Finale
Kristin Chenoweth/Ensemble Lyrics
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Now at last she's dead and gone
Now at last there's joy throughout the land
Good news!
Good news!
Who can say if I've been
But
Because I knew you
No one mourns the wicked
Because I knew you
I have been changed
No one mourns the wicked
Wicked!
Wicked!
The lyrics to "Finale" in Wicked, as performed by Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, offer a bittersweet reflection on the death of the notorious Wicked Witch of the West. While there is certainly joy throughout the land that the witch is gone, the song recognizes that her legacy lives on in the form of the people whose lives she touched - particularly that of Glinda, the Good Witch, and Elphaba, the so-called wicked witch herself. Through their complicated relationship, these two women have been transformed by each other's influence, and the final line of the song - "because I knew you, I have been changed" - is a poignant testament to this fact.
On one hand, the song offers a satisfying conclusion to the story of Wicked, as the two women stand reunited and transformed after years of strife and conflict. On the other hand, the lyrics recognize that even in death, the witch's legacy carries on - as does the impact she has had on those around her. Ultimately, "Finale" is a song about love, redemption, and the power of friendship to transform even the most unlikely of characters.
Line by Line Meaning
No one mourns the wicked
Nobody is grieving over the death of the wicked person in question
Now at last she's dead and gone
The wicked person has finally died and departed from this world
Now at last there's joy throughout the land
The death of the wicked has brought happiness and relief to everyone
Good news!
The news of the wicked's demise is a positive development
Who can say if I've been
There is no telling whether or not I have changed
Changed for the better
Changed in a way that can be deemed as positive
But
However
Because I knew you
My transformation is attributed to the influence of another person
No one mourns the wicked
The wicked person is still not being grieved over
Because I knew you
Once again, my transformation is credited to a specific individual
I have been changed
My character and personality have undergone a transformation
Wicked!
The title of the musical being performed
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEPHEN SCHWARTZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Acgogo Acgogo
Here are the words and the ORIGINAL stage directions that may be a little surprising. The ending was not orginally meant to be quite as uplifting:
CANDIDE
You've been a fool
And so have I,
But come and be my wife.
And let us try,
Before we die,
To make some sense of life.
We're neither pure, nor wise, nor good
We'll do the best we know.
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow...
And make our garden grow.
CUNEGONDE
I thought the world
Was sugar cake
For so our master said.
But, now I'll teach
My hands to bake
Our loaf of daily bread.
CANDIDE AND CUNEGONDE
We're neither pure, nor wise, nor good
We'll do the best we know.
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow...
And make our garden grow.
(ensemble enters in gardening gear and a cow walks on)
CANDIDE, CUNEGONDE, MAXIMILLIAN, PAQUETTE, OLD LADY, DR. PANGLOSS
Let dreamers dream
What worlds they please
Those Edens can't be found.
The sweetest flowers,
The fairest trees
Are grown in solid ground.
ENSEMBLE (a cappella)
We're neither pure, nor wise, nor good
We'll do the best we know.
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow.
And make our garden grow!
(The cow dies)
VOLTAIRE
Ah, me! The pox!
A Cormier
Perhaps we should remember that Candide is not a fairy tale about happy endings. It's a fairy tale about how to live in a world full of injustice, horrors, greed, stupidity, wars. & disease. The metaphor is" make our garden grow". Incrementally, make that life, make that garden better. There is no magic wand, no deus ex machina ending, no knight in shining armor, only the billion individual deeds that billions of individuals should do to grow our earthy garden.
Tim Hays
When I had the opportunity to perform this, i was young and did't understand the context. Now older and having seen more life, this moves me to tears everytime.
monkeymouse
"Let dreamers dream what worlds they please; those Edens can't be found; the sweetest flowers, the fairest trees All grow in solid ground." A Hymn for the Age of Enlightenment!
hturt4
Yes! Beautifully articulated synopsis!
Judy Moslak
Beautifully explained. may I use it on our written program?
lafleurquicache
Needed to read this today thank you!
Kyle Turner
This was definately a high point in my career. I was playing tuba.
Roland Marshall
I have done the show on tuba too!! I honestly think would quite happy doing the show every night till I drop. Wonderful memories in dark times.
D D
Thanks for your contribution to this epic performance.
Kevin Atkins
Nice, Kyle, it's a peak performance all around, and there you are as a foundation. Everything is so tight and perfect, everyone is ON...