“Yes, ma'am. A lot of water under the bridge.”
Why it's great
One old idiom carries all the years and everything left unsaid between them.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
There's a lot of water under the bridge since we last worked together.
00:00 / 02:39
00:00 / 02:39
Ilsa Asks Sam to Play Their Song, Explained
Casablanca · 1943
Chapter 6 of 20 · 2'39"
On the surface it's small talk between an old friend and a piano player, but Ilsa is really asking where Rick is. Sam covers for his boss and even invents a girlfriend, and Ilsa calls out the act: "You used to be a much better liar, Sam." Then she asks him to play the song that belongs to them.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 1:24–2:07
Ilsa Asks Sam Where Rick Is
43s - 2:11–2:37
Ilsa Asks Sam to Play Their Song
26s
Ilsa Asks Sam to Play Their Song, explained
What happens
At Rick's café, Victor Laszlo meets the underground contact Berger and hears that Ugarte has been arrested. After they part, Ilsa comes in and finds Sam at the piano. She asks about Rick, sees through Sam's excuses, and finally asks him to play 'As Time Goes By.'
What's really going on
The scene is doing two jobs. It delivers plot — Ugarte's arrest, the planned meeting — and it introduces Ilsa as someone from Rick's past who knows the piano player well. The give-and-away is in the small talk: Sam lies about where Rick is, and Ilsa answers, "You used to be a much better liar, Sam." She isn't angry; she's fond, and that's what makes it sting. When she asks for "As Time Goes By," she isn't requesting a song so much as testing whether the past still exists for both of them. Sam's refusal is loyalty, not memory.
Key lines & what they mean
- “Yes, ma'am. A lot of water under the bridge.”
- Sam's polite way to close a topic: a lot of time has passed and the old business is settled. It's exactly what Ilsa doesn't want to hear.
- “You used to be a much better liar, Sam.”
- A compliment turned into a rebuke. It says she remembers the old Sam and that his current story is too clumsy to fool her.
- “Play it once, Sam. For old times' sake.”
- The request that the whole film is remembered for. She frames it as nostalgia, but the song is their history, and asking for it is asking Rick, indirectly, to remember too.
- “I never expected to see you again.”
- Ilsa's greeting to Sam, and the emotional seed of the scene: a return to a past she had closed, to a place where she is both expected and surprising.
Theme
- Memory — A song functions as a test: asking Sam to play it is really asking whether the past is still alive for Rick.
- Heartbreak — Ilsa returns to the place and the man she left, and even her fond teasing carries the old wound.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level2/6
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“You used to be a much better liar, Sam.”
Why it's great
She calls out his lie by remembering a better version of him, which stings more than anger.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
You used to be a much better excuse-maker before this deadline.
“Play it once, Sam. For old times' sake.”
Why it's great
The softener reframes a request as nostalgia, so the favor feels personal rather than demanding.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
Drop by the old cafe, for old times' sake.
“I never expected to see you again.”
Why it's great
The plainest line of reunion, carrying years of absence in one never.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
I never expected to see you again, especially not in this city.
Up next · 07It would never doThe scene: Ilsa and Rick Reunite at the CaféTakeaways
What you walk away with- A refusal sounds kinder when you admit you are out of practice.
- Nostalgia can turn a demand into a shared memory.
- Calling old trouble water under the bridge closes it politely.
- Teasing someone about a better past stings without shouting.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy does Sam lie about where Rick is?
He's protecting Rick. Sam knows what Ilsa's return would do to him, so he says Rick went home early and even invents a girlfriend at the Blue Parrot to send her away.
Why does Ilsa ask Sam for the song instead of waiting for Rick?
She knows Rick won't come to her, so she reaches for the one thing that still connects them. Asking for 'As Time Goes By' is her way of bringing the past back into the room.
Why does Sam refuse to play 'As Time Goes By'?
He claims he is a little rusty, but the real reason is loyalty. The song belongs to Rick and Ilsa, and playing it would pull Rick back into the past he is trying to leave behind.
What was Ugarte supposed to do for Laszlo?
Laszlo came looking for a man by the name of Ugarte, who was supposed to help him leave Casablanca. Berger tells him Ugarte is under arrest for murder and cannot even help himself.
Who is Berger, and what does he tell Laszlo?
Berger is an underground contact and a jewelry salesman. He tells Laszlo that Ugarte has been arrested and invites him to a resistance meeting at the Caverne du Bois, showing the network is still active.