What is this line from "Little Shop of Horrors"?

February 20, 2008 10:01 AM

What is this song lyric from "Little Shop of Horrors"?

From the movie version of "The Meek Shall Inherit," which was cut from the film but appears on the soundtrack.

I've tried lyrics sites, but they only seem to have the Broadway version; I guess because the song wasn't in the film, it's not considered the official version.

It's at the very end of the song when Seymour has decided to take all the offers. As the ladies sing "You know the meek shall inherit..." he exchanges dialogue with the TV people, the Life magazine lady, and the "lecturing tours" guy, starting with "Where do I sign?"

Right after "It's not a question of merit," the Life magazine lady says...what? It sounds like "Drop that old line," but the word "line" was already used to rhyme with "Where do I sign?" I honestly can't make out the words.

Can anybody help?

posted by Flying Saucer to media & arts (12 comments total)

[CRYSTAL, RONETTE, CHIFFON]
They say the meek shall inherit
[SEYMOUR]
Where do I sign?
[CRYSTAL, RONETTE, CHIFFON]
You know the book doesn't lie
[SEYMOUR]
Right on the line?
[CRYSTAL, RONETTE, CHIFFON]
It's not a question of merit
[SEYMOUR]
That'll do fine.
[CRYSTAL, RONETTE, CHIFFON]
It's not demand and supply
[SEYMOUR]
This copy's mine?
[CRYSTAL, RONETTE, CHIFFON]
You'll make a fortune, we swear it,
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:11 AM on February 20

Thanks, roomthreeseventeen, but that's not it.

The movie version does not have the lyric "This copy's mine?" In its place is one of the salesmen saying "How about nine?"

As far as I can tell, in the soundtrack version, Seymour doesn't say anything after "Where do I sign?" for the rest of the song. It's one of the other guys who answers him, "Right on the line."

This is the same discrepancy I've been encountering.

Anybody else?
posted by Flying Saucer at 10:34 AM on February 20

Hmm... I have no idea. I was transcribing from the soundtrack.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:35 AM on February 20

It's possible that I'm attributing lines to Seymour that aren't his.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:36 AM on February 20

I've been watching the various high school productions on YouTube and it seems the movie and Broadway version are very different until Semour has his solo, starting with "My future's starting..."

The movie version begins with a salesman:

"Seymour Krelbourne, so finally we meet you!
This is an occasion -- let's toast!
Up yours!"

So, to any Mefites investigating, if what you're listening to doesn't begin with those lines, it may not be the right version.
posted by Flying Saucer at 10:39 AM on February 20

I found this almost exact same question on Musicals.net. Here's the response:

[paste]
It also appears that they've tweaked the dialogue of the businessmen at the end of the song:

Where do I sign?
Right on the line
That'll do fine
This copy's mine
Couldn't go wrong
Bye bye so long!

Instead of "that'll do fine" it sounds like Mrs. Luce is saying "drop in on mine."

Then following that, instead of "this copy's mine" we get another hard to understand lyric... it almost sounds like "that'll do fine" but it's too faint in the background to be sure.
[/paste]

So is that it? "Drop in on mine"? It does sound like that...but what does that mean? And why can't the respondent say the next line is "too faint" when it's clearly a strong baritone singing "How about nine"?

So many questions...
posted by Flying Saucer at 10:45 AM on February 20

This transcription claims the line is "It's not demand and supply."
posted by cerebus19 at 10:46 AM on February 20

Forget I said anything. I'm obviously not paying attention.
posted by cerebus19 at 10:48 AM on February 20

We're sending photographers Thursday.

So get the plant ready
and wear a clean shirt.

-Just sign this release.
-Need a pen?

Aren't you thrilled?
lt's the cover of Life magazine!
posted by Kioki-Silver at 12:22 PM on February 20

It's "your pen or mine?". Thankfully my boss was out of the office so she didn't see me with my ear pressed up against the computer speaker.
posted by katemonster at 12:44 PM on February 20

> It's "your pen or mine?". Thankfully my boss was out of the office so she didn't see me with my ear pressed up against the computer speaker.

That'd even make sense with the mistranscription: "drop in on mine" ---> "dro pin on mine" ---> "[dro=your] [pin=pen] [on=or] [mine]".
posted by WCityMike at 12:55 PM on February 20

I've listened to the line four times now, and I think katemonster is right.

Strange that Mrs. Luce and her associate (even in the scene that appears in the movie) offers him a pen...and then offers him a pen again. Then again, this is a movie about a giant talking plant...

It's too bad that the song isn't in the play and that the film squishes most of it into a montage of magazines with Seymour on the cover; I think it's a really good song. Alan Menken may be one of my favorite film/theatre composers.

But at least it lives on the CD.

Thanks, Mefites!
posted by Flying Saucer at 1:39 PM on February 20