Phillip Carlyle (to P. T. Barnum):
I think I’m good to go
‘Cause I quite enjoy the life you say I’m trapped in
Now I admire you, and that whole show you do
You’re onto something, really it’s something
But I live among the swells, and we don’t pick up peanut shells
I’ll have to leave that up to you
From The Greatest Showman (2017)
– Part of a song ‘The Other Side’ (lyrics)
Full lyrics of “The Other Side” by Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron:
[Hugh Jackman:]
Right here, right now
I put the offer out
I don’t want to chase you down
I know you see it
You run with me
And I can cut you free
Out of the drudgery and walls you keep in
So trade that typical for something colorful
And if it’s crazy, live a little crazy
You can play it sensible, a king of conventional
Or you can risk it all and see
Don’t you wanna get away from the same old part you gotta play
‘Cause I got what you need
So come with me and take the ride
It’ll take you to the other side
‘Cause you can do like you do
Or you can do like me
Stay in the cage, or you’ll finally take the key
Oh, damn! Suddenly you’re free to fly
It’ll take you to the other side
[Zac Efron:]
Okay, my friend, you want to cut me in
Well I hate to tell you, but it just won’t happen
So thanks, but no
I think I’m good to go
‘Cause I quite enjoy the life you say I’m trapped in
Now I admire you, and that whole show you do
You’re onto something, really it’s something
But I live among the swells, and we don’t pick up peanut shells
I’ll have to leave that up to you
Don’t you know that I’m okay with this uptown part I get to play
‘Cause I got what I need and I don’t want to take the ride
I don’t need to see the other side
So go and do like you do
I’m good to do like me
Ain’t in a cage, so I don’t need to take the key
Oh, damn! Can’t you see I’m doing fine
I don’t need to see the other side
[Hugh:]
Now is this really how you like to spend your days?
Whiskey and misery, and parties and plays
[Zac:]
If I were mixed up with you, I’d be the talk of the town
Disgraced and disowned, another one of the clowns
[Hugh:]
But you would finally live a little, finally laugh a little
Just let me give you the freedom to dream and it’ll
Wake you up and cure your aching
Take your walls and start ’em breaking
Now that’s a deal that seems worth taking
But I guess I’ll leave that up to you
[Zac:]
Well it’s intriguing, but to go would cost me greatly
So what percentage of the show would I be taking?
[Hugh:]
Fair enough, you’d want a piece of all the action
I’d give you seven, we could shake and make it happen
[Zac:]
I wasn’t born this morning, eighteen would be just fine
[Hugh:]
Why not just go ahead and ask for nickels on the dime
[Zac:]
Fifteen
[Hugh:]
I’d do eight
[Zac:]
Twelve
[Hugh:]
Maybe nine
[Both:]
Ten!
Don’t you wanna get away to a whole new part you’re gonna play
‘Cause I got what you need, so come with me and take the ride
To the other side
So if you do like I do
So if you do like me
Forget the cage, ’cause we know how to make the key
Oh, damn! Suddenly we’re free to fly
We’re going to the other side
So if you do like I do
(To the other side)
So if you do like me
(We’re going to the other side)
‘Cause if we do we’re going to the other side
We’re going to the other side
What do “we don’t pick up peanut shells” mean? Or does it just mean that they actually don’t pick up peanut shells?
It is a reference to them being poor/not from upper class. It could hint to multiple things: the peanut gallery = cheapest seats in theathre, the only snack there being peanuts. The shells might be in the song just to rhyme it, or to take it literally could again be a reference to the poor people that would have to pick them up. In the movie some upper class girls also call Barnum’s daughter “peanut” so it could be an insult they use.
what does he mean with “i live amongst the swells” like what is a swell? im not fluent in english but a great fan of the film so im interested in finding ou
‘Swells’ is a term to refer to the upper class. As in, those that have a ‘swell’ life.