| Song | The Play's the Thing |
| Artist | Peter Hammill |
| Album | In a Foreign Town |
| Download | Image LRC TXT |
| 作词 : Hammill | |
| How could he know so much? | |
| How could he bear such knowledge? | |
| How could he dare to write it in the plays? | |
| What is it Shakespeare'd say | |
| if he came back today? | |
| Surely he'd recognize these mortal coils. | |
| How do we carry on? | |
| No-one knows where they fit in, | |
| no-one knows who they are or where they've been. | |
| What does the writer mean? | |
| How do we play this scene? | |
| What didn't Shakespeare know that we do now? | |
| Stiffen the sinews, | |
| wear hard-favour'd rage, | |
| all history's drama, | |
| the world is a stage. | |
| "There is a history in all men's lives, | |
| figuring the nature of the times deceas'd; | |
| The which observ'd, a man may prophesy, | |
| with a near aim, of the main chance of things | |
| as yet not come to life, which in their seeds | |
| and weak beginnings lie intreasured. | |
| Such things become the hatch and brood of time..." | |
| Oh, but the show goes on, | |
| on through the seven ages – | |
| That of the world must mirror man's, in fact. | |
| Here comes the seventh act, | |
| see how the mirror's cracked, | |
| here comes sans everything for humankind. | |
| To capture the conscience | |
| of nations and kings | |
| all history's drama – | |
| The play's the thing, | |
| the play's the thing, | |
| the play's the thing. | |
| How could he know so much? |
| zuo ci : Hammill | |
| How could he know so much? | |
| How could he bear such knowledge? | |
| How could he dare to write it in the plays? | |
| What is it Shakespeare' d say | |
| if he came back today? | |
| Surely he' d recognize these mortal coils. | |
| How do we carry on? | |
| Noone knows where they fit in, | |
| noone knows who they are or where they' ve been. | |
| What does the writer mean? | |
| How do we play this scene? | |
| What didn' t Shakespeare know that we do now? | |
| Stiffen the sinews, | |
| wear hardfavour' d rage, | |
| all history' s drama, | |
| the world is a stage. | |
| " There is a history in all men' s lives, | |
| figuring the nature of the times deceas' d | |
| The which observ' d, a man may prophesy, | |
| with a near aim, of the main chance of things | |
| as yet not come to life, which in their seeds | |
| and weak beginnings lie intreasured. | |
| Such things become the hatch and brood of time..." | |
| Oh, but the show goes on, | |
| on through the seven ages | |
| That of the world must mirror man' s, in fact. | |
| Here comes the seventh act, | |
| see how the mirror' s cracked, | |
| here comes sans everything for humankind. | |
| To capture the conscience | |
| of nations and kings | |
| all history' s drama | |
| The play' s the thing, | |
| the play' s the thing, | |
| the play' s the thing. | |
| How could he know so much? |
| zuò cí : Hammill | |
| How could he know so much? | |
| How could he bear such knowledge? | |
| How could he dare to write it in the plays? | |
| What is it Shakespeare' d say | |
| if he came back today? | |
| Surely he' d recognize these mortal coils. | |
| How do we carry on? | |
| Noone knows where they fit in, | |
| noone knows who they are or where they' ve been. | |
| What does the writer mean? | |
| How do we play this scene? | |
| What didn' t Shakespeare know that we do now? | |
| Stiffen the sinews, | |
| wear hardfavour' d rage, | |
| all history' s drama, | |
| the world is a stage. | |
| " There is a history in all men' s lives, | |
| figuring the nature of the times deceas' d | |
| The which observ' d, a man may prophesy, | |
| with a near aim, of the main chance of things | |
| as yet not come to life, which in their seeds | |
| and weak beginnings lie intreasured. | |
| Such things become the hatch and brood of time..." | |
| Oh, but the show goes on, | |
| on through the seven ages | |
| That of the world must mirror man' s, in fact. | |
| Here comes the seventh act, | |
| see how the mirror' s cracked, | |
| here comes sans everything for humankind. | |
| To capture the conscience | |
| of nations and kings | |
| all history' s drama | |
| The play' s the thing, | |
| the play' s the thing, | |
| the play' s the thing. | |
| How could he know so much? |