Unrequited Love

Written for: Messer Marco Polo (1954)
Lyric: Harold Adamson & Leo McCarey
Music: Harry Warren
Year: 1954
Original publisher: Four Jays Music Co., Inc.

Verse 1:

(Marco:) A man should be the aggressor,
That's the way it should be;
If I were your father confessor,
I'd take you over my knee.
A man should do all the wooing,
A woman should only be wooed;
A man should do the pursuing
And a woman should be pursued.
That's how it is and who are we to change it?
(Kukachin:) But wouldn't it be fun to rearrange it?

Chorus 1:

(Marco:) Keep away, keep away, little Kukachin,
You have charms that I can't quite ignore.
(Kukachin:) So, if you were to kiss little Kukachin,
You might like and you might want some more.
(Marco:) To refuse what you ask isn't masculine,
For a man wasn't meant to say no.
(Kukachin:) So, if you hold me tight for just a little while,
You might never ever let me go.
(Marco:) That's the reason why I must say no.

Verse 2:

(Marco:) My heart belongs to another,
There's no other for me.
You may look upon me as a brother,
That's all I ever can be.
I'm quite aware of your talent,
I perceive the heave in your chest;
But please don't think me ungallant
If I tell you I know what's best.
If things were otherwise, I'd be delighted,
But here's a love that must be unrequited.

Chorus 2:

(Kukachin:) What a strange kind of love, unrequited love.
(Marco:) There you are with your heart on your sleeve.
There you are giving your unrequited love,
Can it be one could be so naïve?
Though you call on the stars in the sky above,
Still your one-sided dreams can't come true.
(Kukachin:) Oh, there's no love as cruel as unrequited love,
When you love someone who can't love you,
(Both:) When you love someone who can't love you.

Postlude:

<Dialogue over music>

(Marco, spoken:) I'm sorry, little Kukachin.
(Kukachin, spoken:) Oh, let's have no tears, Marco Polo.
You may keep me out of your arms, but nothing can keep you out of my dreams!
You can't protect yourself in my dreams;
I'll still go on dreaming of you whether you want me to or not.
(Marco, spoken:) Good night, little shy one.
(Marco, sung:) Unrequited love is not for you,
May you one day find a love that's true.