Agony
Into the Woods Lyrics


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Did I abuse her or show her disdain
Why does she run from me
If I should lose her how shall I regain
The heart she has won from me
Agony, beyond power of speech
When the one thing you want
Is the only thing out of your reach
High in her tower she sits by the hour
Maintaining her hair
Blithe and becoming and frequently humming
A light-hearted air
Ah
Agony, far more painful than yours
When you know she would go with you
If there only were doors
Agony, all the torture they teach
What's as intruiging or half so fatiguing
As what's out of reach

Am I not sensitive, clever
Well-mannered, considerate
Passionate, charming
As kind as I'm handsome
And heir to a throne?
You are everything maidens could wish for
Then why no
Do I know?
The girl must be mad
You know nothing of madness
'Til you're climbing her hair
And you see her up there as you're nearing her
And all the while hearing her
Ah
Agony, misery, though it's different for each
Always ten steps behind, always ten steps below
And she's just out of reach
Agony, that can cut like a knife
I must have her to wife

High in a tower like yours was but higher
A beauty asleep
All 'round the tower a thicket of briar
A hundred feet deep
Agony, no frustration more keen
When the one thing you want
Is a thing that you've not even seen

I've found a casket entirely of glass
No, it's unbreakable
Inside, don't ask it, a maiden alas
Just as unwakeable
What unmistakeable
Agony, is the way always hard
She has skin white as snow
Did you learn her name, no
There's a dwarf standing guard
Agony such that princes must weep
Always in thrall 'most to anything almost
Or something asleep

If it were not for the thicket
A thicket's no trick, is it thick
It's the thickest
The quickest is pick it apart with a stick
Yes but even one prick, it's my thing about blood
Well it's sick
It's no sicker than your thing about dwarfs
Dwarves
Dwarfs
Dwarves are very upsetting
Not forgetting
The task's unachievable, mountains unscalable
If it's conceivable but unavailable
Ah
Agony, misery, woe not to know what you miss
While they lie there for years
And you cry on their biers
What unbearable bliss




Agony that can cut like a knife
Ah well, back to my wife

Overall Meaning

The song "Agony" from the musical "Into the Woods" tells the story of two princes who are both in love with different women, but they are unable to be with them. The lyrics depict the frustration and pain these two men experience as they try to win over the women they desire. The first prince wonders whether he has mistreated the woman he loves, while the second prince is attracted to a girl who is unreachable because she is trapped in a tower.


The song has a comedic element, with the two princes competing with each other over who has it worse. They describe their anguish in a series of hyperboles, comparing it to torture and misery, and expressing their frustration that the women they desire are always just out of reach.


Overall, the song is a commentary on the folly of longing for something that is unattainable, as well as the difficulties of relationships and how they can be plagued with miscommunication and a lack of understanding.


Line by Line Meaning

Did I abuse her or show her disdain
Did I mistreat her or disrespect her?


Why does she run from me
What makes her flee from me?


If I should lose her how shall I regain
If I lose her, how can I win her back?


The heart she has won from me
The heart she has stolen from me


Agony, beyond power of speech
Pain that cannot be expressed in words


When the one thing you want
When the only thing you desire


Is the only thing out of your reach
Is just beyond your grasp


High in her tower she sits by the hour
She spends her time sitting high up in her tower


Maintaining her hair
Taking care of her hair


Blithe and becoming and frequently humming
Happy, attractive, and often singing


A light-hearted air
A carefree attitude


Agony, far more painful than yours
Pain that is even more intense than yours


When you know she would go with you
When you know she would accompany you


If there only were doors
If there were only a way to enter


Agony, all the torture they teach
Pain that is more agonizing than any lesson


What's as intruiging or half so fatiguing
What is as fascinating or as tiring


As what's out of reach
As what is unattainable


Am I not sensitive, clever
Aren't I compassionate and intelligent?


Well-mannered, considerate
Polite, thoughtful


Passionate, charming
Enthusiastic, attractive


As kind as I'm handsome
As compassionate as I am good-looking


And heir to a throne?
And I am heir to a kingdom?


You are everything maidens could wish for
You possess every quality maidens desire


Then why no
Then why not?


Do I know?
I don't know


The girl must be mad
The girl must be crazy


You know nothing of madness
You have no idea what madness is like


'Til you're climbing her hair
Until you are ascending her hair


And you see her up there as you're nearing her
And you see her when you are getting closer to her


And all the while hearing her
And all the while hearing her voice


Agony, misery, though it's different for each
Pain and suffering, though it affects each person differently


Always ten steps behind, always ten steps below
Always a few steps behind, always a few steps lower


And she's just out of reach
And she is just beyond grasp


Agony, that can cut like a knife
Suffering that is as sharp as a blade


I must have her to wife
I must marry her


High in a tower like yours was but higher
In a tower just like yours, but taller


A beauty asleep
A beautiful woman who is sleeping


All 'round the tower a thicket of briar
A thorn bush surrounding the tower


A hundred feet deep
One hundred feet deep


Agony, no frustration more keen
Pain that is more intense than any other frustration


When the one thing you want
When the only thing you desire


Is a thing that you've not even seen
Is something you have not even laid eyes on


I've found a casket entirely of glass
I have discovered a glass container


No, it's unbreakable
No, it cannot be broken


Inside, don't ask it, a maiden alas
Inside, a young woman, unfortunately


Just as unwakeable
Just as impossible to wake up


What unmistakeable
What is clear and obvious


Agony, is the way always hard
Suffering that is always difficult


She has skin white as snow
She has skin as white as snow


Did you learn her name, no
Did you find out her name? No


There's a dwarf standing guard
There is a small person standing watch


Agony such that princes must weep
Suffering that is enough to make even royalty cry


Always in thrall 'most to anything almost
Always under the spell of almost anything


Or something asleep
Or something that is sleeping


If it were not for the thicket
If the thorn bush were not there


A thicket's no trick, is it thick
A thorn bush is not a difficult obstacle, but it is dense


It's the thickest
It is the densest


The quickest is pick it apart with a stick
The fastest way is to break it apart with a stick


Yes but even one prick, it's my thing about blood
Even one prick from a thorn is my issue with blood


Well it's sick
Well, that is twisted


It's no sicker than your thing about dwarfs
It is as distorted as your issue with small people


Dwarves
Small people


Dwarfs
Small people


Dwarves are very upsetting
Small people are very troubling


Not forgetting
Let's not forget


The task's unachievable, mountains unscalable
The task is impossible, the mountains are too tall to climb


If it's conceivable but unavailable
If it is possible but out of reach


Ah
Ah


Agony, misery, woe not to know what you miss
Pain, suffering, and sorrow from not realizing what you are missing


While they lie there for years
While they lay there for many years


And you cry on their biers
And you mourn over their coffins


What unbearable bliss
What incredible joy


Agony that can cut like a knife
Pain that can slice through like a blade


Ah well, back to my wife
Well then, I shall return to my wife




Contributed by Julian H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@thetrashcan5558

Joshua Henry’s voice literally sounds like clouds and honey and I can’t explain any more than that.

@kuklakid

Well put

@smadar2511

dude... warm honey, not just honey. his voice is WARM honey

@jenniferwatson8798

Don't miss the 2018 Carousel revival album. I was blessed to catch a show in that Broadway run, and he was absolutely incredible. I went in as simply a Carousel fan and a Renée Fleming fan, but I left loving Joshua Henry, too.

@scarletgiry3958

Literally the first word that popped in my head when I him sing this live was “majestic”, he just sounds like a prince

@clairethompson5549

This is extremely accurate

1 More Replies...

@jlrmalik

Joshua Henry my GOD. That voice is so good. And of course Gavin Creel. I remember having him sign his debut pop album. It's so good. Instant fan!

@Catherine-lr3ul

He always pops up everytime I say "wow the only thing that would make this better is gavin creel"

@jellyidunno6482

Which one is who-

@micahaddison3650

@Jelly I dunno: Joshua Henry is the black guy, Gavin creel is the skinny blonde.

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