Leonard Bernstein — X. Credo - 2. Trope: “Non Credo”

[MALE GROUP] (interrupting tape) Et homo factus est [BARITONE SOLO] And was made man … [MALE GROUP] And was made man [BARITONE SOLO] And you become a man You, God, chose to become a man To pay the earth a small social call I tell you, sir, you never were A man at all Why? You had the choice when to live When To die And then Become a god again And then a plaster god like you … [MALE GROUP] A God like you too … [BARITONE SOLO] Has the gall to tell me what to do To become a man To show my respect on my knees … [MALE GROUP] Be like a man [BARITONE SOLO] Go genuflect, but don’t expect guarantees Oh, just play it dumb Play it blind But when I go Then Will I become a god again? [MALE GROUP] Possibly yes, probably no … [BARITONE SOLO] Yes, probably no Give me a choice I never had a choice Or I would have been a simple tree A barnacle in a silent sea Anything but what I must be: A man A man A man! [MALE GROUP] Possibly yes, probably no … [BARITONE SOLO] You knew what you had to do You knew why you had to die [MALE GROUP] Man Man [BARITONE SOLO] You chose to die, and then revive again You chose, you rose alive again But I I don’t know why I should live If only to die Well, I’m not gonna buy it! [MALE GROUP] Possibly yes, probably no … [BARITONE SOLO] I’ll never say credo How can anybody say credo? I want to say credo … (Tape Six.) [CHOIR] Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato Passus, et sepultus est Et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas Et ascendit in caelum: Sedet ad dexteram Patris Et iterum venturus est cum gloria judicare Vivos et mortuos