CHOIR Eighteen eighty six - Wilhelm Steinitz Eighteen ninety four - Emmanuel Lasker
MOLOKOV How straightforward the game When one has trust in one's player CHOIR Nineteen twenty one - Jose Capablanca MOLOKOV And how great the relief Working for one who believes in Loyalty, heritage, true to his kind come what may CHOIR Nineteen tweny seven - Alexandre Alekhine THE AMERICAN Though it gives me no joy CHOIR Nineteen thirty five - Max Euwe THE AMERICAN Adding to your satisfaction CHOIR Nineteen fourty eight - Mikhail Botvinnik THE AMERICAN You can safely assume Your late unlamented employee Knows if he wins then the only thing won is the chess CHOIR Nineteen fifty seven - Vasiliy Smyslov MOLOKOV It's the weak who accept CHOIR Nineteen sixty - Tals MOLOKOV Tawdry untruths about freedom CHOIR Nineteen sixty three - Tigran Petrosian MOLOKOV Prostituting themselves Chasing a spurious starlight Trinkets in airports sufficient to lead them astray CHOIR Nineteen sixty nine - Boris Spasskiy FLORENCE Does the player exist CHOIR Nineteen sevnty two - Bob Fischer FLORENCE In any human endeavor CHOIR Nineteen seventy five - Anatoliy Karpov FLORENCE Who's been known to resist Sirens of fame and possessions? They will destroy you, not rivals, not age, not success
THE RUSSIAN They all think they see a man Who doesn't know Which move to make Which way to go Whose private life Caused his decline Wrecked his grand design Some are vicious, some are fools And others blind To see in me One of their kind.
Anyone can be A husband, lover Sooner them than me When they discover Their domestic bliss is Shelter for their failing
Nothing could be worse Then self-denial Having to rehearse The endless trial Of a partner's rather sad Demands prevailing
SVETLANA As you watch yourself caring About a minor sporting triumph, sharing Your win with esoterics Paranoids, hysterics Who don't pay any attention to What goes on around them They leave the ones they love the way they found them A normal person must Dismiss you with disgust And weep for those who trusted you
THE RUSSIAN Nothing you have said Is revelation Take my blues as read My consolation-- Finding out at last my one true obligation
SVETLANA AND CROWD Listen to them shout They saw you do it In their minds no doubt That you've been through it Suffered for your art but In the end a winner
Who could not be stirred? Such dedication We have never heard Such an ovation Skill and guts a model For the young beginner
They're completely enchanted But they don't take your qualities for granted It isn't very often That the critics soften Nonetheless you've won their hearts How can we begin to Appreciate the work that you've put into Your calling through the years The blood, the sweat and tears, The late late nights, the early starts
There they go again! Your deeds inflame them Drive them wild, but then Who wants to tame them? If they want a part of you Who'd really blame them?
THE RUSSIAN And so you're letting me know--
SVETLANA For you're the only who's never suffered anything at all
THE RUSSIAN How you've hated my success--
SVETLANA Well I won't crawl-- And you can slink back to your pawns and to your tarts
THE RUSSIAN And every poisoned word shows that you never understood
SVETLANA THE RUSSIAN Liar! Never! Liar! Never! Liar! Never!
THE RUSSIAN Never!
BOTH Nothing you have said Is revelation Take my blues as read My consolation--