A Man Has Dreams (From "Mary Poppins"/Soundtrack Version)

A man has dreams of walking with giants
To carve his niche in the edifice of time
Before the mortar of his zeal
Has a chance to congeal
The cup is dashed from his lips
The flame is snuffed aborning
He's brought to rack and ruin in his prime

Life's a rum go, guv'nor, and that's the truth
You know what I think? It's that woman, Mary Poppins!
From the moment she stepped into this house
Things began to happen to me!
Mary Poppins?
Yes, yes, of course!

My world was calm, well ordered...
Exemplary
Then came this person
With chaos in her wake
And now my life's ambitions go
With one fell blow
It's quite a bitter pill
To take

It's that Poppins woman, she did it!
I know the very person you mean—Mary Poppins!
She's the one what sings:

A spoonful of sugar
That is all it takes
It changes bread and water into
Tea and cakes

See, that's exactly what I mean!
Changing bread and water into tea and cakes, indeed
No wonder everything's higgledy-piggledy here!

A spoonful of sugar
Goes a long, long way
'Ave yourself a healthy helpin'
Every day

An 'ealthy helpin' of trouble if you ask me
Do you know what she did? I realize it now
She tricked me into taking Jane and Michael to the bank
That's how all the trouble started!
Tricked you into taking the children on an outing?
Yes
Outrageous! A man with all the important things you have to do
Shameful!

You're a man of high position
Esteemed by your peers
And when your little tykes are cryin'
You haven't time to dry their tears
And see them grateful little faces
Smilin' up at you
Because their dad
He always knows
Just what to do

Like you say, guv'nor...

You've got to grind, grind, grind
At that grindstone
Though childhood slips
Like sand
Through a sieve
And all too soon
They've up and grown
And then they've flown
And it's too late for you to give

Just that spoonful of sugar
To 'elp the medicine go down
The medicine go down
Medicine go down

Well, goodbye, guv'nor, sorry to have troubled you