What Can I Say to These Crazy Police?
Lyrics
What can I say to those crazy police? What can I say to those crazy police? What can I say that will not increase Confusion in one who has called me 'my dear' Confusion that's built out of fear
What does he know of a real dirty death Of insults to the body, of stinking breath How can I talk to these crazy men? Their impossible questions: what, where, when? Of English pox and keeping still In uncomfortable poses that crush the will As much as your back, your legs, or your feet And there is no sleeping for lack of heat
What can be said to these crazy police? What can be said to these crazy police? That will rid me of [French] What do they know of the dangers we face? What can I say that will ever displace The life that composes, the death of the mind Paint that's interpreted, murder designed By Inspector Denis — the sacred restorer Inspector Denis — who brings back the aura
What will I say to these crazy police? He raves about Marianne, Frenchwoman heard But his patriot fury can be understood As clear demonstration that [French] Pink nymphs and goddesses have passed their spells They are a summit of feminine charm In women like us he only sees harm Women like us never get him excited Returning the rigor that comes uninvited We ask, we ask — Who do you think you are gazing upon? What are you doing here? I wished that you were gone
What will I say to these crazy police? What can I say to these crazy police? There's no murder here except to the pleasure He thinks is due to masculine measure What's to be said to these crazy police? The agent who warns us that he can see Murderous conspiracy against le [French]
What shall I say to these crazy police? I could turn my head With a look at defies And in killing his pleasure Be dead in his eyes
It is not to be love, not gold but clay I am not used to an excess of light And to divide is not to take away Put out the lamp. No spectacle, no sight
Chronology
Victorine - Act 4, Scene 1
Retrospectives
Mayo Thompson, 2016[1]
The opera's about [...] the problem between 'motive' and 'motif' and the policeman getting confused looking at nudes and imagining violence and murder. And Victorine Meurent, you may know her, she was the model of Olympia. And in this scene, the police have been trying to catch up with her, to talk to her all day long — the concierge just comes and wanders in — the cops are looking for her. And she's lamenting with a friend of hers the death of their colleagues. This is the aria at the end when she finally has to face up to the fact that she's gonna have to talk to the police. And it's called "What Can I Say to These Crazy Police?"
Interpretations
Live recordings
| Show | ||
|---|---|---|
| April 14, 2012 | video, vocal: Felix Bernstein | 
|
| November 11, 2016 | video, vocal: Jopsehine Pryde |
|