What a Piece of Work Is Man
Hair Lyrics


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What a piece of work is man
How noble in reason
How infinite in faculties
In form and moving how express and admirable

In action how like an angel
In apprehension how like a god
The beauty of the world
The paragon of animals

I have of late
But wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth
This goodly frame
The earth seems to me a sterile promontory

This most excellent canopy
The air look you
This brave o'erhanging firmament
This majestical roof

Fretted with golden fire
Why it appears no other thing to me
Than a foul and pestilent congregation
Of vapors





What a piece of work is man
How noble in reason

Overall Meaning

These lyrics are from the musical "Hair" and are taken from the song "What a Piece of Work Is Man". This song is a Shakespearean-inspired soliloquy that expresses a sense of awe and wonder at the complexity and beauty of human beings. The lyrics begin by praising mankind as a "piece of work", a masterpiece of nature, with an extraordinary ability for reason, infinite faculties, and admirable form and movement. This description of humanity is closely aligned with the Renaissance idea of humanism, which celebrates the human potential for creativity and rational thinking.


The song continues by contrasting human behavior with that of angels and gods. It states that human beings can act like angels, with graceful and beautiful movements, and can think like gods, with the ability to understand and comprehend so much. This description of humanity shows that even though humans have flaws, they are still capable of incredible goodness and great things.


The second half of the song switches to a melancholic tone, with the singer describing how they have lost all their mirth and how the world seems barren and unproductive to them. This shift reveals the other side of human nature, one that is prone to mood swings, depression, and despair. The song ends with a view of the world as a vile and pestilent congregation of vapors, showing a different side to the beauty and wonder of humanity.


Line by Line Meaning

What a piece of work is man
Exclamation of wonder at the nature of humanity


How noble in reason
How intelligent and rational


How infinite in faculties
How diverse and limitless in abilities


In form and moving how express and admirable
How graceful and impressive in its physicality


In action how like an angel
How good and virtuous in behavior


In apprehension how like a god
How capable of understanding the universe and its laws


The beauty of the world
The inherent attractiveness of existence


The paragon of animals
The supreme example of living creatures


I have of late
Recently, I find myself


But wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth
Without understanding why, I have lost my happiness


This goodly frame
This wonderful world


The earth seems to me a sterile promontory
It appears to me as a barren and lifeless land


This most excellent canopy
This amazing sky above us


The air look you
Just look at the air, how amazing it is!


This brave o'erhanging firmament
This strong, protective dome above us


This majestical roof
This magnificent ceiling above us


Fretted with golden fire
Decorated with shining stars and sun


Why it appears no other thing to me
But to me, it seems like nothing else


Than a foul and pestilent congregation
But a disgusting gathering of


Of vapours
Vapors that pollute and sicken the environment




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@gustavomatias4870

What a piece of work is man
How noble in reason
How infinite in faculties
In form and moving
How express and admirable
In action how like an angel
In apprehension how like a god
The beauty of the world
The paragon of animals

I have of late
But wherefore I know not
Lost all my mirth
This goodly frame
The earth
Seems to me a sterile promontory
This most excellent canopy
The air, look you
This brave o'erhanging firmament
This majestical roof
Fretted with golden fire
Why it appears no other thing to me
Than a foul and pestilent congregation
Of vapors

What a piece of work is man
How noble in reason



@sunnskyy

Look you!
I'd like some artist out there to draw us a cartoon.
Hamlet holding up a globe ( as he did Yorrick's skull)

He muses the caption:
 
"This goodly frame, the earth...a sterile promontory;
this most excellent canopy, the air...
a foul and pestilent contagion of vapours..."


Any takers? Would make a great Greenpeace T-shirt!



All comments from YouTube:

@marissadower-morgan3313

I was 13 1/2 , when I saw this beautiful Musical Classic , at the Aquarius Theatre in 1969 in LA , Ca..., it never left my heart philosophically to this day .

@phmmts

Was you too young to watch this adult musical?

@cockeyedoptimista

I was almost 15. I loved this musical, and loved it more over the years as I understood it more. I think we got up and danced on the stage at the end: is that possible? I saw it in Chicago.

@cchris874

In short, a masterpiece. But then the whole album is.

@toecutterjones

Truth. 💜

@iammumawaldi

I have this fantastic song to thank for a lifelong love of Shakespeare.

@katlovesdogs4119

I actually loved Shakespeare before this came out, but I was a bit of a nerd.

@kirkkirkmani8713

Twisted Tales From Shakespeare, a book by Richard Armour, uses parody to get you interested. great book, and this is a great song.

@mousiebrown1747

Hamlet is so eminently quotable, with Macbeth a close second.

@mousiebrown1747

@@katlovesdogs4119 I think true Nerds are the people who understand “Hair” the best. It’s not for the slow witted.

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