No Place Like London
Jamie Campbell Bower Johnny Depp Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I have sailed the world Beheld its wonders
From the Dardanelles
To the mountains of Peru But, there's no place like London!

No, there's no place like London!

Mr. Todd?
You are young
Life has been kind to you You will learn
There's a hole in the world like a great black pit
And the vermin of the world inhabit it
And its morals aren't worth what a pig could spit
And it goes by the name of London
At the top of the hole sit the privileged few
Making mock of the vermin in the lower zoo
Turning beauty into filth and greed - I too
Have sailed the world and seen its wonders
For the cruelty of men is as wondrous as Peru
But there's no place like London!

"Is everything alright, Mr. Todd?"
"I beg your indulgence, Anthony.
My mind is far from easy.
In these once-familiar streets, I feel shadows everywhere."
There was a barber and his wife
And she was beautiful
A foolish barber and his wife
She was his reason and his life
And she was beautiful
And she was virtuous
And he was... naive
There was another man who saw
That she was beautiful
A pious vulture of the law
Who with a gesture of his claw
Removed the barber from his plate
Then there was nothing but to wait
And she would fall
So soft
So young
So lost
And oh, so beautiful!

And the lady, sir. Did she succumb?"
Oh, that was many years ago
I doubt if anyone would know
"I'd like to thank you, Anthony. If you hadn't spotted me, I would be lost on the ocean still."
"Will I see you again?"
"You might find me, if you like, around Fleet Street, I wouldn't wonder."
Anthony Hope: "Until then, my friend."

There's a hole in the world like a great black pit




And it's filled with people who are filled with shit
And the vermin of the world inhabit it

Overall Meaning

The song "No Place Like London" is a notable piece from the 2007 film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's musical "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street". The song begins by introducing London as a place that is incomparable to any other destinations that the singer has travelled to. The first part is sung by Anthony, who is a sailor and is new to London. His guide Mr. Todd, who is also known as Sweeney Todd, is a barber and a murderer who has returned to London after being exiled to Australia. Mr. Todd then sings about the ugly truth about London, highlighting the unfair class divides, how the powerful exploit the lower class, and how the morals of the city are nothing but filth and greed. He sings about how he has seen cruelty all over the world, but the cruelty of men in London is as impressive as everything else he has seen.


The second part of the song is a flashback, where Mr. Todd recalls the story of how he arrived in London. He sings about the tragic tale of his wife, who was taken away from him by a corrupt judge, and how he has come back to London to take revenge. He also mentions the location where he will be after the conversation with Anthony, leading up to the story's events.


Line by Line Meaning

I have sailed the world Beheld its wonders
I have traveled across the world and saw its miracles


From the Dardanelles To the mountains of Peru But, there's no place like London!
I have been to various magnificent places like Dardanelles and Peru, but nothing compares to London.


You are young Life has been kind to you You will learn
You are still inexperienced, and life has not yet taught you much


There's a hole in the world like a great black pit And the vermin of the world inhabit it And its morals aren't worth what a pig could spit And it goes by the name of London At the top of the hole sit the privileged few Making mock of the vermin in the lower zoo Turning beauty into filth and greed - I too Have sailed the world and seen its wonders For the cruelty of men is as wondrous as Peru But there's no place like London!
The world is flawed, and London is the epitome of that corruption. The upper-class people ridicule the lower-class people, and beauty is destroyed by greed. I have seen the cruelty of men throughout the world, and London is no exception, but still, it is irreplaceable.


"Is everything alright, Mr. Todd?" "I beg your indulgence, Anthony. My mind is far from easy. In these once-familiar streets, I feel shadows everywhere."
"Are you okay, Mr. Todd?" "Please excuse me, Anthony. My mind is not at peace. These roads were once familiar, but now I sense trouble everywhere."


There was a barber and his wife And she was beautiful A foolish barber and his wife She was his reason and his life And she was beautiful And she was virtuous And he was... naive There was another man who saw That she was beautiful A pious vulture of the law Who with a gesture of his claw Removed the barber from his plate Then there was nothing but to wait And she would fall So soft So young So lost And oh, so beautiful!
There was a barber who had a beautiful and virtuous wife who was his whole world. Another man who was a lawman took her away, leaving the barber in despair, awaiting her fate. She was so soft, young, lost, and stunningly beautiful.


And the lady, sir. Did she succumb?" Oh, that was many years ago I doubt if anyone would know "I'd like to thank you, Anthony. If you hadn't spotted me, I would be lost on the ocean still." "Will I see you again?" "You might find me, if you like, around Fleet Street, I wouldn't wonder." Anthony Hope: "Until then, my friend."
"What happened to the lady, sir. Did she make it?" "That was a long time ago, and I doubt if anyone knows." "Thank you, Anthony, for noticing me. I would still be lost without you." "Will I see you again?" "Maybe around Fleet Street if you look for me." Anthony Hope: "Bye for now, my friend."


There's a hole in the world like a great black pit And it's filled with people who are filled with shit And the vermin of the world inhabit it
The world has a massive hole filled with disgusting and terrible individuals who lead the world to ruin




Writer(s): Stephen Sondheim Copyright: Rilting Music Inc.

Contributed by Miles J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@cronagorgon2326

This song was happy for about 30 seconds. Thanks Sweeney

@haroldsaxon4894

+Crona Gorgon Happiness is greatly overrated.

@1987AnimeBoy

Just like Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events".

@brynne9926

😂😂😂

@emelynwoodfall4021

Crona Gorgon sweeny is depressio expresso

@MegaAlex576

Angst level 100+

26 More Replies...

@Dreamavere

Old Grindelwald singing with and giving advice to young Grindelwald... best time paradox ever!

@satanswife2546

He's not old Gellert he's just middle-age Gellert

@ViteloElyos

Dude. I love you for that comment. I don't care if it was 10 months ago, you're the champ.

@aleahlrb

OHHHHH! That's why the actor seemed familiar! This scene always gave me the feeling of "I should know something about this but what is it?"

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