Why We Tell The Story

[ALL (EXCEPT TI MOUNE)]
Ooo – ooo huh hoo...

[ASAKA, spoken]
A tree that sprang up and cracked the walls of the Hotel Beauxhomme, so that its gates could never close again

[AGWE, spoken]
A tree that lived forever, sheltering peasants and grands hommes alike

[PAPA GE, spoken]
A tree that watched over Daniel for his lifetime

[DANIEL, spoken]
A tree in which his children played

[ANDREA, spoken]
And one day, as Daniel's young son sat in the shade of the tree, he noticed a beautiful young peasant girl high in its branches, looking out at the world

[ERZULIE, spoken]
And the spirit of Ti Moune touched their hearts and set them free...

[ALL (EXCEPT TI MOUNE), spoken]
...to love!

[ASAKA]
And she stands against the lightning and the thunder

[AGWE]
And she shelters and protects us from above

[ERZULIE, PAPA GE]
And she fills us with the power and the wonder

[ALL (EXCEPT TI MOUNE)]
Of her love...
And this is why we tell the story
Why we tell the story
Why (why)
We tell the story, (we tell the story)
Why we tell the story

[MAMA]
If you listen very hard you'll hear her call us

[TONTON]
To come share with her our laughter and our tears

[ALL (EXCEPT TI MOUNE, AGWE, MEN)]
And as mysteries and miracles befall us

[ERZULIE, ANDREA, DANIEL, ARMAND, ASAKA, TONTON, MEN, WOMEN]
Through the years

[LITTLE GIRL, ALL (EXCEPT TI MOUNE)]
We tell the story!

[LITTLE GIRL, MEN]
We tell the story!

[WOMEN (EXCEPT TI MOUNE, ASAKA)]
Life is why —

[LITTLE GIRL, MEN]
We tell the story

[WOMEN (EXCEPT TI MOUNE, ASAKA)]
Pain is why —

[LITTLE GIRL, MEN]
We tell the story!

[WOMEN (EXCEPT TI MOUNE, ASAKA)]
Love is why —

[LITTLE GIRL, MEN]
We tell the story!

[WOMEN (EXCEPT TI MOUNE, ASAKA)]
Grief is why —

[LITTLE GIRL, MEN]
We tell the story!

[WOMEN (EXCEPT TI MOUNE, ASAKA)]
Hope is why —

[LITTLE GIRL, MEN]
We tell the story!

[WOMEN (EXCEPT TI MOUNE, ASAKA)]
Faith is why —

[LITTLE GIRL, MEN]
We tell the story!

[LITTLE GIRL, ALL (EXCEPT TI MOUNE)]
You are why —
Why we tell the story
Why we tell the story
Why we tell the story
Why we tell the story

[ERZULIE, ANDREA, ASAKA, WOMEN]
So I hope that you will tell this tale tomorrow

[DANIEL, ARMAND, TONTON, MEN]
It will help your heart remember and relive

[ALL (EXCEPT TI MOUNE)]
It will help you feel the anger and the sorrow

[TI MOUNE]
And forgive...

[ALL]
For out of what we live and we believe
Our lives become
The stories that we weave

[LITTLE GIRL, spoken]
There is an island where rivers run deep... Where the sea sparkling in the sun earns it the name “Jewel of the Antilles”...
An island where the poorest of peasants labor... And the wealthiest of Grands Hommes play. And on this island, we tell the story!

[ALL (EXCEPT LITTLE GIRL)]
We tell the story...