Babbette Lyrics

LILY
(reading) An evening late in June.
A formal dinner at Babette's.
The talk is sharp and swift.
And yet the atmosphere is fraught with tension.
Everyone is there.
Corrupt (She laughs a trilling corrupt laugh) and debonair.
A Mayfair set convention.

LILY
(spoken)Babette speaks
I gave this small soiree
To tell you all the shrieking news.
I'm leaving Rodney's bed.
The joke is that I'm also leaving Nigel.
What a shabby lot.
Bedecked with jewels
Between two fools
All hope is gone
The dance goes on
And make the music hot!

LILY
(spoken) Rodney speaks! Babette,
If you think that you can throw away and so on and so on
Nigel speaks! But! Babette,
This charade will have to end and so on and so on
Rodney: why, you filthy slu' and so on and so on
And the guests chatter, and so and so and so
Babette!
(sung) My cigarette is out.
Oh Rodney, please give me a light.
I need another drink,
She sneers and hurls her glass of gin at Nigel.
What a shabby lot.
We get away
To St. Tropez
In gin and bitters
Drown my jitters.

OSCAR
(spoken) Lily, forget Babette! You'd be magnificent as Mary Magdalene!

LILY
Yes! Take your wine away!
Reborn am I today!
Redemption!
Our sins will be forgiven
And we shall be
No.

(Returning to Babette):
I need another drink.
I think I'd like a sip of champagne
or better still a snort of cocaine
or better still
(Magdalene):
Oh brothers, sinners, kneel with me.
LetТs pray for Dear CyrilТs gone to pot.
His liverТs simply shot
His brain has turned to cotton
Teeth all rotten
Let us seek salvation!
(Babette):
I'm sick of Rodney. Nigel. Nigel. Rodney. Rodney. Nigel.
My cigarette is out
The gin is never strong enough.
I live for endless loving
boozing
dancing
cruising...
We shall be saved!
Boozing dancing crusiing
We shall be saved!
Rodney nigel Rodney boozing dancing cruising
We shall be!
My cigarette is
Saved!
My cigarette is С
Saved!
My cigarette is
Saved!
Where are you, Rodney
Nigel, nigel, Rodney, Rodney
Nigel, oscar, oscar, oscar, oscar.
Oscar! (spoken) Oscar!

CHORUS
Ah.

LILY
(spoken) Oscar! Goodbye Oscar! Goodbye Mary Magdalene!
(sung) Max, I love this play!
Deh deh deh deh
Deh deh deh deh deh
Max, I'll do this play!
Deh deh deh deh
Deh deh deh deh deh
Max, I really really love this play!
I can safely say
I will slay Broadway.
Make way for bad Babette
The darling of the Mayfair set
Deh deh deh deh
Deh deh deh deh deh
Deh deh deh deh
Deh deh deh deh deh
Depraved,
Debauched
And dclass
Max I really really love this play
Chic and tres risqu
Weary and soigne
It's Babs the British witch
The idol of the idle rich!
Deh deh deh deh
Deh deh deh deh deh
Deh deh deh deh
Deh deh deh deh deh
Degenerate
Decadent
Hey, hey, hey!
Max, we're set
You've lit my cigarette.
Max, I'll do Babette!
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba
Babette!