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The Contest Lyrics > Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

The Contest Lyrics


Adolfo Pirelli: I am Adolfo Pirelli
Da king of da barbers
Da barber of kings
E buon giorno, good day
I blow you a kiss!

And I, da so famous Pirelli
I wish-a to know-a
Who has-a the nerve-a to say
My elixir is piss!
Who says this?!

Sweeney Todd: "I do. [...] I am Mr. Sweeney Todd of Fleet Street. I have opened
a bottle of Pirelli's elixer and I say to you that it is nothing but an
errant fraud, concocted from piss and ink. Furthermore -'Signor'-
I have serviced no kings, yet I wager that I can shave a cheek
with ten times more dexterity than any street mountebank!"

Adolfo Pirelli: "You hear zis foolish man? Now, please, you will see how
he will regret his folly!"

Sweeney Todd: "Who's for a free shave?"

[The Crowd cheers: ME, ME, ME!]

Sweeney Todd: "Will Beadle Bamford be the judge?"

Beadle Bamford: "Glad, as always to oblige my friends and neighbours.
...The fastest, smoothest shave, is the winner."

[Music begins]

Adolfo Pirelli: Now signorini, signori
We mix-a da lather
But first-a you gather around
Signorini, signori
You looking a man
Who had-a da glory
To shave-a da Pope!
Mr. Sweeney whoever--
I beg-a you pardon
You'll probably say it was only a cardinal--
Nope!
It was-a da pope!

To shave-a da face
To cut-a da hair
Require da grace
Require da flair
For if-a you slip
You nick da skin
You clip-a da chin
You rip-a da lip a bit beyond-a repair!

To shave-a da face
Or even a part
Widout it-a smart
Require da heart!
Not just-a da flash
It take-a panache
It take-a da passion for da art

To shave-a da face
To trim-a da beard
To make-a da bristle
Clean like a whistle
Dis is from early infancy
Da talent give to me
By God!

It take-a da skill
It take-a da brains
It take-a da will
To take-a da pains
It take-a da pace
It take-a da graaaace!

Beadle Bamford: "The winner -- is Todd!"
Last Update: November, 28th 2014

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Lyrics

  1. Act 1
  2. Ballad of Sweeney Todd (Prologue)
  3. No Place Like London
  4. The Barber and His Wife
  5. The Worst Pies in London
  6. Poor Thing
  7. My Friends
  8. Ballad of Sweeney Todd (Reprise)
  9. Green Finch and Linnet Bird
  10. Ah, Miss
  11. Johanna
  12. Pirelli's Miracle Elixir
  13. The Contest
  14. Ballad of Sweeney Todd: Sweeney pondered and Sweeney planned
  15. Wait
  16. Pirelli's Death
  17. Johanna (Judge's Song): Mea Culpa
  18. Kiss Me
  19. Ladies and their Sensibilities
  20. Pretty Women
  21. Epiphany
  22. A Little Priest
  23. Act 2
  24. God, That's Good
  25. Johanna (Quartet)
  26. By the Sea
  27. Wigmaker's Sequence
  28. Not While I'm Around
  29. Parlor Songs
  30. Final Sequence
  31. Finale

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