Merrily We Roll Along (1964-1962) / Good Thing Going

[TERRY]
Dreams don't die
So keep an eye on your dream—

[FIRST BOY]
'Cause before you know where you are
There you are

[SECOND BOY]
Time goes by
And dreams go dry

[BOTH BOYS]
But you can't give up
On your dream...

[TERRY]
Tend your dream
Dreams take time
Time goes by

[BOTH BOYS]
Some roads are easy
Some roads are all uphill
Some roads you plod along with a will
Some roads you travel just for the thrill

[TERRY]
Bend your dream
With the road

[BOYS]
Some rides are breezy
Some roads are full of jiggles and bumps
Can't let it get you down in the dumps

[TERRY & BOYS]
Don't let it get you down in the dumps!

[FIRST BOY]
1964...

[TERRY]
1963...

[SECOND BOY]
1962...

[GIRLS]
Just roll
Always roll

[BOYS]
Some roads are easy
Some rides are breezy
Some roads are all uphill

[GIRLS]
Everybody roll

[BOYS]
Some roads are full of bumps
Know what you want to do
Where you're willing to go

[GIRLS]
Keep an eye on your dream
While you're traveling!

[BOYS]
What you really want to see
While you're traveling!

[1962. A cocktail party at JOE and GUSSIE's apartment.]

[GUESTS (GROUP I), variously]
Have you seen—?
How was it—?
You're not serious!
Do you mean—?
That does it!
You're not serious!
Have you seen—?
How was it—?
You're not serious!
Do you mean—?
That does it!
You're not serious!
Have you seen—?
How was it—?
You're not serious!
Do you mean—?
That does it!
You're not serious!

[GROUP II, overlapping]
Darling!
We saw the most—!
Darling!
We had the best—!
Darling!
We saw the most—
Darling!
See, it's the—

[GROUP III, overlapping]
Did you read—?
It'll never—!
We saw the first—!
What they need—!
Did you ever—!
Was that the worst—?

[ALL GUESTS]
Best—!
It's the first—!
It's the finest—!
It's the latest—!
It's the least—!
It's the worst—!
It's the absolutely lowest—!
It's the greatest—!
It's the single—!
It's the only—!
It's the perfect—!
It's the—!

[GROUP I]
Hi!

[GROUP II]
Dreadful!

[GROUP III]
Fabulous!

[GUSSIE bangs on the piano.]

[GUSSIE, spoken]
All right, now quiet, everybody, please. Fermez all those bouches, because someday you are going to be able to say, "I was there when."

The most exciting composer ever is going to play a song we hope will be in our new show. And when he finishes you're all going to want to swallow poison because there will be nothing more to live for.

[CHARLEY, spoken]
Frank, what is she talking about?

[FRANK, spoken]
Later, Charley.

[FRANK starts to play the intro on the piano.]

[CHARLEY]
It started out like a song
We started quiet and slow
With no surprise
And then one morning I woke
To realize
We had a good thing going

It's not that nothing went wrong:
Some angry moments, of course
But just a few
And only moments, no more
Because we knew
We had this good thing going

And if I wanted too much
Was that such
A mistake
At the time?
You never wanted enough—
All right, tough
I don't make
That a crime

And while it's going along
You take for granted some love
Will wear away
We took for granted a lot
And still I say:
It could have kept on growing
Instead of just kept on
We had a good thing going
Going
Gone

[Much applause and oohing and ahhing follows.]

[GUSSIE, spoken]
Keep them right there. We want to hear it again. Tell them! One mo' time!

[CHARLEY, spoken]
Frank, say "No."

[FRANK, spoken]
Charley, they loved it. They thought we were great.

[CHARLEY, spoken]
You wanna know what true greatness is? It's knowing when to get off.

[FRANK, spoken]
I'll sing with you.

[CHARLEY, spoken]
No, no—

[FRANK, spoken]
Come on.

[CHARLEY, spoken]
No, that's not the point. I really—

[CHARLEY & FRANK]
It started out like a song
We started quiet and slow
With no surprise
And then one morning I woke
To realize—

[TERRY]
So we bought this little condominium—

[CHARLEY & FRANK]
We had a good thing going

[GUSSIE, spoken]
Shh!

[CHARLEY]
It's not that nothing went wrong:
Some angry moments—

[A GUEST]
Did you hear—?

[JEROME]
No kidding—!

[GWEN]
You're not serious!

[CHARLEY]
Of course
But just a few

[KATE, spoken]
Shh!

[CHARLEY]
And only moments, no more

[JOE]
Dadadadada—

[GUSSIE, spoken]
Shh!

[GWEN]
It's a clear case of Tammany politics

[A GUEST]
We were stuck in the tunnel till half past six!

[GUEST]
Darling!
They're perfectly darling!

[CHARLEY]
Because we knew
We had this good thing going

[GUESTS' babbling overtakes the singing.]

[GUESTS]
It's only the best—
It's the first—
It's the finest—
It's the latest—
It's the least—
It's the worst—
It's the absolutely lowest—
It's the greatest—
It's the single—
It's the only—
It's the perfect—
It's the—

[CHARLEY]
And if I wanted too much
Was that such
A mistake
At the—