Monologue
Barbra Streisand's Monologue: Conquering Fear on Stage
Lyrics
Thank you!
Expressing gratitude for the audience's presence.
You know this is, I haven't done a concert, in about six years. and
Acknowledging a long gap since the last concert and expressing excitement about the current one.
It's oh thank you... but it's very exciting I
Expressing gratitude again and conveying mixed feelings of excitement and fear about the concert.
Must say, but it's also terribly, terribly
Highlighting the thrilling aspect of performing but also acknowledging the fear associated with it.
Scary... ooh, god I wish I was back on the set!
Expressing a desire to return to a more familiar setting (the film set) due to nervousness.
Mmm, I gotta tell you this funny thing. but it's
Sharing a supposedly funny but ultimately not amusing anecdote related to fear.
Not so funny. but talking about being scared
Reflecting on the scariness of the situation and transitioning into a discussion about fear.
I was even more scared till I spoke to friends
Indicating an initial higher level of fear, which was alleviated after talking to performer friends.
Of mine also performers, you know...and they
Referring to friends who are also performers and can relate to the experience.
Were telling me that they also... uh ...[drinks Tea]
Humorously mentioning drinking tea as a way to cope with fear.
Tastes much better that way! the Japaneses
Referencing Japanese advice on tea-drinking and introducing the theme of conquering fears.
Said so! anyway... they told me that in order
Discussing the advice received from performer friends on overcoming fears.
To conquer their fears, you know, they ... eh
Elaborating on the methods performers use to conquer fears, emphasizing the need to face them.
Well, some of them drink; but I really hate
Expressing a personal aversion to drinking liquor as a fear-conquering method.
The taste of liquors, so i...you know, I can't
Emphasizing the dislike for the taste of liquors and the impracticality of that method.
Do that... and some of them... uh ... take pills;
Mentioning another fear-conquering method – taking pills – and rejecting it personally.
But I can't even swallow aspirin, so I can't
Explaining the inability to swallow aspirin, ruling out pill-taking as an option.
Do that, but... more important than that... I
Transitioning to a more critical point: the importance of strength in performers.
Have found, and I believe, that performers
Expressing a personal belief in the strength of performers and its significance.
Should be very strong, you know, and... you don't
Highlighting the need for performers to be strong and introducing a rhetorical question.
Know what I'm gonna say... your way ahead of me tonight.
Humorously acknowledging the audience's anticipation and confirming their understanding.
It's still illegal? we should face our problems head
Raising a question about the legality of a certain action (possibly related to facing problems).
On! you know... what I was about to say you see,
Continuing the thought about facing problems directly and suggesting an illegal action.
I have found that the way I conquer my fear of
Explaining a personal method of conquering the fear of performance.
A performance is just to... uhm... you know,
Introducing a vague method to conquer fear without explicitly stating it.
Talk about it, and you get it out in the open,
Emphasizing the importance of discussing fears openly to overcome them.
And you discuss it with a little...excuse me...
Referring to a pause, possibly for emotional reasons, and continuing the discussion on overcoming fear.
[sniff] you just, you just talk about it freely and just...
Describing a physical action (sniffing) and continuing the theme of discussing fear openly.
Everything... and she's... what a fantastic
Appreciating a musical interlude and expressing admiration for the performer's skill.
Accord you just played... what was that of f minor
Commenting on the musical composition played and expressing curiosity about its details.
7th with a demented pinky on the 5th it was really high.
Describing the musical chord played with admiration for its complexity.
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