound becomes a song,
All is right, and nothing’s wrong.
Gnawing Care and aching Sorrow,
Get ye gone until to-morrow;
Jealousies in grim array,
Ye are things of yesterday!
When you marry, merry maiden,
Then the air with joy is laden;
All the corners of the earth
Ring with music sweetly played,
Worry is melodious mirth,
Grief is joy in masquerade;
Sullen night is laughing day –
All the year is merry May!
All the year is merry May!
Merry, merry May
Merry, merry May
All the year is merry, merry May!
When a merry maiden marries,
Sorrow goes and pleasure tarries;
Every sound becomes a song,
All is right, and nothing’s wrong!
From to-day and ever after
Let our tears be tears of laughter.
Every sigh that finds a vent
Be a sigh of sweet content!
When you marry, merry maiden,
Then the air with love is laden;
Every flower is a rose,
Every goose becomes a swan,
Every kind of trouble goes
Where the last year’s snows have gone!
Sunlight takes the place of shade
When you marry, merry maid!
When a merry maiden marries,
Sorrow goes and pleasure tarries;
Every sound becomes a song,
All is right, and nothing’s wrong.
Gnawing Care and aching Sorrow,
Get ye gone until to-morrow;
Jealousies in grim array,
Ye are things of yesterday!
When you marry, merry maiden,
Then the air with joy is laden;
All the corners of the earth
Ring with music sweetly played,
Worry is melodious mirth,
Grief is joy in masquerade;
Sullen night is laughing day –
All the year is merry May!
All the year is merry May!
Merry, merry May
Merry, merry May
All the year is merry, merry May!
►A Magnet Hung in a Hardware Shop, 104 words, from Patience, 1881
"Churn" is a container to carry milk or make butter. After the song was written, people made models of churns in silver to hold salt, pepper, or perfume.
A magnet hung in a hardware shop,
And all around was a loving crop
Of scissors and needles, nails and knives,
Offering love for all their lives;
But for iron the magnet felt no whim,
Though he charmed iron, it charmed not him;
From needles and nails and knives he’d turn,
For he’d set his love on a Silver Churn!
A Silver Churn?
A Silver Churn!
His most æsthetic,
Very magnetic
Fancy took this turn –
“If I can wheedle
A knife or a needle,
Why not a Silver Churn?”
His most æsthetic,
Very magnetic
Fancy took this turn –
“If I can wheedle
A knife or a needle,
Why not a Silver Churn?”
And Iron and Steel expressed surprise,
The needles opened their well-drilled eyes,
The penknives felt “shut up”, no doubt,
The scissors declared themselves “cut out”,
The kettles they boiled with rage, ’tis said,
While every nail went off its head,
And hither and thither began to roam,
Till a hammer came up and drove them home.
It drove them home?
It drove them home!
While this magnetic,
Peripatetic
Lover he lived to learn,
By no endeavour
Can magnet ever
Attract a Silver Churn!
While this magnetic,
Peripatetic
Lover he lived to learn,
By no endeavour
Can magnet ever
Attract a Silver Churn!
"Churn" is a container to carry milk or make butter. After the song was written, people made models of churns in silver to hold salt, pepper, or perfume.
A magnet hung in a hardware shop,
And all around was a loving crop
Of scissors and needles, nails and knives,
Offering love for all their lives;
But for iron the magnet felt no whim,
Though he charmed iron, it charmed not him;
From needles and nails and knives he’d turn,
For he’d set his love on a Silver Churn!
A Silver Churn?
A Silver Churn!
His most æsthetic,
Very magnetic
Fancy took this turn –
“If I can wheedle
A knife or a needle,
Why not a Silver Churn?”
His most æsthetic,
Very magnetic
Fancy took this turn –
“If I can wheedle
A knife or a needle,
Why not a Silver Churn?”
And Iron and Steel expressed surprise,
The needles opened their well-drilled eyes,
The penknives felt “shut up”, no doubt,
The scissors declared themselves “cut out”,
The kettles they boiled with rage, ’tis said,
While every nail went off its head,
And hither and thither began to roam,
Till a hammer came up and drove them home.
It drove them home?
It drove them home!
While this magnetic,
Peripatetic
Lover he lived to learn,
By no endeavour
Can magnet ever
Attract a Silver Churn!
While this magnetic,
Peripatetic
Lover he lived to learn,
By no endeavour
Can magnet ever
Attract a Silver Churn!
►Captain of the Pinafore, 105 words, from H.M.S. Pinafore, 1878
"Ship a selvagee" means to loop twine around 2 or more pegs, many times, to create a strong continuous circle of twine, then tie the ends together and take more twine to wrap around the bundle, holding it together.
My gallant crew, good morning!
Sir, good morning!
I hope you're all quite well.
Quite well; and you, sir?
I am in reasonable health, and happy To meet you all once more.
You do us proud, sir!
I am the Captain of the Pinafore!
And a right good captain, too!
You're very, very good, And be it understood, I command a right good crew.
We're very, very good, And be it understood, He commands a right good crew.
Though related to a peer,
I can hand, reef, and steer,
And ship a selvagee;
I am never known to quail
At the fury of a gale,
And I'm never, never sick at sea!
What, never?
No, never!
What, never?
Hardly ever!
He's hardly ever sick at sea!
Then give three cheers, and one cheer more, For the hardy Captain of the Pinafore!
Then give three cheers, and one cheer more, For the Captain of the Pinafore!
I do my best to satisfy you all --
And with you we're quite content.
You're exceedingly polite, And I think it only right To return the compliment.
We're exceedingly polite, And he thinks it's only right To return the compliment.
Bad language or abuse,
I never, never use,
Whatever the emergency;
Though "bother it" I may
Occasionally say,
I never use a big, big D --
What, never?
No, never!
What, never?
Hardly ever!
Hardly ever swears a big, big D --
Then give three cheers, and one cheer more, For the well-bred Captain of the Pinafore!
Then give three cheers, and one cheer more, For the Captain of the Pinafore!
"Ship a selvagee" means to loop twine around 2 or more pegs, many times, to create a strong continuous circle of twine, then tie the ends together and take more twine to wrap around the bundle, holding it together.
My gallant crew, good morning!
Sir, good morning!
I hope you're all quite well.
Quite well; and you, sir?
I am in reasonable health, and happy To meet you all once more.
You do us proud, sir!
I am the Captain of the Pinafore!
And a right good captain, too!
You're very, very good, And be it understood, I command a right good crew.
We're very, very good, And be it understood, He commands a right good crew.
Though related to a peer,
I can hand, reef, and steer,
And ship a selvagee;
I am never known to quail
At the fury of a gale,
And I'm never, never sick at sea!
What, never?
No, never!
What, never?
Hardly ever!
He's hardly ever sick at sea!
Then give three cheers, and one cheer more, For the hardy Captain of the Pinafore!
Then give three cheers, and one cheer more, For the Captain of the Pinafore!
I do my best to satisfy you all --
And with you we're quite content.
You're exceedingly polite, And I think it only right To return the compliment.
We're exceedingly polite, And he thinks it's only right To return the compliment.
Bad language or abuse,
I never, never use,
Whatever the emergency;
Though "bother it" I may
Occasionally say,
I never use a big, big D --
What, never?
No, never!
What, never?
Hardly ever!
Hardly ever swears a big, big D --
Then give three cheers, and one cheer more, For the well-bred Captain of the Pinafore!
Then give three cheers, and one cheer more, For the Captain of the Pinafore!
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