[Intro] [Glinda Bright] You call it wicked I call it fun Just a little spin On what’s already done [Elphaba Dry] You call it sparkle I call it blind Paint over power Pretend it’s kind [Verse 1] [Glinda] Oh You brood in your tower Counting every rule they bend While I dance through every hour Getting what I want My friend [Elphaba] And you twirl through every party In a cloud of empty praise While they lock up the forgotten In the dark behind the stage [Pre-Chorus] [Glinda] You say I’m cruel For loving the applause [Elphaba] You kiss the crown And never ask the cause [Both] Same spell Same stage Different mask Same cage [Chorus] [Ensemble Call-and-response] We’re all so wicked Aren’t we? (Oh, we, oh, we) Pointing fingers Hiding receipts (Who, me? Not me) You wear sugar I wear steel But the hurt still hits The fear still feels We’re all so wicked Aren’t we? Just in different heels [Verse 2] [Elphaba] I sharpen truth like a weapon Let it fly Let it cut Let it land Rip the curtain off the idols Make the crowd finally understand [Glinda] And I sweeten every secret Turn the dagger to a dance Slip a poison in a promise With a compliment and glance [Pre-Chorus] [Elphaba] You say I’m harsh For tearing down their lies [Glinda] You set the world on fire Then act surprised [Both] Same spell Same stage Different script Same rage [Chorus] [Chorus] [Bridge] [Madam Morrible Smooth Sly] Children Children You confuse the game with sin I just move the pieces Help the winners always win I whisper what they’re wanting Then I write it into law I keep the wheels all turning Oil the gears you never saw [The Wizard Grand Almost kind] I never promised mercy Only order Only shine Is it wicked if the story Saves their faith and guards what’s mine? [low chuckle] You two argue over motives While I manufacture fate I just feed the hungry terror Dress control up as “too late” [Glinda Shaken] So the crowns and the curtains And the speeches that we say Were all lines that you rehearsed us Every step along the way? [Elphaba Furious] You built the panic and the prisons Then you called it keeping peace You wrote monsters into headlines Till they begged for your release [Pre-Chorus] [Madam Morrible & Wizard] We say it’s right So right becomes the rule We spin the tale And sell it to the fools [Glinda Overlapping] Was I cruel Or just too afraid to see? [Elphaba Overlapping] If I fight you Does that make one more of me? [Chorus] [Ensemble Bigger] We’re all so wicked Aren’t we? (Oh, we, oh, we) Every halo hiding teeth (Who, me? Not me) You wear sugar I wear steel But the hurt still hits The fear still feels We’re all so wicked Aren’t we? Just in different heels [Breakdown] [Glinda Soft] If I change my lines Can I change my part? [Elphaba] If I break this spell Do I break my heart? [Glinda] If I lose their love Will I lose myself? [Elphaba] If I stand alone Will there be anyone else? [Madam Morrible Mocking] Right Wrong Such a tiny frame For such a giant Hungry game [The Wizard] Call us devils Call us kings It’s all just titles And pretty Pretty things [Final Chorus] [Elphaba & Glinda Trading] We’re all so wicked Aren’t we? [Glinda] But I can choose

pop, Big Broadway soul arrangement with multiple lead vocalists trading lines; rich piano, warm horn section, and tight rhythm guitar. Verses stay intimate with brushed drums and close harmonies; choruses explode with full ensemble belts, call-and-response, and stacked gospel-style backgrounds. Energy arcs from sly, playful back-and-forth to a soaring, defiant final chorus; male and female vocals share the spotlight with theatrical ad-libs., soul

Defying Each Other