What You Want With Bess? Lyrics – Porgy & Bess Cast

What You Want With Bess? Text

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BESS
What you want wid Bess?
She's gettin' ole now;
Take a fine young gal
For to satisfy Crown.
Look at this chest
An' look at these arms you got.
You know how it always been with me,
These five years I been yo' woman,
You could kick me in the street,
Then when you wanted me back,
You could whistle, an' there I was
Back again, lickin' yo' hand.
There's plenty better lookin' gal than Bess.

Can' you see, I'm with Porgy,
Now and forever
I am his woman, he would die without me.
Oh, Crown, won't you let me go
to my man, to my man.
He is a cripple an' needs my
love, all my love.
What you want wid Bess? Oh, let
me go to my man. . .

CROWN
What I wants wid other woman,
I gots a woman, yes,
An' dat is you, yes, dat is you, yes,
I need you now an' you're mine
jus' as long as I want you.
No cripple goin' take my woman from me.
You got a man tonight an' that is
Crown, yes, Crown, yes
Crown.
You're my woman, Bess, I'm tellin'
you, now I'm your man.

(Pressing her very close)

BESS
What you want with Bess?
(Boat whistles)
Lemme go, Crown dat boat,
it's goin' without me!

CROWN
You ain't goin' nowhere!

BESS
(Weakening)
Take yo' hands off me, I
say, yo' hands, yo' hands,
yo hands.
(Crown kisses her passionately)

CROWN
I knows you' ain' change - wid you
and me it always be the
same. Git in dat thicket.