Stephen Sondheim
Moments in the woods
(Baker’s wife): What was that?

(Baker’s wife singing):
Was that me?
Was that him?
Did a prince really kiss me?
And kiss me? And kiss me?
And did I kiss him back? (gasps)
Was it wrong?
Am I mad?
Is that all?
Does he miss me?
Was he certainly getting bored with me?
Wake up! Stop dreaming, stop prancing about the woods!
It’s not beseeming. What is it about the woods?
Back to life, back to sense, back to child, back to husband
No one lives in the woods!
There are vows, there are ties, there are needs, there are standards
There are shouldn’ts and shoulds!
Why not both instead? There’s the answer if you’re clever
Have a child for warmth and a baker for bread and a prince for....whatever!
Never! It’s these woods
Face the facts, find the boy, join the group, stop the giant
Just get out of these woods!
Was that him? Yes, it was
Was that me? No, it wasn’t!
Just a trick of the woods!
Just a moment, one peculiar passing moment
Must it all be either less or more?
Either plain or grand?
Is it always “or”?
Is it never “and”?
That’s what woods are for. For those moments in the woods
Oh, if life were made of moments
Even now and then a bad one
But if life were only moments
Then you’d never know you had one
First a witch, then a child, then a prince, then a moment
Who can live in the woods?
And to get what you wish only just for a moment
These are dangerous woods!
Let the moment go
Don’t forget it for a moment though
Just remembering you’ve had an “and” when you’re back to “or”
Makes the “or” mean more than it did before
Now I understand
And it’s time to leave the woods!