1977
The Pennycandystore Beyond The El
Composed by 
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein Text by 
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Lawrence Ferlinghetti Songfest Song Collection
"The Pennycandystore Beyond The El" is the second movement and first solo song in Bernstein's Songfest. The song is written for baritone and orchestra, but a piano reduction is available.
The original poem is a concrete poem, and the lines fan outward like falling leaves.
Text
The Pennycandystore Beyond The El
by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
The pennycandystore beyond the El
is where I first
fell in love
with unreality
Jellybeans glowed in the semi-gloom
of that september afternoon
A cat upon the counter moved along
the licorice sticks
and tootsie rolls
and Oh Boy Gum
Outside the leaves were falling as they died
A wind had blown away the sun
A girl ran in
Her hair was rainy
Her breasts were breathless in the little room
Outside the leaves were falling
and they cried
Too soon! too soon!
Video
Sheet Music
Songfest
Leonard Bernstein
1. The Pennycandystore Beyond The El
2. A Julia de Burgos
3. To What You Said
4. Music I Heard With You
5. Zizi's Lament
6. Sonnet: What Lips My Lips Have Kissed...
2. A Julia de Burgos
3. To What You Said
4. Music I Heard With You
5. Zizi's Lament
6. Sonnet: What Lips My Lips Have Kissed...