Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman - A Cover Is Not the Book (From "Mary Poppins Returns"/Audio Only)

Uncle Goodenberg was a bookworm
And he lived on Charring Cross
The memory of his volumes brings a smile
He would read me lots of stories
When he wasn't on the sauce
Now I'd like to share the wisdom
Of my favourite bibliophile
He said a

Cover is not the book
So open it up and take a look
Cause under the cover one discovers
That the king maybe a crook
Chapter titles are like signs
And if you read between the lines
You'll find your first impression was mistook
For a cover is nice
But a cover is not the book

"Mary Poppins, could you give us an example"
"Certainly"

Nelly Rebitta was made of wood
But what could not be seen was though
A trunk up top was barren
While her roots were lush and green
So in Spring when Mr Hickery saw her
Blossoms blooming there
He took fruit despite her bark
And now there's seedlings everywhere

Which proves that
A cover is not the book
So open it up and take a look
'Cause under the cover one discovers
That the king maybe a crook
Chapter titles are like signs
And if you read between the lines
You'll find your first impression was mistook
For a cover is nice
But a cover is not the book

"Should we do the one about the wealthy widow?"
"Ooh, by all means"
"Always loved that one"
"Well go on then"

Lady Highest of Macaw brought
All her treasures to a reef
Where she only wore a smile
Plus two feathers, and a leaf
So no one tried to rob her
'Cause she barely wore a stitch
For when you're in your birthday suit
There ain't much there to show you're rich

Oh, a cover is not the book
So open it up and take a look
Cause under the cover one discovers
That the king maybe a crook
Tarulalee, tarurala, tarulalee, tara-ta-ta
You'll find your first impression was mistook
(Ya-da-da-da)
For a cover is nice
But a cover is not the book

"Oh give us the one about that dirty rascal
Why don't ya"
"Isn't that one a bit long?"
"Well the quicker you're into it
The quicker you're out of it"

Once upon a time
In a nursery rhyme
There was a castle with a king
Hiding in a wing
'Cause he never went to school to
Learn a single thing

He had scepters and swords
And a parliament of lords
But on the inside he was sad
Egad
Because he never had a wisdom for numbers
A wisdom for words
Though his crown was quite immense
His brain was smaller that a bird's

So the queen of the nation
Made a royal proclamation
"To the Missus and the Messers
The more or lessers
Bring me all the land's professors"
Then she went to the hair dressers

And they came from the east
And they came from the south
From each college they poured knowledge
From their brains into his mouth

But the king couldn't learn
So each professor met their fate
For the queen had their heads removed
And placed upon the gate
And on that date
I state their wives all got a note
Their mate was now the late great

But then suddenly one day
A stranger started in to sing
He said "I'm the dirty rascal
And I'm here to teach the king!"

And the queen clutched her jewels
For she hated royal fools
But this fool had some rules
They really ought to teach in schools

Like you'll be a happy king
If you enjoy the things you've got
You should never try to be
The kind of person that you're not

So they sang and they laughed
For the king had found a friend
And they ran onto a rainbow for
The story's perfect end

So the moral is you mustn't let
The outside be the guide
For it's not so cut and dried
Well unless it's Dr. Jekyll
Then you better hide
Petrified

No, the truth can't be denied
As I now have testified
All that really counts and matters
Is the special stuff inside

"He did it!"

Oh, a cover is not the book
So open it up and take a look
'Cause under the cover one discovers
That the king maybe a crook
So please listen to what we've said
And open up a book tonight in bed
So one more time before we get the host (sing it)
A cover is nice (Please take our advice)
A cover is nice (Or you'll pay the price)
A cover is nice
But a cover is not the book