Hadestown Cast - Chant II Lyrics
[Hermes:]
Now everybody knows the walls have ears
[Orpheus:]
Is it true?
[Company:]
Is it true?
[Hermes:]
And the walls had heard what the boy was saying
[Orpheus:]
Is it true?
[Company:]
[Hermes:]
A million tons of stone and steel...
[Orpheus:]
Is it true?
[Company:]
Is it true?
[Hermes:]
Echoed his refrain
[Hades:]
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
[Company:]
Low, keep your head, keep your head low
Oh, you gotta keep your head low
If you wanna keep your head
[Orpheus & Eurydice:]
La la la...
[Company:]
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?
[Persephone:]
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!
[Orpheus & Eurydice:]
La la la...
[Company:]
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?
[Hades:]
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!
Other Lyrics by Artist
- Hadestown Cast - Road To Hell
- Hadestown Cast - Promises
- Hadestown Cast - Wait For Me II
- Hadestown Cast - Doubt Comes In
- Hadestown Cast - Road To Hell II
- Hadestown Cast - Any Way The Wind Blows
- Hadestown Cast - Come Home With Me
- Hadestown Cast - Come Home With Me II
- Hadestown Cast - Epic I
- Hadestown Cast - Flowers
- Hadestown Cast - How Long?
- Hadestown Cast - I Raise My Cup
- Hadestown Cast - If It's True
- Hadestown Cast - Nothing Changes
- Hadestown Cast - Papers
- Hadestown Cast - His Kiss, The Riot
- Hadestown Cast - Word To The Wise
- Hadestown Cast - Livin' It Up On Top
Rand Lyrics
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Hadestown Cast Chant II Comments
"WHY do we turn away instead of standing with him?
WHY are we diggin' our own graves for a living?
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 men,
KEEP YOUR HEAD—"
When hades does the "I conduct the electric cityyyy" I get chills. Every time. It's so powerful and scary I love it
1:10
2:34
You're welcome
well this is something.
Awww I'm a little sad they cut out Persephone's verse... It was my favorite part of the song..
Same. This and the change to her final lines in the first Chant removed that feeling that she wanted to go back to when she and Hades were happy together. That was lost here.
Honestly, I was already melting while watching Patrick Page with a jacket (he aged so damn well). But his voice, and in this song, daaamn! And all of the others are amazing too!
"Why we digging our own graves for a living?"
Well... shit.
Oh I LOVE THIS
*cocks gun* SING THE BEGINNING OF MOANA
It's the circle of liiiiiffffeeeee
consider the CoCoNuTssSSSss???
BECAUSE THEYRE PART OF IT DONNA
I didn't like that moive
My favorite part of driving alone is the karaoke I belt out to this on a daily basis.
Whenever i hear "sang a song of love like you" I want Patrick Page to sing an Orpheus song.
It would be wonderful if he sang the ‘la la la la la’ parts
The 'keep your head low' part is so much less... dark, here. I love how heavy it is in the previous version
euridice sings "if I raise my head" not if i raise my hand
Oh my god I feel like an absolute fool. This entire time I thought Hades was singing “I can dance the electric shimmy” and I always thought it was weird how no one mentioned it. Apparently he says “I conduct the electric city” and I’ve never felt more stupid in my life
@Jackson Cutts so would I #PatrickPageForTheElectricShimmy
Jackson Cutts the electric slide with shimming
Now that's all I hear 😂😂😂 it's great!!!
Your version is Shakespearean level, truly😂😂😂👏👏
Miranda Bee yesssss
i love how the workers repeat what orpheus and eurydice says before falling back into the "comfort" of what they have known
I love this but I miss hades little laugh at the beginning, Persephone’s solo, and the little chuckles after hades’ big “I conduct the electric city!”
The counting chorus was my favorite part of the og recording, and while the new version is still fire, I miss it
It was my fav part too! I’m mourning it.
I wish Anais kept it for Hades' "1...2...3" to stay thematically significant, or at least weave'd it elsewhere in the earlier songs.
I love it but I miss Ambers solo's and Hades little evil giggle in the beginning
I lowkey wish they kept the London version because Eva’s and Amber’s voices are godly. But I still love this version!
I know it’s a studio recording but I really miss the loud CLANG of the power blowing out at “I CONDUCT THE ELECTRIC CITY!!!” and then the whirrrr as it comes back on. Similarly I also really miss the BANG of Hades slamming down his stool before he says “SING! For an old man”. The sound effects I always thought added a lot to the song.
I usually just add the bang in myself LOL
I agree. I think this is a great rendition and their voices are amazing. But I miss the aggression and overt intimidation from the live recording.
I think maybe Hadestown just benefits so much from the chaos and dynamics of live music and emotion.
I miss the nervous laughter of the audience.
While I understand the decision to finalize the song as something that highlights the power relation between Hades vs. Orpheus and the workers, I can't help but feel sad about the removal of Persephone's lines.
I really liked the version at the London National Theatre where Persephone directly addresses Eurydice and tells her about how much she was moved by Orpheus' singing. The change of tone provided such a beautiful contrast to the harshness of the rest of the song.
Nonetheless, I still love this version! Especially how it focuses on the workers and their plight, showing that Hadestown still hasn't completely erased their humanity.
The "Sister this is how it starts... a change of heart" was my favourite part of the whole song, gotta be honest :(
Wait for me was improved but honestly I miss Persephone's verse in this song.
Thank you so much for these lyrics videos, they're amazing.
Just a little correction: in the minute 2:00 it's "If I raise my head" instead of "If I raise my hand"
Alba Rios yeah and at 1:00 i think its “bleeding” instead of “beaten low”