Maria
 
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse

from The Sound of Music


Berthe
She climbs a tree
And scrapes her knee
Her dress has got a tear.

Sophia
She waltzes on her way to mass
And whistles on the stair.

Berthe
And underneath her wimple
She has curlers in her hair!

Sophia
Maria's not an asset to the abbey.

Berthe
She's always late for chapel,

Margaretta
But her penitence is real.

Berthe
She's always late for everything,
Except for every meal.

Mother Abbess
From all of which, I take it,
That you very firmly feel

Berthe and Sophia
Maria's not an asset to the abbey!

Margaretta
I'd like to say a word in her behalf.
Maria makes me laugh!

Sophia
How do you solve a problem like Maria?

Mother Abbess
How do you catch a cloud and bring it down?

Margaretta
How do you find a word that means Maria?

Berthe
A flibberti gibbet!

Sophia
A willo' the wisp!

Margaretta
A clown!

Mother Abbess
Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her,
Many a thing she ought to understand.

Margaretta
But how do you make her stay
And listen to all you say,

Mother Abbess
How do you keep a wave upon the sand?

Margaretta
Oh, how do you solve a problem like Maria?

Mother Abbess
 How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?

Margaretta
When I'm dazed and confused,
Out of focus and bemused,
And I never know exactly where I am.

Sophia
Unpredictable as weather,
She's as flighty as a feather,

Margaretta
She's a darling,

Berthe
She's a demon,

Margaretta
She's a lamb.

Sophia
She'd out-pester any pest,
Drive a hornet from his nest,

Berthe
She could throw a whirling dervish
Out of whirl.

Margaretta
She is gentle,
She is wild,

Sophia
She's a riddle.

Margaretta
She's a child.

Berthe
She's a headache!

Margaretta
She's an angel!

Mother Abbess
She's a girl.

All
How do you solve a problem like Maria?
How do you catch a clown and pin it down?
How do you find a word that means Maria?
A flibberti gibbet!
A willo' the wisp!
A clown!
Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her,
Many a thing she ought to understand.
But how do you make her say,
And listen to all you say?
How do you keep a wave upon the sand?
Oh, how do you solve a problem like Maria?
How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?


Transcribed by Cathy Sherwin

    Source: geocities.com/hollywood/academy/3225/Showtunes/Sound_of_Music

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