Christian Borle plays William Shakespeare as a kind of Elizabethan Era Elvis in “Something Rotten.”

Here he is performing “IT’s Hard to Be The Bard” at the Stars in the Alley free concert on May 27, 2015.

Below are the lyrics to the song.

SHAKESPEARE:

MY DAYS ARE SO BUSY IT’S MAKING ME DIZZY

THERE’S SO MUCH I GOTTA DO

IT’S LUNCHES AND MEETINGS AND POETRY READINGS AND ENDLESS INTERVIEWS

GOTTA POSE FOR A PORTRAIT

AND HOW I DEPLORE SITTING THERE FOR ETERNITY

THEN IT’S OFF TO THE INN

WHERE MY INNKEEPER FRIEND WANTS TO NAME A DRINK AFTER ME

THEN IT’S BACK TO MY ROOM, WHERE I RESUME

MY ATTEMPT TO WRITE A HIT

) JUST ME AND MY BEER AND THE TERRIBLE FEAR

THAT I MIGHT BE LOSING IT

SHAKESPEARE/MAN SERVANTS (IT’S HARD)

(IT’S HARD)

AND IT’S HARD

IT’S HARD

IT’S REALLY, REALLY HARD – SO VERY VERY HARD I MAKE IT LOOK EASY BUT HONEY BELIEVE ME IT’S HARD (IT’S HARD)

IT’S HARD (IT’S HARD)

IT’S SO INCREDIBLY HARD

SO INCONCEIVABLY, UNBELIEVABLY HARD

IT’S HARD TO BE THE BARD

(to his entourage)

Honestly, I don’t know how I do it. I mean, there’s only

so much of me that can go around.

SHAKESPEARE/MAN SERVANTS

I GOT SO MANY FANS

WITH SO MANY DEMANDS

I CAN HARDLY GO TAKE A PISS

BE IT THEATER FREAK OR

THE AUTOGRAPH SEEKER

THEY ALL WANT A PIECE OF THIS (GIMME, GIMME).

SHAKESPEARE/MAN SERVANTS IT’S A CROSS THAT I BEAR

I’M LIKE JESUS, I SWEAR (AH, OOOH)

IT’S A BURDEN BUT I SUFFER THROUGH IT (HE IS SUFFERING) IT’S ALL PART OF THE GAME, THE TRAPPINGS OF FAME (AH, OOOH) BUT SOMEBODY’S GOTTA DO IT (SO HE DOES IT)

SHAKESPEARE/MAN SERVANTS AND I KNOW, I KNOW, I GOTTA GO (GOTTA GO)

AND GET BACK TO MY PEN AND INK (OOOOOH, AHHHH)

OH DON’T MAKE ME DO IT, DON’T MAKE ME GO THROUGH IT

(calling to his manservant) CAN SOMEBODY GET ME A DRINK!

SHAKESPEARE/MAN SERVANTS ‘CAUSE IT’S HARD (IT’S HARD) IT’S HARD (IT’S HARD)

IT’S REALLY, REALLY HARD

IT’S SEXY BUT IT’S HARD

THIS BAR THAT I’M RAISING TO BE THIS AMAZING IT’S HARD (IT’S HARD)

(OOOH)

(AH, OOOH) (HE CAN’T PEE) (AH, OOOH)

63.

IT’S HARD (IT’S HARD) IT’S SO ANNOYINGLY HARD

SO UNAVOIDABLY UNENJOYABLY HARD

IT’S HARD TO BE THE BARD, BABY

(turning to his men)

I know writing made me famous, but being famous is just so

much more fun.

(sings)

WHAT PEOPLE JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND

IS THAT WRITING’S DEMANDING

IT’S MENTALLY CHALLENGING AND IT’S A BORE

IT’S SUCH A CHORE

TO SIT IN A ROOM BY YOURSELF

Oh my god, I just hate it!

AND YOU’RE TRYING TO FIND

AN OPENING LINE OR A BRILLIANT IDEA

AND YOU’RE PACING THE FLOOR

AND SEARCHING FOR JUST A BIT OF DIVINE INTERVENTION

THAT ONE LITTLE NUGGET THAT ONE LITTLE SPARK

THEN EUREKA! YOU FIND IT YOU’RE READY TO START

SO NOW YOU CAN WRITE, RIGHT? WRONG!

YOU’RE NOT EVEN CLOSE, YOU REMEMBER THAT DAMN IT, YOUR PLAY’S GOTTA BE IN IAMBIC PENTAMETER!

THEN YOU WRITE DOWN A WORD BUT IT’S NOT THE RIGHT WORD SO YOU TRY A NEW WORD BUT YOU HATE THE NEW THE WORD AND YOU NEED A GOOD WORD BUT YOU CAN’T FIND THE WORD OH WHAT IS IT, WHERE IS IT, WHERE IS IT, WHAT IS IT UGGGGGHHHHH

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