Going Down
Hair [Original Broadway Cast] Lyrics

The song Going Down from the musical Hair is a humorous yet dark expression of rebellion against the conventional education system. The singer of the song has been expelled from high school and feels like an outcast. The lyric "Me and Lucifer, Lucifer and me, just like the angel that fell, banished forever to hell" suggests that the singer sees himself as a fallen hero, just like the biblical figure Lucifer. The line "today have I been expelled from high school heaven" reinforces the idea of high school as heaven, a place of pure joy and satisfaction, and being expelled as a punishment comparable to hell.

The lyric "elevator going down" is repeated throughout the song, creating a sense of impending doom, as if the singer's life is spiraling downward. The singer acknowledges the humiliation of being expelled from school in October instead of June, but at the same time finds "strange elation" in the pain that it brings. This is a common theme in Hair, where the characters celebrate their misfortunes and the freedom that comes with nonconformity.

As the song progresses, the singer calls for "emancipation proclamation" and mentions Dr. Lincoln, referring to the famous abolitionist president Abraham Lincoln. This suggests that the singer sees his expulsion from high school as a form of oppression, and seeks to overthrow it just as Lincoln did with slavery. The final lines of the song, "forgive me if I don't cry, thank God that angels can fly" reinforce the singer's rebellious spirit and defiance in the face of adversity.