Note E201

I'd Like To Teach the World to Trade

This song is based on the New Seekers hit 'I'd Like To Teach The World to Sing' from the early 70s. This, in itself, was taken from the Coca Cola Advert 'I'd Like To Buy the World A Coke'. This song was proposed by Heather Fletcher. Heather wrote a full lyric for it, which I later cut mercilessly to replace the second half of it with a paraphrase of the opening page of Niccolo Rising.

Purely judged as a song for The Greek With The Wooden Leg, Heather's version is better and had some very nice references to 'The Spring of the Ram', but I did want to get in a flavour of Niccolo Rising, and to push forward the action by referring to the Trial. So I changed it. Another thing I discovered about the song is how monotonous the music is. It's all really just a chorus without a verse. The New Seekers got around this problem by use of a good arrangement and vocal harmonies. I got around it by cutting the song!

Anyway, you can see below the original lyric, Heather's great lyric, and the final result. And of course, the siging by Cindy was very good indeed (though her version of the final lines and my own never did quite gel!).

Original Lyric Heather's Proposed Lyric Final Lyric
I'd like to build the world a home
And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees
And snow white turtle doves
I'd like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I'd like to hold it in my arms
And keep it company
I'd like see the world for once
All standing hand in hand
And hear them echo through the hills
Oh peace throughout the land
That's the song I hear!
Let the world sing today
!I'd like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I'd like to build the world a home
And furnish it with love
With apple trees and honey bees
And snow white turtle doves
That's the song I hear!
etc
etc		 I'd like to teach the world to trade
In perfect harmony
In kermes, gall-nuts, indigo,
And lapiz lazuli.
I'd like to corner trading marts
And spread accountancy
With double-entry book-keeping
And ciphered secrecy.
I'd post my staff to Trebizond
Adorning the Black Sea
Where men & boys and clockwork toys
Charm aristocracy.
(no lyric)
(no lyric)
Where princesses rouge nipples pink
And love is offerred free
And little girls have kinky whirls
Upon their bended knee.
Where princes play Tzukanion
,'Neath almond blossom tree
There racing camels, burp and fart
And stare down haughtily.
And when my ship sails back to port
With her inventory
Of stacks and stacks of alum sacks
The profit comes to me. 		I'd like to teach the world to trade
In perfect harmony
In kermes, gall-nuts, indigo
And lapiz lazuli.
I'd like to corner trading marts
And spread accountancy
With double-entry book-keeping
And ciphered secrecy.
(line cut to reduce musical monotony!)
(line cut to reduce musical monotony!)
And then the stacks of alum stacks
Bring profits back to me
(Venice to Cathay!)
(To Guinea all the way!)
Then ledgers tote the trading score
The scales they weigh the gold
As though no fool of either sex
Will come to break the mould
And treat trade (Trade!) as just a game
A trick with which to toy
Like Niccolo who strange career
I've watched to man from boy
But is the lad's career now done?
And has he had his day?
The jury waits now to decide.
The trial is underway!

Updated 06 Jan 2002
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