[Verse 1] I passed the doors where red curtains sway, My script in hand, my head in flight; I thought, “At last, my proper play,” They said, “You’re early. Wait outside.” [Pre-Chorus] Have I asked too much, too soon, too bold? Am I too young to hold what I have sold? [Chorus] Nay, Nay, Nay, I won’t sway now! „I need to feel it, tell me how!“ „Play, play, play, that’s why you’re here!“ Oh Lord, have mercy, still my fear! I pray, pray, pray that this goes well, just let me know how the curtain fell. [Verse 2] “Your pause is wrong.” — “That line is mine.” “The moon looks odd.” — “I won’t wear grey.” “The set is fine,” the painter claimed, The leed declared my scene “too strained.” [Verse 3] I sat alone in empty rows, My words rehearsed in borrowed voice; They changed my lines, my cues, my prose, Yet still they lived, though not as meant. [Pre-Chorus] Have I asked too much, too soon, too bold? Am I too young to hold what I have sold? [Chorus] Nay, Nay, Nay, I won’t sway now! „I need to feel it, tell me how!“ „Play, play, play, that’s why you’re here!“ Oh Lord, have mercy, still my fear! I pray, pray, pray that this goes well, just let me know how the curtain fell. [Verse 4] “The wig won’t sit.” — “The sword is gone.” “Who moved the chair?” — “We need more light.” The prompter sighed, “We’re far past dawn,” I smiled and said, “Then let us write.” [Bridge] The house goes still. The lamps align. A thousand thoughts rush through my mind. “No more notes.” The bell. The cloth— My words now not just mine. [Chorus] Nay, Nay, Nay, I won’t sway now! „I need to feel it, tell me how!“ „Play, play, play, that’s why you’re here!“ Oh Lord, have mercy, still my fear! I pray, pray, pray that this goes well, just let me know how the curtain fell.
