Songs from Victorian Days
Music by Chester Tan
“Babashop Quartet” The Straits Chinese (Babas) of Singapore demand more representation of the people, in the colonial Government of Singapore.
Babashop Quartet by Four Babas
Men from Whitehall try to rule us
Half the time they’re really clueless—
Only make our life get tougher—
Never care for how we suffer –
CHORUS Co-lo- nialists – Co- lo-nial!
We send our memorials for the Governor’s ear:
He pretends to listen, but he don’t really hear.
We have men on Council, minority of two,
Lonely Opposition, not much they can do.
CHORUS Only a to ---ken -- Opposition ---
We made our grave appeal, to protect the public health –
But the British Government won’t spend the wealth.
Won’t the Colonialists -- give us what we need,
Or do we only - -- pay for Empire’s greed!
CHORUS We just pay and pay! (You pay I pay he pays
She pays They pay Who pays It pays) we just pay and pay
Hear the studio version of this song!
A SONG IN THE SILENCE
Tonight my heart is sad
I wonder if the sun will rise
the air is still
and dark the skies.
It seems that nothing dares to move,
Afraid to try, afraid to try
It seems the silence will go on
Till hope must die,
Till hope will die.
Till I hear a sound –
I hear one note and it lifts my heart,
one bird singing to welcome the dawn,
one ray of sunlight breaks through the cloud,
the light keeps growing and the day is born.
Sometimes it seems that nothing can be done,
no use to try, no use to try.
It seems one effort all alone
will fail and die, is doomed to die.
And then I hear --
A bird that sings though the world is dark,
One voice lifted to challenge the night,
One spark glowing that grows to a fire
And hope comes back and the world is light …
I will be the spark, I will be the song ---
Let me be the song in the silence
Let me be the flame in the night
The dream that hold a shining hope
That brings us to the light –
I will be the flame, I will be the song!
Albert recovers from despair and resolves to be the One Voice that will speak for the people of Singapore.
Sung by Leslie Tay
FREEDOM DAWNING
Look, a new day is dawning,
Watch for the sun to rise,
ALL (join in slowly)
We can see the future coming,
before our eyes.
When the seeds we’ve sown come to harvest
And trees we planted grow tall
We’ll hail the promise given
Of peace and hope for all!
Chorus
We will see our freedom dawning,
A light upon this land,
When we sing one song together,
when we rise and take our stand,
When our people find their voices,
When our hearts are no longer dumb,
On a day when a nation rejoices,
One day -- to come!
Stand up proudly together,
Finding that we are strong,
When, all our hearts united,
We sing one song!
Chorus
We will see our freedom dawning,
A future to change this land,
When we sing one song together,
when we rise and take our stand,
When our people find their voices,
When our hearts are no longer dumb,
One day when a nation rejoices,
When a nation rejoices,
The day -- will come!
It will come, It will come!
Albert leads the people to an awakening of national comsciousness, that will one day result in independence and freedom for Singapore
Sung by Leslie Tay and ensemble