Working in the hot, dry Kansas fields, Uncle Henry, Aunt Em, and the farm workers are hoping for rain. Aunt Em says, "Maybe the sun will shine on the sea, lifting some of that water into the clouds, so the wind can bring it to us." But Dorothy has never seen the sea, and, though she wonders about it, her thoughts quickly turn to what she knows and loves—the wind! Alone in the fields with Toto (who just wants to play with a stick), Dorothy sings of being carried by the wind to places her heart hasn't yet understood—places she hears calling out to her.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, was published in 1900. This adaptation, Yellow Brick Road, was written for the summer 2010 performances of the Ocean Grove Children's Show.
The scene opens on a farm in Kansas. Working in the hot, dry fields, Uncle Henry, Aunt Em, and the farm workers are hoping for rain. Aunt Em says, "Maybe the sun will shine on the sea, lifting some of that water into the clouds, so the wind can bring it to us." But Dorothy has never seen the sea, and, though she wonders about it, her thoughts quickly turn to what she knows and loves—the wind! Alone in the fields with Toto (who just wants to play with a stick), Dorothy sings of being carried by the wind to places her heart hasn't yet understood—places she hears calling out to her.
Ocean Grove Children’s Show - 2010
Yellow Brick Road
(An adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
"When the Wind Blows”
Script Excerpt and Song
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Dorothy
The sea, Toto? They talk about the sea. But I don’t know what that is. Do you?
(Toto barks a few times.)
Dorothy
You want to play, don’t you? Here.
(Smiling, still kneeling, Dorothy takes the stick and tosses it a short distance. Toto runs over and starts chewing on the stick.)
Song #3 - When The Wind Blows
Dorothy
I wonder what it looks like
Water—all the way to the horizon
Can you play in it?
Can you splash in it?
Oh, I wonder how does it make you feel?
I’ve never known the sea
But I have known something else
Something good and wonderful
and strong and free
I have known..... the wind
(Dorothy stands.)
In the summertime the wind blows
The wind blows and I feel
the song in my heart that I was born to sing
And the song touches everything
the blue in the beautiful water
the sun and the sky and the sea—and me
When the wind blows my heart dreams
of places I haven’t even understood
or thought could ever be
but I can hear it calling out to me
Oh, I can hear it calling out to me
So let the wind blow
Let it blow from here to over there
and then come back around
Let it pick me up and let it carry me
and set me down
In a place where I can be
all my heart is telling me
Dorothy
Do you understand, Toto? (Toto brings over the stick and barks.) Does it mean something to you? (Toto barks again, waiting for the stick to be thrown.) You want me to throw the stick again? (Toto barks a third time. Dorothy smiles and tosses the stick. Toto goes after it, then wanders off stage.)
Dorothy
‘Cause when the wind blows my heart dreams
of places I haven’t even understood
or thought could ever be
but I can hear it calling out to me
Oh, I can hear it calling out to me
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Ocean Grove Children’s Show - 2010
Yellow Brick Road
(An adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
Script Excerpt - Copyright 2010 Stephen Mugglin
Song - Copyright 2010 Stephen Mugglin
Permission is given to make not-for-profit copies of these pages and the accompaniment tracks.
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WhenTheWindBlows-PerformanceAudio.mp3
"When the Wind Blows" - Friday evening performance of Yellow Brick Road (2010)
WhenTheWindBlows-PianoTrack.mp3
Piano Track (2020)
When learning this song, remember the word "wind" is singular. (Our performance excerpt sometimes sounds like "winds"—you'll want to sing the word "wind.")
