Page type: lyric reference
Artist: Patti LuPone
Canonical path: /patti-lupone/poor-thing
Related lyric paths: 6
Lyric guide
Poor Thing
Read Poor Thing lyrics by Patti LuPone on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
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Lyrics
Poor Thing
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Mrs. Lovett:
There was a barber and his wife,
And he was beautiful,
A proper artist with a knife,
But they transported him for life.
And he was beautiful...
[Spoken]
Barker his name was-- Benjamin Barker.
Todd: [Spoken]
Transported? What was his crime?
Mrs. Lovett: [Spoken]
Foolishness.
He had this wife, you see,
Pretty little thing.
Silly little nit
Had her chance for the moon on a string--
Poor thing, poor thing.
There were these two, you see,
Wanted her like mad,
One of 'em a judge,
T'other one his beadle.
Every day they'd nudge
And they'd wheedle.
Still she wouldn't budge
From her needle.
Too bad. Pure thing.
So they merely shipped the poor blighter off south, they did,
Leaving her with nothing but grief and a year-old kid.
Did she use her head even then? Oh no, God forbid!
Poor fool.
Ah, but there was worse yet to come--
Poor thing.
[Spoken]
Johanna, that was the baby's name.
Pretty little Johanna...
Todd: [Spoke]
Go on.
Mrs. Lovett: [Spoken]
My, but you do like a good story, don't you?
Well, Beadle calls on her, all polite,
Poor thing, poor thing.
The judge, he tells her, is all contrite,
He blames himself for her dreadful plight,
She must come straight to his house tonight!
Poor thing, poor thing.
Of course, when she goes there,
Poor thing, poor thing,
They're havin' this ball all in masks.
There's no one she knows there,
Poor dear, poor thing,
She wanders tormented, and drinks,
Poor thing.
The judge has repented, she thinks,
Poor thing.
"Oh, where is Judge Turpin?" she asks.
He was there, all right--
Only not so contrite!
She wasn't no match for such craft, you see,
And everone thought it so droll.
They figured she had to be daft, you see,
So all of 'em stood there and laughed, you see.
Poor soul!
Poor thing!
Todd: [Spoken]
Would no one have mercy on her!
Mrs. Lovett: [Spoken]
So it is you-- Benjamin Barker.
Todd: [Spoken]
Not Barker! Not Barker! Todd now! Sweeney Todd!
Mrs. Lovett: [Spoken]
Oh, you poor thing. You poor thing. Wait!
See! When they come for the little girl, I hid 'em. I thought,
Who knows? Maybe the poor silly blighter'll be back again
Someday and need 'em. Cracked in the head, wasn't I?
Times as bad as they are, I could have got five, maybe ten
Quid for 'em, any day. See? You can be a barber again.
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Who performs "Poor Thing"?
Patti LuPone performs "Poor Thing", and this lyric page sits inside the Patti LuPone catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "Poor Thing"?
Yes. The related section below points to A New Argentina and Buenos Aires with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Patti LuPone?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Patti LuPone's lyric pages.
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