Oh Better Far To Live And Die Lyrics

Gilbert & Sullivan Oh Better Far To Live And Die

KING. 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!
For I am a Pirate King!
ALL. You are!
Hurrah for the Pirate King!
KING. And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King.
ALL. It is!
Hurrah for the Pirate King!

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!
For I am a Pirate King!
ALL. You are!
Hurrah for the Pirate King!
KING. And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King.
ALL. It is!
Hurrah for the Pirate King!

Exeunt all except FREDERIC. Enter RUTH.

RUTH. Oh, take me with you! I cannot live if I am left
behind.
FRED. Ruth, I will be quite candid with you. You are
very dear to me, as you
know, but I must be circumspect. You see, you are
considerably older than I. A lad of
twenty-one usually looks for a wife of seventeen.
RUTH. A wife of seventeen! You will find me a wife of a
thousand!
FRED. No, but I shall find you a wife of forty-seven,
and that is quite enough.
Ruth, tell me candidly and without reserve: compared
with other women � how are
you?
RUTH. I will answer you truthfully, master � I have a
slight cold, but otherwise I
am quite well.
FRED. I am sorry for your cold, but I was referring
rather to your personal
appearance. Compared with other women, are you
beautiful?
RUTH. (bashfully) I have been told so, dear master.
FRED. Ah, but lately?
RUTH. Oh, no; years and years ago.
FRED. What do you think of yourself?
RUTH. It is a delicate question to answer, but I think
I am a fine woman.
FRED. That is your candid opinion?
RUTH. Yes, I should be deceiving you if I told you
otherwise.
FRED. Thank you, Ruth. I believe you, for I am sure you
would not practice on
my inexperience. I wish to do the right thing, and if
I say if you are really a fine
woman, your age shall be no obstacle to our union!
(Chorus of Girls heard in the
distance.) Hark! Surely I hear voices! Who has ventured
to approach our all but
inaccessible lair? Can it be Custom House? No, it does
not sound like Custom House.
RUTH. (aside) Confusion! it is the voices of young
girls! If he should see them I
am lost.
FRED. (looking off) By all that's marvellous, a bevy of
beautiful maidens!
RUTH. (aside) Lost! lost! lost!
FRED. How lovely, how surpassingly lovely is the
plainest of them! What grace
what delicacy what refinement! And Ruth Ruth told me
she was beautiful!