[DOINA — free time. Solo clarinet wails the chorus melody over an accordion drone. Choir hums.] That's why… (that's why…) That's why… (that's why…) That's why we can't have nice things… [Snare cracks twice. Freylekh locks in. Claps on the offbeats.] [VERSE 1 — clarinet answers every line] Coffee can, farm stand Forty years, honor bound (hey!) One man took the can — Now the corn's locked down (hey! hey!) [CHORUS — full choir, violin and clarinet in unison, tambourine] One bad apple, one locked door (locked door!) One free ride, free no more (no more!) Everybody pays for one — That's why we can't have nice things! (hey!) [VERSE 2 — accordion answers] Bench by the river Box of books — take one, leave one (hey!) One night, gone — Now it's bolted to the ground (hey! hey!) [CALL & RESPONSE — tuba, snare, claps. Stamp on every answer.] Who paid for the lock? — We did! Who paid for the camera? — We did! And the one who took it? — Walked off whistling! (hey!) [CHORUS] One bad apple, one locked door (locked door!) One free ride, free no more (no more!) Everybody pays for one — That's why we can't have nice things! (hey!) [TROMBONE SOLO — 16 bars, growling, trades fours with clarinet. Claps double-time. Circle reverses.] [BRIDGE — slow hora, 3/8. Accordion and violin. Brushes. Circle sways.] Trust is cheap (trust is cheap) Locks are dear (locks are dear) One man breaks it — We all pay (we all pay) Fence gets high (fence gets high) Form gets long (form gets long) And the thing we had Gets small (gets small…) [Clarinet alone, 8 bars. Snare rolls, freylekh slams back.] [VERSE 3 — tempo pushing up] Can't fix it with a camera Can't fix it with a law (hey!) It's the neighbor, it's the kid — It's the promise in the can (hey! hey!) [CALL & RESPONSE — stamps on every answer] Was it the bench? — No! Was it the books? — No! What'd we lose? — The unlocked door! (hey!) [FINAL CHORUS — lift to E. Accelerando to the end. Clarinet on top, tuba pounding, claps doubled.] One bad apple, one locked door (locked door!) One free ride, free no more (no more!) Everybody pays for one — That's why we can't have nice things! (hey!) But we could! (we could!) Oh, we could! (we could!) One good neighbor, one open door (open door!) One free ride, free once more (once more!) Everybody gains from one — That's why we could have nice things! (HEY!) [Final chord. Dead stop. One beat of silence.] [CODA — free time. Accordion drone, clarinet whispering. Tuba one low note.] Money in the can (in the can) Book back when you're through (when you're through) The nice thing was never the thing — It was trusting you (Trusting you…) [Clarinet bends up to a last high note and lets it fall.]
0/500