Tonight
Larry Kert Lyrics
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Won't be just any night,
Tonight there will be no morning star.
Tonight, tonight,
I'll see my love tonight!
And for us, stars will stop where they are.
Today The minutes seem like hours,
And still the sky is light.
Oh moon, grow bright,
And make this endless day endless night
The lyrics to "Tonight" by Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence are from the musical "West Side Story," which was composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The song itself is a love ballad between the two main characters, Tony and Maria, who come from rival gangs in New York City. The song is sung towards the end of the first act, just before the rumble between the two gangs. The lyrics are full of romantic imagery and anticipation of the lovers' meeting.
The opening lines of the song, "Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night, tonight there will be no morning star," are a reference to the superstition that seeing a morning star is bad luck for the evening ahead. The next line, "Tonight, tonight, I'll see my love tonight," sets up the romantic theme of the song. The fourth line, "and for us, stars will stop where they are," is an example of a hyperbole or exaggeration used to express the intensity of the love between the two characters. The second verse, "Today the minutes seem like hours, the hours go so slowly, and still the sky is light," describes the impatience and agony of waiting for the night to arrive for their planned meeting. Finally, the last line, "Oh moon, grow bright, and make this endless day endless night," is a plea to the moon to provide an appropriately romantic atmosphere for the lovers' reunion.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight, tonight,
This specific evening, out of all the evenings, is notably significant.
Won't be just any night,
It will not be an ordinary night.
Tonight there will be no morning star.
The morning star will not appear tonight.
Tonight, tonight, I'll see my love tonight!
Tonight, I will see my beloved person.
And for us, stars will stop where they are.
The stars above us will appear to halt their motion.
Today the minutes seem like hours,
The duration of minutes appears to be much longer than it actually is.
The hours go so slowly,
The period of hours seems endless and tedious.
And still the sky is light.
Despite the passage of time, the sky remains bright.
Oh moon, grow bright,
Symbolically appeal to the moon to illuminate brighter.
And make this endless day endless night.
Conjure up an increased perception of night during this stretch of time.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jeh500
Two greats - in one of the most memorable roles ever in theatre. Carol was perfection vocally. Larry had it all - such a loss. Glad we have clips like this to remember the greatness that was. Today ...
@vigcyn
Just saw the movie last night. This is so much more compelling. They do seem intensely in love. That passion did not come through in the movie. I forgot how beautiful Carol Lawrence was.
@judithmiller7021
I saw WWS on Broadway when I was 13, and visiting the US with my folks. It has haunted my whole musical life ever since. I've never stopped adoring it, show, movie and now the 2021.Spielberg movie upcoming hopefully to captivate us all over again. Can't wait. It's the most perfect and brilliant musical score and dance work ever created.
@2034916
What great voices.
My favorite musical of all time.
@frankm9384
I really wish there were more clips available from the original Broadway show. Treasure like this should never go unseen!
@laminage
frank m Ed was a big fan of Broadway as well as The R & B Musicians. I only saw The Movie Version but these things happen. Do you think The Movie Version of Grease would have been successful if one of the Original Broadway Players played Danny & Sandy. Also, Larry Kert was one of the first people to die of AIDS related Illness.
@burtihal
@@laminage What does Kert dying of Aids have to do with this? And no, he wasn't one of the first... he died in 1991, after thousands had already died horrible deaths.
@elipse371
@@laminageIt’s been almost a decade since you said that, but what does him dying of AIDS over 30 years since he played Tony in West Side Story have to do with that. If anything, the casting of Larry in the role of Tony in WSS1961 might’ve worked just as good, if not better, than casting Richard Beymer and dubbing over him with Jimmy Bryant for singing, since Larry could do both. It also would’ve captured his physical interpretation of Tony on a medium that was much better preserved than clips like this or a few photos.
@davethomas1679
@@elipse371i8 i8 i8
@SaucyWench7
Carol was beautiful, and Larry so handsome. Rest in peace Larry.