Lyrics: William Finn
Music: William Finn
GORDON
Ponies in the sun
The race is soon beginning
My father bet the fam’ly fortune
On a sleek brown horse
My father had a hunch
We gave up lunch
So daddy could make a wager
Ma would scoff
She would scoff
hear her scoff
And they’re off
OTHERS
La la la la la la la la
GORDON
Yeah, they’re off
OTHERS
La la la la la la la la la la la
GORDON
And they move in a herd
Like a four-letter word
And they’re off
OTHERS
La la la la
GORDON
Tickets flow to the ground
And the band starts to play as the horses go round
ALL
And they’re off
GORDON
Mommy sat and cried
But dad was unaffected
He said,
“Have you ever had a better two minutes
In the last three years?”
we said,
“But dad, the dumb horse lost.”
He said,
“Sometimes joy has a terrible cost."
I know that
Ma would scoff
Woo she would scoff
Hear her scoff
And they’re off
OTHERS
La la la la la la la la
GORDON
Yeah, they’re off
OTHERS
La la la la la la la la la la la
GORDON
Mommy’s biting his neck
As they roll on the deck
And they’re off
OTHERS
La la la la
GORDON
there is blood on the ground
And the band starts to play as the horses go round
ALL
And they’re off
GORDON
Isn’t life funny?
People lose money
And have fun
Betting of course is
Hell on the horses
And on families where the betting is done
It’s a joke to believe someone’s won
All they did was fight
Plus they discussed the weather
My father bet the family fortune
‘Til it disappeared
We also laughed a lot
That was the thing I often forgot
To tell you
But it’s true
Yes, it’s true
It is true
And he’s off
OTHERS
La la la la la la la la
GORDON
Daddy’s off
OTHERS
La la la la la la la la la la la
GORDON
We get letters from maine
Where he tries to explain
Why he’s off
OTHERS
La la la la
GORDON
What was lost, was not found
And the band starts to play as the horses go round
ALL
And they’re o-o-o-o-o-off
GORDON
And they’re off!
OTHERS
i hear the bell at the starting gate
GODON
Hey, they’re off
OTHERS
we're salivating as their moving moving down
GORDON
And they move in a herd
Like a four-letter word
And they’re off
OTHERS
Coming down the stretch
GORDON
Then there’s blood
OTHERS
Then there’s blood
GORDON
On the ground
OTHERS
On the ground
GORDON
And the band starts to play as the horses go round
And round
OTHERS
And round
GORDON
And around
OTHERS
And around
GORDON
And around
OTHERS
And around
GORDON
And around
OTHERS
And around
GORDON
And around…
OTHERS (as Gordon sings)
And round and round and round and round and round and round-
ALL
And they’re off!