Are You a Man? - Daniel Breaker, Bryce Pinkham, Colin Donnell

Consider what you first did swear unto,

To fast, to study, and to see no woman

But here’s the trick: it’s flat treason

against the kingly state of youth

Your stomachs are too young to fast,

and abstinence will make you sick

We made a vow to study lords, and

in that vow we have forsworn our books,

We’ve lost the war

For when would you, or you, or you

have ever found such words in books

as the poems you’ve sang before for love?

What is a vow except to be broken?

What is an oath except to be unspoken?

What is contract but a meaningless token?

Are you a man or just the plan your parents made?

Are you a man or just a flannel suit waiting to get paid?

Are you a man or just some Bran Flakes and another inside trade?

Love courses swift as thought

in every power,

and gives to every power,

a double power,

A lover’s eye will gaze an eagle blind,

A lover’s ear will hear the lowest sound

Are you a man or just a Xanax and a bleeding ulcer?

Are you a man or just a fantasy football girl-repulser?

Are you a man and can you learn to see,

That women are the arts, the books, the academes

That teach and show and nourish all the world?

Then fools you were!

These women to forswear or keeping,

What is sworn you will prove fools!

For wisdom’s sake, a word that all men love,

Or for love’s sake, a word that loves all men,

Or for men’s sake, the authors of these women,

Or for women’s sake, by whom we men are men!

(All)

Are you a man

(Longaville)

or just a can of old ideas and words?

(All)

Are you a man

(Dumaine)

or just a channel playing Revenge of the Nerds?

(All)

Are you a man

(Berowne)

or just an MBA candidate who followed the herd?

(Speaking)

(Longaville)

Shall we resolve to woo these girls?

(Dumaine)

And win them too!

(Berowne)

Let us do as brave Armado would,

(King)

Yes, we’ll devise some European entertainment to make them ours!

(Singing)

(All)

Love is learning,

And the heart and brain are one,

Love is learning,

And before this night is done,

(Speaking)

(Berowne)

Away, away!

By dawn we will with some strange performance solace them,

(Dumaine)

With music!

(King)

Dance!

(Longaville)

Disguises and merry hours!

(Berowne)

Forerun fair Love, strewing her way with flowers!

(Singing)

(Armado, in Spanish)

Pues, ¿sos un hombre o sólo haces lo que tus papas te dicen?

(English: Well, are you a man or do you only do what your parents tell you?)

(Speaking)

(King)

Armado, conduct the women hither for a show!

(Berowne)

But do stay for one more !

(Singing)

(All)

Let’s lose our oaths to find ourselves,

Not lose ourselves to keep our oaths,

We’ll learn to love our ladies, then

Our learning will surely make us men!

(At the same time)

(Berowne and King)

Are you a man or just the plan your parents made?

Are you a man or just a flannel suit waiting to get paid?

Are you a man or just some Bran Flakes and another inside trade?

(Longaville)

Let’s lose our oaths to find ourselves,

Not lose ourselves to keep our oaths,

We’ll learn to love our ladies, then

(Dumaine and Armado)

What is a vow except to be broken?

What is an oath except to be unspoken?

What is contract but a meaningless token?

(All)

Let’s lose our oaths to find ourselves,

Not lose ourselves to keep our oaths,

We’ll learn to love our ladies, then

Our learning will surely make us men!