MARILYN MONROE (FIRST REPRISE)
MRS. JOHNSTONE
The house we got was lovely,
The neighbours are a treat,
They sometimes fight on a Saturday night,
But never in the week.
NEIGHBOURS
What time do you call this, then?
Time I got shot of you, rat bag! “Ow!”
MRS. JOHNSTONE
Since I pay me bills on time,
The milkman insists I call him Joe.
MILKMAN
Call me Joe.
MRS. JOHNSTONE
He brings me bread and eggs,
Says I’ve got legs
Like Marilyn Monroe.
Sometimes he takes me dancing
Even takes me dancing
I know our Sammy burnt the school down.
But it’s very easily done.
If the teacher lets the silly gets
Play with magnesium.
Thank God he only got probation.
The judge was old and slow
Thought it was kind of him,
Said I reminded him of Marilyn Monroe.
JUDGE
And could I take you dancing?
I’d love to take you dancing young lady.
MRS. JOHNSTONE
Our Mickey’s just turned fourteen.
Y’ know he’s at that age
When you mention girls, or courting,
He flies into a rage.
MICKEY
Shut up talking about me, Mother.
MRS. JOHNSTONE
He’s got a thing for taking blackheads out,
And he think I don’t know,
That he dreams all night of girls who look like Marilyn Monroe.
He’s even started dancing, secret dancing
And as for the rest, they’ve flown the nest
Got married or moved away
Our Donna Marie’s already got three.
DONNA MARIE
Hello, mum.
MRS. JOHNSTONE
She’s a bit like me that way
And that other child of mine,
I haven’t seen for years, although
Each day I pray he’ll be okay,
Unlike poor Marilyn Monroe
SECRETS
MRS. LYONS
Where did you get that…locket from, Edward?
Why do you wear it?
EDWARD
I can’t tell you that, Ma. I’ve explained, it’s a secret, I can’t tell you.
MRS. LYONS
But…but I’m your mother.
EDWARD
I know but I still can’t tell you. It’s just, just a secret.
Everybody has secrets. Don’t you have secrets?
NARRATOR
Did you really feel that you’d become secure
That time had brushed away the past
That there’s no one by the window,
No one knocking on your door.
Did you believe that were free at last
Free from the broken looking glass?
THAT GUY
MICKEY
If I was like him
I’d know all the right words
EDWARD
If I was like him
I’d know some real birds
Apart from those in my dreams
And in magazines
Just look at his hair
MICKEY
His hair’s dark and wavy
EDWARD
It just isn’t fair
MICKEY
Mine’s the colour of gravy
EDWARD AND MICKEY
Each part of his face
Is in just the right place
Is he laughing at me?
EDWARD
At my nose, did he notice
MICKEY
That I should wear a brace.
EDWARD
That I’ve got halitosis.
MICKEY AND EDWARD
When nature picked on me
She chose to stick on me
EDWARD
Eyes that don’t match
MICKEY
I’ve got ears that stand out
EDWARD AND MICKEY
She picked the wrong batch
When she handed mine out
And then she attacked me
With permanent acne.
EDWARD
I wish I was bit like
Wish that I could score a hit like
Be just a little bit like
MICKEY AND EDWARD
That guy
That guy
MICKEY
I wish that I could be like
Just a little less like me
EDWARD
Like the kinda guy I see, like
EDWARD AND MICKEY
That guy
That guy.
SUMMER SEQUENCE
NARRATOR
There’s a few bob in your pocket
And you’ve got good friends,
And it seems that Summer’s never coming to an end
Young, free and innocent, you haven’t got a care,
Apart from decidin’ on the clothes you’re gonna wear.
The street’s turned into paradise,
The radio’s singing dreams
You’re innocent, immortal, you’re just fifteen.
And who’d dare tell the lambs in Spring
What fate the later seasons bring
Who’d tell the girl in the middle of the pair
The price she’ll have to pay for just being there.
But leave them alone, let them go and play
They care not for what’s at the end of the day
For what is to come, for what might have been
Life has no ending when you’re sweet sixteen
And your friends are with you to talk away the night
Or until Mrs. Wong switches off the chippy light
Then there’s always the corner
And the street lamp’s glare.
An’ another hour to spend, with your friends, with her,
To share your last cigarette and your secret dream
At the midnight hour…
…At seventeen.
It’s just another ferry boat, a trip to the beach
But everything’s possible,
The world’s within your reach
An’ you don’t even notice the broken bottles in the sand
The oil in the water and you can’t understand
How living could be anything other than a dream
When you’re young, free and innocent…
… And just eighteen.
And only if the three of them could stay like that forever,
And only if we could predict no changes in the weather
And only if we didn’t live in life, as well as dreams
And only if we could stop and be forever,
Just eighteen.
I’M NOT SAYING A WORD
EDWARD
If I could stand inside his shoes I’d say
How can I compare thee to a Summer’s day?
LINDA
Oh, go away…
EDWARD
I’d take a page in all the papers
I’d announce it in the news
If it was the guy, if I was in his shoes
LINDA
I’m not with you.
EDWARD
If I was him, I’d bring you flowers
And ask you to dance
We’d while away the hours making
Future plans
For rainy days in country lanes
And trips to the sea
I’d just tell you that I love you
If it was me.
But I’m not saying a word,
I’m not saying I care,
Thought I would like you to know
That I’m not saying a word,
I’m not saying I care,
Though I would like you to know
If I was him I’d have to tell you
What I’ve kept in my heart
That even if we had to live
Some worlds apart
There would not be day
In which I’d not think of you
If I was him, if I was him
That’s what I do.
But I’m not saying a word
I’m not saying I care
Though I would like you to know
That I’m not saying a word
I’m not saying I care
Though I would like you to know
EDWARD
But I’m not.
LINDA
What?
EDWARD
Mickey.
ONE DAY IN OCTOBER
NARRATOR
It was one day in October when the sun began to fade,
And Winter broke the promise that Summer had just made
It was one day in October when the rain came fallin down,
And someone said the Bogey Man was seen around the town.
MICKEY
Mum. Linda’s pregnant!
MRS. JOHNSTONE
Do you love her?
MICKEY
Yeh!
MRS. JOHNSTONE
When’s the weddin’?
MICKEY
We thought, about a month.
Before Christmas anyway.
TAKE A LETTER MISS JONES
MR. LYONS
Take a letter, Miss Jones.
Quote…I regret to inform you
That owing to circumstances
Quite beyond our control
It’s a premature retirement
For those surplus to requirement
I’m afraid it’s a sign of the time, Miss Jones.
MR. LYONS/MISS JONES
An unfortunate sign of the times
MR. LYONS
Take a letter, Miss Jones,
Due to the world situation
The shrinking pound, the global slump
MISS JONES
And the price of oil
MR. LYONS
I’m afraid we must fire you
We no longer require you
It’s just another
Sign of the times, Miss Jones,
MR. LYONS/MISS JONES
A most miserable sign of the times
MR. LYONS
Take a letter, Miss Jones:
My dear Miss Jones, we’d like to thank you
Many years of spendid service
Et cetera blah blah blah
You’ve been a perfect puppet
Yes that’s right, Miss Jones, you’ve got it
It’s just another sign of the times,
Miss Jones, it’s
Just another sign of the
DOLEITES
Dry your eyes, Miss Jones
It’s not as bad as it seems
You get used to being idle
In a year or two
Unemployment’s such a pleasure
These days, we call it leisure
It’s just another sign of the times,
Miss Jones, it’s
Just another sign of the times
NARRATOR
There’s a young man on the street, Miss Jones
He’s walkin’ round in circles,
He’s old before his time
But still too young to know.
Don’t look at him, don’t cry though
This living on the giro
Is only a sign of the times, Miss Jones,
It’s just another sign of the times
DOLEITES
Miss Jones,
It’s just another sign of the times…
THE ROBBERY
NARRATOR
There’s a full moon shining
And a joker in the pack
The dealer’s dealt the cards,
And he won’t take them back.
There’s a black cat stalking
And a woman who’s afraid
That there’s no getting off
Without the price being paid
SAMMY
Don’t mess about with me, pal…I said give!
Listen, it’s not a toy y’ know. We’re not playin’ games.
Ya don’t get up again if one of these hits ya.
What are you doin’? I said listen to me, I said…
Don’t you touch that…Listen.
MICKEY
Sammy!
NARRATOR
There a man lies bleeding on a garage floor.
SAMMY
Quick, get in the house an’ bolt the bleeding door.
NARRATOR
And maybe, if you counted ten and kept your fingers crossed,
It would all be just a game and then no one would have lost
MICKEY
You shot him, you shot him.
SAMMY
I know I bloody did.
MICKEY
You shot him, you shot him.
SAMMY
Move, I’ve got to get this hid.
MARILYN MONROE (SECOND REPRISE)
MRS. JOHNSTONE
The jury found him guilty
Sent him down for seven years
Though he acted like they gave him life.
He couldn’t stop the tears.
And when we went to visit him
He didn’t want to know
It seems like jail’s sent him off his rails.
Just like Marilyn Monroe.
His mind’s gone dancing.
Can’t stop dancing.
They showed him to a doctor
And after a routine test
A prescription note the doctor wrote
For the chronically depressed
And now the tears have stopped.
He sits and counts the days to go
And treats his ills with daily pills
Just like Marilyn Monroe.
They stop his mind from dancing
Stop it dancing.
LINDA
What are y’ doing?
MICKEY
What? I’m taking me tablet.
LINDA
Listen, Mickey I’ve told y’ they’re just junk.
You’ll be home soon, Mickey, and you should
Come off them.
MICKEY
Why? I need…I need to take these.
LINDA
Listen, Mickey, you’ve…
MICKEY
No! See, he says, the doctor, he said…
LINDA
What did he say?
MICKEY
He said, about me nerves an’ how I get
Depressed an’ I need to take these cos they
Make me better…
LINDA
I get depressed but I don’t take those.
You don’t need those, Mickey.
MICKEY
Leave me alone will, y’? I can’t cope with this..
I’m not well. The doctor said, didn’t he, I’m not well…
I can’t do things. Just leave me alone, Linda.
MRS. JOHNSTONE
With grace for good behaviour
He got out before his time
The family and the neighbours told him
He was lookin’ fine.
But he’s feelin’ fifteen years older
And his speech is rather slow
And his neighbours said
You’d think he was dead
Like Marilyn Monroe
No cause for dancing
No more dancing…
MICKEY
Where’s me tablets gone, Linda?
LINDA
Mickey, you promised.
MICKEY
I know I promised, but I can’t do without them.
LINDA
Look. We’ve…we’ve managed to sort ourselves
this far but what’s the use if…
MICKEY
Have we sorted ourselves out? Do you think I’m really stupid?
LINDA
What?
MICKEY
You sorted it out. You an’ Councillor Eddie Lyons.
Now give me me tablets…I need them.
LINDA
An’ what about what I need? I need you. I love you.
LIGHT ROMANCE / MADMAN
NARRATOR
There’s a girl inside the woman
Who’s waiting to get free
She’s washed a million dishes
She’s always making tea.
They think she’s just a mother.
With nothing left inside
Who swapped her dreams for drudgery
The day she was a bride.
But the dreams were not forgotten
Just wrapped, and packed away
In the hope that she could take them out
And dust them off one day.
LINDA
Hello. Could I talk to Councillor Lyons, please?
NARRATOR
There’s a girl inside the woman
And the mother she became
A half-remembered song comes to her lips again.
LINDA
Eddie, could I talk to you? Yeah, I remember.
NARRATOR
The girl would sing the melody
But the woman stands in doubt
And wonders what the price would be
For letting the young girl out.
MRS. JOHNSTONE
It’s just a light romance
It’s nothing cruel.
They had no plans
How it came
Who can explain?
They just said, “Hello”
And foolishly gazed
They should have gone
Their separate ways.
It’s just the same, old song
Nothing cruel, nothing wrong
It’s just two fools
Who know the rules
But break them all
And grasp at half a chance
To play their part
In a light romance.
Living on the never, never
Constant as the changing weather
Never sure
Who’s at the door
Or the price
You’re gonna have to pay.
MRS. JOHNSTONE
It’s just a secret glance
Across a room
A touch of hands
That part too soon
That same old tune
That always plays
And lets them dance as friends
Then stand apart
As the music ends
Loving on the never never
Constant as the changing weather
Never sure
Who’s at the door
Or the price you’re gonna have to pay
Mickey…
NARRATOR
There’s a man gone mad in the town tonight.
He’s gonna shoot somebody down
There’s a man gone mad; lost his mind tonight
There’s a mad man,
There’s a mad man,
There’s a mad man running round and round.
Now you know the devil’s got your number
He’s runnin’ right beside you
He’s screamin’ deep inside you
And someone said he’s calling your number.
There’s a mad man
There’s a mad man
There’s a mad man
MRS. JOHNSTONE
Linda. Linda.
LINDA
Mum, Mum …What’s…
MRS. JOHNSTONE
He’s… Mickey… Mickey’s got a gun…
LINDA
Mickey?… Eddie?.. The town hall…
MRS. JOHNSTONE
What?
LINDA
Eddie Lyons!
NARRATOR
There’s a mad man running round and round.
You know the devil’s got your number
You know he’s right beside you
He’s screamin’ deep inside you
And someone said he’s callin’ your number.
Up today
Today
Today
Today!
THE COUNCIL CHAMBER
MRS. JOHNSTONE
Mickey! Don’t shoot Eddie. He’s your brother.
You had a twin brother. I couldn’t afford to keep both of you.
His mother couldn’t have kids. I agreed to give one of you away!
MICKEY
You! You! Why didn’t you give me away, Mum!?
I could have been…I could have been him! No!
NARRATOR
And do we blame superstition for what came to pass?
Or could it be what we have come to know as class?
Did you ever hear the story of the Johnstone twins?
As like each other as two new pins
How one was kept and one given away
How they were born, and they died,
On the self same day?
TELL ME IT’S NOT TRUE
MRS. JOHNSTONE
Tell me it’s not true
Say it’s just a story
Something on the news
Tell me it’s not true
Though it’s here before me
Say it’s just a dream
Say it’s just a scene
From an old movie of years ago
From an old movie of Marilyn Monroe
Say it’s just some clowns
Two players in the limelight
And bring the curtain down
Say it’s just two clowns
Who couldn’t get their lines right
Say it’s just a show on the radio
That we can turn over and start again
That we can turn over; it’s just a game.
MRS. JOHNSTONE AND COMPANY
Tell me it’s not true
Say I only dreamed it
And morning will come true
Say you didn’t mean it
Tell me it’s not true.
Say it’s just pretend
Say it’s just the end
Of an old movie from long ago
From an old movie with Marilyn Monroe.
Tell me it’s not true
Say you didn’t mean it.
Say it’s just pretend
Say it’s just the end
Of an old movie from long ago
From an old movie with Marilyn Monroe.