Friday, April 26, 2019

Song Lyric of the Day (W. S. Gilbert, in the Voice of a ‘Disagreeable Man’)


“I’m sure I’m no ascetic: I’m as pleasant as can be;
You’ll always find me ready with a crushing repartee;
I’ve an irritating chuckle; I’ve a celebrated sneer;
I’ve an entertaining snigger; I’ve a fascinating leer;
To everybody’s prejudice I know a thing or two;
I can tell a woman’s age in half a minute–and I do–
But although I try to make myself as pleasant as I can,
Yet everybody says I’m such a disagreeable man!
And I can’t think why!”— King Gama inThe Disagreeable Man,” from the operetta Princess Ida (1884), lyrics by W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911), music by Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900)

The photo accompanying this post shows actor John Reed, in costume as King Gama, in a 1965 D'Oyly Carte Opera Company production of Princess Ida.

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