ANDRE:
Your public needs you!
FIRMIN:
We need you, too!
CARLOTTA:
Would you not rather have your precious little ingenue?
ANDRE/FIRMIN:
Signora, no! The world wants [C]you!
Prima donna, first lady of the stage!
Your devotees are on their [Am]knees to im-[G]plore you!
ANDRE:
[Dm]Can you bow [G]out when [F]they're [Em]shouting your [Am]name?
FIRMIN:
[F]Think of how they [C/E]all a-[Bb7]dore y[G]ou!
BOTH:
[C]Prima donna, enchant us once again!
ANDRE:
Think of your muse
FIRMIN:
And of the [C7]queues round the [F]theatre!
BOTH WITH PIANGI:
[Dm]Can you de-[G]ny us [F]the [Em7]tri-umph in [Am]store?
Sing, [Dm]prima [G7]donna, once [C7]more!
RAOUL:
[C7]Chris-tine spoke of an [F]angel...
CARLOTTA:
[F]Prima donna, your so-ong shall live again
(ANDRE/FIRMIN:
[F]Think of your public!)
CARLOTTA:
You took a [F]snub but there's a [Dm]public who [C]needs you!
(GIRY:
[Dm]We have [C]heard the voice of the angel)
(ANDRE/FIRMIN:
[C]Those who hear your voice liken you to an [Gm]angel!)
CARLOTTA:
[Gm]Think of their [C]cry of un-[Am7]dying sup-[Dm]port!
(ANDRE:
We get our [Bb]opera
FIRMIN:
She gets her [F/A]limelight!)
CARLOTTA:
[Bb]Follow where the [F/A]lime-light [Eb7]leads [C7]you!
(ANDRE/FIRMIN:
[C7]Leading ladies are a [F]trial!)
CARLOTTA:
[F]Prima donna, your song shall never die!
(PIANGI:
[F]When she sings we see heaven)
CARLOTTA:
You'll sing a-[F7]gain, and to unending o-[Bb]vation!
(RAOUL:
[F7]Orders! Warnings! [Bb]Lunatic demands!)
(ANDRE/FIRMIN:
[F7]Tears... Oaths... [Bb]Lunatic demands are regular oc-[Gm7]currences!)
CARLOTTA:
[Gm]Think how you'll [C]shine in [Bb]that [Am]final en-[Dm]core!
Sing, [Gm]prima [C7]donna, once [Fm]more!
RAOUL:
[Gm]Surely, for her sake...
(ANDRE/FIRMIN:
Surely there'll be [Gm]further scenes - [C7]worse than this!)
(RAOUL:
...I must [Fm]see these demands are re[Bb]jected!)
ANDRE/FIRMIN:
[Bb]Who'd believe a diva happy to relieve a chorus girl,
Who's gone and slept with her pat-[F]ron?
[Bb]Raoul and his soubrette, entwined in love's duet!
Al-[F7]though he may demur, he must have been with her!
(CARLOTTA
O, [Bb]fortunata!
[F7]Non ancor
Abbando[Cm]nata!)
ANDRE/FIRMIN:
You'd [Cm]never get away with [F7]all this in a play,
But [Dm7]if it's loudly sung and [Gm]in a foreign tongue,
It's [Eb]just the sort of story [Bb/D]audiences adore, in [Ab]fact, a perfect [F]opera!
GIRY/MEG:
For (But) if his curse is on this [Bb]opera...
COMPANY:
[Bb]Prima donna, the world is at your feet!
A nation waits, and how it [Bb7]hates to be [Eb]cheated!
(song slows down)
[Cm]Light up that [F]stage with [Eb]that [Dm]age-old rap-[Cm]port!
(Strum rapidly and VERY loudly)
F NC
Sing, prima donna...
(COMPANY takes a HUGE gulp of air, watch out for Carlotta's very high D notes.)
Bb Edim B Edim NC
ONCE MORE!
(Curtain closes)
Bb Bb/D Bb/F...
Intro to another song.
Your public needs you!
FIRMIN:
We need you, too!
CARLOTTA:
Would you not rather have your precious little ingenue?
ANDRE/FIRMIN:
Signora, no! The world wants [C]you!
Prima donna, first lady of the stage!
Your devotees are on their [Am]knees to im-[G]plore you!
ANDRE:
[Dm]Can you bow [G]out when [F]they're [Em]shouting your [Am]name?
FIRMIN:
[F]Think of how they [C/E]all a-[Bb7]dore y[G]ou!
BOTH:
[C]Prima donna, enchant us once again!
ANDRE:
Think of your muse
FIRMIN:
And of the [C7]queues round the [F]theatre!
BOTH WITH PIANGI:
[Dm]Can you de-[G]ny us [F]the [Em7]tri-umph in [Am]store?
Sing, [Dm]prima [G7]donna, once [C7]more!
RAOUL:
[C7]Chris-tine spoke of an [F]angel...
CARLOTTA:
[F]Prima donna, your so-ong shall live again
(ANDRE/FIRMIN:
[F]Think of your public!)
CARLOTTA:
You took a [F]snub but there's a [Dm]public who [C]needs you!
(GIRY:
[Dm]We have [C]heard the voice of the angel)
(ANDRE/FIRMIN:
[C]Those who hear your voice liken you to an [Gm]angel!)
CARLOTTA:
[Gm]Think of their [C]cry of un-[Am7]dying sup-[Dm]port!
(ANDRE:
We get our [Bb]opera
FIRMIN:
She gets her [F/A]limelight!)
CARLOTTA:
[Bb]Follow where the [F/A]lime-light [Eb7]leads [C7]you!
(ANDRE/FIRMIN:
[C7]Leading ladies are a [F]trial!)
CARLOTTA:
[F]Prima donna, your song shall never die!
(PIANGI:
[F]When she sings we see heaven)
CARLOTTA:
You'll sing a-[F7]gain, and to unending o-[Bb]vation!
(RAOUL:
[F7]Orders! Warnings! [Bb]Lunatic demands!)
(ANDRE/FIRMIN:
[F7]Tears... Oaths... [Bb]Lunatic demands are regular oc-[Gm7]currences!)
CARLOTTA:
[Gm]Think how you'll [C]shine in [Bb]that [Am]final en-[Dm]core!
Sing, [Gm]prima [C7]donna, once [Fm]more!
RAOUL:
[Gm]Surely, for her sake...
(ANDRE/FIRMIN:
Surely there'll be [Gm]further scenes - [C7]worse than this!)
(RAOUL:
...I must [Fm]see these demands are re[Bb]jected!)
ANDRE/FIRMIN:
[Bb]Who'd believe a diva happy to relieve a chorus girl,
Who's gone and slept with her pat-[F]ron?
[Bb]Raoul and his soubrette, entwined in love's duet!
Al-[F7]though he may demur, he must have been with her!
(CARLOTTA
O, [Bb]fortunata!
[F7]Non ancor
Abbando[Cm]nata!)
ANDRE/FIRMIN:
You'd [Cm]never get away with [F7]all this in a play,
But [Dm7]if it's loudly sung and [Gm]in a foreign tongue,
It's [Eb]just the sort of story [Bb/D]audiences adore, in [Ab]fact, a perfect [F]opera!
GIRY/MEG:
For (But) if his curse is on this [Bb]opera...
COMPANY:
[Bb]Prima donna, the world is at your feet!
A nation waits, and how it [Bb7]hates to be [Eb]cheated!
(song slows down)
[Cm]Light up that [F]stage with [Eb]that [Dm]age-old rap-[Cm]port!
(Strum rapidly and VERY loudly)
F NC
Sing, prima donna...
(COMPANY takes a HUGE gulp of air, watch out for Carlotta's very high D notes.)
Bb Edim B Edim NC
ONCE MORE!
(Curtain closes)
Bb Bb/D Bb/F...
Intro to another song.
