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Gesticulate Lyrics by Henry Calvin, Joan Diener, Alfred Drake, Kismet Ensemble

Kismet: A Musical Arabian Night (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

1953

[WAZIR]
The things a merciful and clement
Wazir must endure!
[LALUME]
How surely one can tell the expert
From the amateur!
[THE POET]
Dear hand, deft hand
Clever and facile extremity
Fond companion to me
From my birth
Sweet hand, swift hand
Spinner of fable and fantasy
Faithful friend of my art
Would they rend us apart
Leaving no finger or fist there
But just the hint of a wrist there?
Where then my spirited wit, my mercurial charm?
Am I fated to sit with an elbow and arm
And no digits to top them off
If thеy lop them off!
[WAZIR'S COUNCIL]
Well said a plea as еver
Moved a man to shed a tear!
Well said, but not said enough
If we know of our Wazir
[THE POET]
How could I plead with you
How could I pray to you?
How intercede with you
What could I say to you?
[WAZIR & THE POET]
(This is becoming a bore!)
Like a dog with no tail
(Drag this debris out the door!)
Like a spoutless whale
(A bore! A bore!)
[THE POET, WAZIR & WAZIR'S COUNCIL]
Like an elephant sunk if you cut off its trunk!
(So do as I ordered before!)
(Drag this debris out the door!)
[LALUME]
Hold! I'd like to hear a little more
[THE POET]
When you tell a story
Amorous or gory
You can tell it best if you gesticulate
Suppose the mighty Sinbad
Meets a Djin who's been bad
They will guess the rest if you gesticulate!
A tongue is a tongue
And a lung is a lung
And a tale that can shout or sing
Without the gesture - nothing!
Should Scheherazade
Undulate her body
That can be expressed if you gest-
Can be assessed if you gest-
She'll be undressed if you gesticulate!
If I tell you I was walking by the sea
And found a Genie in a bottle
That's trite
[WAZIR'S COUNCIL]
Quite!
For practically everyone has seen a Genie
Someone had to throttle
In a bottle!
[THE POET]
Right!
But if I say the bottle was so teenie!
[WAZIR'S COUNCIL]
So teenie!
[THE POET]
And so was the Genie
[WAZIR'S COUNCIL]
So was the Genie
[THE POET]
Until with trembling hand
I pulled the cork
And threw the jug
And covered up my eyes
And the smoke began to curl
And the smoke began to swirl
And it curled and it swirled
And it swirled and it curled
As higher it did rise
Till it was so high
[WAZIR'S COUNCIL]
So high!
[THE POET]
And so was the Genie!
[WAZIR'S COUNCIL]
So was the Genie!
[THE POET & WAZIR'S COUNCIL]
Then two great arms reached down
(Two great arms?)
And lifted me up! Up! Up! (Up! Up! Up!)
Into the sky (So high! So high!)
And we did fly (And we did fly)
The Genie and I (How he did fly!)
We did sail! (Did sail!)
Did sail! (Did sail!)
Is this a tale? (This is a tale!)
Are you convinced? (We are convinced)
You see? (You see? You see?)
[THE POET]
For the facile finger
Listeners will linger
They will be impressed if you gest-
Applaud with zest if you gest-
If it's a question of a story, gory
Sinbad in bad, bottle, smoke, Genie, arms
Fly sky high
I state, reiterate
[THE POET & WAZIR'S COUNCIL]
Gesticulate
[THE POET & WAZIR'S COUNCIL]
With your hands! (With your hands!)
Credits
Henry Calvin

Henry Calvin

Joan Diener

Joan Diener

Alfred Drake

Alfred Drake

Kismet Ensemble

Kismet Ensemble

About “Gesticulate” by Henry Calvin

Read the complete lyrics to "Gesticulate" by Henry Calvin, Joan Diener, Alfred Drake, Kismet Ensemble from the album "Kismet: A Musical Arabian Night (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 1953. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Broadway, Musicals, Pop.

"Gesticulate" is performed by Henry Calvin, Joan Diener, Alfred Drake, Kismet Ensemble. from the album "Kismet: A Musical Arabian Night (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 1953 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Gesticulate", explore more songs by Henry Calvin, Joan Diener, Alfred Drake, Kismet Ensemble using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Gesticulate" is credited to Henry Calvin, Joan Diener, Alfred Drake, Kismet Ensemble. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Gesticulate" appears on "Kismet: A Musical Arabian Night (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 1953.

Visit the Henry Calvin, Joan Diener, Alfred Drake, Kismet Ensemble artist page at /artist/henry-calvin for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.