Stephen Sondheim - Ah, But Underneath lyrics

{PHYLLIS} Never judge a book by its cover... The thing that counts is what's inside Never judge a lady by her lover... It isn't a reliable guide The lady may decide her obligations Are merely to reflect his expectations If his idea of ecstasy's To see what he expects to see -- Well, ignorance is bliss But think of what he'll miss... She was smart, tart, dry as a martini Ah, but underneath... She was all heart, something by Puccini Ah, but underneath... In the depths of her interior Were fears she was inferior And something even eerier But no one dared to query her superior exterior She was chic, sleek, anything in fashion That was just a shell Take a close peek, you could see the passion That was one as well To conclude, you'd soon discover the secret of her appeal Was the wonder which lay underneath Which she wasn't about to reveal {MEN} She was sly, wry, cool or coy or candid {PHYLLIS} That was her liability, the curse of versatility {MEN} Smart, shy, whatever was demanded {PHYLLIS} She'd only allow a man to see enough to fan his fantasy {MEN} She made compliance into a science One of the giants {PHYLLIS} Loud or lewd or lah-di-dah-dee Everything to everybody As changeable as a chameleon with all that entails But nobody saw what was really underneath all those veils She was grand, bland, brave or brisk or brittle Anything required... Both concerned and strictly non-committal And a little tired... She was deftly deferential, or so they wrote on her wreath No one ever glimpsed her potential But when stripped down to the essential... Mind you, this is confidential... Way down underneath! {EVERYONE} She was... She was... She was... {PHYLLIS} Sometimes when the wrappings fall There's nothing underneath at all!