Masquerade Lyrics

Chorus & Crowd
Masquerade! /Paper faces on parade/Masquerade! /Hide your face so the world will never find you/Masquerade! /Every face a different shade/Masquerade! /Look around, there's another mask behind you.

Flash of mauve/Splash of puce/Fool and king/Ghoul and goose/Green and black/Queen and priest/Trace of rouge/Face of beast/Faces!/Take your turn, take a ride/On the merry-go-round/in an inhuman race/Eye of gold/True is false/Who is who?/Curl of lip/Swirl of gown/Ace of hearts/Face of clown/Faces!/Drink it in, drink it up/Till you've drowned/In the light/In the sound/But who can name the face?

Masquerade! /Grinning yellows, spinning reds/Masquerade! /Take your fill, let the spectacle astound you/Masquerade! /Burning glances, turning heads/Masquerade!/Stop and stare at the sea of smiles around you/Masquerade!/Seething shadows breathing lies/Masquerade!/You can fool any friend who ever knew you/Masquerade!/Leering satyrs, peering eyes/Masquerade!/Run and hide, but a face will still pursue you.

Carlotta
What a night!

Firmin
What a crowd!

Andre
Makes you glad

Firmin
Makes you proud! All the crème, De la crème

Madame Giry Overlapping
Watching us

Meg Overlapping
Watching them

Carlotta Overlapping
All our fears are in the past

Andre
Three months

Piangi
Of relief!

Carlotta
Of delight!

Andre
Of Elysian peace!

Piangi
And we can breathe at last.

Carlotta
No more notes

Piangi
No more ghost

Madame Giry
Here's a health

Andre
Here's a toast, to a prosperous year

Firmin
To our friends who are here

Piangi & Carlotta
And may the splendor never fade!

Firmin/Andre
What a blessed release!

Madame Giry
And what a masquerade!

Christine
Think of it
Spoken
A secret engagement. Look, your future bride. Just think of it.

Raoul Spoken
But, why is it secret? What have we to hide? You promised me.

Christine Spoken
No, Raoul, please don't, they'll see.

Raoul Spoken
Well then let them see. It's an engagement, not a crime.
Sung
Christine, what are you afraid of?

Christine & Raoul in parenthesis
Let's not argue(Let's not argue)/Please pretend (I can only hope)/You will understand in time (I'll understand in time)

Chorus/Crowd
Masquerade!/Paper faces on parade/Masquerade!/Hide your face so the world will never find you/Masquerade!/Every face a different shade/Masquerade!/Look around, there's another mask behind you/Masquerade!/Burning glances, turning heads/Masquerade!/Stop and stare at the sea of smiles around you/Masquerade!/Grinning yellows, Spinning reds/Masquerade!/Take your fill, let the spectacle astound you.

Voices fade and turn to gasps as th lights dim and the Phantom appears at the top of th stairways

Phantom
Why so silent, good Messieurs?/Did you think that I had left you for good?/Have you missed me, good Messieurs?/I have written you an opera./Here, I bring the finished score./Don Juan Triumphant!/Fondest greetings to you all/A few instructions just before rehearsal starts/Carlotta must be taught to act/Not her normal trick of strutting round the stage/Our Don Juan must lose some weight/It's not healthy in a man of Piangi's age/And my managers must learn that their place is in an office/Not the arts/As for our star, Miss Christine Daae...

No doubt she'll do her best/It's true, her voice is good/She knows, though/Should she wish to excell/She has much still to learn/If pride will let her return to me, her teacher/Her teacher...

Phantom
Your chains are still mine,
spoken
You belong to me!

The Phantom runs to the middle of the stairway and disappears into the floor hidden by fire. Raoul jumps intoo the hole in the floor with sword in hand and the floor closes again