Rumpelstiltskin

A classroom guide for teachers

Lyrics to sample songs for Rumpelstiltskin

Listening Sample 1

Begin the Story

Guide #2

Begin the tale of hearts grown cold because of straw turned into gold. We are the guides of joy, of woe, the guides of fate all things we know. We sing a tale of love gone cold. Because of greed, not from a need. Begin the tale, we bring the magic, And the comical and the tragic.

Guides #1, 2

Listen closely to this story told to us by Brothers Grimm. We’ll sing the parts that get too gory, set the lights down very dim.

Guides

Rumpelstiltskin! Rumpelstiltskin!
Our story’s named for one who’s kin, our cousin dear with a voice like tin!

Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin!

Guides

Bin, twin, thin, grin,
Birds all feather and fish all fin.
Bin, twin, thin, grin,
There’s not another that’s just like him!

See what happens when people lie;
You hurt yourself and others.
You cannot help, although you try…

Listening Sample 2

She Made Tin From Straw

(The ‘Spinning’ Duet)

The Miller

She made tin from straw.

The King

Tin from straw? Go on. Tin from straw! That is magic!

The Miller

Yes, majesty, I told you it was difficult to explain.
Soon it was brass from straw.

The King

Go on. Brass from straw?

The Miller

Then to my amazement it was silver.

The King

Silver from straw? What then? Silver from straw!

The Miller

On midsummer’s eve she turned straw into gold!

The King

From straw? Gold from straw!
What a magic gift, a magic gift, I must see this.
I must see this.
I will see this.
You will be rewarded if you show me old man.
I will reward you if it’s true, old man, if it’s true.
Let me see this girl wonder, this magic daughter.
A baron you will be if it’s true, if it’s true!

The Miller

My daughter, my beautiful daughter…

The King

Where is this gem?

Listening Sample 3

I know not where she is

The Miller (Aria)

I know not where she is.
I feel that I’m no longer her father.
She does what she will. Her magic makes it difficult to guide her.
She knows what she knows, your highness.
But I will try to guide her the best I can.
We must be careful, so very careful, she is so willful, she will not bend.
But I alone can coax her magic.
(Could I be a Baron? Could that be true?)
I know the key to turn the lock, it is true.
I could coax her to spin gold, miraculous gold, glimmering gold, shiny gold.
She will do what I say!

Listening Sample 4

People deserve the lives that they get

Rumpelstiltskin (Tango, with Guides)

Because… People deserve the lives that they get,
Because they are lazy and slow.
They cannot be bothered to work or to think,
They want to be stupid, you know…
Soooo…
I take advantage,
I show ‘em who’s boss,
In spite of this body,
At me fortunes they’ll toss.
And once they’re not needy,
You see they’re just greedy,
Into queens they all morph,
From the skill of a dwarf,
They want what I do,
Gold is all that is true.
Into queens they all morph,
From the skill of a dwarf!

This miller’s daughter dissolved into tears,
Because her old man had to crow.
The King has commanded, “Make gold oughta straw!”
She doesn’t know how to, I know!
Soooo…
We take advantage,
We show ‘em who’s boss,
Our excellent magic
Makes gold oughta dross,
And once she’s not needy,
You’ll see she’s just greedy,
To a queen she will morph,
Due to skill of a dwarf,
She wants what I do,
To her gold is what’s true.
To a Queen she shall morph
Through the skill of a dwarf!

Listening Sample 5

A Bottle of Green Water

Rumpelstiltskin (Patter Song)

Rumpelstiltskin (Patter Song)
A bottle green of bottled water,
Holding thirty little turtles.
Does it matter that each turtle,
Rattling on a metal ladle,
Only yields a bit of noodle?

The problem is the turtle battles,
Years and years of turtle battles,
Bearing less than noodle oodles,
Noodles very rare,
Noodles everywhere,
(Ask me if I care!!)

Turtle battles, slow affairs,
Are only fought for bits of noodle.
Even though they’re slow affairs
I’ll spin the straw, I do not care!
It shouldn’t take me all the night
To make of you the King’s delight,
O Miller’s daughter, stand in awe
And while I’m spinning all this straw,
See magic in my claw!
Miller’s daughter, stand in awe
And while I’m spinning all this straw,
See magic in my claw!
Magic in my maw!
Magic in the straw!

Now Miller’s daughter, stand in awe
There’ll soon be silver ‘stead of straw
I worked my fingers bloody raw,
There’s magic in my claw!
Magic in my maw!
Magic in the straw!
Magic in them all!

Now here is your silver!

Listening Sample 6

My child you made silver from straw

The King (Aria)
My child, you made silver from straw.
You are a marvel, the best I ever saw.
You'll rest by day but tonight it is foretold:
Your father's other promise, straw to gold.

Your father begged me for good fortune…
And I will make it come to pass.
Spin straw to gold and we shall marry.
My Queen will be a country lass,
But one who has my heart and passion.

I saw you once with precious berries,
Mounds and mounds of precious berries.
I saw you once with precious berries,
Mounds and mounds of precious berries.
It's very strange: I fell in love.
Do this one thing and I will never change.

Listening Sample 7

Hip hooray…you’ll be delighted

Tin Pan Alley Song

Hip hooray! You’ll be delighted.
Just today, you’ve been invited,
To the Palace fair,
Only royalty is there.
Oh, what fun…a little spinning,
When it’s done, the King you’re winning,
So then, just give me the kid,
Then you’ll be oh so glad, so glad you did!

You’ll play the Palace when you are the Queen…
Drink from a chalice like you’ve never seen…
Spin gold outa straw,
Then you’re Queen, the ruler of them all!
And then you’ll play the Palace when you are the Queen!
Don’t make an error, leading you to terror,
Don’t be “afraidy”, you’re the grandest lady!
Spinning’s a hassle, but you’re gonna get a castle now!
So pump your foot and run that gold right through your hand!
Give me the kid, you’ll find the big time’s really grand.
So now you’ll wed that royal snot!
You think it’s wrong, but dearie, no it’s not!
So go and play the Palace, play the Palace,
As the rightful Queen!

Listening Sample 8

My Heart is like a singing bird

(English Music Hall)

Nell (Aria)

My heart is like a singing bird
Whose nest is in a sheltered root.
My heart is like a cherry tree
Whose boughs are bent in ripening fruit.

My heart is like a rainbow ship
That plows into a purple sea.
My heart is gladder than all these
Because my love, my love has come to me.

Raise me a throne of silk and down,
Bedecked with jewels and costly dyes
And trim with pomegranates rare,
And griffins with a hundred eyes.

My heart is prouder than all these
Because of kisses, lovers' sighs, kisses, lovers’ sighs…
My heart is like a rainbow ship
That plows in-to a mystic sea.
My heart is fuller than all these,
Because my love has come to me.

Listening Sample 9

The ‘Name Polka’

Guide #2

This dwarf has a goal.
That dwarf on the whole,
Never will allow the Queen to wriggle out of his control.
Name that little troll,
King shall pay the toll,
Never will identify the little man without a soul.

Wolfgang, Johann, Florian or Anton…

Rumpelstiltskin

No! No! No! No!

Guide #2

Kaspar, Lothar, Diederich or Kayetan…

Rumpelstiltskin

No! No! No! No!

Guide #1

Giuseppe, Giacomo, Bartolo or Italo… Carlo, Figaro, Jacopo, Antonio …

Rumpelstiltskin

No! No! No! No!

Miller

What’s his hidden name?
Bidden to the game,
Now I wander in the woods, this journey is a bit insane.
Truth my only aim,
Not for any gain.
Can I save the little babe, my reputation to reclaim?

Guide #1

Leonid or Stanislav or Vladimir or Sviatoslav…

Rumpelstiltskin

No! No! No! No!

Guide #2

Nikolai, Rodion, Viktor, Pavel, Vladislav…

Rumpelstiltskin

No! No! No! No!

Guides

Amador, Emilio, Vittorio or Salomon…

Rumpelstiltskin

No! No! No! No!

Guide #1

Quirino, Pacifico, or Leonardo, Claudio…

Rumpelstiltskin

No! No! No! No!

Guide #2

(To Rumpelstiltskin) Come to Mama, now!
(Aside to the audience) Let me show you how
Loose a tongue can get when all my powers on his head endow!
(To Rumpelstiltskin) Come, you little cow,
Dance and take a bow!
(To Guide #1) Utter all the names you can…how many can he disavow?

Guides

Jackson, Henry, Christopher, Nathaniel,

Rumpelstiltskin

No! No! No! No!

Guides

Theodore, Julian, Abraham, Emanuel…

Rumpelstiltskin

No! No! No! No!

Guides

Edmond, Morgan, Trenton, Harrison…
Dominic, Brendan, Winston, Johnathan…
Pinkerton or Benjamin or Adrian or Cameron,
Damian or Gallagher or Donovan or Heremon…
Alexander, Ebenezer, Zacharias, Algernon,
Abelard or Beverley or Emerson or Remington?

All

Let’s go all the way…
Keep that troll at bay…
Flattery and treachery can keep him up ‘til break of day.
May his mouth betray,
Now, without delay!
Flattery and treachery can keep him up ‘til break of day.

Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin!

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