"We've Gotta Eat" genre: General Children's Music
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	This is the opening number from my musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' story "The Grand Adventures of Oliver Twist". It is the original rehearsal track for which the students used to learn the song. You will just have to imagine that I am 20 young kids singing at once.
	Credits: Music and Lyrics by S. Martin
	Story Behind the Song "The Grand Adventures of Oliver Twist" was my stage adaptation of Charles Dickens' famous story. Our school club of young performers' aged 9-12 were ready to be serious for this rather depressing look at the life of children in the past. This song is set within the workhouse scene, where the kids have filed into the workhouse kitchen to receive their allowance of gruel. They are very hungry and tired when they get their food, but oddly have enough energy for a big dance number. The students used wooden bowls and spoons as percussion instruments during the trumpet solo, but there was one section where they put them on the floor to do their dance. In rehearsal I always had fears of them kicking their wooden spoons and bowls into the audience as they danced and sang. With the mood of the play being such a dark one, it was challenging to create a piece of music that captured both the energy and spirit of the children and still reflected the darkness of the environment. Despite the heavy content, this scene and the song still come off as one of the lighter parts of this particular play. Lyrics "We Gotta Eat" by S. Martin Here we are right now, starving for some gruel. It may not be the greatest thing, but at least it's food. Chorus We're hungry kids here, We've gotta eat, gotta eat right now. We're starving orphans, We've gotta eat, gotta eat right now. Please give us a bowl of some gruel. They don't care that we're fainting, after workin' hard all day. They don't care if we starve to death, one less orphan in their way Chorus Oh please just one bun, or maybe an onion. INSTRUMENTAL I don't know if I can last too long, my stomach is in such pain. I was put here so I wouldn't beg, but I'm beggin' just the same. Chorus Listen carefully, my growling tummy. Here is our supper, A spoonful of gruel, Not much to live on, But all we're entitled to. Chorus We've got to eat. We've got to eat, right now.

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