Maria

She climbs a tree

And scrapes her knee

Her dress has got a tear

She waltzes on her way to mass

And whistles on the stair

And underneath her wimple

She has curlers in her hair!

I've even heard her singing in the abbey

She's always late for chapel

But her penitence is real

She's always late for everything

Except for every meal[MOTHER ABBESS]

I hate to have to say it

But I very firmly feel

Maria's not an asset to the abbey!

I'd like to say a word in her behalf

Maria makes me laugh!

How do you solve a problem like Maria?

How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?

How do you find a word that means Maria?

A flibbertigibbet!

A will-o'-the-wisp![MARGARETTA]

A clown!

Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her

Many a thing she ought to understand

But how do you make her stay?

And listen to all you say?

How do you keep a wave upon the sand?

Oh, how do you solve a problem like Maria?

How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?

When I'm with her I'm confused

Out of focus and bemused

And I never know exactly where I am

Unpredictable as weather

She's as flighty as a feather[MARGARETTA]

She's a darling

She's a demon

She's a lamb

She'd out-pester any pest

Drive a hornet from its nest

She can throw a whirling dervish out of whirl

She is gentle

She is wild

She's a riddle

She's a child

She's a headache!

She's an angel!

She's a girl

How do you solve a problem like Maria?

How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?

How do you find a word that means Maria?

A flibbertigibbet?

A will-o'-the-wisp?

A clown

Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her

Many a thing she ought to understand

But how do you make her stay

And listen to all you say?

How do you keep a wave upon the sand?

Oh, how do you solve a problem like Maria?

How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?