Lilacs

[RACH]
Every Sunday
I get lilacs in the mail
No matter where I am
Moscow, Dresden, or New York...
White lilacs

Even in winter
When the trees are frozen and bare
Impossibly they come
Lilacs at my door
How can I live up to this?

Sometimes I'm a good man
And sometimes I am not

[NATALYA, spoken]
A lover, Serge?

[RACH, spoken]
No, no, Natalya. Not a lover. Just a lady who likes lilacs I guess.

[NATALYA, spoken]
And who likes you.

[RACH, spoken]
She doesn't even know me-

[NATALYA, spoken]
She admires you from afar! Your music must have done something to her.

[RACH, sung]
Maybe she's my secret muse
And she's letting it build up inside me
Maybe each lilac is just one part
Of a puzzle
And they all fit together
Thousands of lilacs
In a grand cathedral
Where the sun comes in through the flowers
But I need them all
Every last one
Only when they're all together
When they're finally all together
All the lilacs will come to life
They'll spring up and dance a rhumba
Dance on my chest
And then they'll race to an open field
And they'll climb over each other
And they'll build this great thing

[NATALYA]
Or maybe the lilacs are poisoning you
Maybe the lilacs are blocking you
Maybe she's an anti-muse

[RACH, spoken]
Maybe so.

[NATALYA, spoken]
Have you been to see Dahl yet? The hypnotherapist?

[RACH, spoken]
Yes. I mean, I'm going to. I mean, I think I already have.

[NATALYA, sung]
You should go
Get out of the house
I have students today
(spoken)
But, be back by five. The priest is coming by to help us get an audience with the Tsar.

[RACH, spoken]
Priest?

[NATALYA, spoken]
I told you this.

[RACH, spoken]
Yes, yes of course!

[NATALYA, sung]
You do still want to get married, cousin?

[RACH]
Cousin, yes I do
(Yes I do, yes I do, yes I do, yes I do, yes I do)