《Why Can’t the English》歌词

[00:00:00] Why Can't the English - Alan Jay Lerner

[00:00:11] Look at her a prisoner of the gutter

[00:00:14] Condemned by every syllable she ever uttered

[00:00:17] By law she should be taken out and hung

[00:00:20] For the cold-blooded murder of the English tongue

[00:00:23] Aaoooww Henry imitating her

[00:00:26] This is what the British population

[00:00:30] Calls an elementary education Pickering Oh

[00:00:33] Counsel I think you picked a poor example

[00:00:35] Henry Did I

[00:00:37] Hear them down in Soho square

[00:00:39] Dropping "h's" everywhere

[00:00:41] Speaking English anyway they like

[00:00:44] You sir did you go to school

[00:00:46] Man Wadaya tike me for a fool

[00:00:48] Henry No one taught him 'take' instead of 'tike

[00:00:51] Hear a Yorkshireman or worse

[00:00:53] Hear a Cornishman converse

[00:00:55] I'd rather hear a choir singing flat

[00:00:58] Chickens cackling in a barn Just like this one

[00:01:02] Eliza Garn Henry I ask you sir

[00:01:05] What sort of word is that

[00:01:07] It's "Aoooow" and "Garn" that keep her in her place

[00:01:11] Not her wretched clothes and dirty face

[00:01:15] Why can't the English teach their children how to speak

[00:01:19] This verbal class distinction by now should be antique

[00:01:22] If you spoke as she does sir Instead of the way you do

[00:01:26] Why you might be selling flowers too

[00:01:28] An Englishman's way of speaking absolutely classifies him

[00:01:33] The moment he talks he makes some other

[00:01:36] Englishman despise him

[00:01:37] One common language I'm afraid we'll never get

[00:01:40] Oh why can't the English learn to set

[00:01:45] A good example to people whose

[00:01:47] English is painful to your ears

[00:01:51] The Scotch and the Irish leave you close to tears

[00:01:54] There even are places where English completely

[00:01:57] Disappears In America they haven't used it for years

[00:02:03] Why can't the English teach their children how to speak

[00:02:06] Norwegians learn Norwegian; the Greeks have taught their

[00:02:08] Greek In France every Frenchman knows

[00:02:11] His language fro "A" to "Zed"

[00:02:14] As long as they pronounce in properly

[00:02:18] Arabians learn Arabian with the speed of summer lightning

[00:02:22] And Hebrews learn it backwards

[00:02:23] Which is absolutely frightening

[00:02:25] But use proper English you're regarded as a freak

[00:02:29] Why can't the English

[00:02:32] Why can't the English learn to speak