“YOU GOTTA KNOW THE TERRITORY”
What Up Yo.
I used to watch this one with my Mom. I had forgotten the music, why I liked it, then I watched a few days ago…and watching the opening number “Rock Island” (they did a great job touching this BluRay up. Video & Sound) hurled me backwards in time to 1981, being a kid, sitting with Mom and watching this…memories I always appreciate.
The opening number to me is gasoline. High octane.
Listening to them perform this…watching them perform this…me and the lady have been watching This scene over and over for the past few nights….they don’t write songs like this for musicals anymore.
And Robert Preston, amazing.
Now this was acting. These were larger than life performances. All of them. Even little Ron Howard.
Maybe a musical from 1962 isn’t your thing?
Well just sit back & give her five minutes. You may want to know what the hell they are saying.
Lyrics below video.
You’re welcome.
The Music Man Rock Island
The Music Man • Rock Island
SALES MAN 1:
Cash for the merchandise.
Cash for the buttonhooks.
SALES MAN 2:
Cash for the cotton goods
Cash for the hard goods.
SALES MAN 1:
Cash for the fancy goods
Cash for the soft goods.
SALES MAN 2:
Cash for the noggins,
and the piggins,
and the firkins.
SALES MAN 3:
Cash for the hogshead cask and demijohn.
Cash for the crackers, and the pickles, and the flypaper.
SALES MAN 4:
Look, what do you talk?
What do you talk?
What do you talk?
What do you talk?
What do you talk?
SALES MAN 5:
Where do you get it?
SALES MAN 4:
What do you talk?
SALES MAN 1:
You can talk, you can talk, you can bicker, you can talk.
You can bicker, bicker, bicker, you can talk
You can talk.
You can talk, talk, talk, bicker, bicker, bicker.
You can talk all you wanna, but it’s different than it was.
CHARLIE:
No it aint, no it aint, but you gotta know the territory!
SALES MAN 3:
Well, it’s the model “T” Ford made the trouble.
Made the people wanna go, wanna get, wanna get, wanna get out and go.
7,8,9,10,12,14, 22, 23 miles to the county seat.
SALES MAN 2:
Yes, sir, yes, sir!
SALES MAN 3:
Who’s gonna patronize a little 2 by 4 kind of store anymore?
SALES MAN 4:
What do you talk?
What do you talk?
SALES MAN 5:
Where do you get it?
SALES MAN 3:
Gone!
Gone!
SALES MAN 1:
Gone with the hogshead cask and demijohn.
Gone with the sugar barrel, pickle barrel, milk pan,
Gone with the tub and the pail and the fierce.
SALES MAN 6:
Ever meet a fellow by the name of Hill?
SALES MAN 1:
Hill?
CHARLIE:
Hill!
SALES MAN 2:
Hill?
SALES MAN 3:
Hill?
SALES MAN 4:
Hill?
SALES MAN 5:
Hill?
SALES MAN 7:
Hill?
SALES MAN 6:
Hill!
ALL:
No!
SALES MAN 1:
Never heard of any salesman Hill.
SALES MAN 6:
Now he doesn’t know the territory.
SALES MAN 1:
Doesn’t know the territory?
SALES MAN 2:
What’s the fellows line?
SALES MAN 6:
Never worries ’bout his line.
SALES MAN 1:
Never worries ’bout his line?
SALES MAN 6:
Or a doggone thing.
He’s just a bang beat, bell ringing, big haul, great go, neck or nothing, rip roarin, every time, a bull’s eye salesman.
That’s Professor Harold Hill, Harold Hill.
SALES MAN 5:
What’s the fellows line?
What’s his line?
CHARLIE:
He’s a fake and he doesn’t know the territory!
SALES MAN 4:
Look, what do ya talk?
What do ya talk?
What do ya talk?
What do ya talk?
SALES MAN 6:
He’s a music man.
SALES MAN 1:
He’s a what?
SALES MAN 2:
He’s a what?
SALES MAN 6:
He’s a music man, and he sells clarinets to the kids in the town with the big trombones and the rat-a-tat drums,
big brass bass, big brass bass, and the piccolo, the piccolo with the uniforms too, with a shiny gold braid on the
coat and a big red stripe runnnin…
SALES MAN 1:
Well, I don’t know much about bands, but I do know you can’t make a living selling big trombones, no sir.
Mandolin picks, perhaps and here and there a Jew’s harp…
SALES MAN 6:
No, the fellow sells bands, boys bands. I don’t know how he does it but he lives like a king and he dallies
and he gathers and he plucks and shines and when the man dances, certainly boys, what else?
The piper pays him.
Yes sir.
Yes sir.
Yes sir.
Yes sir,
When the man dances, certainly boys, what else?
The piper pays him.
Yes sir,
Yes sir…
CHARLIE:
But he doesn’t know the territory!
The Music Man Art And Stills:
