The pair wrote nine musicals together and collaborated on a musical film, State Fair. As producers, they also brought Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun to the stage, leaving an indelible mark on American musical theater and a legacy of successes that has never been equaled.
Our greatest living Broadway composer, Steven Sondheim, spent summers with Oscar Hammerstein during his formative adoplescent years. The legacy lives on.
Shall We Dance
Rodgers And Hammerstein Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just an ordinary man.
When I close my eyes,
I see the way this world shall be
When we all walk hand in hand.
When the last child cries for a crust of bread,
When the last man dies for just words that he said,
When there's shelter over the poorest head,
When the last thing we notice is the color of the skin,
And the first thing we look for is the beauty within;
When the skies and the oceans are clean again,
Then we shall be free.
We shall be free, we shall be free.
Stand straight, walk proud,
'Cause we shall be free.
When we're free to love anyone we choose,
When this world's big enough for all different views,
When we all can worship from our own kind of pew,
Then we shall be free.
We shall be free, we shall be free
Have a little faith, hold out,
'Cause we shall be free.
And when money talks for the very last time,
And nobody walks a step behind;
When there's only one race,
And that's mankind, then we shall be free.
We shall be free ,we shall be free
Stand straight, (walk proud,)
Have a little faith, (hold out;)
We shall be free.
We shall be free, we shall be free,
(Stand straight,) stand straight,
(Have a little faith,) walk proud,
'Cause we shall be free.
These lyrics of the song Shall We Dance? by Rodgers & Hammerstein are a hopeful message of a man who envisions a future where there is equality, love, and freedom for all human beings. He sees a world where there is no discrimination based on race or religion, where love is celebrated in all its forms, and where people are kind to each other with no materialistic motives. The lyrics point towards a time when the world won't be divided based on class, color, or ideology. The vision put forth is one of universal harmony, where everyone walks hand in hand, and where every human is free to live the way they want, love the way they want, and be happy in their own way.
The song talks about the last child crying for a crumb of bread, the last man dying for his words, and the poorest having shelters. These convey the dire situation of the world we currently live in and how people are suffering due to social, economic, and political inequality. The lyrics carry an underlying message that the world needs to come together to help those who are less fortunate and to bring about an end to discrimination, racism, and segregation. The song aims to inspire people to take up the cause of equality and freedom, and to strive towards building a world that is kind, happy, and free.
Line by Line Meaning
This ain't comin' from no prophet,
I'm not claiming any divine revelation here,
Just an ordinary man.
I'm just an average person.
When I close my eyes,
When I imagine,
I see the way this world shall be
I envision a future where
When we all walk hand in hand.
People of all kinds are united and working together.
When the last child cries for a crust of bread,
When no one in the world is going hungry,
When the last man dies for just words that he said,
When there is no more unjust persecution or death for speaking out,
When there's shelter over the poorest head,
When every person has a safe place to sleep,
We shall be free.
We will finally be truly free.
When the last thing we notice is the color of the skin,
When we judge people by their character, not their race,
And the first thing we look for is the beauty within;
When we appreciate people for who they are, not what they look like,
When the skies and the oceans are clean again,
When our environment is healthy and free from pollution,
Then we shall be free.
We will finally be truly free.
We shall be free, we shall be free.
We will finally be truly free.
Stand straight, walk proud,
Be confident and sure of yourself,
'Cause we shall be free.
Because we will finally be truly free.
When we're free to love anyone we choose,
When we are able to love without restriction or discrimination,
When this world's big enough for all different views,
When there is space for everyone's ideas and beliefs,
When we all can worship from our own kind of pew,
When people are free to practice their own religion without fear or prejudice,
Then we shall be free.
We will finally be truly free.
We shall be free, we shall be free
We will finally be truly free.
Have a little faith, hold out,
Keep believing and don't give up,
'Cause we shall be free.
Because we will finally be truly free.
And when money talks for the very last time,
When money no longer holds power over people,
And nobody walks a step behind;
When everyone is equal and no one is left behind,
When there's only one race,
When we recognize that, despite our differences, we are all human and part of the same race,
And that's mankind, then we shall be free.
We will finally be truly free.
Stand straight, (walk proud,),
Be confident and sure of yourself.
Have a little faith, (hold out;)
Keep believing and don't give up.
We shall be free.
We will finally be truly free.
We shall be free, we shall be free,
We will finally be truly free.
(Stand straight,), stand straight,
Be confident and sure of yourself.
(Have a little faith,), walk proud,
Keep believing and be confident.
'Cause we shall be free.
Because we will finally be truly free.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GARTH BROOKS, STEPHANIE DAVIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@carolinegodden4364
Thanks for sharing the fun side of your beautiful, mother & daughter relationship.
What fun that must have been. Wow it's great that you remember the joy 😂 of her presence, not the pain and endurance it does take for a mum or dad to carry on life , as best as they can with children who are inflicted with dis ease.
Would be great for 🙏 wavers to lift all disease off children, in the name of OUR LORD, JESUS 🤶.
Ah ha ha, my buddy 'CRACKERS' calls him JAYSUZ, it makes me laugh.
May God Bless you and yours , all the days of your life. May you experience GREAT LOVE 😍 and happiness and the best of everything, in all your endeavours.
And so it is
And so it always shall be
FOREVER MORE
💋 Catoline x Australia 🇦🇺 STRAYA
@Laceykat66
Yul Brynner OWNS this role.
@user-bj2lu9qt3o
I guess he owned every role he played.
@adrianloveslucius
He owned all the roles he performed.
@gailchypyha2781
I miss him so much!! He was an amazing actor. The commercials he did about smoking came across very strong and to the point!!
@seanniles9153
Saw him perform this on stage before he died. He wanted to tour to selected cities with this amazing musical. He was frail, BUT, when it cam to this moment he took full control of the stage. Standing ovation for what seemed forever. When the music stopped, he waited when the applause ended, looked to the audience and he looked back to the young lady playing Anna, and said, with great command, “ONE MORE TIME!” The music was stronger, louder and he set the stage to blaze!! I tear up just thinking of that moment.
@bettyparrot2464
@@seanniles9153 Omg.
@jenniferwintz2514
The dress should have won an Oscar for best supporting actress for this scene. She was as fantastic as the king and Anna.
@rocketmom60
The only dress to come close is Lily James' dress in Cinderella.
@Sigma0283
Deborah Kerr's gowns each weighed between 30 and 40 pounds, due to all the pleats, hoops and petticoats. She also suffered continual bruising from the hoops in her skirt while filming this scene.
@jenniferwintz2514
@@Sigma0283 wow, I was not aware of that. The things people do for style! She gave an amazing performance as Anna.