No good deed
Idina Menzel / Kristin Chenoweth Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Fiyero!
Eleka nahmen nahmen ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen
Eleka nahmen nahmen ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen

Let his flesh not be torn
Let his blood leave no stain though they beat him
Let him feel no pain
Let his bones never break
And however they try to destroy him
Let him never die
Let him never die

Eleka nahmen nahmen ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen
Eleka nahmen nahmen ah tum ah tum eleka, eleka

What good is this chanting?
I don't even know what I'm reading
I don't even know which trick I ought to try
Fiyero, where are you?
Already dead, or bleeding?
One more disaster I can add to my
Generous supply?

No good deed goes unpunished
No act of charity goes unresented
No good deed goes unpunished
That's my new creed
My road of good intentions led where such roads always lead
No good deed goes unpunished

Nessa
Doctor Dillamond
Fiyero, Fiyero!

One question haunts and hurts
Too much, too much to mention
Was I really seeking good
Or just seeking attention?
Is that all good deeds are when looked at with an ice-cold eye?
If that's all good deeds are
Maybe that's the reason why

No good deed goes unpunished
All helpful urges should be circumvented
No good deed goes unpunished
Sure, I meant well, well, look at what well-meant did
All right, enough, so be it, so be it, then
Let all Oz be agreed
I'm wicked through and through since I can not succeed
Fiyero, saving you
I promise no good deed will I attempt to do again




Ever again
No good deed will I do again!

Overall Meaning

The song "No Good Deed" is from the musical Wicked and is sung by the character Elphaba. She has just been betrayed by Fiyero, the man she loves, and is now alone and hunted by the citizens of Oz. The beginning of the song is a spell, sung in nonsense syllables, that Elphaba hopes will protect Fiyero from harm, even though he has left her. This shows that despite everything, Elphaba still cares for him and hopes he will be safe.


Elphaba then goes on to question the value of doing good deeds, as she feels that her attempts to help others have only brought her pain and ostracism. She wonders if her motives were always selfish and if she was just seeking attention or validation. The song ultimately ends with Elphaba declaring that she is wicked through and through and that she will never attempt to do good deeds again.


The lyrics of "No Good Deed" can be interpreted in multiple ways. On the one hand, it reflects the harsh reality that doing good deeds does not always bring rewards, and selflessness does not always lead to praise and gratitude. On the other hand, it also suggests that one’s motives for doing good deeds matter, and that good deeds done solely for attention or validation are not truly selfless.


Line by Line Meaning

Fiyero!
Calling for Fiyero's attention.


Eleka nahmen nahmen ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen Eleka nahmen nahmen ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen
This is a meaningless chant that she herself cannot understand, despite repeating it multiple times.


Let his flesh not be torn Let his blood leave no stain though they beat him Let him feel no pain Let his bones never break And however they try to destroy him Let him never die Let him never die Eleka nahmen nahmen ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen Eleka nahmen nahmen ah tum ah tum eleka, eleka
This is a chant, a prayer of protection for Fiyero or someone dear to her. She wishes no physical harm on him even in the face of abuse, and a blessing for him never to die.


What good is this chanting? I don't even know what I'm reading I don't even know which trick I ought to try Fiyero, where are you? Already dead, or bleeding? One more disaster I can add to my Generous supply?
She begins to question the effectiveness of her prayers. She questions whether Fiyero has already died or whether she can even help him. She feels that she is a magnet for disaster, and her efforts might only make the situation worse.


No good deed goes unpunished No act of charity goes unresented No good deed goes unpunished That's my new creed My road of good intentions led where such roads always lead No good deed goes unpunished
She has adopted a new philosophy that doing good for others might always be met with negative consequences, and it is not worth the efforts. All her previous attempts of doing good seemingly bring no fruitful results in return.


Nessa Doctor Dillamond Fiyero, Fiyero!
She calls out to Nessa, then Doctor Dillamond and Fiyero, possibly people whom she has tried to help in the past with no positive outcome.


One question haunts and hurts Too much, too much to mention Was I really seeking good Or just seeking attention? Is that all good deeds are when looked at with an ice-cold eye? If that's all good deeds are Maybe that's the reason why
A pivotal moment where she now questions her intentions with her previous attempts to do good. She wonders if her efforts were for genuine good, or merely for her own attention-seeking. She begins to think that her past efforts may have all been insincere, leading to negative consequences.


No good deed goes unpunished All helpful urges should be circumvented No good deed goes unpunished Sure, I meant well, well, look at what well-meant did All right, enough, so be it, so be it, then Let all Oz be agreed I'm wicked through and through since I cannot succeed Fiyero, saving you I promise no good deed will I attempt to do again Ever again No good deed will I do again!
She decides that since all her attempts at doing good have brought negative consequences, she will stop trying to do them, even if it means being considered wicked. She makes a promise to Fiyero that she will never attempt to do good again, as her earlier efforts were rendered futile by negative outcomes.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: STEPHEN LAWRENCE SCHWARTZ

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@andrewdittmar361

I'm so incredibly tired of reading comments about how Idina "wasn't good" or some BS.

I saw Idina live numerous times at various points throughout her Wicked run. Some of her richest vocal performances were in December 2004/January 2005, and I NEVER, NEVER saw her give a performance that was lackluster. The "narrative" that she was lackluster over time seems to be accepted as truth these days, but trust me when I say it wasn't true.

Maybe people can point to criticisms about vocal technique, but goddammit armchair criticism gets old real quick.

@realiteaparody9198

You’re so right! Also I’d like to point out that it seems like the people creating this narrative NEVER witnessed any of Idina’s live performances, or ANY live Wicked show for that matter. The only reference points they have are old YouTube videos with not the best quality.

I will never understand people’s need to diminish someone’s talent and legacy just because they favor another performer.

@Jokaanan

People gotta remember these bootleg recordings have awful audio quality. Including the audio peaking (cutting out/sounding flat) during the most magnificent belted notes - because they are literally too much for a camcorder mic to handle.

@Skuzuf

You got to see Idina live?! You are so lucky! That would be my dream! I am going to see Wicked soon when it comes to my city. I can’t wait to see it. I have been wanted to for a long time, and I never have yet. So I’ve been bingeing all the songs lol. And why would people give h@te to Idina?! She is amazing ❤

@Leto2ndAtreides

Her version seems the most natural of the ones I've seen. Many of the other ones don't seem to have the right emotional impact across the singing.

@mattb953

​@Leto2ndAtreides you should look up eden espinosas last no good deed performance. The emotion delivered was right on par with great vocals!

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@khfan4life365

The things you don’t see when you listen to the soundtrack: Elphaba getting more and more manic and crazed during this song.

@crystall.411

so true I always pondered getting the soundtrack for this but then I am like; “but..but..I cant see Elphaba go insane..” its like anakin turning to the dark side in the Star wars prequels but if it was written and acted well.

@jesicaperalta9835

She ate that role. She totally nailed it. Her stage presence is impecable. Just look at the madness in her face during this song. When I see Idina playing this role I see ELPHABA telling her story through music and songs, instead of women with green make-up singing really hight notes on the stage. When I see Idina I see ELPHABA transformation from the green girl to the wicked witch of the west. I think a lot of Elphabas have failed to portrait that, because they were too busy trying to sing the perfect note and totally forgot about the acting part in musical theatre. That's what make Idina's performance so special and memoreble and, in my opinion, the best. No one can beat her when it comes to acting skills and stage presence. One of the most deserving Tony ever.

@ComputerGeek1100

The conductor was FLYING through the beginning of this song that day, wow.

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