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When Does a Dream Begin? is a song by Neil Innes, which is also the theme for the forty-second episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus, "Light Entertainment War." 2/3 of the song is played at the ending of the episode, where Neil Innes, as a soldier, sings it to a disinterested woman (Maggie Weston), who eventually warms up to it.

Lyrics[]

The outlook for today is mainly tragic,
Cloudy, dull, occasional rain and scattered magic,
But unlike those who say
They prefer the good old days,
I hardly ever feel nostalgic

And although the intellectually agile,
Can logically prove the heart is fragile,
Drifting unawares

Through all of its affairs,
Nevertheless
Love is still the simple badge I'll proudly wear

When does a dream begin?
Does it start with a goodnight kiss?
Is it begun when two hearts are one?
When does a dream begin?

When does a dream begin?
Is it born in a moment of bliss?
Is it conceived or simply achieved?
When does a dream begin?

The vision of you appears somehow
Impossible to resist
But I'm not imagining seeing you now
For who could have dreamed of this?

When does a dream begin?
When reality is dismissed?
Or does it commence when we lose all pretense?
When does a dream begin?

When does a dream begin?

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