His best known work includes the Disney animated movies, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as well as Little Shop of Horrors, Enchanted, Tangled and most recently, Sister Act the Musical.
God Help The Outcasts
Alan Menken Lyrics
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Or if You're even there
I don't know if You will listen
To a humble prayer
They tell me I am just an outcast
I shouldn't speak to You
Still, I see your face and wonder
Were You once an outcast, too?
God help the outcasts
Hungry from birth
Show them the mercy
They don't find on earth
The lost and forgotten
They look to You still
God help the outcasts
Or nobody will
I ask for nothing
I can get by
But I know so many
Less lucky than I
God help the outcasts
The poor and down trod
I thought we all were
The children of God
I don't know if there's a reason
Why some are blessed, some not
Why the few You seem to favor
They fear us
Flee us
Try not to see us
God help the outcasts
The tattered, the torn
Seeking an answer
To why they were born
Winds of misfortune
Have blown them about
You made the outcasts
Don't cast them out
The poor and unlucky
The weak and the odd
I thought we all were
The children of God
The song "God Help the Outcasts" by Alan Menken is a prayer to God, asking for mercy and help for those who are cast out and forgotten, the poor, hungry, tattered and torn, and those who have been bypassed by fortune. The lyrics depict the singer approaching God questioning if he is even listening- a silent cry for help on behalf of those who feel invisible and rejected. The first stanza portrays the singer's lack of self-confidence and says "I shouldn't speak to You." The thought of praying to God is overwhelming for the singer, but they continue to seek his mercy and insight. The singer then looks to God for help and pleads for the forgotten people in society, the downtrodden and the outcast.
The second stanza addresses the singer's humble prayers and how they ask for nothing, knowing they can get by, but they know so many who can't. The singer then turns the focus solely on the forgotten and the outcast, asking for help and mercy for them. In the third stanza, the singer questions why some people are favored by fortune while others are left behind. The outcasts are marginalized and seen as different and unworthy in the eyes of society, yet the singer turns to faith, welcoming and embracing them as belonging to God.
Overall, "God Help the Outcasts" encourages compassion, inclusivity, and empathy to those society has failed to recognize. It also questions the divine and how they can allow such hardships to befall certain people in society. By acknowledging that God made everyone, the song seeks to bridge the gap between everyone, regardless of their differences, as beloved children of God.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know if You can hear me
I am unsure if You have the ability to listen to me
Or if You're even there
I am uncertain about Your existence
I don't know if You will listen
I am unsure if You are willing to pay heed to me
To a humble prayer
To a meager appeal
They tell me I am just an outcast
People around me say that I am an outcast
I shouldn't speak to You
I am admonished against talking to You
Still, I see your face and wonder
Yet, when I look at You, I contemplate
Were You once an outcast, too?
Were You ever an outcast, similar to me?
God help the outcasts
May You assist the outcasts
Hungry from birth
Deprived of nourishment since birth
Show them the mercy
Demonstrate kindness to them
They don't find on earth
Which they fail to find in this world
The lost and forgotten
Those who are misplaced and disregarded
They look to You still
Nonetheless, they still depend on You
God help the outcasts
May You assist the outcasts
Or nobody will
Or else, no one else will help them
I ask for nothing
I make no demands
I can get by
I can endure
But I know so many
However, I am aware of many
Less lucky than I
Less fortunate than myself
God help the outcasts
May You assist the outcasts
The poor and downtrod
The impoverished and oppressed
I thought we all were
I believed we were all
The children of God
Equal and beloved offspring of You, our creator
I don't know if there's a reason
I am uncertain if there exists a cause
Why some are blessed, some not
Why some are graced, and others deprived
Why the few You seem to favor
Why You appear to select only a handful for blessings
They fear us
These people dread us
Flee us
Avoid us
Try not to see us
Attempt to ignore us
God help the outcasts
May You assist the outcasts
The tattered, the torn
The ragged, the shredded
Seeking an answer
Searching for a solution
To why they were born
To the purpose of their existence
Winds of misfortune
Tragic and undesirable circumstances
Have blown them about
Have driven them around ceaselessly
You made the outcasts
You created the outcasts
Don't cast them out
Don't expel them away
The poor and unlucky
The indigent and unfortunate
The weak and the odd
The powerless and the unusual
I thought we all were
I believed we were all
The children of God
Equal and beloved offspring of You, our creator
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Alan Irwin Menken, Stephen Laurence Schwartz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elliott
on God Bless us Everyone
"Til now once he comes how happy!" is wrong. The correct lyrics are "Til the world becomes a family."
Elliott
on God Bless us Everyone
"Let us LOVE til we die." Not "Let us HAVE til we die."