Changes: If I Only Had a Heart

Revision as of 13:46, 23 March 2008

If I Only Had a Heart was a song from "an old Earth movie", namely, The Wizard of Oz, which Ira Graves referenced when he met Data. As Data did not understand, Graves explained how the song was an allegory for Data's own predicament: "A tin man wants a heart but learns that he was Human and had one all along." (TNG: "The Schizoid Man")

Lyrics

The song, If I Only Had a..., had three refrains using the same tune with different characters and lyrics. The tin man's was as follows.

When a man's an empty kettle
He should be on his mettle
And yet I'm torn apart
Just because I'm presumin'
That I could be kind-a human
If I only had a heart.

I'd be tender, I'd be gentle
And awful sentimental
Regarding love and art
I'd be friends with the sparrows
And the boy who shoots the arrows,
If I only had a heart.

Picture me ... a balcony ...
Above a voice sings low--

Wherefore art thou, Romeo?

I hear a beat.
How sweet!
Just to register emotion.
"Jealousy", "devotion"
And really feel the part
I could stay young and chipper
And I'd lock it with a zipper
If I only had a heart.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 '''''If I Only Had a Heart''''' was a [[music|song]] from "an old [[Earth]] [[Film|movie]]", namely, ''The Wizard of Oz'', which [[Ira Graves]] referenced when he met [[Data]]. As Data did not understand, Graves explained how the song was an allegory for Data's own predicament: "A tin man wants a [[heart]] but learns that he was [[Human]] and had one all along." ({{TNG|The Schizoid Man}})
-==Lyrics==
+== Lyrics ==
 The song, ''If I Only Had a...'', had three refrains using the same tune with different characters and lyrics. The tin man's was as follows.
-''When a man's an empty kettle''<br>
+''When a man's an empty kettle''<br />
-''He should be on his mettle''<br>
+''He should be on his mettle''<br />
-''And yet I'm torn apart''<br>
+''And yet I'm torn apart''<br />
-''Just because I'm presumin<nowiki>'</nowiki>''<br>
+''Just because I'm presumin<nowiki>'</nowiki>''<br />
-''That I could be kind-a human''<br>
+''That I could be kind-a human''<br />
-''If I only had a heart.''<br>
+''If I only had a heart.''<br />
-''I'd be tender, I'd be gentle''<br>
+''I'd be tender, I'd be gentle''<br />
-''And awful sentimental''<br>
+''And awful sentimental''<br />
-''Regarding love and art''<br>
+''Regarding love and art''<br />
-''I'd be friends with the sparrows''<br>
+''I'd be friends with the sparrows''<br />
-''And the boy who shoots the arrows,''<br>
+''And the boy who shoots the arrows,''<br />
-''If I only had a heart.''<br>
+''If I only had a heart.''<br />
-''Picture me ... a balcony ...''<br>
+''Picture me ... a balcony ...''<br />
-''Above a voice sings low--''<br>
+''Above a voice sings low--''<br />
 ''Wherefore art thou, Romeo?''
-''I hear a beat.''<br>
+''I hear a beat.''<br />
-''How sweet!''<br>
+''How sweet!''<br />
-''Just to register [[emotion]].''<br>
+''Just to register [[emotion]].''<br />
-''"Jealousy", "devotion"''<br>
+''"Jealousy", "devotion"''<br />
-''And really feel the part''<br>
+''And really feel the part''<br />
-''I could stay young and chipper''<br>
+''I could stay young and chipper''<br />
-''And I'd lock it with a zipper''<br>
+''And I'd lock it with a zipper''<br />
 ''If I only had a heart.''