This song comes originally from the 1965 Broadway musical Man of La Mancha. The main character, Don Quixote, is a caricature of a would-be knight-errant,
seen by all as a lunatic. In one scene, however, the tenor of the play changes as Don Quixote sings The Impossible Dream. This song rises above the satirical-comic tone and extols the glory of courage, purity, sacrifice, justice and fighting against all odds for what is right. For a moment, because of this song, the listener is raised up to the noble ideals of chivalry.
One may speculate that this song captures an element of nobility that eluded the author Cervantes when he was creating the character of Don Quixote. At any rate, The Impossible Dream has become the favorite song of many people through the years, and gloriously exalts the militant elements of Catholic valor.
It is sung here by Simon Gilbert, on behalf of Peter O'Toole, for the film adaptation of the play. The music is played here as a courtesy of GMC.
Lyrics:
To dream the impossible dream,
To fight the unbeatable foe,
To bear with unbearable sorrow,
To run where the brave dare not go;
To right the unrightable wrong,
To love pure and chaste from afar,
To try when your arms are too weary,
To reach the unreachable star;
This is my quest,
To follow this star,
No matter how hopeless,
No matter how far.
To fight for the right,
Without question or pause,
To be willing to march into hell,
For a heavenly cause.
And I know if I'll only be true,
To this glorious quest,
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm,
When I’m laid to my rest.
And the world will be better for this,
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove with his last ounce of courage,
To reach the unreachable star.
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