Music Video
So Long, Farewell Lyrics — the Children
Soundtrack: The Sound of Music
So Long, Farewell Song Lyrics
[Children:]
There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall
And the bells in the steeple too
And up in the nursery an absurd little bird
Is popping out to say "cuckoo"
[Marta, Gretl, Brigitta:]
Cuckoo, cuckoo
[Children: Marta, Gretl, Brigitta: ]
Regretfully they tell us Cuckoo, cuckoo
But firmly they compel us Cuckoo, cuckoo
To say goodbye . . .
[Marta, Gretl, Brigitta:]
Cuckoo!
[Children:]
. . . to you
[Children:]
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night
[Marta:]
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight
[Children:]
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu
[Friedrich:]
Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu!
[Children:]
So long, farewell, au revoir, auf wiedersehen
[Liesl:]
I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne
[Children:]
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
[Kurt:]
I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye -- Goodbye!
[Brigitta:]
I'm glad to go, I cannot tell a lie
[Louisa:]
I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly
[Gretl:]
The sun has gone to bed and so must I
[Children:]
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
[Guests:]
Goodbye!
May, 23rd 2024
"So Long, Farewell," from The Sound of Music, recognizes the innocence and appeal of the Von Trapp children. This song is actually written by the great team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. At its core, "So Long, Farewell" evokes a charmed composition in play while embodying the voice of the children to poignantly yet playfully bid farewell. The song is unique in its simplicity and effective use of the higher vocal ranges of the children, and in its placement within the musical, where it is performed during a party and then reprises them when it provides a means for the family's escape.
The goodbyes in the song's lyrics are in many languages, which reflect a universality in farewell. Each of the children in line gets his or her turn, adds to the layers of the farewell of the song, which starts at the beginning with the sounds of the clock chimes, and crescendoes to the loud farewell from all the children to the visitors. Repetition of the chorus in a major key is now remembered and has a sing-along quality that has made it a favorite among audiences.
Remarkably some of his very earliest notes for the show even mentioned "fifty" island, meaning Hawaii was on the brink of joining the Union, which showed a great example of his method of constant re-writing and drawing inspiration from current events. The song remained important beyond the context of the play as well: it was sung in a 1965 motion picture adaptation, parodied by many forms of popular culture and even found a place in a strange video by the band Laibach with a gloomy re-appropriation of the Von Trapp's family history.
"So Long, Farewell," because of the context in which it is employed—it is really a goodbye from an almost tear-jerkingly ridiculous situation—also applies to the themes of change and transition at the core of The Sound of Music. It is able to pull at the heartstrings with the ability of emoting and yet, in a way, have the audience sing along. They are testament to the songwriting genius that is Rodgers and Hammerstein.
The goodbyes in the song's lyrics are in many languages, which reflect a universality in farewell. Each of the children in line gets his or her turn, adds to the layers of the farewell of the song, which starts at the beginning with the sounds of the clock chimes, and crescendoes to the loud farewell from all the children to the visitors. Repetition of the chorus in a major key is now remembered and has a sing-along quality that has made it a favorite among audiences.
Remarkably some of his very earliest notes for the show even mentioned "fifty" island, meaning Hawaii was on the brink of joining the Union, which showed a great example of his method of constant re-writing and drawing inspiration from current events. The song remained important beyond the context of the play as well: it was sung in a 1965 motion picture adaptation, parodied by many forms of popular culture and even found a place in a strange video by the band Laibach with a gloomy re-appropriation of the Von Trapp's family history.
"So Long, Farewell," because of the context in which it is employed—it is really a goodbye from an almost tear-jerkingly ridiculous situation—also applies to the themes of change and transition at the core of The Sound of Music. It is able to pull at the heartstrings with the ability of emoting and yet, in a way, have the audience sing along. They are testament to the songwriting genius that is Rodgers and Hammerstein.
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