From the musical play Success!

Download the piano/vocal score.

how hard can it be?

AMANDA You can paint?

NICHOLAS I trifled with it in college. How hard can it be?

A BIT OF COLOR HERE. 
A BIT OF COLOR THERE.
MIX IT ALL TOGETHER.
ALL DEVIL-MAY-CARE.

I MEAN HOW HARD CAN IT BE?
NO, REALLY! HOW HARD CAN IT BE?

A THICK STRIPE HERE.
A SKINNY SQUIGGLE THERE.
A LITTLE GOLD LEAF
ON A BIG RED SQUARE.
I MEAN, HOW HARD CAN IT BE?
I ASK YOU, HOW HARD CAN IT BE?

(NICHOLAS scrutinizes GREGORY'S portrait.)

ALL I HAVE TO DO, MY LOVE, IS PAINT IN A ROUGH
APPROXIMATION OF GREGORY'S STYLE.
OVER THE YEARS I'VE SEEN MORE THAN ENOUGH
STUFF LIKE THIS TO KNOW HE PAINTS LIKE A CHILD.

(Music continues under the following)

AMAZING Watch what you say about it. I love it. It's mine.

NICHOLAS (catching himself, backpedaling) Of course. Yes. Fine.
I only meant that he expresses his ideas with such clarity.
It's almost childlike in it's simplicity, it's sincerity.

AMANDA Hmm—

NICHOLAS His work has a certain penetrating innocence.
It shouldn't be difficult for me to capture that essence.

AMANDA I don't think you can pull it off.

NICHOLAS Don't tell me you've lost your faith in me.

I DRIP A LITTLE HERE
DROP A LITTLE THERE:
SHADOWY SHAPES
COLLIDING IN AIR.
I MEAN HOW HARD CAN IT BE?
LOOK, TRUST ME, HOW HARD CAN IT BE? 

A LITTLE DIBBLE HERE
A LITTLE DABBLE THERE
NAME IT "UNTITLED"
OR "STILL LIFE WITH PEAR"

I MEAN HOW HARD CAN IT BE?
COME ON, NOW, HOW HARD, CAN IT BE?
BELIEVE ME, MY DEAR, I'VE SPENT A LIFETIME ACQUAINTING
MYSELF WITH MY BROTHER'S TECHNIQUE.

PASSING MY TRIFLES OFF AS GREGORY'S EARLY PAINTINGS
WILL BE EASY. THEY'LL DIE FOR THEM. THEY'LL FREAK!

THEY'LL FREAK!
A DASH OF COLOR HERE.
A SPLASH OF COLOR THERE.
PUKE ON THE CANVAS,
AND WE'RE ZILLIONAIRES!
I MEAN, HOW HARD CAN IT BE?
ADMIT IT! HOW HARD CAN IT BE?
HOW HARD CAN IT BE?

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