Lyrics It's In Your Hands Now - Stephen Sondheim

It's In Your Hands Now

Come close, boys.
Listen
With the dawning of a new century, your work begins.
The work of determining
what type of nation we shall be.
Behind you, at your back, the boundless riches
of a mighty land.
Before you, unfolding at your feet…
(sung)
There’s a road, straight ahead
There’s a century beginning
There’s a land of opportunity and more
It’s in your hands now
There are dreams to be fed
There’s a world that’s worth the winning
There’s a legacy of riches that’s in store
Now it’s up to you
And you’ll see it through
If you stay on track
And you don’t look back
It’s in your hands now
Time to start your journey now
Never falter, never rest
Until you know
You’ve achieved the very best
That you can be
Never pausing in your quest
For something better just around the corner
Up to you to set the course
Of where we’ll go
With the limitless resources
You can plumb
Keep your eyes on what’s afar
Not on what we are
But what we can become!
Follow on where we’ve led
Make the past an underpinning
For the future, for the road you must explore
As the road extends
It gets rough as it ascends
And it often bends
But it never, ever ends
It will take you anywhere you want
If you know where you’re going
It’s in your hands now, boys
Make of it what you will, but make me proud
Make me proud…
(Papa falls back on the pillows, dead.)