Assassins (musical)

"(CzoIgosz everyone speaking) I did it because it was wrong for one man to have so much service when other men have none... (Booth) I did it to bring down the government of Abraham Lincoln and to avenge the ravaged South... (Hinckley) I did it to prove to her my everlasting love... (Fromme) I did it to make them listen to Charlie... (Zangara) I did it 'cause my belly was on fire... (Guiteau) I did it to preserve the Union and promote the sale of my book... (Moore) I did it so my friends would know where I was coming from..."

"(Byck sung) Where's my prize? (Czolgosz spoken) I did it because no one cared about the poor man's pain... (Moore spoken)I did it so I'd know where I was coming from... (Byck) I want my prize... (Zangara spoken)I did it 'cause the bosses made my belly burn... (Hinckley spoken)I did it so she'd pay attention... (Moore spoken) So I'd have someplace to come from, and someplace to go... (Byck) Don't I get a prize? (Guiteau spoken) I did it 'cause they said I'd be Ambassador to France... (Booth) I did it so they'd suffer in the North the way we'd suffered in the South..."

"(Byck) I deserve a fucking prize!... (Fromme spoken) I did it so there'd be a trial, and Charlie would get to be a witness, and he'd be on TV, and he'd save the world!... (Guiteau) Where's my prize? (Byck spoken) I did it to make people listen. (Czolgosz and Fromme) They promised me a prize... (Hinckley yelling) Because she wouldn't take my phone calls- (All assassins (Except Zangara))What about my prize? (Zangara yelling) Because nothing stopped the fire-! (All Assassins (Except Byck)) I want my prize!... (Byck yelling) Nobody would listen!"

"(Balladeer) And it didn't mean a nickel, You just shed a little blood, And a lot of people shed a lot of tears. Yes, you made a little moment And you stirred a little mud- But it didn't fix the stomach And you've drunk your final Bud, And it didn't help the workers And it didn't heal the country And it didn't make them listen And they never said, "We're Sorry"-"

"(Byck) Yeah, it's never gonna happen, Is it? No, sir- (Czolgosz) Never. (Byck) No, we're never gonna get the prize- (Fromme) No one listens... (Byck) -Are we? (Zangara) Never (Byck) No, it doesn't make a bit of difference, Does it? (Assassins) Didn't. Ever. (Byck) Fuck it! (Assassins) Spread the word... Where's my prize?..."

"(Balladeer) I just heard On the news Where the mailman won the lottery. Goes to show: When you lose, what you do is try again. You can be What you choose, From a mailman to a president. There are prizes all around you, If you're wise enough to see: The delivery boy's on Wall Street, And the the usherette's a rock star-"

"(Byck)Right, it's never gonna happen, is it? Is it! (Hinckley and Fromme) No, man! (Byck and Czolgosz) No, we'll never see the day arrive- (Assassins) Spread the word... Will we? No, sir-Never! No one's ever even gonna care if we're alive, Are they?... Never... Spread the word... We're alive... Someone's gonna listen... Listen!"

"(Byck) Listen... There's another national anthem playing, Not the one you cheer At the ballpark. (Moore) Where's my prize?... (Byck)It's the other national anthem, saying, If you want to hear- It says, "Bullshit!"... (Czolgosz) It says, "Never!"- (Guiteau) It says, "Sorry!"- (Assassin) Loud and clear-"

"(Assassins) It says: Listen To the tune that keeps sounding In the distance, on the outside, Coming through the ground, To the hearts that go on pounding To the sound Getting louder every year- Listen to the sound... Take a look around... We're the other national anthem, folks, The ones that can't get in. To the ballpark. Spread the word... There's another national anthem, folks, For those who never win, For the suckers, for the pikers, For the ones who might have been..."

"(Balladeer) There are those who love regretting, There are those who like extremes, There are those who thrive on chaos And despair. There are those who keep forgetting How the country's built on dreams- (Assassins) People listen... (Balladeer) -And the mailman won the lottery- (Assassins) They might not want to hear it, But they listen, Once they think it's gonna stop the game... (Balladeer) -And the usherette's a rock star. (Assassins) No, they may not understand All the words, All the same They hear the music... They hear the screams... (Balladeer) I've got news- (Assassins) They hear the sobs, They hear the drums... (Balladeer) -You forgot about the country- (Assassins) The muffled drums, The muffled dreams... (Balladeer) -So it's now forgotten you- (Assassins) And they rise..."

"(Byck spoken) You know why I did it? Because there isn't any Santa Claus! (Assassins) Where's my prize? (Balladeer) And you forgot- (Assassins) What's my prize? (Balladeer) -How quick it heals- (Assassins) Promises and lies... (Balladeer) -That it's a place Where you can make the lies come true- (Assassins) Spread the word... (Balladeer) -If you try- (Assassins) Gotta spread the word... (Balladeer) -That's all you have to do- (Assassins) Right, All you have to do..."

"(Assassins) Well, there's another national anthem, And I think it just began In the ballpark. Listen hard... Like the other national anthem Say to each and every fan: If you can't do what you want to, Then you do the things you can. You've got to try again! Like they say, You've go to keep on trying Every day Until you get a prize... Until you get a prize... Until you're heard... Mustn't get discouraged... Spread the word... Mustn't give up hope... Up to you- Don't say--What you choose... -It's never gonna happen... Spread the word... (All) You can always get a prize..."

"(Booth) You can always get your dream..."

"(Byck) Sure, the mailman won the lottery..."

"Everybody's got the right to be happy, don't stay mad, life's not as bad as it seems! If you keep your goal in sight, you can climb to any height, anybody's got the right to their dreams.." - "Everybody's Got the Right""

"Everybody's got the right to some sunshine! Not the sun, but maybe one of its beams! - Everybody's Got the Right"

"Everybody's got the right to their dreams! - Everybody's Got the Right"

"What a wonder is a gun! What a versatile invention! First of all, when you've a gun-Everybody pays attention. When you think what must be done, Think of all that it can do: Remove a scoundrel, Unite a party, preserve the Union, Promote the sales of my book, Ensure my future, My niche in history, And then the world will see That I am not a man to overlook!" - Guiteau, "The Gun Song"

"A gun claims many men before it's done. - Czolgosz, "The Gun Song"

"You know [Brutus'] name. Brutus assassinated Caesar what, 2000 years ago, and here's a high school dropout with a dollar-twenty-five an hour job from Dallas, Texas who knows who he was. And they say fame, is fleeting. - John Wilkes Booth, "November 22, 1963""

"Angry men don't write the rules, and guns don't right the wrongs." - "The Ballad of Booth""

"Hunt me Down, Smear my name, Say I did it for the fame what I did was kill the man who killed my country"-John Wilkes Booth, "The Ballad of Booth"

""Let them curse me to hell,"

"Look on the bright side, look on the bright side, sit on the right side of the lord--this is the land of opportunity; he is your lightning, you his sword!-Guiteau, The Ballad of Guiteau"

"Byck: Have it your way, have it your way! You know what my way is? Hot. How's about a hamburger that's fuckin' hot!? [throws his burger out the window; a car honks] Hey don't blame me, I'm from Massachusetts!"

"John Wilkes Booth: Sic Semper Tyrannis! [Echoes throughout the theater]."

"Emma Goldman: What does a man do when before his eyes, he sees the vision of a new hope dawning on his toiling, agonizing brothers? What does a man do, when at last he is realizes that his suffering is caused not by cruelty of fate, but by the injustice of his fellow human being? What does a man do when he sees those dear to him starving, when he himself is starved? What does he do? What does he do? What--[sound of whistles, shouts, curses, chairs being turned over.]"