Wonderful Lyrics & Chords By Joel Grey

Wizard
I never asked for this or planned it in advance
I was merely blown here by the winds of chance
I never saw myself as a Solomon or Socrates
I knew who I was: one of your dime a dozen mediocrities

Then, suddenly I'm here: respected—worshiped, even
Just because the folks in Oz needed someone to believe in
Does it surprise you I got hooked, and all too soon?
What can I say? I got carried away, and not just by balloon...

"Wonderful," they called me, "Wonderful!"
So I said, "Wonderful—if you insist
I will be wonderful," and they said, "Wonderful!"
Believe me, it's hard to resist
'Cause it feels wonderful, they think I'm wonderful
Hey, look who's wonderful: this corn-fed hick
Who said, "It might be keen
To build a town of green
And a wonderful road of yellow brick!"

See, I never had a family of my own. So, I guess I just—wanted to give the citizens of Oz everything.

Elphaba
So you lied to them.

Wizard
Elphaba, where I'm from, we believe all sorts of things that aren't true. We call it—"history."

A man's called a traitor-or liberator
A rich man's a thief-or philanthropist
Is one a crusader-or ruthless invader?
It's all in which label is able to persist
There are precious few at ease
With moral ambiguities
So we act as though they don't exist

They call me, "Wonderful," so I am wonderful
In fact, it's so much who I am, it's part of my name
And with my help, you can be the same

At long, long last receive your due long overdue
Elphaba, the most celebrated are the rehabilitated
There'll be such a whoop-de-doo
A celebration throughout Oz that's all to do with you

Wonderful, they'll call you wonderful

Elphaba
It does sound wonderful

Wizard
Trust me, it's fun

Both
When you are wonderful, it would be wonderful
Wonderful, wonderful

Wizard
One, two, and...