Your servant! Your servant!
Indeed I'm not you servant
(Although you give me less than servant's pay)
I'm a free and independent employe... employee.
Because I'm a woman
You think, like ev'ry woman
I have to be a slave or concubine-
You conceited, self-indulgent libertine!...libertine
How I wish I called him that! Right to his face! Libertine!
And while we're on the subject, sire,
There are certain goings on around this place
That I wish to tell you I do not admire:
I do not like polygamy
Or even moderate bigamy
(I realize
That in your eyes
That clearly makes a prig o' me)
But I am from a civilized land called Wales
Where men like you are locked in county gaols (jails)!
In your pursuit of pleasure, you
Have mistresses who treasure you
(They have no ken
of other men
Beside whom they can measure you)
A flock of sheep and you're the only ram-
No wonder you're the wonder of Siam!
I'm rather glad I didn't say that... not with the women right
there... and the children
The children, the children,
I'll not forget the children,
No matter where I go I'll always see
Those little faces looking up at me...
Your majesty,
Shall It tell you what I think of you?
You're spoiled!
You're a conscientious worker
But your spoiled.
Giving credit where it's due
There is much I like in you
But it's also very true
That your spoiled!
Everybody's always bowing
To the King
Everybody has to grovel
To the King.
By your Buddha you are blessed
By your ladies you're caressed,
But the one who loves you best is the King.
All that bowing and kow-towing
To remind you of your royalty,
I find a most disgusting exhibition.
I wouldn't ask a Siamese cat
To demonstrate his loyalty
By taking this ridiculous position
How would you like it if you were a man
Playing the part of a toad.
Crawling around on your elbows and knees.
Eating the dust of the road!...
Toads! Toads! All of your people are toads!
Yes, Your Majesty; No, Your Majesty.
Tell us how low to go, Your Majesty;
Make some more decrees, Your Majesty,
Don't let us up off out knees, Your Majesty.
Give us a kick, if you please Your Majesty
Give us a kick, if you would, Your Majesty-
Oh, That was good, Your Majesty!
In Richard Rodgers's song Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You? from The King and I, a strong-willed and independent woman speaks out against the patriarchal society she finds herself in. The singer declares that she is not a servant, but a "free and independent employee," refusing to be treated as a subordinate simply because she is a woman. She criticizes the Siamese king for his egotism and the mistreatment of his wives as mere possessions. Despite her strong words, however, she chooses to hold back from speaking her true feelings to the king in person, recognizing the power dynamics at play and the danger of speaking out of turn. Instead, she advocates for the rights of the children in the kingdom, reminding the king of their important role in shaping the future.
Your servant! Your servant!
It seems like you believe I am your servant, but I am not.
Indeed I'm not you servant
I assure you that I am not your servant.
(Although you give me less than servant's pay)
Even though I am not your servant, you do not compensate me fairly.
I'm a free and independent employe... employee.
I am an employee, but I am not bound to serve you as a servant.
Because I'm a woman
You treat me as if I am inferior simply because I am a woman.
You think, like ev'ry woman
You assume, like most men do, that I must be subservient because I am a woman.
I have to be a slave or concubine-
You believe that I must either be a slave or a concubine because of my gender.
You conceited, self-indulgent libertine!...libertine
You are arrogant and self-indulgent, and your behavior is immoral and licentious.
How I wish I called him that! Right to his face! Libertine!
I wish I had the courage to call you out and give you the proper insult, libertine.
And while we're on the subject, sire,
Since we are speaking about this topic, your Highness,
There are certain goings on around this place
I have noticed some things occurring here.
That I wish to tell you I do not admire:
I want to let you know that I do not approve of these things.
I do not like polygamy
I disapprove of polygamy.
Or even moderate bigamy
I also do not approve of even moderate bigamy.
(I realize
(I am aware
That in your eyes
That from your perspective
That clearly makes a prig o' me)
You likely view my disapproval of these practices as prudish or overly strict.
But I am from a civilized land called Wales
I come from a place called Wales, which is a civilized and cultured society.
Where men like you are locked in county gaols (jails)!
In Wales, men who behave like you are often imprisoned in county jails to pay for their actions.
In your pursuit of pleasure, you
Because you pursue pleasure at all costs,
Have mistresses who treasure you
You have mistresses who adore you,
(They have no ken
(They do not realize
Of other men
That there are other men
Beside whom they can measure you)
Who could potentially measure up to you in their eyes.)
A flock of sheep and you're the only ram-
You have many women to choose from, and you are the only man among them all.
No wonder you're the wonder of Siam!
It is no surprise that you are so highly regarded in Siam.
I'm rather glad I didn't say that... not with the women right there... and the children
I am glad that I did not express those thoughts out loud, especially since there are women and children present.
The children, the children,
I must not forget the children,
I'll not forget the children,
I will always remember the children.
No matter where I go I'll always see
No matter where I am, I will always see
Those little faces looking up at me...
The innocent, young faces of the children who view me as a role model.
Your majesty,
Your Highness,
Shall I tell you what I think of you?
May I reveal my true opinion of you?
You're spoiled!
You are overly indulged and entitled.
You're a conscientious worker
I must admit that you are dedicated to your work.
But your spoiled.
But your spoiled traits negate that positive quality.
Giving credit where it's due
In fairness to you,
There is much I like in you
I recognize many admirable qualities in you,
But it's also very true
However, it is also true
That your spoiled!
That you behave in a spoiled manner.
Everybody's always bowing
Everyone is always bowing
To the King
To you, the King.
Everybody has to grovel
Everyone is forced to grovel
To the King.
To you, the King.
By your Buddha you are blessed
Even though you are blessed by Buddha,
By your ladies you're caressed,
And adored by all of your ladies,
But the one who loves you best is the King.
The person who loves you most is yourself, the King.
All that bowing and kow-towing
All of the customary bowing and groveling
To remind you of your royalty,
Serves to remind you of your own importance and power,
I find a most disgusting exhibition.
But I personally find this display abhorrent and repugnant.
I wouldn't ask a Siamese cat
I would not even expect a Siamese cat
To demonstrate his loyalty
To prove his unwavering devotion
By taking this ridiculous position
By performing such a degrading act.
How would you like it if you were a man
How would you feel if you were in the same position
Playing the part of a toad.
Being forced to act like a worthless reptile?
Crawling around on your elbows and knees.
Being forced to crawl on the ground in servitude.
Eating the dust of the road!...
Consuming dirt from the ground with no dignity or self-respect!
Toads! Toads! All of your people are toads!
They are all nothing more than lowly, unimportant toads in your eyes!
Yes, Your Majesty; No, Your Majesty.
Agreeing and disagreeing with you on command, Your Highness.
Tell us how low to go, Your Majesty;
Tell us exactly how low we should behave, Your Highness;
Make some more decrees, Your Majesty,
Issue additional commands, Your Highness,
Don't let us up off out knees, Your Majesty.
Please do not allow us to stand, Your Highness.
Give us a kick, if you please Your Majesty
If it pleases you, please kick us, Your Highness.
Give us a kick, if you would, Your Majesty-
If you would like to kick us, Your Highness,
Oh, That was good, Your Majesty!
We will praise your kick as if it were a benevolent act, Your Highness.
Contributed by Chloe L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
