Gimme the Ball

**Gimme the Ball** is the ninth song of the 1975 musical A Chorus Line and the last part of the montage.

## Synopsis

The song goes through how a dancer toyed with becoming a kindergarten teacher.

## Lyrics

**Judy Turner****:** And it was the first time I'd ever seen a dead body. Then, when I was fifteen the most terrible thing happened. The Ted Mack Amateur Hour held auditions in St. Louis, and I didn't hear about 'til after they'd gone and I'd nearly kill myself, nearly kill myself, I tried to walk in front of a speeding streetcar. And I remember noticing boys for the first time. Well, one thing I do remember is practicing kissing with Leslie. Well, she was my best girlfriend! Did any of you try practice kissing with another girl? So that when the time came you knew how to? No? Oh my god!

**Kristine Urich****:** Judy?

**Judy Turner:** Did you girl?

**Kristine Urich:** Well, yeah. But it was only a couple of times.

**Sheila Bryant****:** Aw, hell. Count me in!

**Judy Turner:** Oh thank god. But what I do remember was...

**Greg Gardener****:** The worst thing in school was every time the teacher'd call on me. I'd be hard! I'd be hard! Really! I had to lean up against the desk like this and he'd say to me: 'Stand up straight!', 'I can't I have a pain in my side!', 'Stand up straight!'. Or walking down the halls, you'd have to walk like this, with all your books stacked up in front of you!

**Don Kerr****:** I thought it was just me! I thought I was a sex maniac!

**Girls:** You are!

**Bobby Mills****:** I did too, I mean, it didn't go down for three years.

**Greg Gardener:** Oh and the bus! Oh the bus was the worst. I'd just look at a bus and, Bingo! And then there was the time I was making out in the backseat of my car with Sally Ketchum. We were necking and I was feeling her boobs, and feeling her boobs and she'd say 'Oooh! Don't you wanna feel anything else?' and I suddenly thought to myself 'No I don't.'

**Zach****:** Did this come as a big surprise to you?

**Greg Gardener:** Well, yeah. It was probably the first time I realised I was homosexual. And I got so depressed because I thought being gay meant being an outcast, a bum. And said 'Gee, I'll never get to wear nice clothes! And I was so into clothes, I had this fabulous pear of pink leather jeans!'.

**All:** Goodbye twelve, goodbye thirteen hello love!

**Val Clarke****:** Shit made it through high school, without growing tits!

**All:** Doubt, to break out, it's a mess. Time to grow, time to go!

**Paul San Marco****:** What am I gonna say when he calls on me?

**All:** My only adolesence, where did it go it was so thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen and suddenly I'm seventeen and suddenly and there's a lot, I am not, certain of. Goodbye twelve, goodbye thirteen hello love.

(cheering)

**Richie Walters****:** Gimme the ball, gimme the ball, gimme the ball, yeah! Gimme the ball, gimme the ball, gimme the ball, yeah! I was always running around, shouting 'Gimme the ball, gimme the ball, gimme the ball, yeah!' I was so enthusiastic, I was into everything. The yearbook was filled with my pictures. And I was lucky 'cause I got a scholarship to college. A scholarship to collage. So I went.

**All:** So he went!

**Richie Walters:** Yes I went!

**All:** Yes I went!

**Richie Walters:** So I'm gonna be this kindergarten teacher! Imagine me this kindergarten teacher! And I thought shit!

**All:** Shit, Richie!

**Richie Walters:** Shit!

**All:** Shit, Richie!

**Richie Walters:** Well, what are you gonna be? When you got shoved out of here, honey, ain't nobody gonna be standin' near, with no scholarship to life! And I was scared, scared, scared, yeah!

**Girls:** My braces gone

**Boys:** My pimples gone!

**All:** My childhood's gone, goodbye! Goodbye twelve, goodbye thirteen, goodbye fourteen, goodbye fifteen, goodbye sixteen, goodbye seventeen. Hello love! Go to it! Go to it! Go to it! Go to it! Go to it! Go to it! Go to It! Go to it!