When working on a project of some length
We are advised to take it bit by bit,
To gently test endurance and one’s strength,
But living with the fear one might omit

A necessary passage or to find
That when a crucial section is rehearsed,
You find yourself in something of a bind
And panic, which makes one sound all the worse.

And thus, when your director says, “Let’s run
The piece straight through and see what needs some work,”
Then suddenly, rehearsal turns to fun,
Which feeds a new resolve to never shirk.

So when we sing vergangen ist die Nacht,
It feels as though gekommen ist der Tag.