"He'll Whistle at Me" is a ballad sung by Pearl in many productions of Starlight Express between 1992 and 2017.
Placed early in Act 1, Pearl tells the coaches about her dream train. The melody was briefly reprised in Act 2.
History[]
Introduced in 1992 as part of a revamp of the London production, "He'll Whistle at Me" reworks a similar, up-tempo song that was part of the original production until 1987, when it was replaced with "Make Up My Heart".
"He'll Whistle at Me" was included in the Las Vegas production, then cut from the London show in 1998 or thereabouts. It was reinstated on tour in the US and UK, and added to the Bochum production in 2008.
The song did not feature in the 2017 workshop, but was reworked soon afterwards, reappearing in the revamped 2018 Bochum production as a duet between Pearl and Rusty, called "Whistle At Me".
Lyrics[]
Original London Lyrics[]
| ALL: | Woo-woo, woo-woo - |
| Nobody can do it like a steam train. | |
| Woo-woo, woo-woo - | |
| Everybody's waiting for their dream train. | |
| PEARL: | I'll know him when I see him |
| For long before I see him | |
| I will hear the far off signal | |
| I will hear the distant call | |
| And then he'll whistle at me. | |
| He'll send a note and woo me. | |
| He'll whistle at me, | |
| I'm gonna hitch him to me. | |
| Some day soon he'll whistle at me, | |
| That's how I'll recognise him | |
| And maybe I will whistle at him - | |
| That should surprise him. | |
| Don't give me insistent humming, | |
| Horns and bells and distant drumming, | |
| I want steam that's under pressure | |
| As it rises to a scream, | |
| Somebody whistle at me, | |
| I'm all anticipation. | |
| I need someone to whistle at me, | |
| I'm waiting at the station. | |
| Come on, someone whistle at me, | |
| I'm longing to be near him. | |
| I need someone to whistle at me - | |
| I'll know him when I hear him. | |
| He'll whistle at me. |
1997 Mexico + Translation[]
Me Chiflara sung by Perla (Pearl) [1]
| PERLA (Spanish): | Woo, woo, woo, woo | PEARL (English): | Woo, woo, woo, woo |
| El tren de vapor se oye muy bien | The steam train sounds very good | ||
| COCHES: | Woo woo, woo woo | COACHES: | Woo woo, woo woo |
| Nuestro sueño es ver al mejor tren | Our dream is to see the best train | ||
| PERLA: | Sabré quién es al verlo | PEARL: | I'll know him when I see him |
| Porque sin conocerlo | although I do not know him | ||
| Sentiré con su silbato | I will feel with his whistle | ||
| Que a lo lejos viene a mí | that he comes to me from afar | ||
| Entonces me chiflará | Then he'll whistle at me | ||
| Con ese viejo truco | With that old trick | ||
| Me chiflará | He'll whistle at me | ||
| Con ese chucu-chucu | With that chugga-chugga | ||
| Pronto sé que me chiflará | Soon I know he'll whistle at me | ||
| Lo dejaré engancharme | I will let him hitch me | ||
| Quizá entonces le chiflaré | Perhaps then I will whistle at him | ||
| Y enamorarle | And make him fall in love with me | ||
| No quiero cualquier sonido | I don't want any other sound | ||
| Nada más aquel silbido | Nothing else but the whistle | ||
| Del vapor que sube al cielo | Of steam that rises to the sky | ||
| Con un grito arrasador | With a piercing scream | ||
| Que alguien me chifle así | Someone will whistle at me | ||
| No sueño otra cosa | I dream of nothing else | ||
| Me urge quien me chifle a mí | It's urgent someone whistles at me | ||
| Y lo espera ansiosa. Ven ya! | I'm waiting anxiously. Come on! | ||
| Ven y chíflame así | Come and whistle at me | ||
| Anhelo conocerlo | I'm longing to know him | ||
| Me urge quién me chifle a mí | It's urgent someone whistles at me | ||
| Sabré quien es al verlo | I'll know who when I see him | ||
| Woo woo woo | Woo woo woo | ||
| Y me chiflará | And he'll whistle at me |
German Lyrics[]
| PEARL: | Wowoo, wowoo, |
| Keiner kann es besser, als die Dampflok. | |
| COACHES: | Wowoo, wowoo, |
| Suchen wir nicht alle nach der Traumlok? | |
| PEARL: | Ich brauch' ihn nur zu sehen |
| Und weiß, es wird geschehen! | |
| Doch bevor ich ihn noch sehe, | |
| Hör' ich seinen fernen Ruf, | |
| Denn dann schon pfeift er mir zu. | |
| So werd' ich ihn erkennen! | |
| Dann pfeift er mir zu | |
| Und uns kann nichts mehr trennen. | |
| Eines Tages pfeift er mir zu, | |
| Dann wird das Glück mir treu sein. | |
| Und vielleicht pfeife ich ihm auch zu, | |
| Das wird ihm neu sein. | |
| Wer hupt kann mich nicht verlocken, | |
| Nicht mit Hörnern, nicht mit Glocken. | |
| Ich will Dampf, der unter Druck steht | |
| Und sich laut und schrill entläd. | |
| Wann endlich pfeift er mir zu, | |
| Um mich an sich zu binden? | |
| Wenn du mich suchst, | |
| Dann pfeif mir nur zu! | |
| So werden wir uns finden. | |
| Ich weiß: bald schon pfeift er mir zu, | |
| Der dem ich Treue schwöre. | |
| Von weitem schon, da pfeift er mir zu, | |
| Ich weiß es, wenn ich's höre - uh. | |
| Dann pfeift er mir zu | |
| COACHES: | Woo-woo |
