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You are here: The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive > British Musical Theatre > The Sunshine Girl > Act 2 No. 15

No. 15 - Quartet - The Butler.

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Marie: When there's a party held upstairs,
One of those upper ten affairs,
Floot: William the butler hears it all,
Whispers it round the servants' hall!
Mrs. Blacker: Somebody told a tale one night
(Ladies were not about),
Lord Bicester: All of us heard that tale all right —
How did the thing leak out?
All: Well,
Floot: The butler told the footman,
Marie: The footman told the cook,
Mrs. Blacker: The cook repeated, I am much afraid,
Marie: The whole caboodle to the parlour-maid;
Lord Bicester: The page boy roared with laughter,
Mrs. Blacker: The tweeny shed a tear,
Marie: Oh! wouldn't you like to know, ho! ho!
All: What did the butler hear?
   
Mrs. Blacker: Yesterday afternoon at four,
Master went out and slammed the door;
Marie: Missis did not appear to mind
(We see her peeping round the blind!)
Lord Bicester: Soon there arrives a gay young spark,
Stops for an hour or so,
Floot: Sat there, and sat there in the dark —
'Ow did we come to know?
All: Well,
Floot: The butler told the footman,
Lord Bicester: The footman told the cook,
Mrs. Blacker: The cook repeated, I am much afraid,
Marie: The whole caboodle to the parlour-maid;
Mrs. Blacker: The page got so excited,
Lord Bicester: He caught the housemaid's knee!
Marie: Now wouldn't you like to know, ho! ho!
Floot: What did the butler see?
   
Lord Bicester: When we was in the country seat,
All of the guests were most élite,
Mrs. Blacker: Plenty of tips we thought we'd get,
Them being such a classy set!
Marie: William the butler sez, sez 'e,
(William's a trifle hot!)
Floot: You'd better leave the tips to me,
Then we'll divide the lot!
All: So,
Floot: The butler tipped the footman,
Lord Bicester: The footman tipped the cook,
Marie: The cook was stingy, I am much afraid,
Mrs. Blacker: When she divided with the parlour-maid;
Lord Bicester: The page boy got a shilling,
Mrs. Blacker: The tweeny fourpence (net),
Marie: Oh, wouldn't we like to know, ho! ho!
Floot: What did the butler get?

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British Musical Theatre | The Sunshine Girl

Page modified 29 March 2017