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The Dream Lyrics by Zero Mostel, Maria Karnilova, Fiddler on the Roof Ensemble

Fiddler on the Roof

1964

[TEVYE, spoken]
Help! Help! Help!

[GOLDE, spoken]
Tevye, Tevye, wake up!

[TEVYE, spoken]
Ah!

[GOLDE, spoken]
What's the matter with you?
Why are you howling like that?

[TEVYE, spoken]
Where is she? Where is she?

[GOLDE, spoken]
Where is who? What are you talking about?

[TEVYE, spoken]
Fruma-Sarah, the butcher's first wife
She was standing there a minute ago!

[GOLDE, spoken]
What's the matter with you, Tevye?
Fruma-Sarah's been dead for years
You must have been dreaming
Tell me what you dreamed, and I'll tell you what it meant

[TEVYE, spoken]
All right, only don't bе frightened!
In the bеginning, I dreamt that we were having a celebration of some kind
Everybody we knew was there
Musicians too
Suddenly, in comes your grandmother Tzeitel, may she rest in peace
Naturally, I went up to greet her
And she said:

[GRANDMA TZEITEL]
A blessing on your head

[RABBI]
Mazel tov, mazel tov

[GRANDMA TZEITEL]
To see your daughter wed

[RABBI]
Mazel tov, mazel tov

[GRANDMA TZEITEL]
And such a son-in-law
Like no one ever saw
The tailor Motel Kamzoil

[GOLDE, spoken]
Motel?

[GRANDMA TZEITEL]
A worthy boy is he

[RABBI]
Mazel tov, mazel tov

[GRANDMA TZEITEL]
Of pious family

[RABBI]
Mazel tov, mazel tov

[GRANDMA TZEITEL]
They named him after my
Dear uncle Mordecai
The tailor Motel Kamzoil

[GOLDE, spoken]
A tailor?
She must have heard wrong
She meant the butcher

[TEVYE]
You must have heard wrong, Grandma
There's no tailor
You mean a butcher, Grandma
By the name of Lazar Wolf

[GRANDMA TZEITEL]
No!
I mean a tailor, Tevye
My great-grandchild
My little Tzeitel who you named for me
Motel's bride was meant to be

For such a match I prayed

[ENSEMBLE]
Mazel tov, mazel tov

[GRANDMA TZEITEL]
In heaven it was made

[ENSEMBLE]
Mazel tov, mazel tov

[GRANDMA TZEITEL]
A fine upstanding boy
A comfort and a joy
The tailor Motel Kamzoil

[GOLDE, spoken]
But we announced it already
We made a bargain with the butcher

[TEVYE]
But we announced it, Grandma
To our neighbors
We made a bargain, Grandma
With the butcher Lazar Wolf

[GRANDMA TZEITEL]
No! No!
So you announced it, Tevye
That's your headache
And as for Lazar Wolf, I say to you
Tevye, that's your headache too

[ENSEMBLE]
A blessing on your house
Mazel tov, mazel tov
Imagine such a spouse
Mazel tov, mazel tov
And such a son-in-law
Like no one ever saw
The tailor Motel Kamzoil

[TEVYE, spoken]
It was a butcher!

[ENSEMBLE]
The tailor Motel Kamzoil

[TEVYE, spoken]
It's Lazar Wolf!

(sung)
The tailor Motel Kamzoil

[ENSEMBLE]
Sha! Sha!
Look, who is this? Who is this? Who comes here?
Who? Who? Who? Who? Who?
What woman is this
By righteous anger shaken?

[ENSEMBLE, variously]
Could it be?
Sure!
Yes it could!
Why not?
Who could be mistaken?

[ENSEMBLE]
It's the butcher's wife come from beyond the grave
It's the butcher's dear, darling, departed wife
Fruma-Sarah
Fruma-Sarah
Fruma-Sarah, Fruma-Sarah, Fruma-Sarah
Fruma-Sarah, Fruma-Sarah

[FRUMA-SARAH, spoken]
Tevye! Tevye!

[FRUMA-SARAH]
What is this about your daughter marrying my husband?

[ENSEMBLE]
Yes, her husband

[FRUMA SARAH]
Would you do this to your friend and neighbor Fruma-Sarah?

[ENSEMBLE]
Fruma-Sarah

[FRUMA-SARAH]
Have you no consideration for a woman's feelings?

[ENSEMBLE]
Woman's feelings

[FRUMA-SARAH]
Handing over my belongings to a total stranger

[ENSEMBLE]
Total stranger

[FRUMA-SARAH]
How can you allow it, how?
How can you let your daughter take my place?
Live in my house?
Carry my keys?
And wear my clothes?
Pearls?
How?

[ENSEMBLE]
How can you allow your daughter to take her place?

[FRUMA-SARAH]
Pearls!

[ENSEMBLE]
House!

[FRUMA-SARAH]
Pearls!

[ENSEMBLE]
Keys!

[FRUMA-SARAH]
Pearls!

[ENSEMBLE]
Clothes!

[FRUMA-SARAH]
Pearls!

[ENSEMBLE]
How?

[FRUMA-SARAH]
Such a learned man as Tevye wouldn't let it happen

[ENSEMBLE]
Let it happen

[FRUMA-SARAH]
Tell me that it isn't true and then I wouldn't worry

[ENSEMBLE]
Wouldn't worry

[FRUMA-SARAH]
Say you didn't give your blessing to your daughter's marriage

[ENSEMBLE]
Daughter's marriage

[FRUMA-SARAH]
Let me tell you what will follow such a fatal wedding

[ENSEMBLE]
Fatal wedding

(spoken)
Shh

[FRUMA-SARAH]
If Tzeitel marries Lazar Wolf
I pity them both
She'll live with him three weeks
And when three weeks are up
I'll come to her by night
I'll take her by the throat
And this I'll give your Tzeitel
That I'll give your Tzeitel
This I'll give your Tzeitel
Here's my wedding present if she marries Lazar Wolf!

[ENSEMBLE screams]

[GOLDE & TEVYE, spoken]
Ai! Ai! Ai! Ai! Ai! Ai!
It's an evil spirit! (Oh!)
Let it fall into the river! (Oh!)
Let it sink into the earth! (Oh!)
Such a dark and horrible dream! (Oh!)
And to think, it was brought on by that butcher! (Oh!)

[GOLDE, spoken]
If my grandma Tzeitel, may she rest in peace
Took the trouble to come all the way from the other world
To tell us about the tailor
Then all we can say is that it's all for the best
Couldn't possibly be any better
Amen

[TEVYE, spoken]
Amen!

[GOLDE]
A blessing on my head
Mazel tov, mazel tov
Like Grandma Tzeitel said
Mazel tov, mazel tov
We'll have a son-in-law
Like no-one ever saw
The tailor Motel Kamzoil

[TEVYE]
We haven't got the man

[GOLDE]
Mazel tov, mazel tov

[TEVYE]
We had when we began

[GOLDE]
Mazel tov, mazel tov

[TEVYE]
But since your grandma came
She'll marry... what's his name?

[GOLDE, spoken]
The tailor Motel Kamzoil

[GOLDE & TEVYE]
The tailor Motel Kamzoil
The tailor Motel Kamzoil
The tailor Motel Kamzoil

About “The Dream” by Zero Mostel

Read the complete lyrics to "The Dream" by Zero Mostel, Maria Karnilova, Fiddler on the Roof Ensemble from the album "Fiddler on the Roof" in 1964. 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.

"The Dream" is performed by Zero Mostel, Maria Karnilova, Fiddler on the Roof Ensemble. from the album "Fiddler on the Roof" in 1964 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 "The Dream", explore more songs by Zero Mostel, Maria Karnilova, Fiddler on the Roof 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.

View all songs and biography for Zero Mostel · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"The Dream" is credited to Zero Mostel, Maria Karnilova, Fiddler on the Roof Ensemble. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"The Dream" appears on "Fiddler on the Roof" in 1964.

Visit the Zero Mostel, Maria Karnilova, Fiddler on the Roof Ensemble artist page at /artist/zero-mostel for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.


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