Our Prayer
[CELIE & NETTIE]
Hey, sista, whacha gon' do
Goin' down by the river
Gonna play with you
Papa don't like no screamin' 'round here
No lip from da woman when they chug that beer
[CELIE, spoken]
You all grown up and pretty now, it's time for you to get married, have one good year before you get big
[NETTIE, spoken]
I can't get married, I'm still in school. Who that man talkin' to Pa?
[CELIE, spoken]
Girl at church say he lookin' for a new wife to take care of his mean chirren
[NETTIE, spoken]
Well I see where they get that mean from. Look at him, holdin' his whip like he got a horse waitin' somewhere. You see any horse?
[CELIE, spoken]
You don't wanna get married?
[NETTIE, sung]
I wanna know how the world goes
How far is the moon?
How the sky changes color?
Hope I find out soon
(spoken)
What you want?
[CELIE]
I wanna sit and do nothin'
Make you a new dress
Hope my babies are happy
Some place God will bless
[PA, spoken]
Celie! Get to work!
[NETTIE]
Ain't no need to discuss
[CELIE]
It ain't worth a big fuss
[NETTIE & CELIE]
Whatever come to us
Is in God's hands
When I lay me down to sleep
I will say my prayer
That God love me so deep
He will promise our souls to keep
Together
I say a prayer
[PA, spoken]
Why you wanna know so much about tobacco?
[MISTER, spoken]
I'm thinkin' 'bout plantin' it
[PA, spoken]
You is not. Now what you doin' here?
[MISTER, sung]
I wanna marry Nettie
She a sweet young girl
[PA, spoken]
She too young
[MISTER]
She's the cutest thing
In this whole world
[PA, spoken]
She gonna be a teacher
[NETTIE]
Picture me in a schoolhouse
With my college degree
I can teach all my children
To spell Tennessee
[PA, spoken]
You can have Celie, though. She too old to be livin' at home
[CELIE]
Maybe I'll have a garden
Where birds come to sing
[MISTER, spoken]
I don't want Celie. She ugly
[CELIE]
Know a finch from a sparrow
Fix a broken wing
[NETTIE]
I wanna hear your birds sing
[CELIE]
Wanna hear your school bell ring
[NETTIE & CELIE]
No matter what life bring
Us in God's hands
[PA, spoken]
Whyn't you quit comin' 'round here and just go marry Shug Avery?
[CHURCH LADIES]
Shug Avery
[NETTIE, spoken]
Who Shug Avery?
[CHURCH LADIES]
Shug Avery!
[CELIE, spoken]
She Mister ol' girlfriend
[Mister] (spoken)
Shug Avery not a child-raisin' woman, you know that. She the Queen Honeybee
[Pa] (spoken)
She a low-down whore, is what everybody say. You lookin' for a new Shug Avery, you better go to Memphis. All we got here is one pretty girl you'll never have, and one ugly girl can work like a man
[MISTER, sung]
I really want that girl
[PA, spoken]
I told you no!
[CELIE & NETTIE, MISTER]
When I I wanna
Lay me down to sleep Marry Nettie
I will say my prayer She a sweet young girl
That God love me so deep She da sweetest thing
He will promise our souls In dis whole world
To keep together I really
I'll say a prayer Want that girl
[CELIE, spoken]
You want any kids?
[NETTIE, spoken]
Someday, I guess. I know you do
[Celie] (spoken)
Doctor say I can't have no more kids. So, I think God just want me to take care of you
[NETTIE]
We'll live in big houses
[CELIE]
Put swings in the trees
[NETTIE]
Braid up your gray hair
[CELIE & NETTIE]
In the cool of the breeze
And one day
Our children will sing
When I lay me down to sleep
I will say my prayer
That God love me so deep
He will promise our souls to keep
Together
I'll say a prayer
I'll say our prayer
Hey, sista, whacha gon' do
Goin' down by the river
Gonna play with you
Papa don't like no screamin' 'round here
No lip from da woman when they chug that beer
[CELIE, spoken]
You all grown up and pretty now, it's time for you to get married, have one good year before you get big
[NETTIE, spoken]
I can't get married, I'm still in school. Who that man talkin' to Pa?
[CELIE, spoken]
Girl at church say he lookin' for a new wife to take care of his mean chirren
[NETTIE, spoken]
Well I see where they get that mean from. Look at him, holdin' his whip like he got a horse waitin' somewhere. You see any horse?
[CELIE, spoken]
You don't wanna get married?
[NETTIE, sung]
I wanna know how the world goes
How far is the moon?
How the sky changes color?
Hope I find out soon
(spoken)
What you want?
[CELIE]
I wanna sit and do nothin'
Make you a new dress
Hope my babies are happy
Some place God will bless
[PA, spoken]
Celie! Get to work!
[NETTIE]
Ain't no need to discuss
[CELIE]
It ain't worth a big fuss
[NETTIE & CELIE]
Whatever come to us
Is in God's hands
When I lay me down to sleep
I will say my prayer
That God love me so deep
He will promise our souls to keep
Together
I say a prayer
[PA, spoken]
Why you wanna know so much about tobacco?
[MISTER, spoken]
I'm thinkin' 'bout plantin' it
[PA, spoken]
You is not. Now what you doin' here?
[MISTER, sung]
I wanna marry Nettie
She a sweet young girl
[PA, spoken]
She too young
[MISTER]
She's the cutest thing
In this whole world
[PA, spoken]
She gonna be a teacher
[NETTIE]
Picture me in a schoolhouse
With my college degree
I can teach all my children
To spell Tennessee
[PA, spoken]
You can have Celie, though. She too old to be livin' at home
[CELIE]
Maybe I'll have a garden
Where birds come to sing
[MISTER, spoken]
I don't want Celie. She ugly
[CELIE]
Know a finch from a sparrow
Fix a broken wing
[NETTIE]
I wanna hear your birds sing
[CELIE]
Wanna hear your school bell ring
[NETTIE & CELIE]
No matter what life bring
Us in God's hands
[PA, spoken]
Whyn't you quit comin' 'round here and just go marry Shug Avery?
[CHURCH LADIES]
Shug Avery
[NETTIE, spoken]
Who Shug Avery?
[CHURCH LADIES]
Shug Avery!
[CELIE, spoken]
She Mister ol' girlfriend
[Mister] (spoken)
Shug Avery not a child-raisin' woman, you know that. She the Queen Honeybee
[Pa] (spoken)
She a low-down whore, is what everybody say. You lookin' for a new Shug Avery, you better go to Memphis. All we got here is one pretty girl you'll never have, and one ugly girl can work like a man
[MISTER, sung]
I really want that girl
[PA, spoken]
I told you no!
[CELIE & NETTIE, MISTER]
When I I wanna
Lay me down to sleep Marry Nettie
I will say my prayer She a sweet young girl
That God love me so deep She da sweetest thing
He will promise our souls In dis whole world
To keep together I really
I'll say a prayer Want that girl
[CELIE, spoken]
You want any kids?
[NETTIE, spoken]
Someday, I guess. I know you do
[Celie] (spoken)
Doctor say I can't have no more kids. So, I think God just want me to take care of you
[NETTIE]
We'll live in big houses
[CELIE]
Put swings in the trees
[NETTIE]
Braid up your gray hair
[CELIE & NETTIE]
In the cool of the breeze
And one day
Our children will sing
When I lay me down to sleep
I will say my prayer
That God love me so deep
He will promise our souls to keep
Together
I'll say a prayer
I'll say our prayer