One Short Day

"One Short Day" is the ninth song in the musical Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz. The song was written and composed by Stephen Schwartz.

It takes place during the "Emerald City" scene, where the two witches Glinda and Elphaba first go to the City to meet the Wizard. While they're in Emerald City the girls see the show within the show Wizomania starring The Flatheads.

The number includes many different costumes and characters but ultimately ends with the two girls going to meet the wizard. It is known as Nur Ein Tag in the German production, Emerarud Shitii in Japan, and Wat Een Dag in the Dutch production. It is also the opening number to Wicked in Universal Studios Japan. The song has a slide whistle and an acme siren whistle as do other songs in "Wicked".

Set Design[]

The set in this scene is very simple. There is a green "OZ" sign at the back surrounded by other green lights. The cast (except for Glinda and Elphaba) are all dressed in green. When Glinda and Elphaba go to see "Wiz-O-Mania!", the show-within-the show, a green curtain descends from the rafters.

Commentary by Stephen Schwartz (as said in "Wicked The Grimmerie")[]

Stephen Schwartz said that this was the third song written for Wicked. He wanted this to be one of the "fun" songs in the musical. It was supposed to be like "two girls spending a day in Paris".

Musical Lyrics[]

Elphaba:
(spoken) Come with me, to the Emerald City.

Tourists:
One short day
In the Emerald City

Glinda
(spoken) Oh, I've always wanted to see the Emerald City!

Tourists:
One short day
In the Emerald City

One short day
In the Emerald City
One short day
Full of so much to do
Every way
That you look in the city
There's something exquisite
You'll want to visit
Before the day's through

Elphaba:
There are buildings as tall
As Quoxwood trees

Glinda:
Dress salons

Elphaba:
And libraries

Glinda:
Palaces!

Elphaba:
Museums!

Both:
A hundred strong
There are wonders like I've never seen

Glinda:
It's all grand

Elphaba:
And it's all green!

Both:
I think we've found the place
Where we belong
I wanna be
In this hoi polloi

Elphaba:
So I'll be back for good someday

Both:
To make my life and make my way
But for today, we'll wander and enjoy

All:
One short day
In the Emerald City
One short day
To have a lifetime of fun
One short day

Both:
And we're warning the city
Now that we're in here
You'll know we've been here

All:
Before we are done!

Glinda:
(spoken) Elphie, come on. We'll be late for Wizomania!

Wizomania Chorus:
Who's the mage
Whose major itinerary
Is making all Oz merrier?
Who's the sage
Who's sagely sailed in to save our posteriors
Whose enthuse for hot air ballooning
Has all of Oz honeymooning
Woo - oo - oo
Wiz-n't he wonderful?
Our wonderful Wizard!

Audience (Wizomania Chorus):
One short day (Who's the mage)
In the Emerald City (Whose major itinerary)
One short day (Is making all Oz merrier)
To have a lifetime (Whose the sage who)
Of fun (Sagely sailed in to save)
(Our posteriors)
What a way
To be seeing the city

Both:
Where so many roam to
We'll call it home, too
And then, just like now
We can say
We're just two friends

Elphaba:
Two good friends

Glinda:
Two best friends

All:
Sharing one wonderful
One short

Guard:
(spoken) The Wizard will see you now!

All:
Day!

Movie Lyrics[]

Tourists:
One short day
If you only had
One short day

One short day
In the Emerald City

One short day
In the Emerald City

One short day (one short day, one short day)
In the Emerald City

One short day
In the Emerald City
One short day
Full of so much to do
Every way
That you look in the city
There's something exquisite
You'll want to visit
Before the day's through

Elphaba:
There are buildings as tall
As Quoxwood trees

Glinda:
Dress salons

Elphaba:
And libraries

Glinda:
Palaces!

Elphaba:
Museums!

Both:
A hundred strong
There are wonders like I've never seen

Glinda:
It's all grand

Elphaba:
And it's all green!

Both:
I think we've found the place
Where we belong
I wanna be
In this hoi polloi

Elphaba:
So I'll be back for good someday

Both:
To make my life and make my way
But for today, we'll wander and enjoy

All:
One short day
In the Emerald City
One short day
To have a lifetime of fun
One short day

Both:
And we're warning the city
Now that we're in here
You'll know we've been here

All:
Before we are done!

Announcer:
(Spoken) "Presenting the absolute factual story of our wonderful Wizard of Oz, starring the Emerald City players."

Wiz-O-Mania Narrator:
Long, long ago, long before we can recall
There lived here in Oz the magical wise ones

Wiz-O-Mania Choir:
Ah, the magical wise ones

Wiz-O-Mania Choir & Narrator:
The wisest of them all

Wise Woman 1:
We will not live forever
That, I can foresee

Wise Woman 2:
So let us set all of our magic

Wise Woman 1:
In a strange and secret language

Wise Women 1 & 2:
In a book

Wise Woman 2 & Choir:
The Grimmerie

Wise Woman 1 & Choir:
The Grimmerie

Wiz-O-Mania Narrator:
But time ticked ever onward day by day

Wiz-O-Mania Choir:
Oh

Wiz-O-Mania Narrator:
And all those who could read it passed away

Wiz-O-Mania Choir:
Oh

Wiz-O-Mania Narrator & Choir:
'Til one day, no one could

Wiz-O-Mania Narrator:
But the wise ones left a prophecy

Wise Women 1:
In Oz's darkest hour
Though we cannot say when

Wise Women 2:
There will come one with the power
To read the Grimmerie again

Wise Women 1:
And Oz, which had been sad and blah

Wise Women 2 & Choir:
Once more will sing a joyous

Wise Women 1:
Ah!

Wiz-O-Mania Narrator:
(Spoken) Look! A man in a balloon arriving from the sky! Maybe he is here to fulfill the prophecy, but can he read the Grimmerie?

Wi-O-Mania Choir:
This man who comes out of the blue
Is he the prophecy?

Wiz-O-Mania Narrator:
There's one way we'll know if it's true

All:
Fetch the Grimmerie (The Grimmerie)

Wizard's Voice:
(Spoken) O-MA-HA
O-MA-HA

Woman in Crowd:
(Spoken) He can read it! He must be a Wizard

Wise Woman 1:
The prophecy fulfilled

Wise Woman 2:
What merriness he'll bring

Wise Woman 1 & 2:
Now every Ozian raise a voice and sing
And sing, and sing

Wise Woman 2:
Who's the mage whose major
Itinerary is making all Oz merrier?

Wise Woman 1:
Who's the sage who sagely
Sailed in to save our posteriors?

Wizomania Chorus:
Who's the mage
Whose major itinerary
Is making all Oz merrier?
Who's the sage
Who's sagely sailed in to save our posteriors
Whose enthuse for hot air ballooning
Has all of Oz honeymooning
Woo - oo - oo
Wiz-n't he wonderful?
Our wonderful Wizard!

Audience (Wizomania Chorus):
One short day (Who's the mage)
In the Emerald City (Whose major itinerary)
One short day (Is making all Oz merrier)
To have a lifetime (Whose the sage who)
Of fun (Sagely sailed in to save)
(Our posteriors)
What a way
To be seeing the city

Both:
Where so many roam to
We'll call it home, too
And then, just like now
We can say
We're just two friends

Elphaba:
Two good friends

Glinda:
Two best friends

All:
Sharing one wonderful
One short

Guard:
(spoken) The Wizard will see you now!

All:
Day!