Something Rotten - Welcome to the Renaissance Lyrics

Broadway's musical (2015)
Something Rotten the Musical - Welcome to the Renaissance Lyrics

"Welcome to the Renaissance" is a song from Something Rotten! performed by Michael James Scott (Minstrel) and Company.

MINSTREL:
War of the roses, Chaucer's tale
The brutal feudal system
Holy crusade, Bubonic plague
Can't say that we've really missed 'em
So dark and barbaric, So dull and mundane
That was so Middle Ages
That was so - Charlemagne

Welcome to the Renaissance
With poets, painters, and bon vivants
And merry minstrels
Who stroll the streets of London
A strummin' they lutes

TWO MEN:
In puffy pants and pointy leather boots!

MINSTREL AND TOWNSPEOPLE:
Welcome to the Renaissance
Where we ooh and aah you with ambiance
We're so progressive
The latest and the greatest
We bring it to you - with much ado
Welcome to the Renaissance
Where everything is new

MEN:
Here we've made advances in the sciences

WOMEN:
We have the latest gadgets and appliances

SOLO WOMAN:
Are mugs are made of pewter

SOLO MAN:
Our houses all are tudor

MINSTREL:
Decorated with a modern flair

WOMEN;
See us with our petticoats and
Farthingales

MEN:
Our trendy beards we trim to look l
Like swallow tails

CROWD:
We're called Elizabethans

BROTHER JEREMIAH:
They're all a bunch of Heathens

BROTHER JEREMIAH/ PORTIA/
PURITAN WOMAN:
Heathens heading straight for you
Know where

MINSTREL:
While witches are burning and
Wars tend to start
We bring you moments of culture
And art

CROWD:
Culture and art...
Welcome to the Renaissance
Well our printing  press has the
Fancy fonts
That's right we're fancy
And very literary, theatrical, too
It's what we do
Welcome to the Renaissance
Where everything is new!

MAN ONE:
Hey look it's Francis Bacon
With a chicken

WOMAN ONE:
What's he makin'

MAN ONE:
Well i think he's found a way of
Freezing heat

CROWD:
That's new!

MAN ONE:
Hey look it's Walter Raleigh
Found a new world by golly

WOMAN ONE:
And he's brought us all
Tobacco, What a treat!

CROWD:
Also new!

MINSTREL:
And we have a list of writers who
Are always writing something new

CROWD:
It's true! We do!

SOLO MAN:
Like who?

MINSTREL:
Like who? Like Dekker!

CROWD:
Woo!

MINSTREL:
John Webster!

CROWD:
Woo!

MINSTREL:
Ben Johnson!

CROWD:
UH-HUH.
And Christopher Marlowe
Thomas Kyd, Thomas Middleton,
Thomas Moore

MINSTREL:
And our brightest star

CROWD:
Yo! - He's the bomb, The soul of
The age
The whiz of the Elizabethan stage
He's incredible, unforgettable
He's just so freakin' awesome
Shakespeare! Shakespeare!

We love him, we love him, we love
Him, we love him! We love him,
We love him, we love him -
We love him!
His plays are so brilliant
His writing first rate
His acting's incredible

CROWD (GROUP 1)          CROWD (GROUP 2)
Isn't he great                  We love him
We love him
Isn't he great                 We love him
We love him
We love him
We love him

CROWD:
We love him!
Welcome to the Renaissance
Not the one in Italy or in France
No the one in England
The one where William Shakespeare
Is the cream of the crop

MINSTREL:
The one where William Shakespeare
Is the top!

CROWD:
Welcome to the Renaissance
To a 16th century experience
In the age that's golden
The olden days are over, we bid
Them adieu
Well hal-le-lu!
Welcome to the Renaissance where
Everthing is new!
Everything is new - welcome to
the Renaissance
Everthing is new

MINSTREL:
(spoken) 'Cause Renaissance means rebirth!

[Thanks to Helena Laing for lyrics]


Read more: Something Rotten the Musical

Something Rotten the Musical Lyrics

SYNOPSIS
Welcome to the Renaissance
God, I Hate Shakespeare
Right Hand Man
God, I Hate Shakespeare (Reprise)
A Musical
The Black Death
I Love the Way
Will Power
Bottom's Gonna Be on Top
Welcome to the Renaissance (Reprise)
Hard to Be the Bard
It's Eggs!
We See the Light
To Thine Own Self
Right Hand Man (Reprise)
Something Rotten!/Make an Omlette
To Thine Own Self (Reprise)
Finale