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Color and Light Lyrics by Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters

Sunday in the Park with George (Original Cast Recording)

1984

[GEORGE, spoken]
Order. 
Design. 
Composition. 
Tone. 
Form. 
Symmetry. 
Balance. 
More red...
And a little more red...
Blue blue blue blue
Blue blue blue blue
Even... even...
Good
Bumbum bum bumbumbum
Bumbum bum...
More red...
More blue...
More beer...
More light!
Color and light
There's only color and light
Yellow and white
Just blue and yellow and white
Look at the air, miss—
See what I mean?
No, look over there, miss—
That's done with green...
Conjoined with orange...
[DOT, spoken]
Nothing seems to fit me right. The less I wear, the more comfortable I feel. 
(sung)
More rouge...
(spoken)
George is very special. Maybe I am just not special enough for him. 
(sung)
If my legs were longer...
If my bust was smaller...
If my hands were graceful...
If my waist was thinner...
If my hips were flatter...
If my voice was warm...
If I could concentrate—
I'd be in the Follies!
I'd be in a cabaret!
Gentlemen in tall silk hats
And linen spats
Would wait with flowers
I could make them wait for hours
Giddy young aristocrats
With fancy flats
Would drink my health
And I would be as
Hard as nails...
And they'd only want me more—
If I was a Folly girl...
Nah, I wouldn't like it much
Married men and stupid boys
And too much smoke and all that noise
And all that color and light...
[GEORGE, spoken]
Aren't you proper today, miss? Your parasol so properly cocked, your bustle so perfectly upright. And you, sir. Your hat so black. So black to you, perhaps. So red to me. 
[DOT]
None of the others worked at night...
[GEORGE, spoken]
So composed for a Sunday. 
[DOT]
How do you work without the right—
Bright—
White—
Light?
How do you fathom George?
[GEORGE]
Red red red red
Red red orange
Red red orange
Orange pick up blue
Pick up red
Pick up orange
From the blue-green blue-green
Blue-green circle
On the violet diagonal
Di-ag-ag-ag-ag-ag-o-nal-nal
Yellow comma yellow comma
Numnum num numnumnum
Numnum num...
Blue blue blue blue
Blue still sitting
Red that perfume
Blue all night
Blue-green the window shut
Dut dut dut
Dot Dot sitting
Dot Dot waiting
Dot Dot getting fat fat fat
More yellow
Dot Dot waiting to go
Out out out
No no no George
Finish the hat finish the hat
Have to finish the hat first
Hat hat hat hat
Hot hot hot it's hot in here...
Sunday!
Color and light!
[DOT, spoken]
But how George looks. He could look forever. 
[GEORGE]
There's only color and light
[DOT, spoken]
As if he sees you and he doesn't all at once. 
[GEORGE]
Purple and white...
[DOT, spoken]
What is he thinking when he looks like that?
[GEORGE]
...And red and purple and white!
[DOT, spoken]
What does he see? Sometimes, not even blinking. 
[GEORGE]
Look at this glade, girls
Your cool blue spot
[DOT, spoken]
His eyes. So dark and shiny. 
[GEORGE]
No, stay in the shade, girls
It's getting hot...
[DOT, spoken]
Some think cold and black. 
[GEORGE]
It's getting orange...
[DOT]
But it's warm inside his eyes...
[GEORGE]
Hotter...
[DOT]
And it's soft inside his eyes...
And he burns you with his eyes...
[GEORGE, spoken]
Look at her looking. 
[DOT]
And you're studied like the light
[GEORGE, spoken]
Forever with that mirror. What does she see?
[DOT]
And you look inside the eyes
[GEORGE, spoken]
The pink lips, the red cheeks...
[DOT]
And you catch him here and there
[GEORGE, spoken]
The wide eyes. Studying the round face, the tiny pout...
[DOT]
But he's never really there
[GEORGE]
Seeing all the parts and none of the whole. 
[DOT]
So you want him even more
[GEORGE]
But the way she catches light...
[DOT]
And you drown inside the eyes...
[GEORGE]
And the color of her hair...
[GEORGE & DOT]
I could look at her / him forever...
[GEORGE, spoken]
It's going well. 
[DOT, spoken]
Should I wear my red dress or blue?
[GEORGE, spoken]
Red. 
[DOT, spoken]
Aren't you going to clean up?
[GEORGE, spoken]
Why?
[DOT, spoken]
The Follies, George!
[GEORGE, spoken]
I have to finish the hat. 
Damn! The Follies. Will she yell or stay silent? Go without me or sulk in the corner? Will she be in the bed when the hat and the grass and the parasol have finally found their way?
(sung)
Too green
(spoken)
Do I care?
(sung)
Too blue
(spoken)
Yes. 
(sung)
Too soft
(spoken)
What should I do?
Well...
Red.
Credits
Mandy Patinkin

Mandy Patinkin

Bernadette Peters

Bernadette Peters

About “Color and Light” by Mandy Patinkin

Read the complete lyrics to "Color and Light" by Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters from the album "Sunday in the Park with George (Original Cast Recording)" in 1984. 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.

"Color and Light" is performed by Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters. from the album "Sunday in the Park with George (Original Cast Recording)" in 1984 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 "Color and Light", explore more songs by Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters 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

"Color and Light" is credited to Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Color and Light" appears on "Sunday in the Park with George (Original Cast Recording)" in 1984.

Visit the Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters artist page at /artist/mandy-patinkin for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.