Smash Cast - Second Hand White Baby Grand Lyrics






My mother bought it secondhand from a silent movie star
It was out of tune but still I learned to play
And with each note we both would smile forgetting who we are
And all the pain would simply fly away

Something secondhand and broken still can make a pretty sound
Even if it doesn't have a place to live
Oh, the words were left unspoken when my Mama came around
But that Secondhand White Baby Grand still had something beautiful to give

Through missing keys and broken strings the music was our own
Until the day we said our last goodbyes
The baby grand was sent away
A child all alone, to pray somebody else would realize
That something secondhand and broken still can make a pretty sound
Even if it doesn't have a place to live
Oh, the words are still unspoken now that Mama's not around
But that Secondhand White Baby Grand still has something beautiful to give

For many years the music had to roam

Until we found a way to find a home
So now I wake up every day and see her standing there
Just waiting for a partner to compose

And I wish my mother still could hear that sound beyond compare
I'll play her song till everybody knows
That something secondhand and broken still can make a pretty sound
Don't we all deserve a family room to live
Oh, the words can't stay unspoken until everyone has found

That Secondhand White Baby Grand that still has something beautiful to give
I still have something beautiful to give





Other Lyrics by Artist

Rand Lyrics

Last Posts

Smash Cast Second Hand White Baby Grand Comments
  1. M.... T....

    It always gives me the chills

  2. C.... T....

    i sang this on the west end and i almost cried on stage the first time and since then this is one of my alltime favourite songs

  3. j.... z....

    i m so happy!!fina find the song.iheard this song 3years ago ,love it at once,that time i studied for something ,the song gave me power.will remenber it !and introduce it to my friends

  4. c.... ....

    Ivy represents who Marilyn Monroe was seen as; the giant sex symbol of America who tried too hard to get what she wanted. Karen represents the whole "For a kiss they paid a thousand, but paid 50 cents for my soul" version of Marilyn. Physically, and ideally, yes, Ivy was Marilyn. But as a director, when you see someone as a character, you have to go with your instinct or you will end up resenting the actors as well as yourself. I know this because in high school, one of my friends trained all summer to get her audition for Anna in the King and I, but when the director saw one of my sophomore friends do her audition, she saw her become the character, not just someone who sang the part. Needless to say, there was so much beef during that production and drama beyond compare. In the end, yes it was crazy fun. But, it just goes to show that directors have to be thinking about the shows production and why they can't be loyal to promised parts. Honestly, I love them both. Everyone has their own opinion, but they are both incredible.

  5. J.... R....

    This may be my favorite song from Smash! It's just so freaking beautiful ❤️❤️❤️

  6. G.... ....

    I'd kill to sing like this :*(

  7. G.... G....

    My mother bought it secondhand from a silent movie star
    It was out of tune but still I learned to play
    And with each note we both would smile forgetting who we are
    And all the pain would simply fly away

    Something secondhand and broken still can make a pretty sound
    Even if it doesn't have a place to live
    Oh, the words were left unspoken when my Mama came around
    But that Secondhand White Baby Grand still had something beautiful to give

    Through missing keys and broken strings the music was our own
    Until the day we said our last goodbyes
    The baby grand was sent away
    A child all alone, to pray somebody else would realize
    That something secondhand and broken still can make a pretty sound
    Even if it doesn't have a place to live
    Oh, the words are still unspoken now that Mama's not around
    But that Secondhand White Baby Grand still has something beautiful to give

    For many years the music had to roam

    Until we found a way to find a home
    So now I wake up every day and see her standing there
    Just waiting for a partner to compose

    And I wish my mother still could hear that sound beyond compare
    I'll play her song till everybody knows
    That something secondhand and broken still can make a pretty sound
    Don't we all deserve a family room to live
    Oh, the words can't stay unspoken until everyone has found

    That Secondhand White Baby Grand that still has something beautiful to give
    I still have something beautiful to give

  8. H.... L....

    Just beautiful.....I can listen to this song time and time again.

  9. A.... H....

    This is our ballad for show choir this year😊SO EXCITED

  10. H.... I....

    I really wish this series wasn't cancelled :( Any chance people would want to join forces and try to bring it back? :D

    H.... I....

    I've just finished this show recently. What happened? Was there a season 3 In order?
    I think story was fine enough to satisfy me.
    Even though I wanted more.

    H.... I....

    I think their ratings dropped in season 2 :(

  11. G.... m....

    I am so shocked that this song did not make it to at least the top 40. I do believe it can be revived by a solid strong Country Voice who can make is skyrocket.  This version is beautiful but it needs another chance to be heard.  So REBA what are you waiting for???

    G.... m....

    @Greg m YES! REBA MUST

  12. s.... l....

    This is sang so beautifully

  13. C.... S....

    I cry every time I hear this song. When I was 11 my mother died of stage four colon cancer in Huntsville Hospital. She always told me she felt like this song was made for her. She wanted us to play it at the funeral. we did, I wish we hadn't thought because we cried even worst because we missed our momma. Thank you SMASH for comforting her when she felt bad, sad, and/or hurting. This song really helped me get through momma's sickness.

    C.... S....

    Thank you for sharing, I'm tearing just to read your story with this amazing song as background! hugs

    C.... S....

    Be brave. I cannot imagine how hard this must be for you

    C.... S....

    I just started re-watching this show and heard this song for what was my first time hearing it, and I immediately started to tear up. It reminds me of how my mom must feel about losing her mother when she was only 19 to breast cancer. But it also reminds me of the fact that I didn't have grandparents shortly after I turned 8, since my only living grandparent passed away a month later. I'm learning this song so I can sing it at my family reunion in may for Memorial Day, because I'm pretty sure everyone, even on my dad's side, would start crying. So sorry for your loss💙

    C.... S....

    I still love beautiful, simple, touching song, even after Smash is gone, not to me. The songs, funny & meaningful & gorgeous will live on...

  14. t.... ....

    We sang this song in our show choir. It's just so beautiful. :')

  15. R.... B....

    beautiful

  16. h.... ....

    What a amazing singing voice...!!!

  17. E.... R....

    Please check my quick cover! Flippin love this song!!!

  18. s.... ....

    I love this show. And though I originally didn't like Ivy, or how she got this song, but I almost cried when watching this. Megan Hilty is absolutely stellar.

  19. G.... D....

    two short season, two amazing season, it was all worth it

  20. R.... P....

    3:10, perfect

  21. h.... ....

    19 people have no heart.

  22. m.... ....

    Eu gostei imensamente desse seriado. Lindas canções e lembrar da doce MM foi demais!

  23. D.... P....

    Karen/Katherine & Ivy/Megan are both perfect, the end!

  24. a.... i....

    one of the best song in both seasons, hope there'll be season 3!

  25. Z.... N....

    I love Megan Hilty as Marilyn, but I hate her character.

  26. c.... ....

    I think some of these songs are perfect with ivy and some are perfect with karen. Like "20th century fox mambo". I heard karen sing it first, so i naturally love her version the best. but karen would never be able to do this song as well as Ivy.

  27. T.... ....

    The deeper point of this show is going right over your heads! Sometimes the \ broadway industry will tear people apart because they think a certain is to "naive" to be in a certain role. Or a person is to "damaged" to be able to portray something that resembles innocence. This show, to me anyways, is trying to get the audience to just ENJOY the beautiful melodies and learn something from the tragic life that was Marilyn Monroe, and to realize that everyone has DIFFERENT beauty inside them.

  28. �.... ....

    I can't stop crying...................

  29. T.... ....

    Love it!

  30. A.... M....

    This song is so emotional.

  31. p.... ....

    You are sooo right!

  32. r.... ....

    I love this song, Megan Hilty sang it beautifully. I just keep pressing repeat, it's a shame here in the UK that iTunes didn't release this song. To be fair with everyone arguing, both actresses are great at the role. The obvious choice would be to give the part to Ivy but no they chose to give it to Karen. So lets just all enjoy the song

  33. b.... ....

    The Ivy and Karen aruguments are killing this song for me right now -_-

  34. G.... a....

    OMG!!! You said exactly what I've been parroting since the first episode. I can't stand Katherine McPhee's butchering of Marilyn's reality.. I loathe the way the show seems to promote her because it panders to the idiot American Idol fans who believe that Marilyn was a dumb bimbo because can't recognize it was an act that she was brilliant to master until the act outgrew the girl within. It makes me sick to read about the show's failing ratings. Ivy is the better actress and superior singer.

  35. m.... ....

    I think they're both awesome in their own right ..... I'm just saying ......

  36. M.... ....

    If you think that Ivy is just sex and drugs, then you must have been watching different show. Ivy is so lost and she craves for love so badly, a lot more than Karen. Marilyn was innocent, but she wasn't naive, she knew that life was tough, but still she was trying to be happy. For me Ivy=Marilyn.
    Besides, Megan is a bettet singer and actress. I just hate Katherine's way of acting, when she tries to play Marilyn she just fails so badly that it's embarassing to watch.

  37. I.... G....

    So disappointed that they left the best song off the CD Idiots!!

  38. Z.... D....

    Well said, I agree.

  39. J.... M....

    I prefer Karen... don't hate but Ivy was too much bitch

  40. f.... l....

    she sang from her heart. i love her sang this song than katherine.

  41. A.... L....

    this song is beautiful

  42. S.... B....

    I can see why Derek wants Karen to play Marilyn, she has the innocence she had, but Ivy has such a powerful connection to the pain Marilyn experienced and I think that was a bigger part of her life.

  43. L.... ....

    exactly, thank you!!

  44. L.... ....

    Don't worry, she is!! Why else would Megan Hilty be a part of the second season (unless they did nothing but flashbacks of Ivy or something)! But she said herself that Ivy definitely lives to Season 2 (thank God)!!

  45. L.... ....

    I agree with all of that!! Even when Ivy has bitchy moments, it doesn't bother me at because she's so much more talented, suited for Marilyn and an extremely more intriguing character than Karen (cause Megan is a fabulous actress and Katharine's acting is incredibly dull and one-dimensional)!!

  46. L.... ....

    me too, I wouldn't care to see it all if anyway else but Megan was playing Marilyn!!

  47. L.... ....

    Hey let's not compare the two anymore. Let's talk about how amazing and heartbreaking this song is. Bring anyone else to tears?

  48. c.... ....

    I spelt crawford wrng but look him up!!!

  49. c.... ....

    Ivy's a bitch who slept w/ derek and then automatically susected she'd get the part and everything wud b all peachy. But when she lost everything who did she sleep with? Oh yah, Karen's kinda fiancee. Team Karen 4evs!!! nd Borle fans rok

  50. c.... ....

    As I scroll through the comments realize all of them are trashing smash or have a name like Bwaynerd or chrisianborleroks. All I must say is Michael Craford is not a sports star and is not related to cindy

  51. J.... R....

    In all actuality Katherine deserved it because of the simple fact that she has the look and can take the vulnerability more.It's a sad fact in today's Broadway

  52. m.... ....

    team Ivy!

  53. F.... ....

    I disagree. I think Karen was boring, average and innocent, Ivy was a determined fighter, she was desperate for the role that was practically made for her. She was just like Marilyn, she had her looks, her story, her mother issues. This song shows it perfectly. Ivy deserved the role, she had worked so hard for it and then it's just handed to Karen, who was just another lost girl in the world of theater. It's so unfair.

  54. I.... T....

    Karen is so much better than Ivy.Ivy is so selfish and wherever she hasnt what she wants,she is angry.I like Karen and I think that she deserves the role of Marilyn

  55. J.... F....

    Second hand white baby grand, Let's be bad and Never met a wolf are my absolute favorites from season 1! Nearly peed my pants in excitement when I saw the season 2 trailer! :DDDDD

  56. S.... ....

    This song should've been on the c.d. :(

  57. P.... M....

    It comes back February 5

  58. L.... L....

    U took all those words outta my mouth! Couldn't agree more.

  59. K.... J....

    i heard he's not coming back

  60. u.... ....

    Would love to hear a Katherine version of this - at some parts Megan sounds like her in this song

  61. F.... T....

    February 5, 2013. According to a message on an episode of SMASH I just watched on Hulu

  62. I.... P....

    I think that's why Ivy was considered such a big role in the production when she has been agreed to take the role of Marilyn throughout the whole series until the last minute!

  63. F.... ....

    This song is so incredible, Megan is such a talented singer! I can't wait for the second season to start(Feb.3)! :D

  64. a.... t....

    ME! ME! ME! PLEASE!

  65. b.... ....

    This is just further, irrefutable proof that Megan Hilty is, always has been, and always will be infinitely better in every respect than that mcphee girl the show keeps trying to shove down our throats.

  66. b.... ....

    Only if Megan Hilty is playing the lead.

  67. S.... ....

    I respect your opinion but just because Ivy was more like Marilyn doesn't mean she deserved the role. The girls are actresses, that means you use real life experiences and emotions to portray a character. Whether you have been in the exact situation or a similar one. That's why Karen was given is, she could embody Marilyn while showing sparks of herself while Ivy was just a modern Marilyn.

  68. Z.... T....

    i love listening to this song and making up harmonies :)

  69. S.... I....

    this song almost made me cry

  70. h.... ....

    Haha I meant that one last reprise moment. (Where 'Marilyn' dies)

  71. T.... ....

    Ivy sings the full version in an ep. during the season. in fact, the downloadable version of the songs is probably the Megan Hilty version.

  72. T.... ....

    Being naive does not just mean you don't know much about the world. It also means unsophisticated, without guile. I also don't think that because you have suffered a hardship does not mean that you are not innocent in other ways. I think our minds have the extraordinary capacity to feel lots of different things. And I think that Marilyn could think that her happiness would all be realized in those bright lights and that people there could and would genuinely know and love her.

  73. h.... ....

    I remember the shivers I got when Karen sang this briefly before singing Don't Forget Me in the bombshell finale. However I would LOVE to see Ivy's version.

  74. D.... R....

    Karen all the way

  75. L.... H....

    11 people obviously don't don't know what it is like to be secondhand and broken...
    Love this song

  76. L.... H....

    I am learning to play this and then preform it for my class, my teacher loves smash as do I

  77. I.... L....

    team karen, but they both have great voices. i totally dont feel sorry for ivy though...

  78. a.... w....

    im team karen but megan sang amazing in this song

  79. p.... ....

    Completely agree! Katherine is so talented; but Megan. as Ivy, embodies everything one associated with Marilyn. In essence she appears to BE Marilyn, rather than just acting the part.

  80. A.... ....

    Being naive means you don't know much about the world or a specific part of it. Marilyn was never naive; as a little girl she was sexually abused and put in a bag.

  81. T.... ....

    Oh I don't think that at all. I think Marilyn did have naivety until she didn't. When she realized that millions of people loved her but no one knew or could know her. Neither Ivy or Karen knows what that kind of loneliness is yet.

  82. J.... H....

    #TeamKaren

  83. a.... t....

    Me... Me... Please Me!

  84. A.... ....

    But Karen's innocence is naivety, while Marilyn's was loneliness. Ivy is lonely too, which makes her more like Marilyn.

  85. T.... ....

    Karen is also small time girl who lives her world behind for some brass ring. All innocence that finds her belief system challenged and ultimately destroyed. That is Marilyn. In fact, I think that's what's made her Marilyn is that under all of that sex always lurked that innocence that made it now so raunchy for the time.

  86. m.... ....

    watch this! :) /watch?v=O3ClRZZdIZA

  87. M.... ....

    This was the one time I was glad Ellis was so manipulative cause Ivy got to sing this instead of Karen

  88. T.... ....

    I totally agree.

  89. T.... ....

    I really think they should make Bombshell a real musical.

  90. S.... M....

    With the same Cast as SMASH of course! :)

  91. A.... ....

    But Karen ISN'T an innocent child who wants to be loved dearly, Ivy is. Her mother who never really loved her, never getting her chance to shine, she is Marilyn. Karen's parents and friends are so loving, she doesn't have anything Marilyn had.

  92. M.... B....

    I SO WOULD!!

  93. i.... ....

    Ivy was robbed.

  94. x.... ....

    But she considers it. Not the same thing :)

  95. E.... O....

    I love this song, I think it's one of the best out of SMASH, and i think Megan Hilty sings it beautifully.

  96. T.... ....

    ivy looks like marilyn :)

  97. E.... R....

    AGREED!!! she hits every note perfectly and the words are profoundly moving

  98. m.... ....

    @yesjac uhm yea marilyn was more sex,,, but that was only in the public eye because she had attention issues. but deep inside she's just this innocent child who wants to be loved dearly. that's why Karen got the role. I hate it when people say Ivy is more marilyn. It's like they're saying Marilyn is nothing else but sex and drugs. :(

  99. C.... C....

    That's true, however in this musical the writers were trying to showcase her innocence more than her sex appeal.

  100. j.... ....

    except Marilyn was more of sex than innocence... still love kate despite that!