Rose of Persia Song No. 16

Gilbert and Sullivan Archive

The Rose of Persia
Song No. 16

If you or I should tell the truth


CD 1	Track 17

MIDI File 22K, 2 min. 25 seconds.

QUARTET. -- SCENT- OF-LILIES, HEART'S DESIRE, HONEY-OF-LIFE, and YUSSUF.

Girls:

If you or I should tell the truth

We all shall be executed,

So won't you try, O noble-minded youth,

To tell the truth diluted?

As we all shall be thrown down a well,

Pell-mell,
If the truth we tell,
(You and I as well),

In a heap down a deep dark well!

Yussuf:

Well, well!

We'll tell the truth diluted! diluted! diluted!

All (to one another ):

As I'm loth that we both

Take a leap in a heap,

Down a steep and a deep, dark well,

Yussuf:

Well, well?

All:

We'll tell the truth diluted!

Just a little tarradiddle-iddle-id diluted!

Yussuf:

As you and I, the truth to tell,

Have naught but the truth to dread, dear!

We'll let truth lie at the bottom of a well,

Or we shall be there instead, dear!

As we both shall be cast down a well,

Pell-mell,

If the truth we tell,

(You and I as well),

Very fast down a nasty well --

Girls:

Well, well!

We'll tell a fib instead, dear!

All (to one another):

As I'm loth that we both

At the last shall be cast

Very fast down a nasty well!

Scent of Lillies Honey of Life Hearts Desire

Well, well, Well, well, Well, well,

we'll tell a fib instead, dear,

A fib! A fib!

Instead dear!

instead! instead!

Instead!

instead!

instead!

Scent of Lillies	Honey of Life	Hearts Desire
Well, well,	Well, well,	Well, well,
we'll tell a fib instead, dear,
	A fib!	A fib!
Instead dear!
	instead!	instead!
Instead!
	instead!
		instead!

Girls:

As I'm loth that we both

At the last shall be cast

Very fast down a nasty --

well,

Scent of Lilies and Honey of Life:

well, well

Girls:

We'll tell a fib instead, dear!

Just a little tarradiddle-iddle-id fib instead, dear!

Just a little tarradiddle-iddle-id instead!

Girls	Yussuf
	As I'm loth that we both
Just a
little tara did-	should be cast
dle idlyll
fib instead,	down a well,
dear!
	Very fast down a
Just a little taradiddle	nasty well, We'll tell
idlyll	a
fib instead dear!	fib instead dear!

All:

A little taradiddle idyll fib instead!

A little taradiddle idyll,

Little taradiddle idyll,

Little taradiddle idyll fib instead, dear!

DANCE and Exeunt.

Page updated 24 July 1999