The Ballad of Sweeney Todd - Epilogue
Oct. 30th, 2008 03:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feliciakwAs I threatened promised yesterday,
Epilogue
Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd.
His skin was pale and his eye was odd.
He shaved the faces of gentlemen
Who never thereafter were heard of again.
He trod a path that few have trod,
Did Sweeney Todd,
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
He kept a shop in London town,
Of fancy clients and good renown.
And what if none of their souls was saved?
They went to their maker impeccably shaved
By Sweeney,
By Sweeney Todd,
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Swing your razor wide, Sweeney!
Hold it to the skies!
Freely flows the blood of those
Who moralize!
His needs are few, his room is bare.
He hardly uses his fancy chair.
The more he bleeds, the more he lives.
He never forgets and he never forgives.
Perhaps today you gave a nod
To Sweeney Todd,
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Sweeney wishes the world away,
Sweeney's weeping for yesterday.
Hugging the blade, waiting the years,
Hearing the music that nobody hears.
Sweeney waits in the parlor hall,
Sweeney leans of the offices wall.
No one can help, nothing can hide you--
Isn't that Sweeney there beside you?
Sweeney wishes the world away,
Sweeney's weeping for yesterday,
Is Sweeney!
There he is, it's Sweeney!
Sweeney! Sweeney!
There! There! There! There!
There! There! There!
There!
Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd!
He served a dark and a hungry god!
To seek revenge may lead to hell,
But everyone does it, and seldom as well
As Sweeney,
As Sweeney Todd,
The Demon Barber of Fleet . . .
. . . Street!
Throughout the play there are reprises of this melody with narratives for the scene changes, such as:
His voice was soft, his manner mild.
He seldom laughed but he often smiled.
He'd seen how civilized men behave.
He never for got and he never forgave.
Or
His hands were quick, his fingers strong.
It stung a little but not for long.
And those who thought him a simple clod
Were soon reconsidering under the sod,
Consigned there with a friendly prod
From Sweeney Todd,
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
See your razor gleam, Sweeney,
Feel how well it fits
As it floats across the throats
Of hypocrites . . .
Or
The engine roared, the motor hissed,
And who could see that the road would twist?
In Sweeney's ledger the entries matched:
A Beadle arrived and a Beadle dispatched
To satisfy the hungry god
Of Sweeney Todd,
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
I cannot recommend the stage version of this show highly enough. Look for the PBS Great Performances production starring Angela Lansbury and George Hearn. Mrs. Lovett (Angela Lansbury) as some of the best songs in the show. We've got it on DVD, so I know it's out there.
Epilogue
Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd.
His skin was pale and his eye was odd.
He shaved the faces of gentlemen
Who never thereafter were heard of again.
He trod a path that few have trod,
Did Sweeney Todd,
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
He kept a shop in London town,
Of fancy clients and good renown.
And what if none of their souls was saved?
They went to their maker impeccably shaved
By Sweeney,
By Sweeney Todd,
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Swing your razor wide, Sweeney!
Hold it to the skies!
Freely flows the blood of those
Who moralize!
His needs are few, his room is bare.
He hardly uses his fancy chair.
The more he bleeds, the more he lives.
He never forgets and he never forgives.
Perhaps today you gave a nod
To Sweeney Todd,
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Sweeney wishes the world away,
Sweeney's weeping for yesterday.
Hugging the blade, waiting the years,
Hearing the music that nobody hears.
Sweeney waits in the parlor hall,
Sweeney leans of the offices wall.
No one can help, nothing can hide you--
Isn't that Sweeney there beside you?
Sweeney wishes the world away,
Sweeney's weeping for yesterday,
Is Sweeney!
There he is, it's Sweeney!
Sweeney! Sweeney!
There! There! There! There!
There! There! There!
There!
Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd!
He served a dark and a hungry god!
To seek revenge may lead to hell,
But everyone does it, and seldom as well
As Sweeney,
As Sweeney Todd,
The Demon Barber of Fleet . . .
. . . Street!
Throughout the play there are reprises of this melody with narratives for the scene changes, such as:
His voice was soft, his manner mild.
He seldom laughed but he often smiled.
He'd seen how civilized men behave.
He never for got and he never forgave.
Or
His hands were quick, his fingers strong.
It stung a little but not for long.
And those who thought him a simple clod
Were soon reconsidering under the sod,
Consigned there with a friendly prod
From Sweeney Todd,
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
See your razor gleam, Sweeney,
Feel how well it fits
As it floats across the throats
Of hypocrites . . .
Or
The engine roared, the motor hissed,
And who could see that the road would twist?
In Sweeney's ledger the entries matched:
A Beadle arrived and a Beadle dispatched
To satisfy the hungry god
Of Sweeney Todd,
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
I cannot recommend the stage version of this show highly enough. Look for the PBS Great Performances production starring Angela Lansbury and George Hearn. Mrs. Lovett (Angela Lansbury) as some of the best songs in the show. We've got it on DVD, so I know it's out there.
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no subject
Date: 2008-10-30 11:43 pm (UTC)