Original subtitles

A'ight?

[CHORUS] A'ight!

A'ight?

[AUDIENCE] A'ight!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaa'ight!

Hmmmm

[CHORUS] Hmmmmmmm

Uhhh Huhhh!

[CHORUS] Hmmm Hmmmm!

Chugga chugga chugga chugga! Chugga chugga chugga chugga!

[CHORUS] Chugga chugga chugga chugga! Chugga chugga chugga chugga!

Once upon a time there was a railroad line

Don't ask where, brother, don't ask when

It was the road to Hell, it was hard times

It was a world of gods...

and men!

It's an old song

[CHORUS] It's an old song!

It's an old tale from way back when

It's an old song

[CHORUS] It's an old song!

And we're gonna sing it again

Gods and men, a'ight?

We got some gods in the house tonight!

See, on the road to Hell there was a railroad line

And there were three old women all dressed the same

And they was always singin' in the back of your mind

Everybody meet the Fates!

And on the road to Hell there was a railroad line

And a lady steppin' off a train

With a suitcase full of summertime

With a suitcase full of summertime Persephone, by name!

And if you ride that train

[CHORUS] Ride that train

If you ride that train

[CHORUS] Ride that train

If you ride that train to the end of the line

Where the sun don't shine and it's always shady

It's there you'll find the king of the mine

It's there you'll find the king of the mine Almighty Mr. Hades!

We got any other gods?

Oh, yeah, almost forgot...

On the road to Hell there was a railroad station

And a man with feathers on his feet

Who could help you to your final destination

Mr. Hermes...

Mr. Hermes...that's me!

[HERMES] 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

[CHORUS] It's a sad song!

[HERMES] It's a sad tale, it's a tragedy

It's a sad song

[CHORUS] It's a sad song!

[HERMES] We're gonna sing it anyway

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!

A'ight!

A'ight!

[HERMES] On the road to Hell there was a railroad line

And a poor boy workin' on a song

[...] La la la la la la...

[HERMES] His mama was a friend of mine

And this boy was a muse's son

On the railroad line on the road to Hell

You might say the boy was touched

[...] La la la la la la...

[HERMES] Cause he was touched by the gods themselves!

Give it up for Orpheus!

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

There was a young girl looking for something to eat!

And brother, thus begins the tale

...of Orpheus

...of Orpheus and Eurydice!

It's a love song

[CHORUS] It's a love song!

[HERMES] It's a tale of a love from long ago

It's a sad song

[CHORUS] It's a sad song!

[HERMES] But we're gonna sing it even so

It's an old song

[CHORUS] It's an old song!

[HERMES] It's an old tale from way back when

And we're gonna sing

[HERMES and CHORUS] We're gonna sing

We're gonna sing it again!

[HERMES] Again!

Again!

[FATES] Ooooh…

Ooooh…

Ooooh…

Ooooh…

[HERMES] Eurydice was a hungry young girl

A runaway from everywhere she'd ever been

She was no stranger to the world

No stranger to the wind

[EURYDICE] The weather ain't the way it was before

Ain't no spring or fall at all anymore

It's either blazing hot or freezing cold

Any way the wind blows

[FATES] And there ain't a thing that you can do

When the weather takes a turn on you

'Cept for hurry up and hit the road

Any way the wind blows

Wind comes up

Ooooh…

[EURYDICE] Do you hear that sound?

[FATES] Wind comes up

[EURYDICE] Move to another town

Ain't nobody gonna stick around

[EURYDICE and FATES] When the dark clouds roll

Any way the wind blows

[HERMES] You met The Fates

Remember them?

[EURYDICE] Anybody got a match?

[HERMES] Always singing in the back of your mind

[EURYDICE] Gimme that

[HERMES] Wherever it was this young girl went

The Fates were close behind

[EURYDICE] People turn on you just like the wind

Everybody is a fair-weather friend

But in the end, you're better off alone

Any way the wind blows

[FATES] When your body aches to lay it down

When you're hungry and there ain't enough to go round

Ain't no length to which a girl won't go

Any way the wind blows

Wind comes up Ooooh…

[EURYDICE] And sometimes you think

[FATES] Wind comes up

[EURYDICE] You would do anything

Just to fill your belly full of food

Find a bed that you could fall into

Where the weather wouldn't follow you

[EURYDICE and FATES] Wherever you go

Any way the wind blows

[HERMES] Now Orpheus was the son of a Muse

And you know how those Muses are

Sometimes they abandon you

And this poor boy, he wore his heart out on his sleeve

You might say he was naïve to the ways of the world

But he had a way with words

And the rhythm and the rhyme

And he sang just like a bird up on a line

And it ain't because I'm kind

But his Mama was a friend of mine

And I liked to hear him sing

And his way of seeing things

So I took him underneath my wing

And that is where he stayed

Until one day...

You wanna talk to her?

[ORPHEUS] Yes!

[HERMES] Go on

Orpheus?

Don't come on too strong

[ORPHEUS] Come home with me

[EURYDICE] Who are you?

[ORPHEUS] The man who's gonna marry you

I'm Orpheus

[EURYDICE] Is he always like this?

[HERMES] Yes

[EURYDICE] I'm Eurydice

[ORPHEUS] Your name is like a melody

[EURYDICE] A singer, is that what you are?

[ORPHEUS] I also play the lyre

[EURYDICE] Oh, a liar, and a player too!

I've met too many men like you

[ORPHEUS] Oh, no, I'm not like that

[HERMES] He's not like any man you've met

But tell her what you're workin' on

[ORPHEUS] I'm workin' on a song

It isn't finished yet

But when it's done and when I sing it

Spring will come again

[EURYDICE] Come again?

[ORPHEUS] Spring will come

[EURYDICE] When?

I haven't seen a spring or fall since...

I can't recall

[ORPHEUS] That's what I'm workin' on

A song to fix what's wrong

Take what's broke and make it whole

A song so beautiful

It brings the world back into tune

Back into time

And all the flowers will bloom

When you become my wife

[EURYDICE] Ohhh, he's crazy

Why would I become his wife?

[HERMES] Maybe because he'll make you feel alive

[EURYDICE] Alive?

That's worth a lot

What else ya got?

[EURYDICE] Lover, tell me if you can

Who's gonna buy the wedding bands?

Times being what they are

Hard and getting harder all the time

[ORPHEUS] Lover, when I sing my song

All the rivers'll sing along

And they're gonna break their banks for us

And with their gold, be generous

All a-flashing in the pan

All to fashion for your hand

The river's gonna give us the wedding bands

[EURYDICE] Lover, tell me, if you're able

Who's gonna lay the wedding table?

Times being what they are

Dark and getting darker all the time

[ORPHEUS] Lover, when I sing my song

All the trees gonna sing along

And they're gonna bend their branches down

To lay their fruit upon the ground

The almond and the apple

And the sugar from the maple

The trees gonna lay the wedding table

[EURYDICE] So when you sing your song

The one you're working on

Spring will come again?

[ORPHEUS] Yes

[EURYDICE] Why don't you sing it then?

[ORPHEUS] It isn't finished

[EURYDICE] Sing it

You wanna take me home?

[ORPHEUS] Yes

[EURYDICE] Sing the song

[ORPHEUS] La-la-la-la-la-la

La-la-la-la-la-la

[Chorus] La-la-la-la-la-la

[ORPHEUS] La-la-la-la-la-la

[EURYDICE] How'd you do that?

[ORPHEUS] I don't know

The song's not finished though

[EURYDICE] Even so, it can do this?

[ORPHEUS] I know...

[EURYDICE] You have to finish it!

Lover, tell me, when we're wed

Who's gonna make the wedding bed?

Times being what they are

Hard and getting harder all the time

[ORPHEUS] Lover, when I sing my song

All the birds gonna sing along

And they'll come flying from all around

To lay their feathers on the ground

And we'll lie down in eiderdown

A pillow 'neath our heads

The birds gonna make the wedding bed

[EURYDICE] And the trees gonna lay the wedding table

[ORPHEUS] And the river's gonna give us the wedding bands

[ORPHEUS and EURYDICE] Hhmm-mmm

[HERMES] Where'd you get that melody?

[ORPHEUS] I don’t know, it came to me

As if I'd known it all along

[HERMES] You have, it's an old song

A song of love from long ago

Long-time since I heard it though

[ORPHEUS] You’ve heard that melody before?

[HERMES] Sure

[ORPHEUS] Tell me more

[HERMES] Remember the tale I told you once about the Gods?

[ORPHEUS] Which ones?

[HERMES] Hades and Persephone

Remember how it used to be

Their love that made the world go round?

[ORPHEUS] I remember now

But that was long ago

[HERMES] Tell it again though

[ORPHEUS] King of shadows

King of shades

Hades was king of the Underworld

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 he took her home

to become his queen

Where the sun never shone

On anyone

[HERMES] Go on...

[ORPHEUS] The lady loved him and the kingdom they shared

But without her above, not one flower would grow

So King Hades agreed that for half of each year

She would stay with him there in his world down below

But the other half, she could walk in the sun

And the sun, in turn, burned twice as bright

Which is where the seasons come from

And with them, the cycle

Of the seed and the sickle

And the lives of the people

And the birds in their flight

[HERMES] Singing...

[ORPHEUS] La la la la la la la...

[HERMES] Down below and up above

[ORPHEUS] La la la la la la la...

[HERMES] In harmony and rhythm

[ORPHEUS] La la la la la la la...

[HERMES] The Gods sang his song of love

[ORPHEUS] La la la la la la la...

[HERMES] And the world sang it with them

But that was long ago

Before we were on this road

[HERMES] And on the road to hell, there was a lot of waiting

[CHORUS] Mmm... Waiting

[HERMES] Everybody waiting on a train

[CHORUS] Mmm... Waiting on a lady with a

[HERMES] Waiting on a train to bring that lady

[CHORUS] Mmm... Lady

[HERMES] With her suitcase packed again

She's never early, always late

[CHORUS] Waiting

[HERMES] These days she never stays for long

But good things come to those who wait

Here she comes!

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

[HERMES] And you're late again

[PERSEPHONE] Married to the king of the underworld

[HERMES] She forgot a little thing called spring

[PERSEPHONE] Are you wondering where I've been?

[WORKERS] Yeah!

Where you been?

I'm wondering

[PERSEPHONE] Been to hell, and back again

But like my mama always said...

Brother when you're down, you're down

When you're up, you're up

If you ain't six feet underground, you're living it up on top

Let's not talk about hard times

Pour the wine, it's summertime!

'Cause right now we're livin' it

[COMPANY] How are we livin' it?

[PERSEPHONE] Livin' it, livin' it up

Oh brother, right here we're livin' it

[COMPANY] Where are we livin' it?

[PERSEPHONE] Livin' it up on top

Who makes the summer sun shine bright?

That's right, Persephone!

Who makes the fruit of the vine get ripe

[COMPANY] Persephone!

[PERSEPHONE] That's me

Who makes the flowers bloom again, in spite of a man?

[COMPANY] You do!

[PERSEPHONE] Who's doing the best she can?

Persephone, that's who

Now some might say, the weather ain't the way it used to be

But let me tell you something that my mama said to me

You take what you can get, and you make the most of it

So right now we're livin' it

[COMPANY] How are we livin' it?

[PERSEPHONE] Livin' it, livin' it up

Oh brother, right here we're livin' it

[COMPANY] Where are we livin' it?

[PERSEPHONE] Livin' it up on top

[HERMES] It was summertime on the road to hell

There was a girl who had always run away

You might say it was in spite of herself

That this young girl decided to stay

There was a poor boy with a lyre

[PERSEPHONE] Who says times are hard?

[HERMES] The flowers bloomed and the fruit got ripe

And brother for a moment there

[PERSEPHONE] Anybody want a drink?

[HERMES] The world came back to life!

[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

[HERMES] Let the poet bless this round

[ORPHEUS] To the patroness of all of this, Persephone

[HERMES] Here, here!

[ORPHEUS] Who has finally returned to us...

with wine enough to share

Asking nothing in return...

except that we should live

And learn to live...

as brothers in this life

And to trust she will provide

[WORKER] Alright

[ORPHEUS] And if no one takes too much,

there will always be enough

She will always fill our cups

[PERSEPHONE] I will

[ORPHEUS] And we will always...

raise them up

To the world we dream about,

and...

...the one we live in now

[HERMES] Ahhhrgh!

[ORPHEUS] 'Cause right now we're livin' it

[COMPANY] How are we livin' it?

[ORPHEUS] Livin’ it Livin' it up

Oh brother, right here we're livin' it

[COMPANY] Where are we livin' it?

[ORPHEUS] Listen here, I'll tell you where We're livin' it up on top

[COMPANY] Up on top!

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

Livin' it, livin' it

[COMPANY] Livin' it, livin' it

[ORPHEUS] How are we livin' it?

[COMPANY] Where are we livin' it?

[ORPHEUS] Livin' it, livin' it

[COMPANY] Livin' it, livin' it

Livin' it up on top!

[HERMES] Orpheus was a poor boy

But he had a gift to give

He could make you see how the world could be

In spite of the way that it is

And Eurydice was a young girl

But she'd seen how the world was

When she fell,

she fell in spite of herself...

...in love with Orpheus

[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 wanna ever have to let you go

Now I wanna hold you,

hold you tight

I don't wanna go back to the lonely life

[ORPHEUS] I don't know how or why

But who am I that I should get to hold you

But when I saw you all alone against the sky

It's like I’d known you all along

I knew you before we met

And I don’t even know you yet

All I know is you're someone I have always known

[ORPHEUS and EURYDICE] All I know is you’re someone I have always known

And I don't even know you

Now I wanna hold you,

hold you close

I don't wanna ever have to let you go

[EURYDICE] Suddenly the sunlight

Bright and warm

[ORPHEUS] Suddenly I'm holding the world in my arms

[EURYDICE] 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 will always be like this

[ORPHEUS] I'm gonna hold you forever

The wind will never change on us

Long as we stay with each other

[ORPHEUS and EURYDICE] Then it will always be like this

[HERMES] On the Road to Hell there was a railroad track

[PERSEPHONE] Oh, come on!

[HERMES] There was a train comin' up from way down below

[PERSEPHONE] That was not six months!

[FATES] Better go and get your suitcase packed, guess it's time to go

[HERMES] She's gonna ride that train

[COMPANY] Ride that train...

[HERMES] She's gonna ride that train

[COMPANY] Ride that train!

[HERMES] She's gonna ride that train 'til the end of the line

'Cause the King of the Mine is coming to call

Did you ever wonder what it's like on the underside?

[COMPANY] Way down under

[HERMES] On the yonder side?

[COMPANY] Way down yonder

[HERMES] On the other side of his wall

Follow that dollar for a long way down

Far away from the poorhouse door

You either get to hell or to Hadestown

Ain’t no difference anymore!

Way down Hadestown

Way down under the ground

Hound dog howl and the whistle blow

Train come a-rollin, clickety-clack

Everybody tryin' to get a ticket to go

But those who go they don’t come back

They goin' way down Hadestown

Way down under the ground

[PERSEPHONE] Winter's nigh and summer's o'er

Hear that high and lonesome sound

Of my husband coming for

To bring me home to Hadestown

[COMPANY] Way down Hadestown

Way down under the ground

[PERSEPHONE] Down there, it's a bunch of stiffs

Brother, I'll be bored to death

Gonna have to import some stuff

Just to entertain myself

Give me morphine in a tin

Give me a crate of the fruit of the vine

Takes a lot of medicine

To make it through the wintertime

[COMPANY] Way down Hadestown

Way down under the ground

[FATES] Every little penny in the wishing well

Every little nickel on the drum

All them shiny little heads and tails

Where do you think they come from?

They come from

[COMPANY] Way down Hadestown

Way down under the ground

[HERMES] Everybody hungry

Everybody tired

Everybody slaves by the sweat of his brow

The wage is nothing and the work is hard

It's a graveyard in Hadestown

[COMPANY] Way down Hadestown

Way down under the ground

[HERMES] Mr. Hades is a mean old boss

[PERSEPHONE] With a silver whistle and a golden scale

[COMPANY] An eye for an eye!

[HERMES] And he weighs the cost

[COMPANY] A lie for a lie!

[HERMES] And your soul for sale

[COMPANY] Sold!

[PERSEPHONE] To the king on the chromium throne

[COMPANY] Thrown!

[PERSEPHONE] To the bottom of a Sing Sing cell

[HERMES] Where the little wheel squeals and the big wheel groans

[PERSEPHONE] And you better forget about your wishing well

[COMPANY] Way down Hadestown

Way down under the ground

[HERMES] On the Road to Hell, there was a railroad car

And the car door opened and a man stepped out

Everybody looked and everybody saw

It was the same man they'd been singin' about

[PERSEPHONE] You're early!

[HADES] I missed ya

[FATES] Mr. Hades is a mighty king

Must be making some mighty big deals

Seems like he owns everything

[EURYDICE] Kinda makes you wonder...

...how it feels

[HERMES] All aboard...

A-one, A-two

A-one, two, three, four

[COMPANY] Way down Hadestown

Way down under the ground

Way down Hadestown

Way down under the ground

Way down under the ground

Way down under the ground

[FATES] Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

[HERMES] With Persephone gone, the cold came on

[ORPHEUS] He came too soon

He came for her too soon

It's not supposed to be like this

[EURYDICE] Well, 'til someone brings the world back into tune

This is how it is

[HERMES] Orpheus had a gift to give

[EURYDICE] Hey, where are you going?

[HERMES] Touched by the gods is what he was

[ORPHEUS] I have to finish the song

[EURYDICE] Finish it quick

The wind is changing

There's a storm coming on

[FATES] Wind comes up, ooh

[EURYDICE] We need food!

[FATES] Wind comes up, ooh

[EURYDICE] We need firewood

[HERMES] Orpheus and Eurydice

[EURYDICE] Did you hear me? Orpheus?

[HERMES] Poor boy workin' on a song

[EURYDICE] Orpheus!

[HERMES] Young girl looking for something to eat

[EURYDICE] Okay, finish it

[HERMES] Under a gathering storm

[ORPHEUS] 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 never 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...

[WORKERS] Huh! Tschk!

[ORPHEUS] La la la la la la la...

[WORKERS] Huh! Tschk! Huh! Tschk!

[ORPHEUS] La la la la la la la...

[WORKERS] Huh! Tschk! Huh! Tschk!

Huh! Tschk! Huh! Tschk!

[WORKERS] Low, keep your head, keep your head low

Oh, you gotta keep your head low

If you wanna keep your head

Huh! Tschk!

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

[PERSEPHONE] 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

[HADES] 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!

[ORPHEUS] 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...

[WORKERS & (ORPHEUS)] Low, keep your head, keep your head low (La la la la la la la…)

[EURYDICE] Is it finished?

[HERMES] Not yet

[EURYDICE] Is he always like this?

[EURYDICE] 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 is gonna

Shelter us

From the wind, the wind, the wind

[PERSEPHONE] 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

[HADES] 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!

[ORPHEUS] They can't find the tune

[HERMES] Orpheus!

[ORPHEUS] They can't feel the rhythm

[HERMES] Orpheus!

[ORPHEUS] King Hades is deafened by a river of stone

[HERMES] Poor boy working on a song

[ORPHEUS] And Lady Persephone's blinded by a river of wine

Livin' in an oblivion

[HERMES] He did not see the storm coming on

[ORPHEUS] His black gold flows

In the world down below

And her dark clouds roll in the one up above

[HERMES] Look up!

[ORPHEUS] 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…

La la la la la la la

La la la la la la la

La la la la la

[EURYDICE] Lookin' low and lookin' high

[FATES] There is no food left to find

It's hard enough to feed yourself

Let alone somebody else

[EURYDICE] I'm trying to believe

That the song he's working on

Is gonna harbor me from...

The wind, the wind, the wind

[HERMES] Eurydice was a hungry young girl

[EURYDICE] Give that back!

[HERMES] She was no stranger to the wind

[EURYDICE] It's everything we have!

[HERMES] But she had not seen nothing

[EURYDICE] Orpheus!

[HERMES] Like the mighty storm she got caught in

[EURYDICE] Orpheus!

Shelter us!

[HERMES] Only took a minute

[EURYDICE] Harbor me!

[HERMES] But the wrath of the gods was in it

[PERSEPHONE] 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

[HADES] 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 the 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

[ORPHEUS and (WORKERS)] Singing la la la la la la la... (Low, keep your head, keep your head low)

[EURYDICE] Shelter us

[HADES] Think of them as my embrace

[EURYDICE] Harbor me

[HADES] Think of them as my embrace...

...Of you

[HADES] 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

[EURYDICE] 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

[HADES] Hey, little songbird...

...you've 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

[EURYDICE] 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?

[HADES] 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

...he'll give you his hand-to-mouth

He'll write you a poem when the power is 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

[HERMES] Songbird versus rattlesnake

[EURYDICE] What is it?

[HERMES] Eurydice was a hungry, young girl

[HADES] Your ticket

[HERMES] And Hades gave her a choice to make

A ticket to the underworld

[FATES] Life ain't easy

Life ain't fair

A girl's gotta fight for her rightful share

What you 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?

Help yourself

To hell with the rest

Even the one who loves you best

What you 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?

[EURYDICE] Oh, my aching heart...

[FATES] What you gonna do when the chips are down

Now that the chips are down?

Take if you can

Give if you must

Ain't nobody but yourself to trust

What you 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?

Aim for the heart

Shoot to kill

If you don't do it then the other one will

What you 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?

And the first shall be first

And the last shall be last

Cast your eyes to heaven

You get a knife in the back

Nobody's righteous

Nobody's proud

Nobody's innocent

Now that the chips are down

Now that the-

Now that the chips are down

[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

I'm already gone

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 belly full

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

[ORPHEUS] Mr. Hermes!

[HERMES] Hey, the big artiste!

Ain't you working on your masterpiece?

[ORPHEUS] Where's Eurydice?

[HERMES] Brother, what do you care?

You'll find another muse somewhere

[ORPHEUS] Where is she?

[HERMES] Why you wanna know?

[ORPHEUS] Wherever she is, is where I'll go

[HERMES] And what if I said she's down below?

[ORPHEUS] Down below?

[HERMES] Down below

Six-feet-under-the-ground below

She called your name before she went

But I guess you weren't listening

[ORPHEUS] No...

[HERMES] So...

Just how far would you go for her?

[ORPHEUS] To the end of time

To the end of the earth

[HERMES] You got a ticket?

[ORPHEUS] No...?

[HERMES] Yeah, I didn't think so

'Course there is another way

But nah, I ain't supposed to say

[ORPHEUS] Another way?

[HERMES] Around the back

But that ain't easy walkin', Jack

It ain't for the sensitive of soul

So do you really wanna go?

[ORPHEUS] With all my heart

[HERMES] With all your heart?

Well...

...that's a start

How to get to Hadestown:

You have to take the long way down

Through the underground...

...under cover of night

Layin' low, stayin' out of sight

Ain't no compass, brother...

...ain't no map

Just a telephone wire and a railroad track

Keep on walkin' and don't look back

'Til you get to the bottomland

[ORPHEUS] Wait for me...

...I'm comin'

Wait...

...I'm comin' with you

Wait for me...

...I'm comin' too

I'm coming too

[HERMES] The River Styx is high and wide

Cinder bricks and razor wire

Walls of iron and concrete

Hound dogs howling 'round the gate

Those 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

Just be glad you got 'em

[ORPHEUS] Wait for me...

...I'm comin'

Wait...

...I'm comin' with you

Wait for me...

...I'm comin' too

I'm coming too

[FATES] Who are you?

Where do you think you're going?

Who are you?

Why are you all alone?

Who do you think you are?

Who are you to think that you...

...can walk a road that no one ever walked before?

[ORPHEUS] La la la la la la

La la la la la la la

[CHORUS] La la la la la la la

[ORPHEUS] La la la la la la

La la la la la la la

[HERMES] 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'll 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

[ORPHEUS and COMPANY] Wait for me...

I'm coming!

Wait, I'm comin' with you

Wait for me

I'm comin' too

I'm coming too

[CHORUS] Wait!

[ORPHEUS] I'm coming wait for me

[CHORUS] Wait!

[ORPHEUS] I hear the walls repeating

The falling of my feet and

It sounds like drumming

And I am not alone

I hear the rocks and stones

Echoing my song

I'm coming!

[HADES] Why do we build the wall

My children, my children?

Why do we build the wall?

[COMPANY] 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

[HADES] How does the wall keep us free

My children, my children?

How does the wall keep us free?

[COMPANY] 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

[HADES] Who do we call the enemy

My children, my children?

Who do we call the enemy?

[COMPANY] 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

[HADES] Because we have and they have not

My children, my children

Because they want what we have got

[COMPANY] 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

[HADES] What do we have that they should want

My children, my children?

What do we have that they should want?

[COMPANY] What do we have that they should want?

We have a wall to work upon

We have work and they have none

[HADES] And our work is never done

My children, my children!

And the war is never won!

[HADES and COMPANY] 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

[COMPANY and EURYDICE] We build the wall to keep us free!

[HERMES] Then Hades told Eurydice

[HADES] There are papers to be signed

Step into my office

[HERMES] And he closed the door behind

Now a lot can happen behind closed doors

That's for sure, brother, that's a fact

But a lot can happen on the factory floor

When the foreman turns his back

[PERSEPHONE] Anybody want a drink?

[PERSEPHONE] 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!

Stuck in a rut!

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 sunshine up on the shelf

Allow me to introduce myself:

Brother, what's my name?

My name is...

[HERMES and WORKERS] Our Lady of the Underground!

[PERSEPHONE] Brother, what's my name?

[HERMES & WORKERS] Our Lady of Ways!

Our Lady of Means!

[PERSEPHONE] Brother, what's my name?

My name is...

[HERMES & WORKERS] Our Lady of the Upside Down!

[PERSEPHONE] Wanna know my name?

I'll tell you my name...

Persephone!

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 was 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 and

Everything will be revealed

Look a little closer and

There's a crack in the wall!

Ladies and gentlemen, Brian Drye on the trombone!

Marika Hughes on the cello!

Dana Lyn on the violin!

Ben Perowski on the drums!

Robinson Morse on the bass!

Ron Smarten on the guitar!

And Liam Robinson on the keys!

You want stars?

I got a skyfull!

Put a quarter in the slot...

...you'll get an eyeful

You want the moon?

Yeah, I got her too

She's right here waiting...

...in my pay-per-view

How long's it been?

A little moonshine ain't no sin

Tell my husband to take his time!

What the boss don’t know

The boss won't mind

[FATES] The deal is signed?

[EURYDICE] Yes

[FATES] About time

Get on the line

[EURYDICE] I did what I had to do

[FATES] That's what they did too

[HERMES] Now in Hadestown there were a lot of souls

[WORKERS] Low, keep your head, keep your head

[HERMES] Working on the wall with all their might

[WORKERS] Oh, you gotta keep your head

[HERMES] You see, they kept their heads down low

[WORKERS] If you wanna keep your head

[HERMES] You couldn't quite see their faces right

But you could hear them singing:

[WORKERS] Low, keep your head, keep your head

HERMES] Swinging their hammers in the cold, hard ground

You can hear the sound of the pickaxe ringin'

[WORKERS] If you wanna keep your head

[HERMES] And they called it...

...“Freedom.”

[EURYDICE] I’m Eurydice

Doesn't anybody hear me?

[FATES] 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

Way down Hadestown

Way down Hadestown

Way down under the ground!

[EURYDICE] Why won't anybody look at me?

[FATES] 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

The mill

And the machinery

Your place on the assembly line

Replaces all your memories

Way down Hadestown

Way down Hadestown

Way down Hadestown

Way down under the ground!

[EURYDICE] What do you mean I'll look like that?

[FATES] That's what it looks like to forget

[EURYDICE] Forget what?

[FATES] Who you are

And everything that came before

[EURYDICE] I have to go

[FATES] Go where?

[EURYDICE] Go back!

[FATES] Oh? And where is that?

So what was your name again?

You've already forgotten

[HERMES] 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

[FATES] 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!

[EURYDICE] What I wanted...

...was to fall asleep

Close my eyes...

...and disappear

Like a petal on a stream...

...a feather on the air

Lily white...

...and poppy red

I trembled when...

...he laid me out

You won't feel a thing, he said...

...when you go down

Nothing gonna wake you...

...now

Dreams are sweet...

...until they're not

Men are kind...

...until they aren't

Flowers bloom...

...until they rot...

...and fall apart

Is anybody listening?

I open my mouth...

...and nothing comes out

Nothing...

nothing gonna wake me...

...now

Flowers...

...I remember fields of flowers

Soft beneath my heels

Walking in the sun

I remember someone

Someone by my side...

...turned his face to mine

And then I turned away...

...into the shade

You...

...the one I left behind

If you ever walk this way

Come and find me...

...lying in the bed I made

[ORPHEUS] Come home with me

[EURYDICE] It's you

[ORPHEUS] It's me

[EURYDICE] Orpheus

[ORPHEUS] Eurydice

[EURYDICE] I called your name before

[ORPHEUS] I know

[EURYDICE] You heard?

[ORPHEUS] No...

...Mr Hermes told me so

Whatever happened

I'm to blame

[EURYDICE] No

[ORPHEUS] You called my name

[EURYDICE] You came

But how'd you get here?

On the train?

[ORPHEUS] No, I walked

A long way

[EURYDICE] How'd you get beyond the wall?

[ORPHEUS] I sang a song

So beautiful

The stones wept and they let me in

And I can sing us home again

[EURYDICE] No, you can't

[ORPHEUS] Yes, I can

[EURYDICE] No!

You don't understand...

[HADES] Young man

I don't think we’ve met before

You're not from around here, son

Don't know who the hell you are...

...but I can tell you don’t belong

These are workin' people, son

Law-abiding citizens

Go back to where you came from

You're on the wrong side of the fence

[PERSEPHONE] Hades, I know this boy

[HADES] One of the unemployed?

[PERSEPHONE] His name is Orpheus

[HADES] You stay out of this

[HERMES] Now, Orpheus was a poor boy...

[HADES] You hear me, son?

[HERMES] You might say he was naive...

[HADES] You better run!

[HERMES] But this poor boy raised up his voice...

...with his heart out on his sleeve

[EURYDICE] No! Orpheus, you should go

[ORPHEUS] I'm not goin' back alone...

I came to take her home!

[HADES] (Laughs)

Who the hell do you think you are?

Who the hell you think you're talkin' to?

She couldn't go anywhere...

...even if she wanted to

You’re not from around here, son

If you were, then you'd know

That everything and everyone...

...in Hadestown, I own

But I...

...only buy...

...what others choose to sell

Oh, you didn’t know?

She signed the deal herself

And now she...

[ORPHEUS] It isn't true...

[HADES] Belongs to me

[ORPHEUS] It isn’t true...

What he said...

...Eurydice

[EURYDICE] I did...

I do

[HADES] As for you...

Everybody gather 'round!

Everybody look and see

What becomes of trespassers...

...with no respect for property!

[FATES] Why the struggle...

...why the strain?

Why make trouble...

...why make scenes?

Why go against the grain...

...why swim upstream?

It ain't, it ain't, it ain't no use

You're bound, you're bound, you're bound to lose

What's done, what's done, what's done is done

That's the way...

...the river runs

So...

...why get wet?

Why break a sweat?

Why waste your precious breath?

Why beat your handsome brow?

Nothing changes

Nothing changes

Nothing changes...

...anyhow

[ORPHEUS] If it's true what they say

If there's nothing to be done

If it's true that it's too late

And the girl I love is gone

If it's true what they say

Is this how the world is?

To be beaten and betrayed...

...and then be told that nothing changes?

It'll always be like this?

If it's true what they say

I'll be on my way

[HERMES] And the boy turned to go

'Cause he thought no one could hear

But everybody knows that walls have ears

And the workers heard him

[WORKERS] If it's true what they say

[HERMES] With their hammers swinging

[WORKERS] What's the purpose of a man?

[HERMES] And they quit their workin'

[WORKERS] Just to turn his eyes away?

[HERMES] When they heard him singing

[WORKERS] Just to throw up both his hands?

[HERMES] No hammer swinging

[WORKERS] What's the use of his backbone

[HERMES] No pickaxe ringin'

[WORKERS] If he never stands upright?

[HERMES] And they stood and listened

[WORKERS] If he turns his back on everyone?

[HERMES] To the poor boy singing

[WORKERS] That he could've stood beside

[ORPHEUS] If it's true what they say

I'll be on my way

But who are they to say...

...what the truth is anyway?

'Cause the ones who tell the lies

Are the solemnest to swear

And the ones who load the dice

Always say the toss is fair

And the ones who deal the cards

Are the ones who take the tricks

With their hands over their hearts

While we play the game they fix

And the ones who speak the words

Always say it is the last

And no answer will be heard

To the question no one asks

So I'm askin' if it's true

I'm askin' me and you

And you

And you

I believe our answer matters...

... more than anything they say

[WORKERS] We stand and listen

[ORPHEUS] I believe if there is still a will

Then there is still a way

[WORKERS] We're standing with him

[ORPHEUS] I believe there is a way

I believe in us together

More than anyone alone

[WORKERS] We're standing near him

[ORPHEUS] I believe that with each other...

...we are stronger than we know

[WORKERS] We hear him

[ORPHEUS] I believe we're stronger than they know

I believe that we are many

I believe that they are few

[WORKERS] We're standing

[ORPHEUS] And it isn't for the few

To tell the many what is true

[WORKERS] We understand him

[ORPHEUS] So I ask you:

If it's true what they say

I'll be on my way

Tell me what to do

Is it true?

Is it true what they say?

[PERSEPHONE] How could you?

[HADES] How could I what?

[PERSEPHONE] He's just a boy in love

[HADES] Have a drink, why don't you?

[PERSEPHONE] I've had enough

He loves that girl, Hades

[HADES] That's too bad

[PERSEPHONE] He has the kind of love for her...

...that you and I once had

[HADES] The girl means nothing to me

[PERSEPHONE] I know...

... but she means everything to him

[HADES] So?

[PERSEPHONE] Let her go

Hades my husband...

Hades my light...

Hades my darkness...

If you had heard how he sang tonight...

...you'd pity poor Orpheus

All of the sorrow won't fit in his chest

It just burns like a fire in the pit of his chest

And his heart is a bird on a spit in his chest

How long?

[HADES] How long?

Just as long as Hades is king

Nothing comes of wishing on stars

And nothing comes of the songs people sing

However sorry they are

Give them a piece...

...and they'll take it all

Show them a crack...

...they'll tear down the wall

Lend them an ear...

...and the kingdom will fall

The kingdom will fall for a song

[PERSEPHONE] What does he care...

... for the logic of kings?

The laws of your underworld?

It is only for love that he sings

He sings for the love of a girl

[HADES] You and your pity don't fit in my bed

You just burn like a fire...

...in the pit of my bed

And I turn like a bird...

...on a spit in my bed

How long?

[PERSEPHONE] How long?

Just as long as I am your wife

It's true...

...the earth must die

But then the earth comes back to life

And the sun...

...must go on rising

[HADES and PERSEPHONE] And how does the sun even fit in the sky

It just burns like a fire in the pit of the sky

And the earth is a bird on a spit in the sky

How long?

How long?

How long?

[HERMES] Now everybody knows that walls have ears

[ORPHEUS and WORKERS] Is it true?

[HADES] What's that noise?

[HERMES] And the walls had heard what the boy was saying

[ORPHEUS and WORKERS] Is it true?

[HADES] It's the boy!

[HERMES] A million tons of stone and steel...

Echoed his refrain

[WORKERS] 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-

[HADES] When I was a young man like you

Son, I was abandoned too

By the on who took my hand...

...when I was a young man

Now, it seems you've made quite...

...a strong impression on my wife

But it takes more than singin' songs...

... to keep a woman in your arms

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

[ORPHEUS] If I raise my voice-

[WORKERS] If I raise my voice

If I raise my voice...

Keep your head low

[ORPHEUS] If I raise my head

[WORKERS] If I raise my head

If I raise my head

Keep your head low

[ORPHEUS] Could I change his ways?

[WORKERS] Could I change...

...my fate?

Keep your head low

[ORPHEUS] If I raise my voice could I...

[WORKERS] Keep your head low!

[ORPHEUS] Could I change the way it is?

[WORKERS] Why do we turn away...

...while a brother is beaten?

Oh, keep your head...

Why do we build the wall...

...and then call it freedom?

Oh, keep your head...

If we're free

Tell me why

I can't look in my brother's eye?

Keep your head-

[PERSEPHONE] When I was a young girl like you...

This old world was younger too

We set it spinning hand-in-hand

Me and a young man

Now, you see what he's become

Hades with his heart of stone

I forgot what true love was

But then I heard your Orpheus

Take it from a woman of my age

There is nothing love can't change

Even where the bricks are stacked

Love is blooming through the cracks

Even when the light is gone

Love is reaching for the sun

It was love that spun the world...

...when I was a young girl

[EURYDICE] If it's not too late...

[WORKERS] If it's not too late...

Keep your head low

[EURYDICE] If we still have time

[WORKERS] If I still have time...

Keep your head low

[EURYDICE] Can I change my fate?

[WORKERS] Can I change...

Can I change my fate?

[EURYDICE] If it's not too late can I...

...can I change this fate of mine?

[WORKERS] Why do we turn away instead of standing with him?

Oh, keep your head...

Why are we digging our own graves for a living?

Oh, keep your head...

If we're free

Tell me why

We can't even stand upright?

If we're free

Tell me when

We can stand with our fellow man

Keep your head-

[HADES] Young man...

...I was young once too

Sang a song of love like you

Son, I too, was left behind

Turned on one too many times

Now I sing a different song

One I can depend upon

A simple tune...

...a steady beat

The music of machinery

You hear that heavy metal sound?

The symphony of Hadestown

And in this symphony of mine

Are 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

[ORPHEUS] King of shadows

King of shades

Hades was king...

...of the Underworld

[HADES, spoken] Oh, it's about me

[HERMES] Go on...

[ORPHEUS] 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

[HADES] Where'd you get that melody?

[ORPHEUS] La la la la la la la

[PERSEPHONE] Let him finish, Hades

[ORPHEUS] 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

[ORPHEUS and COMPANY] La la la la la la la

[ORPHEUS] La la la la la la la

[ORPHEUS and COMPANY] 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

[ORPHEUS] 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…

[HADES] La la la la la la la…

[ORPHEUS] La la la la la la la…

[HERMES] Orpheus was a poor boy

But he had a gift to give

This poor boy brought the world back into tune...

...is what he did

And, Hades and Persephone...

They took each others hand

And, brother, you know what they did?

They danced!

[ORPHEUS] La la la...la la

La la la...la la la

...

La la la...la la

La la la...la la la

...

[EURYDICE] Orpheus?

[ORPHEUS] Yes?

[EURYDICE] You finished it

[ORPHEUS] Yes!

Now what do I do?

[EURYDICE] You take me home with you!

Let's go...

...let’s go right now!

[ORPHEUS] Okay, let's go...

How?

[EURYDICE] We'll walk...

...you know the way!

We’ll just go back the way you came

[ORPHEUS] It's a long road

It's a long walk

Back into the cold and dark

Are you sure you wanna go?

[EURYDICE] Take me home

[ORPHEUS] 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

[EURYDICE] 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

[ORPHEUS] What about him?

[EURYDICE] He'll let us go...

...look at him

He can't say no

[ORPHEUS] What about them?

[EURYDICE] We’ll show the way

If we can do it, so can they

[ORPHEUS and EURYDICE] 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

[ORPHEUS] Do you let me walk with you?

[EURYDICE] I do

[ORPHEUS] I do

[ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE] I do

[EURYDICE] And keep on walking, come what will?

[ORPHEUS] I will

[EURYDICE] I will

[ORPHEUS and EURYDICE] We will

[HERMES] And so, the poor boy asked the king

[ORPHEUS] Can we go?

[HERMES] And this is how he answered him

[HADES] I don't know

[FATES] 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

Men are frail

Give them the rope...

...and they'll hang themselves

[HADES] The devil take this Orpheus

And his belladonna kiss

Beautiful...

...poisonous...

...lovely...

...deadly

Now it thickens on my tongue

Now it quickens in my lung

Now I'm stricken...

...now I'm stung

It's done...

...already

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 the 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

[ORPHEUS] What is it?

[HERMES] Well, the good news is...

...he said that you can go

[ORPHEUS and EURYDICE] He did?

[WORKERS] He did?

[HERMES] He did...

...there's bad news though

[EURYDICE] What is it?

[HERMES] You can walk...

...but it won't be like you planned

[ORPHEUS What do you mean?

[EURYDICE] Why not?

[HERMES] Well, you won't be hand in hand

You won't be arm in arm...

...side by side, and all of that

He said you have to walk in front...

...and she has to walk in back

[ORPHEUS] Why?

[HERMES] And if you turn around...

...to make sure she's coming too

Then she goes back to Hadestown

And ain't nothing you can do

[EURYDICE] But why?

[HERMES] Why build walls...

...make folks walk single file?

Divide and conquer's what it's called

[ORPHEUS] It's a trap

[HERMES] It's a trial

Do you trust each other?

Do you trust yourselves?

[ORPHEUS and EURYDICE] We do

[HERMES] Well listen, brother

If you want to walk out of hell

You're gonna have to prove it...

...before gods...

...and men

Can you do that?

[ORPHEUS and EURYDICE] We can

[HERMES] A'ight, time to go!

[ORPHEUS] Mr. Hermes?

[HERMES] Yes?

[ORPHEUS] It's not a trick?

[HERMES] No...

...it's a test

The meanest dog you'll ever meet

He ain't the hound dog in the street

He bares some teeth and tears some skin

But, brother, that's the worst of him

Now, the dog you really got to dread

Is the one that howls inside your head

It's him whose howling drives men mad

And a mind to its undoing

[ORPHEUS and EURYDICE] Wait for me...

...I'm comin'

Wait...

...I'm comin' with you

Wait for me...

...I'm comin' too

I'm comin' too

[WORKERS] Show the way so we can see

Show the way the world could be

If you can do it, so can she

If she can do it, so can we

Show the way

Show the way the world could be

Show the way so we believe

We will follow where you lead

We will follow if you

Show the way

[PERSEPHONE] Think they'll make it?

[HADES] I don't know

[PERSEPHONE] Hades, you let them go

[HADES] I let them try

[PERSEPHONE] And how 'bout you and I?

Are we gonna try again?

[HADES] It's almost spring

We'll try again next fall

[PERSEPHONE] Wait for me?

[HADES] I will

[COMPANY] Wait for me...

...I'm comin'

Wait...

...I'm comin' with you

Wait for me...

...I'm comin' too

I'm comin' too

[FATES] Who are you?

Who do you think you are?

Who are you?

Who are you to lead her?

Who are you to lead them?

Who are you...

...to think that you can hold your head up...

...higher than your fellow man?

[HERMES] You got a lonesome road to walk

And it ain't along the railroad track

And it ain't along the blacktop tar

You've walked a hundred times before

I'll tell you where the real road lies

Between your ears, behind your eyes

That is the path to Paradise

Likewise, the road to ruin

[COMPANY] Wait for me...

...I'm comin'

Wait...

...I'm comin' with you

Wait for me...

...I'm comin' too

Wait for me...

...I'm comin'

Wait...

...I'm comin' with you

Wait, I'm comin'

Show the way!

[EURYDICE] I'm coming, wait for me

I hear the walls repeating

The falling of our feet and

It sounds like drumming

And we are not alone

I hear the rocks and stones

Echoing our song

I'm comin'

[ORPHEUS] La la la la la la la...

La la la la la la la...

[FATES] 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

[ORPHEUS] Who am I?

Where do I think I'm goin'?

Who am I?

Why am I all alone?

Who do I think I am?

Who am I to think that she would follow me...

...into the cold and dark again?

[FATES] Where is she?

Where is she now?

[EURYDICE] Orpheus

Are you listening?

I am right here

And I will be to the end

And the coldest night

Of the coldest year

Comes right before...

...the spring

[ORPHEUS] La 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?

Is this a trap that's bein' laid for me?

Is this a trick that's bein' played on me?

I used to see the way the world could be

But now the way it is is all I see and

[ORPHEUS and FATES] Where is she?

Where is she now?

[EURYDICE] Orpheus

You are not alone

I am right behind you

And I have been all along

And the darkest hour

Of the darkest night

Comes right before...

[ORPHEUS] It's you...

[EURYDICE] It's me...

Orpheus...

[ORPHEUS] Eurydice...

[HERMES] A'ight

It’s an old song

It's an old tale...

...from way back when

It's an old song

And that...

...is how it ends

That’s how it goes

Don't ask why, brother...

...don't ask how

He could have come so...

...close

The song was written...

...long ago

And that is how it goes

It's a sad song

It's a sad tale

It's a tragedy

It's a sad song

But we sing it...

...anyway

'Cause here’s the thing

To know how it ends

And still begin to sing it again

As if it might turn out this time

I learned that from a friend of mine

[CHORUS] Hmmmmm...

See, Orpheus was a poor boy

[EURYDICE] Anybody got a match?

[HERMES] But he had a gift to give

[EURYDICE] Gimme that

[HERMES] He could make you see how the world could be

In spite of the way that it is

Can you see it?

Can you hear it?

Can you feel it...

...like a train?

Is it coming?

Is it coming this way?

On a sunny day, there was a railroad car

And a lady steppin’ off a train

Everybody looked and everybody saw

That spring had come again

With a love song

[PERSEPHONE] With a love song

[COMPANY] With a love song

[HERMES] With a tale of a love from long ago

It's a sad song

[PERSEPHONE] It's a sad song

[HERMES] But we keep singin' even so

It's an old song

[EURYDICE] It’s an old song

[HERMES] It's an old tale from way back when

And we're gonna sing it again and again

We're gonna sing...

...we're gonna sing

[ALL] It's a love song

It's a tale of a love from long ago

It's a sad song

We keep singing even so

It's an old song

It's an old tale from way back when

And we're gonna sing it again and again

[HERMES] We're gonna sing it again

[PERSEPHONE] Pour the wine and raise a cup

Drink up, brothers, you know how

And spill a drop for Orpheus

Wherever he is now

[PERSEPHONE and EURYDICE] Some birds sing when the sun shines bright

Our praise is not for them

[PERSEPHONE] But the ones who sing in the dead of night

We raise our cups to them

[PERSEPHONE and EURYDICE] Wherever he is wandering

Alone upon the earth

Let all our singing follow him

[PERSEPHONE] And bring him comfort

[PERSEPHONE, EURYDICE and COMPANY] Some flowers bloom

Where the green grass grows

Our praise is not for them

But the ones who bloom in the bitter snow

We raise our cups to them

[COMPANY] We raise our cups...

...and drink them up

[PERSEPHONE] We raise 'em high...

...and drink 'em dry

[COMPANY] To Orpheus...

...and all of us

[PERSEPHONE] Goodnight...

...brothers...

...goodnight!