Hush Hush

[ROOSEVELT]
When you first come to session
For making of the laws
You live on the salary only
But you don't make no impression
And you don't get no applause
And the guilders, they look so lonely

So you maybe ask a question of a fellow standing by
And he never gives an answer, and he never makes reply
But he slips a little silver and he looks you in the eye
And he says, "Hush hush," to you

[COUNCIL]
Hush hush, hush hush
Hush hush hush hush, hush hush
Hush hush, hush hush to you!
We wouldn't say it's lying and we wouldn't say it's true
But we said hush hush
Hush hush hush hush, hush hush
We said hush hush to you

[ROOSEVELT]
When you first make inquiry
Concerning of the laws
You really truly want some information
You look pretty fiery
And you make a little pause
And you wait for an explanation

Now it's no good expecting anybody makes reply
But it's anyway an income every time you're asking why
So you're asking, so they're giving, so you're living pretty high
So they're saying, "Hush hush," to you

[COUNCIL]
Hush hush, hush hush
Hush hush hush hush, hush hush
Hush hush, hush hush to you!
We wouldn't say it's lying and we wouldn't say it's true
But we said hush hush
Hush hush hush hush, hush hush
We said hush hush to you

[SCHERMERHORN, spoken]
Wait, wait! I wish to speak private with the president of the council.

[TIENHOVEN, spoken]
Speak it out loud. This is a holiday.

[SCHERMERHORN, spoken]
Well then, there is nobody to hang.

[COUNCIL, spoken]
Ooh!

[TIENHOVEN, spoken]
Why not?

[SCHERMERHORN, spoken]
There is nobody in the jail.

[COUNCIL, spoken]
Ooh!

[TIENHOVEN, spoken]
Why not? There was plenty yesterday.

[SCHERMERHORN, spoken]
They went out through the hole.

[COUNCIL, spoken]
Ooh.

[TIENHOVEN, spoken]
What hole?

[SCHERMERHORN, spoken]
The hole in the jail! Once I had a prisoner used to cut a notch every day. So when I want to know what day it was I used to go over and look at his notches. Each day he cut the notch bigger and bigger and bi— until one day he cut right through and out he went through the hole.

[DE VRIES, spoken]
There is nobody to hang?

[SCHERMERHORN, spoken]
Nobody!

[VAN CORTLANDT, spoken]
That's awful.

[VAN RENNSELAER, spoken]
Terrible.

[TIENHOVEN, spoken]
We got to find somebody to hang! Because the Governor comes, and anyway we made a law!

[DE PEYSTER, spoken]
We got to find somebody!

[VANDERBILT, spoken]
Maybe the criminals didn't run far yet. Maybe we could catch one!

[COUNCIL, spoken]
Ja!

[TIENHOVEN]
Only look like you wasn't looking. Whistle!

[COUNCIL exits whistling.]

[IRVING, spoken]
And now I must have a hero, of course. Preferably from the lower classes— rather bedraggled, if possible, and fairly ordinary at first glance. But as you get to know him better you find that he's not ordinary at all. No, he has a definite peculiarity for getting into insoluble difficulties in spite of the best of intentions.