Rufus Wainwright Does Kurt Weill

- Oh, it's a long, long while From May to December And the days grow short When you reach September When the autumn weather Turns the leaves to flame One hasn't got time For the waiting game Oh, the days dwindle down To a precious few September November And these few precious days I'll spend with you These precious days I'll spend with you When you meet with a young man early in spring They caught you in song and rhyme They woo you with words and a clover ring But if you examine the goods they bring They have little to offer but the songs they sing And a plentiful waste of time of day A plentiful waste of time Oh, it's a long, long while From May till December Oh, the days dwindle down To a precious few September November And these few precious days I'll spend with you These precious days I'll spend with you-u-u-u-u I'll spend with you-u-u-u-u [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you so much.

Wow.

Thank you.

[ Chuckles ] [ Cheers and applause continue ] So, I had no idea that it was Kurt Weill's birthday today.

That kind of struck me pretty hard by the side of the stage.

But these songs -- I mean, I've loved them for forever, really.

But about a year ago, I did my first residency at the Carlyle Hotel in New York.

And I performed most of these numbers there.

That's where I really got into the material.

So we're kind of on steroids tonight [laughs] which is amazing.

And yeah, we're gonna -- Yeah.

Let's keep it.

And this is definitely New York- sounding, this next one.

Here we go.

We're in America.

Here we go.

-1, 2, 3, 4.

[ Intro to "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" plays ] - Tell me, is love still a popular suggestion Or merely an obsolete art?

Forgive me for asking this simple question I'm unfamiliar with his heart I'm a stranger here myself Why is it wrong to murmur I adore him When it's shamefully obvious I do?

Does love embarrass him, or does it bore him?

I'm only waiting for my cue I'm a stranger here myself I dream of the day, of a gay, warm day With my face between his hands Have I lost the path?

Have I gone astray?

I ask and no one understands Love me or leave me?

That seems to be the question I don't know the tactics to you But if he should offer a personal suggestion How could I possibly refuse When I'm a stranger here myself?

Please tell me, tell a stranger, my curiosity goaded Is there really any danger that love is now outmoded?

I'm interested, especially in knowing why you wasted it Is romance just too fleshly?

With what have you replaced it?

What is your latest foible?

Is gin rummy more exquisite?

Is skiing more enjoyable?

For heaven's sakes, what is it?

I can't believe that love has lost its glamour And passion is really pass If gender is just a term in grammar How can I ever find my way When I'm a stranger here myself?

How can he ignore my available condition?

Why these Victorian views?

You see here before you a woman with a mission I must discover the key to his ignition And, then, if he should make a diplomatic proposition How could I possibly refuse When I'm a stranger here myse-e-e-e-e-lf?

[ Cheers and applause ] Thank you.

Phew!

Yeah, that was from a show called "A Touch of Venus," I think.

And so I was channeling Ava Gardner there, 'cause I think she did a movie of it.

Now out of the frying pan a little bit, into the fire.

Now we are going back to Berlin, to a very heady time.

And this is a song which is -- oddly enough, I find a lot of his Berlin material is eerily kind of eerily -- kind of eerily reminds me of today.

[ Laughs ] And especially this next one.

This is a song called "The Muscles " -- or how do you say it?

-- "Die Muschel von Margate."

Yeah, yeah.

"The Seashells of Margate."

And it's all about -- Well, you'll see what it's about.

We can relate to it today.

Here we go.

[ Intro to "Die Muschel von Margate" plays ] - In Margate, on the promenade Where the tourists sit when it's fine There stood an old man selling souvenirs With a big, tin shell as a sign That old man had a pail of painted shells for sale And everyone could hear him yell Shell!

Shell!

Shell!

Seashells from Margate Act like a charm Seashells with gold decorations Seashells from Margate Cannot do you harm Keep the memory warm Reminding you of happy vacations In Margate, on the promenade There's a stink to raise the dead Where once a pail of seashells stood There's an oil tank now instead The old man had a son who found A fortune buried underground And now the son prefers to sell Shell!

Shell!

Shell!

Seashells from Margate act like a charm Seashells with gold decorations Seashells from Margate cannot do you harm Keep the memory warm Responding to your great expectations And as the oil began to flow To the seaside town of ours They hanged a lot of Bolsheviks From the Baku drilling towers They showed that they were loyal By turning blood to oil A thousand corpses make a well Shell!

Shell!

Shell!

Seashells from Margate act like a charm Seashells with gold decorations Seashells from Margate cannot do you harm Keep the memory warm Recording mass exterminations And as the summer sun shines bright On that seaside town of ours The oil began to catch a light And the land remained unscarred The whole world was aflame But oil was our country's name And all the rest can go to hell Shell!

Shell!

Shell!

Seashells from Margate Act like a charm Seashells with gold decorations Seashells from Margate cannot do you harm Not until we arm For the final confrontation [ Cheers and applause ] There we go.

So [laughs] this next song -- I guess arguably this next one is the toughest of the evening, so we're getting it done early.

[ Laughter ] And it's called "The Matrosen Song."

And, uh... Okay.

I'll see you on the other side.

[ Laughter ] Maybe I'll take the mic off.

This might require... [ Scattered cheers ] ...all of my strength.

Here we go.

-1, 2, 1, 2.

[ Intro to "Was Die Herren Matrosen Sagen" plays ] - Hey there, we're sailing off to Burma this evening With enough good scotch on board to float all the way Plus a crate of cigars, Henry Clay Had it up to here with girls, so we're leaving 'Cause it's time to start a brand-new day Yes, it's time to start a brand-new day Now we never, ever smoke other brands of cigars And this leaky tub will barely get us to Burma And we don't need that God who's up there in the stars And we don't need all these laws on terra firma So alright, goodbye, and the ship sails away And it may reach Rangoon and ask for God Well, we don't get him And it may be that God feels just the same about us So let's hope he doesn't let it upset him And alright, goodbye, we're off on the sea And it's who gives a damn?

Life's perfect 'cause nothing is missing And your dreams of glory, just take 'em and scram The whole world's a pot, and we're... Oh, the sea is blue, so blue And all the world goes on its way And when the day is over We start another day Oh, the sea is blue, so blue And that's just how it's gonna stay Oh, the sea is blue, so blue Oh, the sea is blue, so blue Oh, the sea is blue, so blue The sea is blue Hey there, we might go to a movie if you want to They'll make us pay, we don't care, me and you We won't grow our gray hairs, not until they do People like us are entitled to a bit of fun, too 'Cause there's not a thing that we have to do No, there's not a thing that we have to do Now, we never smoke cigars that cost less than 5 cents And that cheap bread gives us indigestion And we don't give a damn what makes other guys tense And as for soul-searching, there's just no question That's not why we're here And our life sails away, and who knows where it ends?

And as for God, well, let's forget him And it may be that God feels just the same about us So let's hope he won't let it upset him Yeah, why should we care?

Our lives are our own and we don't give a damn Life's perfect 'cause nothing is missing And your dreams of glory, just take 'em and scram The whole world the pot and we're... Oh, the sea is blue, so blue And all the world goes on its way And when the day is over We start another day Oh, the sea is blue, so blue And that's just how it's gonna stay Oh, the sea is blue, so blue Oh, the sea is blue, so blue Oh, the sea is blue, so blue The sea is blue Now all we need is for a storm to blow up.

Relax.

There's the docks of Rangoon up ahead.

Hey, wait.

That's only a bank of black clouds in the air.

Jesus.

And the waves are going crazy out there.

Jesus.

In a minute, the whole lot of us will be dead.

Well, we knew we'd have to die somewhere Yeah, we knew we'd have to die somewhere Down goes the ship And soon the sea washes over Nothing but sharks down there To show a drowned man the way Scotch is of no use to them Crates of Henry Clay Where they're going There are no girls who need a lover They won't ever see another day They won't ever see another day And the water comes up, and the ship's going down And as for a harbor, we don't get one Just a wreck of a ship and a glimpse of a shore But of course one can't let it upset one So alright, goodbye, then For once, we don't hear all that big talk in the air And the big talkers suddenly look smaller And they're down on their knees And mumbling about their father who's up there And they're starting to weigh the sins their souls must bear And that's how they die And now let me tell you a fact that you ought to know When you stand before the throne When your Lord is sitting You may have been bragging a lifetime or so But now when it matters, you're... Oh, the sea is blue, so blue And all the world goes on its way But when the day is over There is no other day Oh, the sea is blue, so blue And we don't have that long to stay Oh, the sea is blue, so blue Oh, the sea is blue, so blue Oh, the sea is blue, so blue The sea is blu-u-u-u-u-u-e The sea is blu-u-u-u-u-u-e [ Cheers and applause ] - I've been running through rains And the wind that follows after For one certain face And an unforgotten laughter I've been following signs I've been searching through the lands For a certain pair of arms And a certain pair of hands Yes, I looked everywhere You can look without wings And I found a great variety Of interesting things But it never was you It never was anywhere you An occasional sunset reminded me Or a flower hanging high on a tulip tree Or one red star hung low in the west Or a heartbreak call from the meadowlarks' nest Made me think for a moment Maybe it's true I found her in the star In the cold, in the blue But it never was you It never was anywhere you Anywhere Anywhere you-u-u-u-u-u-u Anywhere Anywhere you-u-u-u-u-u-u Anywhere you-u-u-u-u-u-u [ Cheers and applause ] Thanks so much.

Thank you.

So, I... For those of you who don't know, I grew up in Montreal, Quebec.

[ Cheers and applause ] So je parle franais.

[ Speaking French ] Merci.

And so I -- Yeah.

So, I love Kurt Weill because he wrote such beautiful French songs, as well.

And what's very interesting about doing this concert is that his American songs, his German songs, and his French songs, though they have similar Weillian [chuckles] traits, there is actually a distinct difference between all three.

And I was thinking with the German -- well, with the French ones, it was really important for me to really read the score and really get every note exactly right.

It has this sort of almost, like, impressionistic, where like one little dash just changes the whole thing.

With a German one, you just can't stop.

You just can't stop in the German ones.

Just don't stop.

Keep going.

So now we're getting more into the impressionistic world.

And this is a beautiful song called "Youkali," which I have to say, singing it in this theater this afternoon is a real thrill.

It really evokes what this place must have been like when it first opened back in the day.

So yeah, think of Gloria Swanson somewhere in the room.

Okay.

[ Scattered applause ] -1, 2.

[ Intro to "Youkali" plays ] - C'est presqu'au bout du monde Ma barque vagabonde Errant au gr de l'onde M'y conduisit un jour L'le est toute petite Mais la fe que l'habite Gentiment nous invite A en faire le tour Youkali, c'est le pays de nos dsirs Youkali, c'est le bonheur, c'est le plaisir Youkali, c'est la terre o l'on quitte tous les soucis C'est, dans notre nuit, comme une claircie L'toile qu'on suit C'est Youkali Youkali, c'est le respect de tous les voeux changs Youkali, c'est le pays des beaux amours partags C'est l'esprance qui est au coeur de tous les humains La dlivrance que nous attendons tous pour demain Youkali, c'est le pays de nos dsirs Youkali, c'est le bonheur, c'est le plaisir Mais c'est un rve, une la folie Il n'y a pas de Youkali Mais c'est un rve, une la folie Il n'y a pas de Youkali Et la vie nous entrane Lassante, quotidienne Mais la pauvre me humaine Cherchant partout l'oubli A, pour quitter la terre Su trouver le mystre O nos rves se terrent En quelque Youkali Youkali, c'est le pays de nos dsirs Youkali, c'est le bonheur, c'est le plaisir Youkali, c'est la terre o l'on quitte tous les soucis C'est, dans notre nuit, comme une claircie L'toile qu'on suit C'est Youkali Youkali, c'est le respect de tous les voeux changs Youkali, c'est le pays des beaux amours partags C'est l'esprance qui est au coeur de tous les humains La dlivrance que nous attendons tous pour demain Youkali, c'est le pays de nos dsirs Youkali, c'est le bonheur, c'est le plaisir Mais c'est un rve, une la folie Il n'y a pas de Youkali Mais c'est un rve, une la folie Il n'y a pas De Youka-a-a-a-li-i-i-i-i De Youka-a-a-a-li-i-i-i-i [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you so much.

So, I have a lot of Germans in my life.

[ Laughs ] My husband, Joern, who's here tonight, is from Germany.

And Chris is from Germany here.

And, so, I -- And of course Kurt Weill was German.

So I felt the need to sing one German song [chuckles] in German.

It's very short.

And... It's very beautiful.

But what's funny is that I actually chose one of the hardest words to say in German, which is "fuerchte."

[ Laughter ] "Fuerchte."

And this a song called "Fuerchte Dich Nicht," which is not easy to say even for German people.

So I'm just -- Whatever.

Never -- I never escape.

So here we go.

Do not despair.

[ Laughter ] [ Intro to "Fuerchte Dich Nicht" plays ] Fuerchte dich nicht Fuerchte dich nicht Sitzest du auch im Suendenpfuhl Gottes Arm verlaesst dich nicht Er setzt dich auf den goldenen Stuhl Fuerchte dich nicht Fuerchte dich nicht Fuerchte dich nicht Fuerchte dich nicht Fuerchte dich nicht Fuerchte dich nicht Fuerchte dich nicht [ Cheers and applause ] This one is -- This next one's a lot of fun.

So now we're gonna have fun again.

Now we're gonna finally have fun.

[ Laughter ] It's about someone who dies really young.

Okay.

[ Laughter ] Here we go.

-1, 2.

[ Intro to "The Sage of Jenny" plays ] - There once was a girl named Jenny Whose virtues were varied and many Excepting that she was inclined Always to make up her mind And Jenny points a moral With which you cannot quarrel As you will find - Who's Jenny?

Never heard of Jenny Jenny is out of place - I am sure the court will find Jenny is immortal And has a bearing on this case Jenny made her mind up when she was 3 She herself was gonna trim the Christmas tree Christmas Eve, she lit the candles Tossed the tapers away Little Jenny was an orphan on Christmas Day Poor Jenny, bright as a penny Her equal would be hard to find She lost one dad and mother, a sister and a brother But she would make up her mind Jenny made her mind up at 22 To get herself a husband was a thing to do So she got herself all dolled up in her satin and furs And she got herself a husband, but he wasn't hers Poor Jenny, bright as a penny Her equal would be hard to find Deserved a bed of roses, but history discloses That she would make up her mind Jenny made her mind up at 39 She would take a trip to the Argentine She was only on vacation, but the Latins agree Jenny was the one who started the Good Neighbor Policy Poor Jenny, bright as a penny Her equal would be hard to find Oh, passion does not vanish in Portuguese or Spanish But she would make up her mind Jenny made her mind up at 75 She would live to be the oldest woman alive But gin and rum and destiny play funny tricks And poor Jenny kicked the bucket at 76 Jenny points a moral with which one cannot quarrel Makes a lot of common sense Jennie and her saga prove that you are gaga if you don't keep sitting on the fence Jennie and her story point the way to glory To all men and womankind Anyone with vision comes to this decision Don't make up, you shouldn't make up You mustn't make up, oh, never make up Anyone with vision comes to this decision Don't make up your mi-i-i-i-i-nd Don't make up your mi-i-i-i-i-nd [ Cheers and applause ] -Okay, now, I wanted to, also, in this concert -- as I said, I'm familiar with pretty much all of these songs except -- And so I wanted to sing something that I'd never heard before, that I didn't know.

And so I discovered this very odd song.

And I'm sure there's many odd songs that he wrote.

[ Laughs ] But this one especially kind of struck me.

It's called -- Well, is it called "Will you Remember me?"

Is that -- "Will You Remember Me?"

I don't know where it's from or why it exists.

[ Chuckles ] But -- Okay.

Just listen to the lyrics.

Really listen to the lyrics, and think of... Think of dark things.

[ Laughter ] Think of dark things.

[ Intro to "Will You Remember Me?"

plays ] Oh, love, will you keep me in mind When they've taken your life away?

When your voice goes back to the wind And the light goes out of your day?

Though they dismember you I shall remember you Till the hair on my head is thin And my lips are gray But when you're but a memory Will you, can you remember me?

Oh, love, when my eyes are gone blind And the moss on my stone is gray And the worms on my corpse have dined In the dark of the sunken clay Though they dismember me Still I remember thee Till your figure is bent and thinned In a far-off day But when I'm but a memory Still, then, even, then Will you remember me-e-e-e?

Will you remember me-e-e-e?

[ Cheers and applause ] [ Intro to "Surabaya Johnny" plays ] I had just turned 16 that season When you came up from Burma to stay And you told me I ought to travel with you You were sure it would be okay When I asked how you earn your living I can still hear what you said to me You had some kind of job on the railway And had nothing to do with the sea You said a lot, Johnny, all one big lie, Johnny You cheated me blind, Johnny, from the minute we met I hate you so, Johnny When you stand there grinning, Johnny Take that damn pipe out of your mouth, you rat.

Surabaya Johnny No one's meaner than you Surabaya Johnny My God, I still love you so.

Surabaya Johnny Why am I feeling so blue?

You have no heart, Johnny And I still love you so At the start, every day was Sunday Till we went on our way one fine night And before two more weeks were over You thought nothing I did was right So we trekked up and down through the Punjab From the source of the river to the sea When I look at my face in the mirror There's an old woman staring back at me You didn't want love, Johnny, you wanted cash, Johnny But I saw your lips, Johnny, and that was that You wanted it all, Johnny, I gave you more, Johnny Take that damn pipe out of your mouth, you rat.

Surabaya Johnny No one's meaner than you Surabaya Johnny My God, I still love you so.

Surabaya Johnny Why am I feeling so blue?

You have no heart, Johnny And I still love you so-o-o And I still love you so-o-o I would never have thought of asking How you got that peculiar name But from one end of the coast to the other You were known everywhere we came And one day, in a two-bit flophouse I'll wake up to the roar of the sea And you'll leave me without one word of warning On a ship waiting down at the quay You have no heart, Johnny, you're just a louse, Johnny How could you go, Johnny, and leave me flat?

You're still my love, Johnny, like the day we met, Johnny Take that damn pipe out of your mouth, you rat.

Surabaya Johnny No one's meaner than you And I still love you so.

Surabaya Johnny Why am I feeling so blue?

You have no heart, Johnny And I still love you so-o-o And I still love you so-o-o [ Cheers and applause ] -Rufus Wainwright.

[ Cheers and applause ] And the Pacific Jazz Orchestra.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Thank you.

[ Intro to "Mack the Knife" plays ] Thank you all for coming tonight.

[ Chuckles ] [ Cheers and applause ] Drive home safely.

And... stay dry.

Und der Haifisch, der hat Zaehne Und die traegt er im Gesicht Und MacHeath, der hat ein Messer Doch das Messer sieht man nicht An 'nem schoenen blauen Sonntag Liegt ein toter Mann am Strand Und ein Mensch geht um die Ecke Den man Mackie Messer nennt On the sidewalk, Sunday morning Lies a body oozing life Someone's sneaking 'round the corner Is that someone Mack the Knife?

There's a tugboat by the river Where a cement bag's droppin' on down That cement is there It's there for the weight, dear Bet you that Mackie's back in town Did you hear about Louie Miller?

He disappeared, babe After drawing out all his hard-earned cash And Mackie spends like a sailor Has our boy done something rash?

Oh, Jenny Diver Sukey Tawdry And Miss Lotte Lenya And old Lucy Brown Oh, the line forms on the right, dear Now that Mackie's back in town Jenny Diver Sukey Tawdry Oh, Miss Lotte Lenya And old Lucy Brown Oh, the line forms to the right, dear Now that Mackie's Mackie's back in to-o-o-o-wn Look out.

Old Mackie's back.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Thank you so much.

We did it!

I think we did it.

[ Cheers and applause ]