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The Grand Duke

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No. 27: SONG (Prince) with Chorus.

"Take my advice – when deep in debt"

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Prince.  

Take my advice – when deep in debt,
Set up a bank and play Roulette!
At once distrust you surely lull,
And rook the pigeon and the gull.
The bird will stake his every franc
In wild attempt to break the bank –
But you may stake your life and limb
The bank will end by breaking him!

Scott Fishe as the Prince
(All crowd round and eagerly stake gold on the board.)

Allons, encore –
Garçons, fillettes –

Vos louis d’or
Vos roues d’charette!
Holà! holà!
Holà! holà! holà!

Mais faites vos jeux
Allons, la classe –
Le temps se passe –
La banque se casse

(spoken) Rien n’va plus!
Le dix-sept noir, impair et manque!
Holà! holà! vive la banque!
For every time the board you spin,
The bank is bound to win!

Chorus.
For every time the board you spin,
All.
The bank is bound to win!

(During Chorus, Princess and Costumier rake in all the stakes.)

Prince.

A cosmic game is this Roulette!
The little ball’s a true coquette –
A maiden coy whom “numbers” woo –
Whom six and thirty suitors sue!
Of all complexions, too, good lack!
For some are red and some are black,
And some must be extremely green,
For half of them are not nineteen! (All stake again.)

Allons, encore –
Garçons, filettes –
Vos louis d’or –
Vos roues d’charette!
Holà! holà!
Holà! holà! holà!

Mais faites vos jeux –
Allons, la foule!
Ça roule – ça roule
Le temps s’ écoule

(spoken) Rien n’va plus!
Le trente-cinq rouge – impair et passe!
Très bien, étudiants de la classe –
The moral’s safe – when you begin,
The bank is bound to win!

Chorus.
The moral’s safe – when you begin,
All.
The bank is bound to win!

Prince.

The little ball’s a flirt inbred –
She flirts with black – she flirts with red;
From this to that she hops about,
Then back to this as if in doubt.
To call her thoughtless were unkind –
The child is making up her mind,
For all the world like all the rest,
Which prétendant will pay the best!

Allons, encore –
Garçons, fillettes –
Vos louis d’or –
Vos roues d’charette!
Holà! holà!
Holà! holà! holà!

Mais faites vos jeux –
Qui perte fit
Au temps jadis
Gagne aujourd’hui!

(spoken) Rien n’va plus
Tra, la, la! le double zéro!
Vous perdez tout, mes nobles héros –
Where’er at last the ball pops in,
The bank is bound to win!

Chorus.
Where’er at last the ball pops in,
All.
The bank is bound to win!

(Prince gathers in the stakes. Nobles fold up table and take it away.)

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