John Kander
Better Than Before
[MADAME VELTRI, spoken]
Dearest son, Henry. Another scorcher in the city today. The lovely bakery on the corner has finally re-opened. There are trays of those butter cookies, your favorite. Shops that were shuttered are coming back to life! A year ago, I would've thought impossible. But today..

[MADAME VELTRI, sung]
Better than before, you'll see
It's better than before, I thought
Some places that we love had been lost
But thеn, here they arе, back again
And better than they were! You'll see
It's better than before

[MADAME VELTRI, spoken]
And it's not just the places, it's the people! People you used to cross a street to avoid, you're happy to see again. New faces in the neighbourhood too, new things. Surprises, Louie Geno's over on 48th is selling something called "pizza pie". One of my students says, "We'll love it". We'll try it!

[MADAME VELTRI, sung]
Now you and I together
We'll be better than we were
'Cause I'll be with you so much more
So don't think I forgot that I wasn't always there
Somewhere playing music
While you waited by the stair
How I took for granted, we'd had time to spare
Now, I'll take the time to know you
To help you, to love you
You'll see, you'll see
We'll be better than before