Epiphany
Johnny Depp Helena Bonham Carter Jamie Campbell Bower Lyrics


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I had him!
His throat was bare beneath my hand.
No, I had him!
His throat was there and now he'll never come again.

Easy now, hush love hush
I keep telling you
When?

What's your rush?

Why did I wait?
You told me to wait!
Now he'll never come again.

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.
But not for long...

They all deserve to die.
Tell you why, Mrs. Lovett, tell you why.
Because in all of the whole human race
Mrs. Lovett, there are two kinds of men and only two
There's the one staying put in his proper place
And the one with his foot in the other one's face
Look at me, Mrs Lovett, look at you.

No, we all deserve to die
Even you, Mrs. Lovett, even I.
Because the lives of the wicked should be made brief
For the rest of us death will be a relief
We all deserve to die!

And I'll never see Johanna
No I'll never hug my girl to me.
Finished!

Alright! You sir, how about a shave?
Come and visit your good friend Sweeney.
You sir, too sir? Welcome to the grave.
I will have vengeance.
I will have salvation.

Who sir, you sir?
No one's in the chair, Come on! Come on!
Sweeney's waiting.
I want you bleeders.

You sir! Anybody!
Gentlemen, now don't be shy!
Not one man, no, nor ten men.
Nor a hundred can assuage me.
I will have you!

And I will get him back even as he gloats
In the meantime I'll practice on less honorable throats.
And my Lucy lies in ashes
And I'll never see my girl again!

But the work waits!




I'm alive at last!
And I'm full of joy!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics for "Epiphany" from the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street sung by Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Jamie Campbell Bower is about the dark and twisted revenge plot of Sweeney Todd. The song begins with Sweeney stabbing his victim and claiming that he had victory over him. He then hurries to continue his plan as Mrs. Lovett tries to deter him with her loving advances. Sweeney becomes agitated and sings about the hole in the world filled with people and vermin who deserve to die. He then discusses how there are only two types of men in the world, those who stay in their place and those who trample on others' dreams. Both Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett agree that they deserve to die.


The song ends with Sweeney stating that he will have his vengeance and salvation. He urges anyone who is willing to come to him for a shave, knowing full well that they will be his next victim. Sweeney has lost everything, including his wife and daughter, but with his new-found freedom and anticipation of his next revenge, he's finally alive and full of joy.


Line by Line Meaning

I had him!
I have captured him!


His throat was bare beneath my hand.
I had access to his throat and could have killed him.


No, I had him!
He belonged to me.


His throat was there and now he'll never come again.
He is now dead and cannot be brought back.


Easy now, hush love hush
Be quiet and calm down.


I keep telling you
I have already advised you on this.


When?
When should we act?


What's your rush?
Why are you in such a hurry?


Why did I wait?
I waited for him.


You told me to wait!
You instructed me to wait for him.


Now he'll never come again.
He is now dead and cannot be brought back.


There's a hole in the world like a great black pit
There is a void in the world, dark and ominous.


And it's filled with people who are filled with shit
And it is occupied by people who are deceitful and dishonest.


And the vermin of the world inhabit it.
And the filthy creatures of the world occupy it.


But not for long...
But this will not persist.


They all deserve to die.
They all merit death.


Tell you why, Mrs. Lovett, tell you why.
Let me explain why, Mrs. Lovett.


Because in all of the whole human race
Because among all humans of the earth.


Mrs. Lovett, there are two kinds of men and only two
Mrs. Lovett, there are solely two kinds of men.


There's the one staying put in his proper place
There is the one who complies with expectations.


And the one with his foot in the other one's face
And the one who exerts superiority over the other one.


Look at me, Mrs Lovett, look at you.
Consider me, Mrs. Lovett, consider yourself.


No, we all deserve to die
No, all of us deserve to pass away.


Even you, Mrs. Lovett, even I.
Including you, Mrs. Lovett, and myself.


Because the lives of the wicked should be made brief
For wicked individuals, their lives should be short and brief.


For the rest of us death will be a relief
For the remainder of us, death will be a release from suffering.


We all deserve to die!
All of us merit death!


And I'll never see Johanna
I will never see Johanna again.


No I'll never hug my girl to me.
I will never hold my daughter close.


Finished!
It is done!


Alright! You sir, how about a shave?
Alright then! How about a shave, sir?


Come and visit your good friend Sweeney.
Come and visit with your friend, Sweeney.


You sir, too sir? Welcome to the grave.
You as well, sir? Welcome to the end.


I will have vengeance.
I will exact retribution.


I will have salvation.
I will attain redemption.


Who sir, you sir?
Who are you, sir?


No one's in the chair, Come on! Come on!
No one is sitting in the chair. Let's go, hurry up!


Sweeney's waiting.
Sweeney is waiting for us.


I want you bleeders.
I require you to bleed.


You sir! Anybody!
You there! Anyone!


Gentlemen, now don't be shy!
Gentlemen, do not be hesitant!


Not one man, no, nor ten men.
Not a single man, nor ten men.


Nor a hundred can assuage me.
Nor even a hundred can comfort me.


I will have you!
I will make you mine!


And I will get him back even as he gloats
And I will retrieve him even if he is proud of his victory.


In the meantime I'll practice on less honorable throats.
In the mean time, I will practice on those that are perceived as less honorable.


And my Lucy lies in ashes
And my Lucy is dead and reduced to ashes.


And I'll never see my girl again!
And I will never see my daughter again!


But the work waits!
But the work must be done!


I'm alive at last!
I am finally alive!


And I'm full of joy!
And I am filled with joy!




Writer(s): Stephen Sondheim

Contributed by Olivia W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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