The Donkey and the Lima Bean

This song was originally created for the first show in which I was
ever involved---an adaptation of Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid
combined with A Doctor In Spite of Himself. (Five other Love Songs
also came from that show---"Why Not Now?", "I Love Love Much Too Much",
"Things We'll Do Someday", "Be Your Own Doctor" and "Come On
and Wrestle With Me"---although I made certain changes in some of them to fit more easily
into the theme of the Web Site.) I wrote only the lyrics for the musical, so
a friend came up with the idea of my placing the songs back in their original context and
creating my own Moliere adaptation. And that is exactly what I have done.
If you're interested in reading the entire show with the original versions
click on the donkey below.

The Donkey and the Lima Bean

Whenever I hear someone

brag

How they've scored,

How they're never the lover

But the one who's adored,

I think of a little tale my mother told

When I was four or five years old.

A donkey fell in love

In Monterrey,

And morning, noon and night,

He'd sit and bray:

Ha-he-ha-hon,

Hon-ha-he-hay.

He sat and sang his song
As spring passed by,
But never did he hear
His love reply:
Ha-he-ha-hon,
Ha-he-ha-hon,
Hon-ha-he-hay.

He never stopped to think:
What does this silence mean?
For love seemed simply grand,
And he didn't understand
He'd fallen for a lima bean.

A little lima bean hanging on a green vine.

The lima bean was his,
And how he'd glow;
He could have sworn she smiled
When he would go:
Ha-he-ha-hon,
Ha-he-ha-hon,
Hon-ha-he-hay.

The other donkeys laughed
In Monterrey
At this poor little ass
Who sang away:
Ha-he-ha-hon,
Ha-he-ha-hon,
Hon-ha-he-hay.

He never stopped to ask:
What are they thinking of?
Because he'd never seen
Or heard that a lima bean
Was meant to eat
And not to love.

And then one day...

There came a drought and thus
His true love died,
And where she once had grown,
He sat and cried,
Ha-he-ha-hon,
Ha-he-ha-hon,
Hon-ha-he-hay.

A wise old llama passed

And heard his tale

And said, "Oh, little friend,

"You mustn't wail:

Ha-he-ha-hon,

Hon-ha-he-hay.

"Come let us build a shrine
"Upon this tiny plot,
"And though the others chide,
"You'll hold up your head with pride,
"For you have found
"What they have not."

And since the donkey's known
What love can be,
He works out in the sun
And sings with glee:
Ha-he-ha-hon,
Ha-he-ha-hon,
Hon-ha-he-hay.

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