The Lorax

[Jojo]
Hello, what is this place

[Whos]
Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo

At the far end of town where the Grickle-grass grows
And the wind smells slow-and-sour when it blows
And no birds ever sing excepting old crows

[Crow]
Caw, caw

[Whos]
Is the street of the lifted lorax

And deep in the Grickle-grass people say
If you look deep enough you can see it today
Where the Lorax once stood as long as he could
Before somebody lifted the Lorax away

What was the Lorax and why was it there?
And why was it lifted and taken somewhere?
From the far end of town where the Grickle-grass grows
The old Once-ler still lives here ask him, he knows

Ooo, ooo, ooo

[Once-ler]
I’ve been living in silence and sadness alone
So I tell you my tale through my Whisper-ma-phone
It all started way back when the spring has just sprung
When the wind wasn’t sour and I was still young

Way back in the days when the grass was still green
And the pond was still wet, and the clouds were still clean
And the song of the Swomee-Swans rang out in space

[Swomee-Swans]
Swomee, swomee

[Once-ler]
One morning I came to this glorious place

And I first saw the trees, the Truffula Trees
The bright-colored tufts of the Truffula Trees
Mile after mile after mile after mile after mile after mile
In the fresh morning breeze

And under the trees I saw Brown Bar-ba-loots
Frisking about in their Bar-ba-loot suits
As they played in the shade and ate Truffula Fruits

From the rippulous pond came the comfortable sound
Of the Humming-fish humming while splashing around

[Humming-fishes]
Hm hm hm hm hmm
Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm, hm-hmm

[Once-ler]
But those trees, those trees, those Truffula Trees
All my life I’d been searching for trees such as these
I felt a great leaping of joy in my heart
I knew just what I’d do, I unloaded my cart

In no time at all I had built a small shop
Then I chopped down a Truffula Tree with one chop

[Whos]
Chop

[Once-ler]
And with skillful skill and speedy speed
I took the tuft and knitted and Thneed

The instant I did it I heard a ga-Zump
I looked; I saw something jump out of a stump of the tree I’d chopped down
It was sort of a man, describe him?
That’s hard, I don’t know if I can

He was shortish and oldish and brownish and mossy
And he spoke with a voice that was sharpish and bossy

[Lorax]
Mister, I am the Lorax and I speak for the trees
And since trees have no tongues, I am asking you please
You can’t go around killing trees willy nilly
To make things so ugly and useless and silly

[Once-ler]
Lorax, I said there is no cause for alarm
I chopped just one tree, I am doing no harm

I am being quite useful; this thing is a Thneed
A Thneed’s a Fine-Something-That-All-People-Need
It’s a shirt it’s a sock it’s a glove it’s a hat
But it has other uses far beyond that

You can use it for carpets for pillows for sheets
Or curtains or covers for bicycle seats

[Lorax]
Mister, you are crazy with greed
There is no one on earth that would buy that fool of Thneed

[Once-ler]
But the very next minute I proved him that he was wrong
For just at that minute, a chap came along
And he thought that the Thneed I knitted was great
And he happily brought it for three ninety-eight

You see mister Lorax you poor stupid guy
You never can tell what some people will buy

[Lorax]
I repeat I repeat sir I speak for the trees

[Once-ler]
I’m busy, so Lorax, shut up if you please

[Whos]
Chug a chug cha-chiggy chug
Chug a chug cha-chiggy chug

Chop, chop, chop
Knit knit knit, Thneed
Chop, chop, chop
Knit knit knit, Thneed

Chug a chug cha-chiggy chug
Knit knit knit, Thneed
Chug a chug cha-chiggy chug
Knit knit knit, Thneed

Chop, chop, chop
Knit knit knit, Thneed
Chop, chop, chop
Knit knit knit, Thneed, Thneed, Thneed

[Once-ler]
Ah

[Lorax]
I am the Lorax I speak for the trees

[Whos]
Chop

[Lorax]
You just seem to be chopping as fast as you please

[Whos]
Chop, Chop

[Lorax]
But I’m also in charge of the Brown Bar-ba-loots
Who play in the shade and eat Truffula Fruits
Now, thanks to your hacking my trees to the ground
There’s not enough Truffula Fruit to go around

They loved living here but I can’t let them stay
Good luck boys

[Once-ler]
He said as he took them away
And I, the Once-ler looked sad as I saw them all go
But business is business and business must grow

[Whos]
Chop, chop, chop
Knit knit knit, Thneed
Chop, chop, chop
Knit knit knit, Thneed

[Lorax]
Once-ler you’re making such smogulous smoke
My poor Swomee-Swans, why they can’t sing a note
And you’re fouling the pond where my Humming Fish hummed
With your factory glup all their gills are all gummed

[Whos]
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah

[Once-ler]
Then I got mad, I got terribly mad and I yelled at the Lorax
Listen here Dad, all you do is yap-yap and go bad bad bad bad
Well, I have my rights sir and I am telling you I intend to go on doing just what I do
Turning more Truffula Trees into Thneeds which everyone, everyone, everyone needs

And at that very moment, we heard a loud

[Whos]
Whack

[Once-ler]
From outside in the fields came a sickening smack
And then, from the silence, we heard a tree fall
The very last Truffula Tree of them all

Now, all that was left ‘neath the bad-smelling sky
Was my big empty factory, the Lorax, and I

[Lorax]
The Lorax said nothing, just gave a sad glance
And lifted himself by the seat of his pants

[Once-ler]
Yes, he heisted himself, and took leave of this mess
Leaving one single word on that rock pile
Unless

That was long, long ago
But now that you’re here
The word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear
Unless, someone like you cares a whole awful lot
Nothing is going to get better
It’s not

Catch

[Whos]
It’s a Truffula Seed, the last one of all
The last one to grow on the last tree to fall
Go home, plant the seed, treat it with care
Give it clean water and feed it fresh air
Grow a forest, protect it for as long as it stands
No matter how small you are now, the future is in your hands