His awards include seven Tonys, three Grammys including Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Requiem, seven Oliviers, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, two International Emmys, the Praemium Imperiale, the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, a BASCA Fellowship and the Kennedy Center Honor.
He currently owns six London theatres, including the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and the London Palladium.
Requiem for Evita / Oh What a Circus
Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Requiem aeternum dona Evita
Requiem Evita, Requiem Evita
Evita, Evita, Evita, Evita
Grant eternal rest to Evita
Grant eternal rest to Evita
Rest to Evita, Rest to Evita
Evita, Evita, Evita, EvitaRequiem aeternum dona Evita
Requiem aeternum dona Evita
Requiem Evita, Requiem Evita
Evita, Evita, Evita, Evita
Oh what a circus, oh what a show
Argentina has gone to town
Over the death of an actress called Eva Peron
We've all gone crazy
Mourning all day and mourning all night
Falling over ourselves to get all of the misery right
Oh what an exit, that's how to go
When they're ringing your curtain down
Demand to be buried like Eva Peron
It's quite a sunset
And good for the country in a roundabout way
We've made the front page of all the world's papers today
But who is this Santa Evita?
Why all this howling, hysterical sorrow?
What kind of goddess has lived among us?
How will we ever get by without her?
She had her moments, she had some style
The best show in town was the crowd
Outside the Casa Rosada crying, "Eva Peron"
But that's all gone now
As soon as the smoke from the funeral clears
We're all gonna see how, she did nothing for years
Vita dulcedo et spes nostra
Salve salve regina
Ad te clamamus exules filii Eva
Ad te suspiramus gementes et flentes
O clemens o pia
You let down your people Evita
You were supposed to have been immortal
That's all they wanted, not much to ask for
But in the end you could not deliver
Sing you fools, but you got it wrong
Enjoy your prayers because you haven't got long
Your queen is dead, your king is through
She's not coming back to you
Show business kept us all alive
Since seventeen October 1945
But the star has gone, the glamour's worn thin
That's a pretty bad state for a state to be in
Instead of government we had a stage
Instead of ideas, a prima donna's rage
Instead of help we were given a crowd
She didn't say much, but she said it loud
{Extra verse]
Sing you fools, but you got it wrong
Enjoy your prayers because you haven't got long
Your queen is dead, your king is through
She's not coming back to you
Salve regina mater misericordiae
Vita dulcedo et spes nostra
Salve salve regina Peron
Ad te clamamus exules filii Eva
Ad te suspiramus gementes et flentes
O clemens o pia
Don't cry for me Argentina
For I am ordinary, unimportant
And undeserving of such attention
Unless we all are, I think we all are.
So share my glory, so share my coffin.
So share my glory, so share my coffin.
It's our funeral, too.
The lyrics to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem for Evita / Oh What a Circus are divided into two distinct parts. The first part is a prayer for eternal rest for Evita, or Eva Peron, a famous Argentinean actress and politician who died at a young age. The second part is an ironic critique of the public's reaction to Eva’s death. The song starts with a repeated chant for eternal rest for Eva, then follows with an upbeat and catchy melody. The opening lines of the second part of the song read, “Oh what a circus, oh what a show, Argentina has gone to town, over the death of an actress called Eva Peron, we've all gone crazy.” The lyrics then criticize the public's mourning, saying that they are too busy trying to “get all of the misery right” rather than reflect on Eva’s legacy.
The irony of the song is that Eva Peron was a complex and controversial figure in Argentina, and the country's political and social divides are reflected in the song. While some people see Eva as a charismatic champion of the poor and a feminist icon, others view her as a manipulative opportunist who was driven by her own ambition. The song seems to encapsulate both perspectives by praising her in one part and criticizing her in the other. The song highlights the tension between the myth and reality of Eva Peron's life and the way in which her fame and legacy were constructed.
Line by Line Meaning
Requiem aeternum dona Evita
Grant eternal rest to Evita
Requiem aeternum dona Evita
Grant eternal rest to Evita
Requiem Evita, Requiem Evita
Rest to Evita, Rest to Evita
Evita, Evita, Evita, Evita
Evita, Evita, Evita, Evita
Grant eternal rest to Evita
Grant eternal rest to Evita
Grant eternal rest to Evita
Grant eternal rest to Evita
Rest to Evita, Rest to Evita
Rest to Evita, Rest to Evita
Evita, Evita, Evita, Evita
Evita, Evita, Evita, Evita
Oh what a circus, oh what a show
What a spectacle it all is
Argentina has gone to town
Argentina is making a big fuss about it
Over the death of an actress called Eva Peron
Over the death of the famous Eva Peron
We've all gone crazy
We've all lost our minds
Mourning all day and mourning all night
Grieving day and night
Falling over ourselves to get all of the misery right
Trying hard to show how miserable we are
Oh what an exit, that's how to go
What an impressive way to die
When they're ringing your curtain down
When the end is near
Demand to be buried like Eva Peron
Demand to be buried like a star
It's quite a sunset
It's quite an ending
And good for the country in a roundabout way
And it's good for the country in a way
We've made the front page of all the world's papers today
We've become news all over the world today
But who is this Santa Evita?
But who is this Saint Evita?
Why all this howling, hysterical sorrow?
Why all this loud, emotional sadness?
What kind of goddess has lived among us?
What kind of divine being lived among us?
How will we ever get by without her?
How will we ever survive without her?
She had her moments, she had some style
She was impressive at times, she had a unique style
The best show in town was the crowd
The best attraction was the people
Outside the Casa Rosada crying, "Eva Peron"
Crying, "Eva Peron" outside the presidential palace
But that's all gone now
But that's all history now
As soon as the smoke from the funeral clears
As soon as the funeral is over and done with
We're all gonna see how, she did nothing for years
We'll see that she didn't do much for many years
Salve regina mater misericordiae
Hail, holy Queen of mercy
Vita dulcedo et spes nostra
Life, sweetness, and our hope
Salve salve regina
Hail, holy Queen
Ad te clamamus exules filii Eva
To you we cry, banished children of Eva
Ad te suspiramus gementes et flentes
To you we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping
O clemens o pia
O clement, O loving
You let down your people Evita
You disappointed your people, Evita
You were supposed to have been immortal
You were thought to be eternal
That's all they wanted, not much to ask for
That's all they expected, not a lot to ask for
But in the end you could not deliver
But in the end, you couldn't fulfill their expectations
Sing you fools, but you got it wrong
Sing, you foolish people, but you misunderstood the situation
Enjoy your prayers because you haven't got long
Say your prayers because your time is running out
Your queen is dead, your king is through
Your queen is dead, your king is done
She's not coming back to you
She won't come back to you
Show business kept us all alive
Entertainment kept us alive
Since seventeen October 1945
Since the beginning of Peronism
But the star has gone, the glamour's worn thin
But the star is gone, the glitz has faded
That's a pretty bad state for a state to be in
That's not a good position for a country to be in
Instead of government we had a stage
We had a stage instead of government
Instead of ideas, a prima donna's rage
A diva's tantrum instead of ideas
Instead of help we were given a crowd
We were given a crowd instead of help
She didn't say much, but she said it loud
She didn't talk a lot, but when she did it was loud
Salve regina mater misericordiae
Hail, holy Queen of mercy
Vita dulcedo et spes nostra
Life, sweetness, and our hope
Salve salve regina Peron
Hail, holy Queen Peron
Ad te clamamus exules filii Eva
To you we cry, banished children of Eva
Ad te suspiramus gementes et flentes
To you we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping
O clemens o pia
O clement, O loving
Don't cry for me Argentina
Don't cry for me, Argentina
For I am ordinary, unimportant
Because I am just an ordinary, unimportant person
And undeserving of such attention
And I don't deserve such attention
Unless we all are, I think we all are.
Unless we all are, and I believe we all are.
So share my glory, so share my coffin.
So share my glory, and share my coffin.
It's our funeral, too.
It's our funeral, too.
Contributed by Jake Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.