William Shakespeare: All the World's a Stage

This song is adapted from William Shakespeare’s play, As You Like It. With a few choice words from Hamlet as well as a last line that’s all my own. All the Worlds a Stage lyrics All the world’s a stageAll the men and women merely playersThey have their exits and their entrancesAnd one man in his time plays many partsHis acts being seven ages At first, the infantMewling and puking in the nurse’s arms Then the whining schoolboyWith his satchel and shining morning faceCreeping like a snail unwillingly to school And then the lover sighing like a furnaceWith a woeful ballad to his mistress’ eyebrow Then a soldier full of strange oathsAnd bearded like the pardJealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrelSeeking the bubble reputationEven in the cannon’s mouth And then the justiceIn fair round belly with good capon linedWith eyes severe and beard of formal cutFull of wise saws and modern instancesAnd so he plays his part The sixth age shifts into the leanAnd slippered pantaloonWith spectacles on nose and pouch on sideHis youthful hose, well savedA world too wide for his shrunk shankHis big manly voice turning againToward childish treblePipes and whistles in his sound The last scene of allThat ends this strange eventful historyIs second childishness and mere oblivionSans teeth, sans eyessans taste, sans everything The rest is silenceThe rest is silenceCool, cold, quiet Heroes for Today is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Heroes for Today at heroesfortoday.substack.com/subscribe