The Wizard And I – English Lyrics

• By: Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Yeoh
• Album: Wicked - Music & Lyrics By Stephen Schwartz

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the world of Oz with "The Wizard And I," a powerful and emotional song from the musical phenomenon "Wicked." Sung by Cynthia Erivo, this track offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in English vocabulary related to dreams, ambition, and self-discovery. The song's expressive lyrics and compelling narrative make it a perfect entry point for understanding complex emotions and storytelling through music, revealing what makes Elphaba's journey so special and relatable.

[English]

Oh, miss Elphaba

Many years I have waited

For a gift like yours to appear

Why, I predict the wizard might make you his magic grand visir

My dear, my dear

I'll write at once to the wizard

Tell him of you in advance

With a talent like yours, dear

There is a definite chance

If you work as you should

You'll be making good

...

Welcome to Shiz

...

Did that really just happen?

Have I actually understood?

This weird quirk I've tried to suppress or hide

Is a talent that could help me meet the wizard

If I make good

So I'll make good

When I meet the wizard

Once I prove my worth

And then I meet the wizard

What I've waited for since, since birth

And with all his wizard wisdom

By my looks, he won't be blinded

Do you think the wizard is dumb?

Or like Munchkins, so small-minded? No!

He'll say to me, "I see who you truly are

A girl on whom I can rely"

And that's how we'll begin

The wizard and I

...

Once I'm with the wizard

My whole life will change

'Cause once you're with the wizard

No one thinks you're strange

No, father is not proud of you

No, sister acts ashamed

And all of Oz has to love you

When by the wizard you're acclaimed

And this gift or this curse I have inside

Maybe at last, I'll know why

As we work hand in hand

The wizard and I

And one day, he'll say to me

"Elphaba, a girl who is so superior

Shouldn't a girl who's so good inside

Have a matching exterior?

And since folks here to an absurd degree

Seem fixated on your verdigris

Would it be alright by you

If I de-greenify you?"

And though, of course, that's not important to me

"Alright, why not?" I'll reply

Oh, what a pair we'll be, the wizard and I

Yes, what a pair we'll be, the wizard and-

...

Unlimited

My future is unlimited

And I've just had a vision, almost like a prophecy

I know, it sounds truly crazy

And true, the vision's hazy

But I swear, someday there'll be

A celebration throughout Oz

That's all to do with me!

And I'll stand there with the wizard

Feeling things I've never felt

And though I'd never show it

I'd be so happy, I could melt

And so it will be for the rest of my life

And I'll want nothing else 'til I die

Held in such high esteem

When people see me, they will scream

For half of Oz's favorite team

The wizard and I

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
predict /prɪˈdɪkt/ B2	verb - to say what will happen before it occurs
wizard /ˈwɪz.ərd/ B2	noun - a person who has magical powers
appear /əˈpɪər/ B1	verb - to become visible or to come into sight
talent /ˈtæl.ənt/ B1	noun - a natural ability to do something well
chance /tʃæns/ B1	noun - the possibility of something happening
work /wɜːrk/ A2	verb - to do a task or job
understood /ˌʌn.dɚˈstʊd/ B1	verb - past tense of understand, to comprehend
quirk /kwɜrk/ B2	noun - a peculiar trait or idiosyncrasy
meet /miːt/ A2	verb - to come into the presence of someone
prove /pruːv/ B2	verb - to demonstrate the truth or existence of something
worth /wɜrθ/ B2	noun - the value or importance of something
wisdom /ˈwɪz.dəm/ C1	noun - the ability to make good decisions based on knowledge and experience
rely /rɪˈlaɪ/ B2	verb - to depend on or trust someone or something
align /əˈlaɪn/ C1	verb - to arrange in a straight line or proper position
feeling /ˈfiː.lɪŋ/ A2	noun - an emotional state or reaction
melt /melt/ B2	verb - to turn from solid to liquid by heat

Key Grammar Structures

• Many years I have waited

  ➔ Inversion with Adverbial Phrase of Time

  ➔ Normal word order is 'I have waited many years.' Inverting it to 'Many years I have waited' emphasizes the length of time. This is a literary device that can be used to add emphasis or create a more formal tone. This is especially common at the beginning of sentences.

• I predict the wizard might make you his magic grand visir

  ➔ Modal verb 'might' indicating possibility; Complex Object with verb 'make'

  ➔ 'Might' expresses a weaker possibility than 'will' or 'may'. 'Make you his magic grand visir' is a complex object structure. 'You' is the object, and 'his magic grand visir' is the object complement.

• There is a definite chance

  ➔ Existential 'There is' with an adjective modifying the noun.

  ➔ 'There is' introduces the existence of something. 'Definite' modifies 'chance', emphasizing the certainty of the possibility.

• This weird quirk I've tried to suppress or hide

  ➔ Relative Clause with Omitted Relative Pronoun

  ➔ The relative pronoun ('that' or 'which') is omitted from the relative clause 'I've tried to suppress or hide'. The full sentence would be: 'This weird quirk that I've tried to suppress or hide...'

• What I've waited for since, since birth

  ➔ Noun Clause as Subject; repetition for emphasis.

  ➔ 'What I've waited for since birth' is a noun clause acting as the subject of the sentence. The repetition of 'since' emphasizes the long period of waiting.

• A girl on whom I can rely

  ➔ Preposition 'on' + Relative Pronoun 'whom'

  ➔ 'Whom' is used as the object of the preposition 'on'. This is more formal than using 'who' or omitting the pronoun altogether (though 'who' is often acceptable informally).

• Shouldn't a girl who's so good inside / Have a matching exterior?

  ➔ Rhetorical Question with 'Shouldn't' + Relative Clause with reduced Relative Pronoun.

  ➔ The question is rhetorical because the wizard expects a 'yes' answer. 'Who's so good inside' is a reduced relative clause - 'who is'. This means part of the relative pronoun/verb has been omitted to make the clause shorter.

• Would it be alright by you / If I de-greenify you?

  ➔ Conditional sentence (type 2) using 'would' and 'if' to express a hypothetical situation; 'de-greenify' as neologism (verb creation).

  ➔ This is a polite request using a type 2 conditional. The wizard is hypothesizing about changing Elphaba's skin colour. 'De-greenify' is a created verb meaning 'to remove the green color'. This highlights the wizard's attempt to use language to make a potentially offensive request seem less so.