King And I - Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You? Lyrics

ANNA

Your servant! Your servant!
Indeed I'm not you servant --
Although you give me less than servant's pay --
I'm a free and independent employ [pronounced "employay"]...(sigh) employee.

Because I'm a woman
You think, like ev'ry woman
I have to be a slave or concubine.
You conceited, self-indulgent libertine! ...(sigh) libertine! [pronounced "liberteen"]

How I wish I called him that!
Right to his face! Libertine!
And while we're on the subject, sire,
There are certain goings on around this place
That I wish to tell you I do not admire:
I do not like polygamy
Or even moderate bigamy
I realize
That in your eyes
That clearly makes a prig o' me.

But I am from a civilized land called Wales!
Where men like you are locked in county jails!
In your pursuit of pleasure, you
Have mistresses who treasure you

They have no ken of other men
Beside whom they can measure you

A flock of sheep and you're the only ram
No wonder you're the wonder of Siam!

(Spoken) I'm rather glad I didn't say that... not with the women right there...and the children

(Singing) The children, the children,
I'll not forget the children,
No matter where I go I'll always see
Those little faces looking up at me...

At first, when I started to teach,
They were shy and remained out of reach,
But lately I've thought
One or two have been caught
By a word I have said
Or a sentence I've read
And I've heard an occasional question
That implied, at least, a suggestion
That the work I've been trying to do
Was beginning to show with a few...
-a