A Weekend in the Country Songtext
von Stephen Sondheim

Look, ma′am, an invitation
Here, ma'am, delivered by hand
And, ma′am, I notice the station-
Ary's engraved and very grand
Petra, how too exciting!
Just when I need it!
Petra, such elegant writing
So chic you hardly can read it!
What do you think?
Who can it be?
Even the ink--
No, here, let me
"Your presence"--just think of it, Petra!
"Is kindly"--it's at a chateau!
"Requested"--etcetera, etcetera
"Madame Leonora Armf--" Oh, no!


A weekend in the country--
We′re invited?
What a horrible plot!
A weekend in the country--
I′m excited!
No, you're not
A weekend in the country, just imagine--
It′s completely depraved
A weekend in the country!
It's insulting
It′s engraved

It's that woman, it′s that Armfeldt!
Oh, the actress?
No, the ghoul!
She may hope to make her charm felt
But she's mad if she thinks I would be such a fool
As to weekend in the country
How insulting!
And I've nothing to wear
A weekend in the country--
Here! The last place I′m going is there


Guess what? An invitation!
Guess who? Begins with an "A."
"Armfeldt"--is that a relation
To the decrepit Desiree?
Guess when we′re asked to go, sir?
See, sir, the date there
Guess where? A fancy chateau, sir!
Guess, too, who's lying in wait there
Setting her traps
Fixing her face--
Darling, perhaps
A change of pace--
Oh, no!

A weekend in the country
Would be charming
And the air would be fresh
A weekend with that woman?
In the country--
In the flesh
I′ve some business with her mother
See, it's business
Oh, no doubt!
But the business with her mother
Would be hardly the business I′d worry about
Just a weekend in the country--
Smelling jasmine--
Watching little things grow
A weekend in the country
Go!
My darling, we'll simply say no
Oh

A weekend!
How very amusing
A weekend!
But also inept
A weekend; of course, we′re refusing
Au contraire! You must accept!
Oh, no
A weekend in the country--
But it's frightful!
No, you don't understand
A weekend in the country
Is delightful
If it′s planned
Wear your hair down, and a flower
Don′t use makeup, dress in white
She'll grow older by the hour
And be hopelessly shattered by Saturday night
Spend a weekend in the country
We′ll accept it!
I'd a feeling you would

A weekend in the country--
Yes, it′s only polite that we should
Good

Well?
I've an intriguing little social item--

What?
Out of the Armfeldt family manse
Well, what?
Merely a weekend, still, I thought it might amusing
Use you to know
Who′s invited to go
This time with his pants
You don't mean
I'll give you three guesses
She wouldn′t
Reduce it to two
It can′t be
It nevertheless is
Egerman!
Right! Score one for you
A-ha!
A-ha!
A-ha
A-ha?

A weekend in the country
We should try it
How I wish we'd been asked
A weekend in the country
Peace and quiet--
We′ll go masked
A weekend in the country
Uninvited?
They'll consider it odd
A weekend in the country
I′m delighted
Oh, my god
And the shooting should be pleasant
If the weather's not too rough
Happy birthday, it′s your present
But--
You haven't been getting out nearly enough
And a weekend in the country--
It's perverted!
Pack my quiver and bow
A weekend in the country--
At exactly 2: 30, we go
We can′t
We shall!
We shan′t!
I'm getting the car
And we′re motoring down
Yes, I'm certain you are
But I′m staying in town
Go and pack my suits! We'll go
I won′t! Oh, good!
I won't! Oh, good!

My boots! We will?
Pack everything I own that shoots!
We should
No! Pack everything white
Charlotte! Ma'am, it′s wonderful news!
I′m thinking it out. Are you sure it's all right?
Charlotte! We′d be rude to refuse
There's no need to shout. Then we′re off!
We are?
Charlotte!
We'll take the car!
All right, then--
We′ll bring champagne and caviar!
We're off on our way
What a beautiful day
For a weekend in the country
So inactive
That one has to lie down
A weekend in the country
Where--

A weekend in the country, the bees in their hives
The shallow worldly figures, the frivolous lives
The devil's companions know not whom they serve
It might be instructive to observe

We′re off! We are?
We′ll take the car!
We'll bring champagne
There′s no need to shout
We're off on our way
What a beautiful day
With riotous laughter, we quietly suffer
The season in town, which is reason enough for

A weekend in the country
How amusing
How delightfully droll
A weekend in the country
While we′re losing
Our control
A weekend in the country
How enchanting
On the manicured lawns
A weekend in the country
With the panting
And the yawns
With the crickets and the pheasants
And the orchards and the hay
With the servants and the peasants
We'll be laying our plans while we′re playing croquet
For a weekend in the country
So inactive
That one has to lie down
A weekend in the country
Where
We're twice as upset as in
Twice as upset as in
Twice as upset as in
Twice as upset as in

Charlotte, We're
A weekend!
Are you sure
Twice as upset as in
We′re going! Uninvited!
A weekend!
You want to go?
Charlotte, We′re
A weekend!
Are you sure
Twice as upset as in
We're going! Uninvited!
A weekend!
You want to go?
Charlotte, We′re
A weekend!
Are you sure
Twice as upset as in
We're going! Uninvited!
A weekend!
You want to go
Charlotte, We′re
A weekend!
Away and leave
Twice as upset as in
We're going! Uninvited!
A weekend!
Go and leave
We should
A weekend!
Twice as upset as in
Stay in
Town!