Was “Married” part of the 1972 film?

No. Bob Fosse cut it—along with several book songs—to focus on Sally Bowles and the Kit Kat Club fantasy.

Did “Married” ever chart as a single?

It was never released as a commercial single and therefore holds no chart placements.

What makes the 1998 revival rendition unique?

Musical director Patrick Vaccariello slowed the tempo and underscored moments of silence, letting Schultz’s optimism clash audibly with off-stage Nazi rallies.

Are there notable cover versions?

Lotte Lenya & Jack Gilford’s 1966 original cast version remains definitive; later recordings include the 1987 London revival and the 2021 London production.

Is the song performed in German everywhere?

Most productions keep the bilingual structure—English for Schultz, German for Kost—though some regional stagings translate the whole piece for cohesion.

Married Lyrics – Cabaret

Married Lyrics

[SCULTZ (spoken)]
You hesitate because you have never been married.
It frightens you. Believe me, it can work wonders...

How the world can change
It can change like that-
Due to one little word:
"married".
See a palace rise
From a two room flat
Due to one little word:
"Married".

And the old despair
That was often there
Suddenly ceases to be
For you wake one day,
Look around and say:
Somebody wonderful married me.

[FRAULEIN SCHNEIDER (spoken)]
You don't think it would be better simply to go
on as before?

[SCHULTZ]
No.

[FRAULEIN KOST]
O wie wunderbar,
Nichts ist so wie-es-war,
Durch ein winziges wort:

"Heirat."

Aus dem erdgeschoss
Wird ein marchenschloss
Durch ein winziges wort:
"Heirat".

Und das grau
Wird auf einmal blau,
Wie noch kein blau jemals war.
Und dann steht man da,
Sagt beseligt'ja,
Heut'wird mein traum
Nicht so grau in grau.'

[whispered]
Ah! wie wunderbar,
Nichts ist so wie-es-war,
Durch ein winziges wort:
"Heirat."

Aus dem erdgeschoss
Wird ein marchenschloss
Durch ein winziges wort:
"Heirat".

[SCHULTZ]
And the old despair
[FRAULEIN KOST]
Und das grau
In grau
[SCHULTZ]
That was often there
[FRAULEIN KOST]
Wird auf einmal
Blau,
[SCHULTZ]
Suddenly ceases to be
[FRAULEIN KOST]
Heut nacht
Mein traum
Jemals war.

[SCHULTZ AND SCHNEIDER]
For you wake one day,
Look around and say:

[SCHULTZ]
"Somebody wonderful"

[FRAULEIN SCHNEIDER]
"Somebody wonderful"

[BOTH ]
"Married me."
Last Update: August, 01st 2025

Song Overview

Married lyrics by New Broadway Cast of Cabaret — New Broadway Cast of Cabaret performs the “Married” **lyrics** in this production clip.

Personal Review

I’ve always loved how Married tip-toes into Cabaret like a hush at dawn—quiet, almost fragile—yet its simple lyrics bloom into one of Kander & Ebb’s most tender hymns. The 1998 revival cast turns the moment into a bittersweet pause amid Berlin’s gathering storm clouds.

Snapshot: two bruised souls in pre-war Berlin cling to hope—one little word, “married,” paints their drab flat the color of sky.

Song Meaning and Annotations

New Broadway Cast of Cabaret performing Married — Live onstage, Herr Schultz woos Fraulein Schneider with “one little word.”

Written for the original 1966 production, “Married” (and its German counter-melody “Heirat”) marks the hopeful crest of Herr Schultz and Fraulein Schneider’s late-life romance. John Kander’s waltz-like 3/4 accompaniment lilts gently while Fred Ebb’s plainspoken phrases bloom into lyric poetry.

The verse’s first image—

How the world can change / It can change like that / Due to one little word “Married”

—compresses a lifetime of longing into three lines. The caretakers of a low-rent boarding house imagine a fairy-tale palace, elevating the mundane to magic through love’s ritual.

Cabaret’s 1998 Sam Mendes/Rob Marshall revival deepened that sweetness with an undercurrent of dread: Ron Rifkin’s Jewish fruit-seller sings while anti-Semitic graffiti creeps outside the window. The optimism feels almost translucent, making the later shattering of their engagement all the more heartbreaking.

In German, Fraulein Kost echoes the sentiment—

Und das Grau / Wird auf einmal blau

—“and the gray turns suddenly blue,” a chromatic metaphor for hope piercing despair.

Verse Highlights

Married lyric video by New Broadway Cast of Cabaret — A still from the “Married” video.

Opening Chorus

Kander’s melody ascends stepwise, mirroring the text’s “palace rising” image; the chord shift from minor to bright major on the word “Married” lands like sunlight through lace curtains.

German Counter-Chorus

The reprise slips into lilting German, doubling tempo ever so slightly—an echo of Bavarian beer-hall swing that underscores the characters’ cultural mosaic.

Song Credits

Scene from Married by New Broadway Cast of Cabaret — Schultz and Schneider share a rare moment of joy.

Featuring: Ron Rifkin (Herr Schultz), Mary Louise Wilson (Fraulein Schneider), Michele Pawk (Fraulein Kost)
Producer: Jay David Saks
Composer: John Kander
Lyricist: Fred Ebb
Release Date: June 30, 1998
Genre: Show tune, Broadway waltz
Instruments: Piano, violins, cello, clarinet, bass, accordion, brushed snare
Label: Masterworks Broadway
Mood: Tender, wistful, hopeful
Length: 3 min 02 sec
Track #: 11
Language: English & German
Album: Cabaret (New Broadway Cast Recording)
Music style: Waltz-time ballad with bilingual counter-melody
Poetic meter: Trochaic trimeter with dactylic turns

Songs Exploring Themes of Commitment

“Do You Love Me?” from Fiddler on the Roof asks a long-married couple to weigh thirty years of routine against the spark of affection. Bock & Harnick’s folksy violin glides beneath Tevye’s gentle teasing; like “Married,” it frames love as choice rather than accident.

“I Couldn’t Be Happier” from Wicked shows Glinda talking herself into contentment, masking doubts beneath bright triple-meter declamation. Where Schultz dreams in pastel hope, Glinda polishes her uncertainty in gold leaf, illuminating the gulf between public joy and private fear.

“Old Fashioned Wedding” in Annie Get Your Gun pits Annie’s modern bravado against Frank’s traditional dream of a white-picket ceremony. The rollicking counterpoint mirrors Cabaret’s bilingual duet—each voice clings to its vision while the other overlaps in musical debate.

Questions and Answers

Was “Married” part of the 1972 film?: No. Bob Fosse cut it—along with several book songs—to focus on Sally Bowles and the Kit Kat Club fantasy.
Did “Married” ever chart as a single?: It was never released as a commercial single and therefore holds no chart placements. Cast recordings remain its primary medium.
What makes the 1998 revival rendition unique?: Musical director Patrick Vaccariello slowed the tempo and underscored moments of silence, letting Schultz’s optimism clash audibly with off-stage Nazi rallies.
Are there notable cover versions?: Lotte Lenya & Jack Gilford’s 1966 original cast version remains definitive; later recordings include the 1987 London revival with Roger Allam and the 2021 London production starring Omari Douglas.
Is the song performed in German everywhere?: Most productions keep the bilingual structure—English for Schultz, German for Kost—but some regional stagings translate the whole piece for cohesion.

Awards and Chart Positions

The 1998 revival of Cabaret captured four Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Actor (Alan Cumming) and Best Actress (Natasha Richardson).

Its cast album, released June 30 1998, competed for Best Musical Show Album at the 41st Grammy Awards.

How to Sing?

Keep the waltz tempo gentle—about 78 bpm—and let phrases breathe. Schultz’s lines benefit from an unforced baritone warmth; Schneider’s alto should land squarely on the downbeat, leaning into consonants for conversational clarity. Switch to a lighter head tone on the German section to preserve intimacy, and let the final “Somebody wonderful married me” hover on a sustained piano diminuendo.

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