Stephen Flaherty
Land of Yesterday
[LILY]
Once, I had a palace
Here, merely a flat
I fled with some diamonds
And that was that
[ARISTOCRATS]
It's very tragic
Ooh
[LILY]
Once, ladies-in waiting
All bending a knee
Now, only one lady-in-waiting, me
[ARISTOCRAT MEN]
No fanfares
[ARISTOCRAT WOMEN]
Or sedan chairs
[ARISTOCRAT MEN]
And no coaches
[ARISTOCRAT WOMEN]
And we sold our broaches
[COUNT LEOPOLD]
No afternoon card games with the Tsar
[LILY, spoken]
No caviar
(sung)
But I say we're not dead now
[ARISTOCRATS & COUNT LEOPOLD]
We're not dead now
We're in France instead now
[LILY]
Let us not be sad
The night's young
And Russians are mad, so...
Let's live in the land of yesterday
Live in the grand Imperial heyday
Let's live in the land of yesterday Russia
[ARISTOCRATS]
Husha!
[LILY]
Let's put on the fancy clothes
And let's wile our woes away
[ARISTOCRATS, COUNT LEOPOLD & LILY]
In Russia
Land of yesterday
[LILY]
In dire circumstances, why wallow in regret?
We're out of second chances
Why are we here except to forget?
We know the world is fickle. Life is a leaky sieve
Pass me a glass and give me a bow
And drink to the Countess, nobody now
Why should I care as long as I dare to live?
[ARISTOCRATS]
In the land of yesterday
[LILY]
Let's run up the bill as if we're still
Royalty at play
[ARISTOCRATS, COUNT LEOPOLD & LILY]
In Russia, land of yesterday
[LILY]
The night's young
And Russians are mad, so...
[ARISTOCRATS, COUNT LEOPOLD & LILY]
Let's live in the land of yesterday
Live in the grand Imperial heyday
Let's live in the land of yesterday Russia
Husha!
[LILY]
Let's brush off the days of old
And let's hold the world at bay
[ARISTOCRATS, COUNT LEOPOLD & LILY]
Yes, here's to
[LILY]
Russia!
[ARISTOCRATS, COUNT LEOPOLD & LILY]
Here's to
[ARISTOCRATS & COUNT LEOPOLD]
Russia!
[ARISTOCRATS, COUNT LEOPOLD & LILY]
Here's to Russia!
Land of yesterday
Land of yesterday
Hey!