Sigh No More, Ladies (mp3 Sample)

Much Ado About Nothing, Act II, Scene 3

Lyrics

Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,

Men were deceivers ever,

One foot in sea and one on shore,

To one thing constant never:


Then sigh not so, but let them go,

And be you blithe and bonny,

Converting all your sounds of woe

Into Hey nonny, nonny.


Sing no more ditties, sing no moe,

Of dumps so dull and heavy;

The fraud of men was ever so,

Since summer first was leafy:


Then sigh not so, but let them go,

And be you blithe and bonny,

Converting all your sounds of woe

Into Hey nonny, nonny.

About the Song

The court musician, Balthasar, sings this song during the hilarious "deception scene" in Much Ado About Nothing. It is part of an elaborate scheme to convince Benedick - who has sworn never to marry or fall in love - that his arch-rival Beatrice is in love with him.

Shakespeare at Winedale assistant director Madge Darlington wrote this jazzy New-Orleans-style version of the song for a 1920's-themed production of Much Ado in the summer of 1996.

Though Balthasar is written as a male part, the song is here imagined with a female singer - performed by Kim Nagy in her best Ethel Merman impersonation.

Track Info

Lyrics by William Shakespeare.

Music by Madge Darlington.

Arranged by Dog Legs & Feet.

Musicians: