[Nettie & Celie]
Hey, sister, what you gon' do
Going down by the river gonna play with you
Papa don't like no screamin' 'round here
No lip from the woman when they chug that beer

[Celie]
You all grown up and pretty now
It's time for you to get married
Have one good year before you get big

[Nettie]
I can't get married, I'm still in school
Who that man talkin' to Pa?

[Celie]
Girl at church say
He lookin' for a new wife to take care of his mean chirren

[Nettie]
Well I see where they get their mean from
Look at him, holdin' his whip like he got a horse waitin' somewhere
You see any horse?

[Celie]
You don't wanna get married?

[Nettie]
I wanna know how the world goes
How far is the Moon
How the sky changes color
Hope I find out soon

[Nettie]
What you want?

[Celie]
I wanna sit and do nothin'
Make you a new dress
Hope my babies are happy
Someplace God will bless

[Pa]
Celie! Get to work!

[Nettie]
Ain't no need to discuss

[Celie]
It ain't worth a big fuss

[Both]
Whatever come to us
Is in God's hands

When I lay me down to sleep
I will say my prayer
That God love me so deep
He will promise our souls to keep
Together

I'll say a prayer

[Pa]
Why you wanna know so much about tobacco?

[Mister]
I'm thinkin' 'bout plantin' it

[Pa]
You is not
Now what you doin' here?

[Mister]
I wanna marry Nettie
She a sweet young girl

[Pa]
She too young

[Mister]
She's the cutest thing
In this whole world

[Pa]
She gonna be a teacher

[Nettie]
Picture me in a schoolhouse
With my college degree
I can teach all my children
To spell Tennessee

[Pa]
You can have Celie, though
She too old to be livin' at home

[Celie]
Maybe I'll have a garden
Where birds come to sing

[Mister]
I don't want Celie
She ugly

[Celie]
Know a finch from a sparrow
Fix a broken wing

[Nettie]
I wanna hear your birds sing

[Celie]
Wanna hear your school bell ring

[Both]
No matter what life bring
Us in God's hands

[Pa]
Whyn't you quit comin' 'round here
Just go marry Shug Avery?

[Ensemble]
Shug Avery

[Nettie]
Who Shug Avery?

[Ensemble]
Shug Avery!

[Celie]
She Mister ol' girlfriend

[Mister]
Shug Avery not a child-raisin' woman
You know that
She the queen honeybee

[Pa]
She a low-down ho, is what everybody said
You lookin' for a new Shug Avery, you better go to Memphis
All we got here is one pretty girl you'll never have
And one ugly girl can work like a man

[Mister]
I really want that girl

[Pa]
I told you no!

[Celie & Nettie] / [Mister]
When I lay me down to sleep/I wanna marry Nettie
I will say my prayer/She's a sweet young girl
That God love me so deep/She the cutest thing
He will promise our souls to keep/In this whole word
Together, I'll say a prayer/I really want that girl

[Celie]
You want any kids?

[Nettie]
Someday, I guess
I know you do

[Celie]
Doctor say I can't have no more kids
I think God just want me to take care of you

[Nettie]
We'll live in big houses

[Celie]
Put swings in the trees

[Nettie]
Braid up your gray hair

[Both]
In the cool of the breeze

And one day
Our children will sing

When I lay me down to sleep
I will say my prayer
That God love me so deep
He will promise our souls to keep
Together

I'll say a prayer
I'll say our prayer