Track Title:               The Big Black Giant


Prime Artist:              Bill Hayes
Lyrics by:                 Oscar Hammerstein II     (O. Greeley Clendenning H. II)
Music by:                  Richard Rodgers
From the Show:             East Wind  1932 (S)


Lyrics:
The water in a river is changed ev'ry day
As it flows from the hills to the sea,
But to people on the shore, the river is the same,
Or at least, it appears to be.

The audience in a theatre is changed ev'ry night,
As a show runs along on its way,
But to people on the stage, the audience looks the same,
Ev'ry night, ev'ry matinee.

A big black giant who looks and listens
With thousands of eyes and ears,
A big black mass of love and pity
And troubles and hopes and fears,
And ev'ry night the mixture's diff'rent,
Altho' it may look the same.
To feel his way with ev'ry mixture
Is part of the actor's game.

One night it's a laughing giant;
Another night a weeping giant.
One night it's a coughing giant;
Another night a sleeping giant.

Ev'ry night you fight the giant
And maybe if you win,
You send him out a nicer giant,
Than he was when he came in...

But if he doesn't like you,
Then all you can do is to pack
Up your make-up and go.
For an actor in a flop,
There isn't any choice,
But to look for another show.

That big black giant who looks and
Listens with thousands of eyes and ears,
That big black mass of love and pity
And troubles and hopes and fears
Will sit out there and rule your life for
All of your living years.

Contributed by Carlene Bogle