Hadestown Musical Album Lyrics

Anais Mitchell - Road to Hell
Anais Mitchell - Livin It Up on Top
Anais Mitchell - All I've Ever Known
Anais Mitchell - Way Down Hadestown
Anais Mitchell - Epic II
Anais Mitchell - Chant
Anais Mitchell - Hey Little Songbird
Anais Mitchell - When the Chips are Down
Anais Mitchell - Gone I'm Gone
Anais Mitchell - Wait for Me
Anais Mitchell - Why We Build the Wall
Anais Mitchell - Our Lady of the Underground
Anais Mitchell - Way Down Hadestown II
Anais Mitchell - Chant II
Anais Mitchell - Epic III
Anais Mitchell - Word to the Wise
Anais Mitchell - His Kiss the Riot
Anais Mitchell - Promises
Anais Mitchell - Wait for Me II
Anais Mitchell - Doubt Comes In
Anais Mitchell - Road to Hell II

Anais Mitchell - Road to Hell

Mmm
Mmm
Mm-hmm
Mm-hmm

Chugga, chugga, chugga, chugga
Chugga, chugga, chugga, chugga
Chugga, chugga, chugga, chugga
Chugga, chugga, chugga, chugga

Once upon a time there was a railroad line (mmm)
Don't ask where, brother, don't ask when (mmm)
It was the road to hell, it was hard times
It was a world of gods (mm-hmm) and men

It's an old song (it's an old song)
It's an old tale from way back when
It's an old song (it's an old song)
And we're gonna sing it again

Gods and men, aight?
We got some gods in the house tonight!

See, on the road to hell there was a railroad line (mmm)
And there were three old women all dressed the same (mmm)
And they was always singin' in the back of your mind
Everybody meet the fates! (Mmm, mmm, mmm)

And on the road to Hell there was a railroad line (mmm)
And a lady steppin' off a train (mm-hmm)
With a suitcase full of summertime
Persephone, by name (mmm, mmm, mmm)

And if you ride that train
Ride that train
If you ride that train
You ride that train

If you ride that train to the end of the line (mmm)
Where the sun don't shine
And it's always shady (mmm)
It's there you'll find the king of the mine
All mighty mister Hades (mmm, mmm, mmm)

We got any other gods?
Oh, right, almost forgot

On the road to hell there was a railroad station (mmm)
And a man with feathers on his feet (mmm)
Who could help you to your final destination
Mr. Hermes (mmm, mmm, mmm)
That's me!

See, someone's got to tell the tale
Whether or not it turns out well
Maybe it will turn out this time
On the road to Hell
On the railroad line

It's a sad song
It's a sad song!
It's a sad tale, it's a tragedy
It's a sad song
It's a sad song
We're gonna sing it anyway (woo, ay, c'mon)

Now, not everyone gets to be a god
And don't forget that times are hard
Hard times in the world of men
Let me introduce you to a few of them
You can tip your hats and your wallets
Brothers and sisters, boys and girls
To the hardest working chorus
In the gods' almighty world!

And workin' just as hard for you
Let's see what this crew can do!

Aight!
Aight!
Aight!
On the road to Hell there was a railroad line (mmm)
And a poor boy workin' on a song

La, la, la, la, la, la

His mama was a friend of mine
And this boy was a muse's son
On the railroad line on the road to Hell (mmm)
You might say the boy was touched

La, la, la, la, la, la

Cause he was touched by the gods themselves!
Give it up for Orpheus! (Mmm, mmm, mmm)

Orpheus!

There was one more soul on this road
Girl, come on in from the cold!
On the railroad line on the road to Hell (mmm)
There was a young girl looking for something to eat! (mMm)
And brother, thus begins the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice! (Mmm, mmm, mmm)

It's a love song
It's a love song!
It's a tale of a love from long ago
It's a sad song
It's sad song!
But we're gonna sing it even so
It's an old song
It's an old song!
It's an old tale from way back when
And we're gonna sing
We're gonna sing
We're gonna sing it again
Again
Again, yeah

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Writer: Anais Mitchell
Copyright: Lyrics © Exploration Group LLC
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Anais Mitchell - Livin It Up on Top

[PERSEPHONE]
Well it's like he said, I'm an outdoor girl

[COMPANY]
Livin' it, livin' it up

[PERSEPHONE]
Married to the king of the Underworld

[COMPANY]
Livin' it up on top

[PERSEPHONE]
Trying to enjoy myself

[COMPANY]
Livin' it, livin' it up

[PERSEPHONE]
Six months out of every twelve

[COMPANY]
Livin' it up on top

[PERSEPHONE]
When the sun is high, brother, so am I
Drinking dandelion wine
Brother, I'm as free as a honeybee
In a summertime frame of mind
And when my man comes around,
Oh, I know he's gonna bring me down
But for now I'm livin' it

[COMPANY]
How are you livin' it?

[PERSEPHONE]
Livin' it, livin' it up
Brother, right here I'm livin' it

[COMPANY]
Where are you livin' it?

[PERSEPHONE]
Livin' it up on top!

[ORPHEUS]
Now why would a man of his own free will--

[HERMES, spoken]
He's talking about your man!

[ORPHEUS]
-- go to work all day in the mine, in the mill?

[PERSEPHONE, spoken]
You think I give a damn?

[ORPHEUS]
Why would he trade the sunshine--

[PERSEPHONE, spoken]
Tell him how it is, brother!

[ORPHEUS]
-- for a couple of nickels and dimes?
Oh, up on top a man can breathe when he's-

[COMPANY]
Livin' it, livin' it up

[ORPHEUS]
Picking fruit in the orchard trees

[COMPANY]
Livin' it up on top

[ORPHEUS]
No one here's a millionaire, but we're-

[COMPANY]
Livin' it, livin' it up

[ORPHEUS]
What we have, we have to share!

[COMPANY]
Livin' it up on top

[ORPHEUS]
Come on! Say, brother, give me a lyre and a campfire
And an open field at night
Give me the sky that you can't buy
Or sell at any price
And I'll give you a song for free
'Cause that's how life oughta be!
So that's how I'm livin' it!

[COMPANY]
How are you livin' it?

[ORPHEUS]
Livin' it, livin' it up
Oh, brother, right here we're livin' it

[COMPANY]
Where are you livin' it?

[ORPHEUS]
Livin' it up on top

[HERMES, spoken]
And that is how the summer went

[PERSEPHONE. spoken]
Oh, I'm just getting started!

[HERMES, spoken]
Oh, the flowers bloomed and the fruit got ripe

[PERSEPHONE, spoken]
Who says times are hard?

[HERMES, spoken]
And the lovers took each other by the hand

[PERSEPHONE, spoken]
Anybody want a drink?

[HERMES, spoken]
And danced underneath the sky

[PERSEPHONE]
Up on top we ain't got much,
But we're-

[COMPANY]
Livin' it, livin' it up

[PERSEPHONE]
Just enough to fill our cups

[COMPANY]
Livin' it up on top

[PERSEPHONE]
Brother, pass that bottle around, cause we're-

[COMPANY]
Livin' it, livin' it up

[PERSEPHONE]
Let the poet bless this round!

[ORPHEUS, spoken]
To the patroness of all of this: Persephone!

[HERMES, spoken]
Here, here!

[ORPHEUS]
To the sunshine and the fruit of the vine
She gives us every year
Asking nothing in return, except that we should live
And learn to live as brothers in this life
And to trust she will provide
If no one takes too much, there will always be enough
She will always fill our cups
And we will always raise them up!
[raises his cup]
(spoken)
Let the world we dream about be the one we live in now!
(takes a drink)
'Cause right now we're livin' it-

[COMPANY]
How are you livin' it?

[ORPHEUS]
Livin' it, livin' it up
Brother, right here we're livin' it

[COMPANY]
Where are you livin' it?

[ORPHEUS]
Listen here, I'll tell you where we're livin' it!
Up on top!

[COMPANY]
Up on top!

[ORPHEUS]
Livin' it up and we ain't gonna stop!
Livin' it, livin' it

[COMPANY]
Livin' it, livin' it
Livin' it up on top!

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Writer: Anais Mitchell
Copyright: Lyrics © Exploration Group LLC
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Anais Mitchell - All I've Ever Known

[EURYDICE]
I was alone so long
I didn't even know that I was lonely
Out in the cold so long
I didn't even know that I was cold
Turned my collar to the wind
This is how it's always been

All I've ever known is how to hold my own
All I've ever known is how to hold my own
But now I wanna hold you, too

You take me in your arms
And suddenly there's sunlight all around me
Everything bright and warm
And shining like it never did before
And for a moment I forget
Just how dark and cold it gets

All I've ever known is how to hold my own
All I've ever known is how to hold my own
But now I wanna hold you
Now I wanna hold you
Hold you close
I don't ever wanna have to let you go

Now I wanna hold you, hold you tight
I don't wanna go back to the lonely life

Say that you'll hold me forever
Say that the wind won't change on us
Say that we'll stay with each other
And it'll always be like this

[ORPHEUS]
I'm gonna hold you forever
The wind will never change on us
As long as we stay with each other
Then it will always be like this

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Writer: Anais Mitchell
Copyright: Lyrics © Exploration Group LLC
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Anais Mitchell - Way Down Hadestown

The deal is signed?

Yes

About time
Get on the line

I did what I had to do

That's what they did too

Now in Hadestown there were a lot of souls
Low, keep your head, keep your head
Working on the wall with all their might
Oh, you gotta keep your head
You see, they kept their heads down low
If you wanna keep your head
You couldn't quite see their faces right
But you could hear them singing
Low, keep your head, keep your head
Swinging their hammers in the cold, hard ground
You can hear the sound of the pickaxe ringin'
If you wanna keep your head
And they called it freedom

I'm Eurydice
Doesn't anybody hear me?

They can hear
But they don't care
No one has a name down here
Mr. Hades set you free
To work yourself into the ground
Free to spend eternity
In the factory
And the warehouse
Where the whistles scream
And the foreman shouts
And you're punchin' in
And punchin' in
And punchin' in
And you can't punch out!

And you're way down Hadestown (oh, keep your head, keep your head low)
Way down Hadestown (oh, you gotta keep your head low)
Way down Hadestown (if you wanna keep your head)
Way down under the ground (keep your head low)

Why won't anybody look at me?

They can look
But they don't see
You see, it's easier that way
Your eyes will look like that someday
Down in the river of oblivion
You kissed your little life goodbye
And Hades laid his hands on you
And gave you everlasting life!
And everlasting overtime
In the mine, in the mill, and the machinery
Your place on the assembly line
Replaces all your memories

Way down Hadestown (oh, keep your head, keep your head low)
Way down Hadestown (oh, you gotta keep your head low)
Way down Hadestown (if you wanna keep your head)
Way down under the ground (keep your head low)

What do you mean I'll look like that?

That's what it looks like to forget

Forget what?

Who you are and everything that came before

I have to go

Go where?

Go back!

Oh?
And where is that?
So what was your name again?
You've already forgotten

You see, it's like I said before
A lot can happen behind closed doors
Eurydice was a hungry young girl, but she wasn't hungry anymore
What she was instead, was dead
Dead to the world, anyway
You see, she went behind those doors
And signed her life away

Saw that wheel up in the sky
Heard the big bell tolling
A lot of souls have gotta die
To keep the Rust Belt rollin'
A lot of spirits gotta break
To make the underworld go 'round

Way down Hadestown
Way down under the ground

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Writer: Anais Mitchell
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Anais Mitchell - Epic II

King of silver
King of gold
And everything glittering
Under the ground
Hades is king
Of oil and coal
And the riches that flow
Where those rivers are found

But for half of the year with Persephone gone
His loneliness moves in him, crude and black
He thinks of his wife in the arms of the sun
And jealousy fuels him and feeds him and fills him
With doubt that she'll ever come
Dread that she'll never come
Doubt that his lover
Will ever come back

King of mortar
King of bricks
The River Styx is a river of stones
And Hades lays them high and thick
With a million hands that are not his own
With a million hands, he builds a wall
Around all the riches he digs from the Earth

The pickaxe flashes
The hammer falls
And crashing and pounding
His rivers surround him
And drown out the sound of the song he once heard

La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la

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Writer: Anais Mitchell
Copyright: Lyrics © Exploration Group LLC
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Anais Mitchell - Chant

Low, keep your head, keep your head low
Oh, you gotta keep your head low
If you wanna keep your head
Oh, you gotta keep your head low
Keep your head, keep your head low
Oh, you gotta keep your head low
If you wanna keep your head
Oh, you gotta keep your head

In the coldest time of year
Why is it so hot down here?
Hotter than a crucible
It ain't right and it ain't natural

Lover, you were gone so long
Lover, I was lonesome
So I built a foundry
In the ground beneath your feet
Here, I fashioned things of steel
Oil drums and automobiles
Then I kept that furnace fed
With the fossils of the dead
Lover, when you feel that fire
Think of it as my desire
Think of it as my desire for you!

La, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la
La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la

Low, keep your head, keep your head low (la, la, la, la, la, la, la)

Is it finished? (Oh, you gotta keep your head low)
La, la, la, la, la, la, la (if you wanna keep your head)
Not yet (oh, you gotta keep your head low)
La, la, la, la, la, la, la (keep your head, keep your head low)
Is he always like this?
Oh, you gotta keep your head low (la, la, la, la, la, la, la)
If you wanna keep your head

Looking high and looking low
For the food and firewood I know we need to find
And I am keeping one eye on the sky
And tryin' to trust that the song he's working on (ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
Is gonna shelter us (ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
From the wind, the wind, the wind

Ah-ooh
Ah-ooh, huh

In the darkest time of year
Why is it so bright down here?
Brighter than a carnival
It ain't right and it ain't natural

Lover, you were gone so long
Lover, I was lonesome
So I laid a power grid
In the ground on which you stood
And wasn't it electrifying
When I made the neon shine?
Silver screen, cathode ray
Brighter than the light of day
Lover, when you see that glare
Think of it as my despair
Think of it as my despair for you!

I can't find the tune
Orpheus!
I can't feel the rhythm
Orpheus!
King Hades is deafened by a river of stone
Poor boy working on a song

And Lady Persephone's blinded by a river of wine
Living in an oblivion
He did not see the storm coming on
His black gold flows
In the world down below
And her dark clouds roll in the one up above
Look up! (Keep your head low)
And that is the reason we're on this road
And the seasons are wrong
And the wind is so strong
That's why times are so hard
It's because of the gods
The gods have forgotten the song of their love
Singing la, la, la, la, la, la

Low, keep your head, keep your head low
Oh, you gotta keep your head low
La, la, la, la, la, la, la (if you wanna keep your head)
Oh, you gotta keep your head low
La, la, la, la, la, la, la (keep your head, keep your head low)
Oh, you gotta keep your head low
La, la, la, la, la, la (if you wanna keep your head)

Lookin' low and lookin' high
There is no food left to find
It's hard enough to feed yourself
Let alone somebody else
I'm trying to believe
That the song he's working on
Is gonna harbor me from
The wind, the wind, the wind

Eurydice was a hungry young girl
Give that back!
She was no stranger to the wind
It's everything we have!
But she had not seen nothing
Orpheus!
Like the mighty storm she got caught in
Orpheus!
Shelter us!
Only took a minute
Harbor me!
But the wrath of the gods was in it

Every year, it's getting worse
Hadestown, hell on Earth!
Did you think I'd be impressed
With this neon necropolis?
Lover, what have you become
Coal cars and oil drums
Warehouse walls and factory floors
I don't know you anymore
And in the meantime up above
The harvest dies and people starve
Oceans rise and overflow
It ain't right and it ain't natural

Lover, everything I do
I do it for the love of you
If you don't even want my love
I'll give it to someone who does
Someone grateful for her fate
Someone who appreciates
The comforts of a gilded cage
And doesn't try to fly away
The moment Mother Nature calls
Someone who could love these walls
That hold her close and keep her safe
And think of them as my embrace

Singing la, la, la, la, la, la, la (low, keep your head, keep your head)
Shelter us
Think of them as my embrace
La, la, la, la, la, la, la (low, keep your head, keep your head)
Harbor me

Think of them as my embrace
Of you

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Writer: Anais Mitchell
Copyright: Lyrics © Exploration Group LLC
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Anais Mitchell - Hey Little Songbird

Hey, little songbird, give me a song
I'm a busy man and I can't stay long
I got clients to call, I got orders to fill
I got walls to build, I got riots to quell
And they're giving me hell back in Hades

Hey, little songbird, cat got your tongue?
Always a pity for one so pretty and young
When poverty comes to clip your wings
And knock the wind right out of your lungs
Hey, nobody sings on empty

Strange is the call of this strange man
I wanna fly down and feed at his hand
I want a nice soft place to land
I wanna lie down forever

Hey, little songbird, you got something fine
You'd shine like a diamond down in the mine
And the choice is yours, if you're willing to choose
Seeing as you've got nothing to lose
And I could use a canary

Suddenly, nothing is as it was
Where are you now, Orpheus?
Wasn't it gonna be the two of us?
Weren't we birds of a feather?

Hey, little songbird, let me guess
He's some kind of poet and he's penniless?
Give him your hand, he'll give you his hand-to-mouth
He'll write you a poem when the power's out
Hey, why not fly south for the winter?

Hey, little songbird, look all around you
See how the vipers and vultures surround you
And they'll take you down, they'll pick you clean
If you stick around such a desperate scene
See, people get mean when the chips are down

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Writer: Anais Mitchell
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Anais Mitchell - When the Chips are Down

Songbird versus rattlesnake
Mm
What is it?
Eurydice was a hungry young girl
Mm
Your ticket
And Hades gave her a choice to make
Mm, mm, mm
A ticket to the underworld

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Writer: Anais Mitchell
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Anais Mitchell - Gone I'm Gone

[EURYDICE]
Orpheus, my heart is yours
Always was and will be
It's my gut I can't ignore
Orpheus, I'm hungry
Oh, my heart, it aches to stay
But the flesh will have its way
Oh, the way is dark and long
But I'm already gone...

(spoken)
I'm gone.

[FATES]
Go ahead and lay the blame
Talk of virtue
Talk of sin
Wouldn't you have done the same?
In her shoes,
In her skin?
You can have your principles
When you've got a bellyful
But hunger has a way with you
There's no telling what you're gonna do
When the chips are down
Now that the chips are down
What you gonna do when the chips are down?
Now that the chips are down

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Writer: Anais Mitchell
Copyright: Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Exploration Group LLC
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Anais Mitchell - Wait for Me

How to get to Hadestown
You'll have to take the long way down
Through the underground, under cover of night
Laying low, staying out of sight
Ain't no compass, brother, there ain't no map
Just a telephone wire and the railroad track
Keep on walking and you don't look back
'Til you get to the bottomland

Wait for me, I'm coming
Wait, I'm coming with you
Wait for me, I'm coming too
I'm coming too

River Styx is high and wide
Cinderbricks and razorwire
Walls of iron and concrete
Hound dogs howling round the gate
Them dogs'll lay down and play dead
If you got the bones, if you got the bread
But if all you got is your own two legs
You best be glad you got 'em

Wait for me, I'm coming
Wait, I'm coming with you
Wait for me, I'm coming too
I'm coming too

You're on the lam, you're on the run
Don't give your name, you don't have one
And don't look no one in the eye
That town will try to suck you dry
They'll suck your brain, they'll suck your breath
They'll pluck the heart right out your chest
They'll truss you up in your Sunday best
And stuff your mouth with cotton

Wait for me, I'm coming
Wait, I'm coming with you
Wait for me, I'm coming too
I'm coming
Wait, wait, wait, wait

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Writer: Anais Mitchell
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Anais Mitchell - Why We Build the Wall

Why do we build the wall?
My children, my children
Why do we build the wall?

Why do we build the wall?
We build the wall to keep us free
That's why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free

How does the wall keep us free?
My children, my children
How does the wall keep us free?

How does the wall keep us free?
The wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That's why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free

Who do we call the enemy?
My children, my children
Who do we call the enemy?

Who do we call the enemy?
The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That's why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free

Because we have and they have not!
My children, my children
Because they want what we have got!

Because we have and they have not!
Because they want what we have got!
The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That's why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free

What do we have that they should want?
My children, my children
What do we have that they should want?

What do we have that they should want?
We have a wall to work upon!
We have work and they have none
And our work is never done
My children, my children
And the war is never won
The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That's why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free
We build the wall to keep us free

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Writer: Anais Mitchell
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Anais Mitchell - Our Lady of the Underground

I don't know about you, boys
But if you're like me then hanging around
This old manhole is bringing you down
Six-feet-under getting under your skin
Cabin fever is a-setting in

You're stir crazy! You're stuck in a rut!
Or you could use a little pick-me-up
I can give you what it is you crave
A little something from the good old days
I got the wind right here in a jar
I got the rain on tap at the bar
I got the sunshine up on the shelf

Allow me to introduce myself
Brother, what's my name?
My name is
Our Lady of the Underground!
Brother, what's my name?
Our Lady of Ways!
Our Lady of Means!
Brother, what's my name?
My name is
Our Lady of the Upside Down
Brother what's my name?
I'll tell you my name

Come here, brother, let me guess
It's the little things you miss
Spring flowers, autumn leaves
Ask me, brother, and you shall receive
Or maybe these just ain't enough
Maybe you're looking for some stronger stuff

I got a sight for the sorest eye
When's the last time you saw the sky?
Wipe away your tears, brother
Brother, I know how you feel
I can see you're blinded by the sadness of it all
But look a little closer, everything will be revealed
Look a little closer, there's a crack in the wall

You want stars? I got a skyful
Put a quarter in the slot, you'll get an eyeful
You want the moon? I got her too
She's right here waiting in my pay-per-view
Oh, how long's it been?
A little moonshine ain't no sin
One at a time, boys, straight line
What the boss don't know, the boss won't mind

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Writer: Anais Mitchell
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Anais Mitchell - Way Down Hadestown II

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Anais Mitchell - Chant II

Now everybody knows the walls have ears

Is it true?

Is it true?

And the walls had heard what the boy was saying

Is it true?

Is it true?

A million tons of stone and steel

Is it true?

Is it true?

Echoed his refrain

When I was a young man like you
Son, I held a woman too
Held her in my naked hands
When I was a young man
Now you know how it feels
Women are as slick as eels
Woman, quicker than the asp
Always slipping from your grasp

Take it from a man no longer young
If you want to hold a woman, son
Hang a chain around her throat
Made of many carat gold
Shackle her from wrist to wrist
With sterling silver bracelets
Fill her pockets full of stones
Precious ones, diamonds
Bind her with a golden band
Take it from an old man

Low, keep your head, keep your head low
Oh, you gotta keep your head low
If you wanna keep your head

La, la, la, la, la, la, la

Oh, he said he'd shelter us
He said he'd harbor me
He said we'd build them up
And then the walls would set us free
I'm gonna count to three
And then I'll raise my head singing
One, two, is it true?
Is it true, what he said?

When I was a young girl like you
Sister, I was hungry too
Hungry for the underworld
When I was a young girl
Now you know how it tastes
The fruit of Mr. Hades' ways
Sister, it's a bitter wine--
Spit it out while you still have time

Take it from a woman of my age
Love is not a gilded cage
All the wealth within these walls
Will never buy the thing called love
Love was when he came to me
Begging on his bended knees
To please have pity on his heart
And let him lay me in the dirt...

I felt his arms around me then
We didn't need a wedding bed
Dark seeds scattered on the ground
The wild birds were flying around

That's when I became his wife
But that was in another life
That was in another world
When I was a young girl!

La, la, la, la, la, la, la

Low, keep your head, keep your head low
Oh, you gotta keep your head low
If you wanna keep your head

Oh, he said he'd shelter us
He said he'd harbor me
He said we'd soldier on
And then the war would bring us peace
We're gonna count to three
And then we'll raise our heads, singing
One, two, is it true?
Is it true, what he said?

Young man, I was young once too
I once sang the young man's blues
Women come and women go
Get you high and get you low
One day she's hot, the next she's cold
Women are so seasonal
Women leave again and again
Take it from an old man

Now I sing a different song
One I can depend upon
The simple tune, the steady beat
The music of machinery
Do you hear that heavy metal sound?
The symphony of Hadestown
And in this symphony of mine
Of power chords and power lines
Young man, you can strum your lyre
I have strung the world in wire
Young man, you can sing your ditty
I conduct the electric city!

I'll tell you what, young man
Since my wife is such a fan,
And since I'm going to count to three
And put you out of your misery
One!-- give me one more song
One more song before I send you
Two!-- to the great beyond
Where nobody can hear you singing
Three!-- sing a song for me
Make me laugh, make me weep
Make the king feel young again
Sing for an old man!

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Writer: Anais Mitchell
Copyright: Lyrics © Exploration Group LLC
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Anais Mitchell - Epic III

King of shadows
King of shades
Hades was king of the Underworld

Oh, it's about me?

Go on

But he fell in love with a beautiful lady
Who walked up above
In her mother's green field
He fell in love with Persephone
Who was gathering flowers in the light of the Sun
And I know how it was because
He was like me
A man in love with a woman
Singing la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la

Where'd you get that melody?

La, la, la, la, la, la, la

Let him finish, Hades

La, la, la, la, la, la

And you didn't know how
And you didn't know why
But you knew that you wanted to take her home
You saw her alone there, against the sky
It was like she was someone you'd always known
It was like you were holding the world when you held her
Like yours were the arms that the whole world was in
And there were no words for the way that you felt
So you opened your mouth and you started to sing

La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la

La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la

And what has become of the heart of that man
Now that the man is king?
What has become of the heart of that man
Now that he has everything?

The more he has, the more he holds
The greater the weight of the world on his shoulders
See how he labors beneath that load
Afraid to look up, and afraid to let go
So he keeps his head low, he keeps his back bending
He's grown so afraid that he'll lose what he owns
But what he doesn't know is that what he's defending
Is already gone

Where is the treasure inside of your chest?
Where is your pleasure? Where is your youth?
Where is the man with his arms outstretched?
To the woman he loves
With nothing to lose

Singing la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la

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Writer: Anais Mitchell
Copyright: Lyrics © Exploration Group LLC
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Anais Mitchell - Word to the Wise

And so, the poor boy asked the king

Can we go?

And this is how he answered him

I don't know

Gotta think quick
Gotta save face
Caught 'tween a rock and a hard place

Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do now?

If you tell him no
Oh, you're a heartless man
And you're gonna have a martyr on your hands
If you let him go
Oh, you're a spineless king
And you're never gonna get 'em in line again

Damned if you don't
Damned if you do
Whole damn nation's watching you
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do now?

Here's a little tip
Word to the wise
Here's a little snippet of advice
Men are fools
Oh, men are frail
Give them the rope and they'll hang themselves

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Writer: Anais Mitchell
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Anais Mitchell - His Kiss the Riot

The devil take this Orpheus
And his Belladonna kiss
Beautiful, poisonous, lovely, deadly
Dangerous this jack of hearts
With his kiss, the riot starts

All my children came here poor
Clamoring for bed and board
Now, what do they clamor for?
Freedom
Freedom

Have I made myself their lord
Just to fall upon the sword?
Of some pauper's minor chord?
Who will lead them?
Who lays all our best-laid plans?
Who makes work for idle hands?

Only one thing to be done
Let them go, but let there be some term to be agreed upon
Some condition
Orpheus the undersigned shall not turn to look behind
She's out of sight and he's out of his mind
Every coward seems courageous in the safety of a crowd
Bravery can be contagious when the band is playing loud
Nothing makes a man so bold
As a woman's smile and a hand to hold
But all alone his blood runs thin
And doubt comes, doubt comes in

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Anais Mitchell - Promises

Orpheus?
Yes?
You finished it
Yes
Now what do I do?
You take me home with you
Let's go, let's go right now
Okay, let's go
How?
We'll walk, you know the way
We'll just go back the way you came
It's a long road
It's a long walk
Back into the cold and dark
Are you sure you wanna go?
Take me home

I have no ring for your finger
I have no banquet table to lay
I have no bed of feathers
Whatever promises I made
I can't promise you fair sky above
Can't promise you kind road below
But I'll walk beside you, love
Any way the wind blows

I don't need gold, don't need silver
Just bread when I'm hungry
Fire when I'm cold
Don't need a ring for my finger
Just need a steady hand to hold
Don't promise me fair sky above
Don't promise me kind road below
Just walk beside me, love
Any way the wind blows

What about him?
He'll let us go, look at him
He can't say no
What about them?
We'll show the way
If we can do it, so can they

I don't know where this road will end
But I'll walk it with you, hand in hand
I can't promise you fair sky above
Can't promise you kind road below
But I'll walk beside you, love
Any way the wind blows

Do you let me walk with you?
I do
I do
I do
And keep on walking, come what will?
I will
I will
We will

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Anais Mitchell - Wait for Me II

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Anais Mitchell - Doubt Comes In

La, la-la, la, la, la, la
La, la-la, la, la, la

Doubt comes in
The wind is changing
Doubt comes in
How cold it's blowing
Doubt comes in
And meets a stranger
Walking on a road alone
Where is she?
Where is she now?

Doubt comes in
Who am I?
Where do I think I'm goin'? (Doubt comes in)
Who am I?
Why am I all alone? (Doubt comes in)
Who do I think I am?
Who am I to think that she would follow me into the cold and dark again?
Where is she?
Where is she now?

Orpheus
Are you listening? (Are you listening?)
I'm right here
We are all right here
And I will be 'til the end (will be 'til the end)
And the coldest night (coldest night)
Of the coldest year (coldest year)
Comes right before the spring

La, la-la, la, la, la, la
La, la-la, la, la, la

Who am I?
Who am I against him?
Who am I?
Why would he let me win?
Why would he let her go?
Who am I to think that he wouldn't deceive me just to make me leave alone?

Doubt comes in
Is this a trap that's bein' laid for me? (The wind is changing)
Doubt comes in
Is this a trick that's bein' played on me? (How dark it's growing)
Doubt comes in
I used to see the way the world could be (and meets a stranger)
(Walking on the road alone) but now the way it is is all I see and
Where is she?
Where is she now?

Orpheus
You are not alone
I'm right behind you (we're all behind you)
And I have been all along (we have been all along)
And the darkest hour (darkest hour)
Of the darkest night (darkest night)
Comes right before

It's you
It's me
Orpheus
Eurydice

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Anais Mitchell - Road to Hell II

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Back to: Hadestown

Hadestown Info:

(buy at amazon.com)

Hadestown is a sung-through musical with music, lyrics, and book by Anaïs Mitchell. It tells a version of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Eurydice, a young girl looking for something to eat, goes to work in a hellish industrial version of the Greek underworld to escape poverty and the cold, and her poor singer-songwriter lover Orpheus comes to rescue her.

The original version of the musical premiered in the town of Barre, Vermont, in 2006, followed by a production in Vergennes, Vermont the same year and a tour between Vermont and Massachusetts in 2007. After the tour, Mitchell—unsure about the future of the musical—turned it into a concept album, released in 2010.

In 2012, Mitchell met director Rachel Chavkin, and the two started to rework the stage production, with additional songs and dialogue. The new version of the musical, developed for the stage and directed by Chavkin, premiered Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop on May 6, 2016, and ran through July 31. Following productions in Edmonton and London, the show premiered in previews on Broadway in March 2019.

The Broadway production opened to critical acclaim and received numerous awards and nominations. At the 73rd Tony Awards, Hadestown received 14 nominations (the most for the evening) and won eight of them, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.

Genre(s): Broadway, Broadway musical, musical
Length: 76:00
Released: October 6th, 2017
Year: 2017

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