LYRICS

Music by Alan Penman Lyrics by Ross Stenhouse

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The Dragon of the Western SeaMusic by Alan Penman Lyrics by Ross Stenhouse

GROUP 1: Indians

GROUP 2: Pirates

GROUP 3: Africans

Characters played by Scottish Opera cast: Zhu Di, the EmperorZheng He, the AdmiralGroup Leaders including Narayana (‘Namaste!’)Abdul Kais (‘Pirates of Persia’)

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE (as Chinese sailors) Page 2

SONG 1: The Dragon of the Western Sea (as Chinese sailors) Page 4

SONG 2: Namaste! Page 7

SONG 2A: Shubha Vidaaee Page 9

SONG 3: Pirates of Persia Page 10

SONG 4: Hamjambo! Page 12

SONG 5: The Storm / We are Home (as Chinese sailors) Page 15

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PROLOGUE:(All groups)

GROUP LEADERThe Emperor is coming!

ALL GROUPSThe Emperor is coming!

GROUP LEADERThe Emperor is coming!The Emperor is here!

EMPEROR ZHU DISilence! (all groups drop to knees with heads bowed)Kow tow before your Emperor,Your Emperor, Zhu Di,Of all the men in all the world,The gods have chosen me!

ALL GROUPSWoooooh!

ZHU DIBut I know I’m not a god, I’m just a little man,A little man is what I am,But a little man with a great, big plan.

ALL GROUPSA plan, a plan, the Emperor has a plan, It’s true he’s just a little man,But at least he’s got a great big plan.

ZHU DISilence! (all groups drop to knees again)I am the great Zhu Di,Emperor of China and the Eastern Seas,Yet I have heard of other seas,Due west,Where gold and diamonds grow on trees,Aglow— like the setting sun.

So we will sail,We will sail,We will sail to the Western Seas.

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Three hundred ships or maybe more,To sail the Western Seas,Discover foreign shores,The greatest fleet that ever sailed the world,Filled with treasure, filled with gold,With China’s wealth untold!

GROUP LEADERBut who will lead us on this quest,Great Emperor, unto the West?

ZHU DIThere is but one that I command,To sail my ships to foreign lands,Admiral Zheng He!

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SONG 1 - The Dragon of the Western Sea(All groups and leaders)

ZHENG HE (SPOKEN)Look lively there!And load my ships with treasure!

INDIA GROUPShi!

ZHENG HE (SPOKEN)Goods to trade in every hold!Porcelain, silver, silks and gold!

PIRATE GROUPShi!

ZHENG HE (SPOKEN)All hands to make sail! Cast off! Cast off!Helmsman—set your course!

AFRICA GROUPShi!

ZHENG HE (SPOKEN)Now we sail! Our adventure begins!

ALL GROUPSHooray!

CHORUS (ALL GROUPS)

Now at last!We hoist the anchor, raise the flag,Sail the seas,Where none of us have ever been,Sail! We sail!The tide has turned, the wind is fair,We’re off to see the Western Sea!

We will be,Adventurers in distant lands,You will see,They rise and fall at our command,Sail! We sail!Our Admiral we will not fail,The Dragon of the Western Sea!

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VERSE 1Our great adventure,Begins at last,The wind is fair and fills the sails on every mast,Typhoons and monsters,Don’t frighten us,So point us west and keep us steady,A few of us are sick already… (India group are sick)

CHORUS (ALL GROUPS)

Now at last!We hoist the anchor, raise the flag,Sail the seas,Where none of us have ever been,Sail! We sail!The tide has turned, the wind is fair,We’re off to see the Western Sea!

VERSE 2So pass the word round,For every hand,To keep a look out, shout ‘ahoy’ if you see land,Pray that the gods are,Protecting us,And all for China’s reputation,The world will know that there is no greater nation!

ZHENG HELend an ear,Hear the Emperor’s hopes and fears,I will tell you of great Zhu Di,How he dreamed of our great mission.

ZHENG HE ALL GROUPSNot for war, Bei, nan,War is not what we’re sailing for, Dong, xi.Only friendship and trade we seek, Bei, nan,Far across those unknown oceans, Dong, xi.Blow winds blow, let’s go!

ALL GROUPS ZHENG HE Who knows where we’ll go Blow winds, blow.It’s all a mystery,Stranger shores await across the Western Sea,All for fame and glory,This is Zheng He’s story,Our Admiral, our captain,Three hundred ships and every one a dragon!

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FINAL CHORUS (ALL GROUPS)We will be,Adventurers in distant lands,You will see,They rise and fall at our command,Sail! We sail!Our Admiral we will not fail,The Dragon of the Western Sea,We’re off to see the Western Sea, GROUP LEADERSWe sail! Sail!

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SONG 2 - Namaste!(India group, group leader - Narayana)GROUP LEADER (SPOKEN)Land ho!

ALL GROUPS (SPOKEN)Hooray!

ZHENG HESilence there!Let’s sail a little closer,And we shall see,If they are friends or enemies.

What’s that strange sound?It seems to be coming from all around,Are they sharpening their swords,Or stringing their bows?Who knows? Oh no! Who knows?

INDIA GROUPWhat is this that we can see,Coming fast across the sea,A city or a floating island?Are those clouds or maybe sails?Can’t be ships— no, not that size,We’re shocked, We’re stunned,We can’t believe our eyes.

ZHENG HE (SPOKEN)Hello? I am Admiral Zheng He. We come from China, in peace.

NARAYANANamaste—one little word we say,Namaste— that’s how we say ‘Hello’ each day,I am Narayana,Welcome, great Zheng He,If you’ll just say ‘Namaste’We’ll welcome you.

ZHENG HE (SPOKEN)Eh... Namaste…?

CHORUS INDIA GROUPNamaste! India welcomes you!Namaste! That’s how we say ‘Hello’, it’s true,You have sailed the Seven Seas,

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Our new friends, the great Chinese,With open arms and open hearts we welcome you,Namaste!

VERSERide around the country,On a smelly elephant,You could spend some rupees,We’ve got everything you want.

Try a little curry,Maybe taste a vindaloo,It’s a little spicy,Better hurry to the loo!

ZHENG HEIt’s really very nice,But it’s rather full of spice,It would taste much finer,With this little gift from China,Why not follow my advice,Try that vindaloo with rice?

INDIA GROUPNice!

CHORUS (INDIA GROUP)Namaste! India welcomes you,Namaste! That’s how we say ‘Hello’, it’s true,You have sailed the Seven Seas,Our new friends, the great Chinese,With open arms and open hearts we welcome you,

Bharat ek adbhut dash hai!Bharat ek adbhut dash hai!Bharat ek adbhut dash hai!

We welcome you,You have sailed the Seven Seas,Our new friends, the great Chinese,With open arms and open hearts, We welcome you,We welcome you,We welcome you,We welcome you,Namaste!

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SONG 2A - Shubha Vidaaee(India group, Zheng He, Narayana)

ZHENG HEIndia— you’re awesome!India— we love you,But now it’s time to say goodbye.

INDIA GROUPShubha vidaaee,Shubha vidaaee.

ZHENG HEWith heavy hearts we say goodbye,Ever onwards we must fly,To the West,Where the sea meets the sky,Unknown oceans, unknown lands,That’s where we go,Our Emperor commands it.

NARAYANAShubha vidaaee,Shubha vidaaee.

Then go with our best wishes,But take care, Zheng He, please,Persian pirates rule those Western Seas.

ZHENG HEAccording to our brilliant Chinese maps,We approach the land of Persia,Be silent there and steady as she goes,These seas are full of pirates,As Narayana knows.

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SONG 3 - Pirates of Persia(Pirate group, group leader - Abdul Kais)

PIRATE GROUP Closer, come closer,There’s nothing here to fear…

ABDUL KAISThey say violent pirates rule the Seven Seas,But you’ve never seen terrible pirates such as these,How can you rule the ocean deep,When half your crew are half asleep,And the rest are mostly drunk,It’s a wonder that we haven’t sunk already.

CHORUS (PIRATE GROUP)We are pirates— hee hee hee!But we’re rubbish on the sea,We are pirates— ha ha haa!We’re pathetic—yes we are,We are pirates— ho ho ho!Persian pirates don’t you know,But we haven’t got a single clue just what to do or where to go!

ABDUL KAISA cowardly little crew,Afraid to fight with you,So you are in no danger,Our arms are raised and we surrender.

ZHENG HE PIRATE GROUPHow nice, Closer,They surrender with a song, Come closer,I’ll punish those pirates, Come closer,What could possibly go wrong? Come here.

PIRATE GROUP Look! Look! We’ve got them hooked,Like a great big fish in our pirate net,Those fools soon will feel,A thousand swords of sharpened steel!

ABDUL KAIS (SPOKEN)Ready lads? He’s turned his back.

PIRATE GROUP (SPOKEN) Attack! Attack! Attack!

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CHORUSWe are pirates—hee hee hee!And we’re wild and bloodthirsty,We are pirates— ha ha haa!See our cutlasses and scars,We are pirates—ho ho ho!Mad and merciless, you know,And we’ll plunder all your treasure while you feed the sharks below!

ZHENG HEYou terrorised the Seven Seas,Now pray for mercy, down upon your knees!Your ships are sunk and you can swim for home,Go back to Persia, tell them allThat I, great Zheng He, now command the sea,Next time I won’t be so merciful.

CHORUS (PIRATE GROUP)We were pirates— hee hee hee!And we ruled the Persian Sea,We were pirates— ha ha haa!Now we’re beaten by Zheng He,We were pirates— ho ho ho!Now it’s back to shore we go,But before we swim, just one more thingHa ha hee hee ho ho!Before we swim, just one more thing(SHOUTED) Ha ha hee hee ho ho! (Pirates blow a raspberry)

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SONG 4 - Hamjambo!(Africa group)

ZHENG HENow forever westward,We’ll chase the setting sun,My sailors, I foresee,Many months upon the sea,Short of water, short of food,No sound, no smell, no sight of….

GROUP LEADER (SPOKEN)Land ahoy!

ZHENG HEAlready?And it looks enormous too,Makes China look tiny.

ZHENG HEOh yes, ah-ha, (SPOKEN)This looks like the land of…

AFRICA GROUP Africa!

ZHENG HEWe’re in the land of…

AFRICA GROUPAfrica!

ZHENG HEThey’re having a party in…

AFRICA GROUPAfrica!(SHOUTED) Africa!

CHORUS AFRICA GROUPHamjambo! Hamjambo! Hello!Hamjambo! Hamjambo! Hello!Hamjambo! Hamjambo! Hello!Hamjambo! Hamjambo! Hello!

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VERSE 1You’re welcome in Africa,Sun it will bake you in Africa,Lions and snakes they’ll come after ya,What a big continent—Africa!We’ve got jungles and deserts and great, big savannahs,Hippos and rhinos and chimps chew bananas,And dancing, And drumming,Oh we like to sing,All in the land we call Africa!

CHORUSHamjambo! Hamjambo! Hello!Hamjambo! Hamjambo! Hello!Hamjambo! Hamjambo! Hello!Hamjambo! Hamjambo! Hello!

Admiral Zheng He,We’re in fear, hear our song,There’s a snake called a python, it’s twenty feet long,With its gigantic tail — round and round you it twists,It’s big enough to swallow half a dozen of your ships,Take your sword and scare that python please,And we will have a gift for Emperor Zhu Di.

ZHENG HEI am the great Zheng He,No serpent frightens me,I’ll chop it into three,Before it…crushes…me…

AFRICA GROUPHe’s banished that constrictor,Zheng He — you are the victor!

VERSE 2We bring this giraffe to you,Your Emperor will not believe it’s true,Take it to China, your journey’s end,Forever our people will be friends.You saw jungles and deserts and great, big savannahs,Hippos and rhinos and chimps chew bananas.And dancing,And drumming,Oh we like to sing,All in the land we call Africa!

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CHORUSKwaherini! Kwaherini! Goodbye!Kwaherini! Kwaherini! Goodbye!Kwaherini! Kwaherini! Goodbye!Kila laheri! Good luck!Kwaherini! Kwaherini! Goodbye!Kwaherini! Kwaherini! Goodbye!Kwaherini! Kwaherini! Goodbye!Kila laheri! Good luck!

Kila laheri! Good luck!Kila laheri! Good luck!Kila laheri! Good luck!

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SONG 5 - The Storm/ We are Home(All groups and leaders)

ZHENG HETurn the ships,Point them east,China waits, we’re going home.

ALL GROUPS Turn the ships,Point them east,China waits, we’re going home.

ZHENG HELook at the clouds, look at the sky,There’s a storm dead ahead,Look lively now, all hands on deck,I won’t let my great fleet be wrecked.

INDIA GROUP(SHOUT) Batten down the hatches!

PIRATE GROUP(SHOUT) Man overboard!

AFRICA GROUP(SHOUT) Watch! It’s a whirlpool!

ALL GROUPS (SHOUT) We’re sinking fast!

ZHENG HEWe must pull through,Be brave my crew,And all of you will make it back to China.

ZHENG HEWe are home,We are home,China waits— we’re finally home.We are home,We are home,Dragons of the Western Sea.

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ALL GROUPS We are home,We are home,China waits — we’re finally home.We are home,We are home,Dragons of the Western Sea.

We’ve done some exploring,We’ll tell the Emperor,He’s sure to welcome back,His great adventurers.

ZHU DIWelcome home, courageous crew,Every day I looked for you,Now tell me, tell me everything,Your Emperor commands it— sing!

INDIA GROUPWe went to India,And that was very nice,They let us try their spicy food, (Zhu Di tries food: “mmm-oooh!”)We gave them back some rice.

PIRATE GROUPWe sailed the Persian Seas,And met a pirate band,We beat them, chucked them overboard,And made them swim for land.

AFRICA GROUPWe sailed to Africa,We thought we’d have a laugh,We had to fight a massive snake,They gave us a giraffe.

ALL GROUPS Then whirlpools and gigantic storms,We thought that we would never get back home!

ALL GROUPS ZHENG HE But we’re home, You were all brave and true,We are home, You are my gallant crew,China waits— it’s time to go home. And every one a dragon.

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ALL GROUPS ZHU DIWe are home, You are a gallant crew and you have sailed the Western Sea.

ALL GROUPS ZHENG HEWe are home, For years together we have sailed the Western Sea.

ALL GROUPSDragons of the Western Sea,Dragons of the Western Sea.

ZHENG HENow all we want to do is rest,Now all we want to do is rest.

ZHU DI(SPOKEN) Ha ha!No rest for you, Zheng He,More missions lie ahead,No time for sleep, no time for bed,Six more times you’ll sail those seas,And all the world will know of me,Of China and the great Chinese!

ALL GROUPS We will be,Adventurers in distant lands,You will seeThey rise and fall at our command,Sail! We sail!Our Admiral we will not fail,The Dragon of the Western Sea,We’re off to see the Western Sea,We sail!