Many Moons Ago - Once Upon A Mattress Ensemble (1996)/Lawrence Clayton

作词：Marshall Barer

作曲：Mary Rodgers

Many moons ago in a far off place

Lived a handsome prince with a gloomy face

For he did not have a bride

Oh he sighed alas

And he pined alas

But alas the prince couldn't find a lass

Who would suit his mother's pride

For a princess is a delicate thing

Delicate and dainty as a dragonfly's wing

You can recognize a lady by her elegant air

But a genuine princess is exceedingly rare

On stormy night to the castle door

Came the lass the prince had been waiting for

I'm a princess lost quoth she

But the queen was cool and remained aloof

And she said

Perhaps but we'll need some proof

I'll prepare a test and see

I will test her thus

The old queen said

I'll put twenty downy mattresses upon her bed

And beneath those twenty mattresses I'll place one tiny pea

If that pea disturbs her slumber

Then a true princess is she

Now the bed was soft and extremely tall

But the dainty lass didn't sleep at all

And she told them so next day

Said the queen My dear if you felt that pea

Then we've proof enough of your royalty

Let the wedding music play

And the people shouted quietly

Hooray

For a princess is a delicate

Thing delicate and dainty as a dragonfly's wing

You can recognize a lady

By her elegant air but a genuine princess is exceedingly rare

There are many versions of this story

I sing them all

This is the prettiest

But it's not quite accurate

I happen know the true

Story of the princess and the pea

For the very good reason that I was there

It was a small kingdom ruled

Over by a talkative queen and a mute king

And the princess in the

True story was not the only girl put to the test

Actually she was one of

13 girls girls who came to the castle hoping

To wed the prince but who

For one reason or another were found to be unsuitable