Hellfire
Patrick Page Lyrics


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Confiteor Deo
Omnipotenti
Beatae mariae
Semper virgini
Beato Michaeli Archangelo
Sanctis apostolis
Omnibus sanctis
Beata Maria
You know I am a righteous man
Of my virtue I am justly proud
Et tibi pater
Beata Maria
You know I'm so much purer than
the common, vulgar, weak,
licentious crowd
Quia peccavi nimis

Then tell me Maria
Why I see her dancing there
Why her smold'ring eyes
Still scorch my soul?
cogitatione
I feel her, I see her
The sun caught
in her raven hair
is blazing in me
out of all control

Like fire
Hellfire
This fire in my skin
This burning desire
Is turning me to sin
It's not my fault!
mea culpa
I'm not to blame!
mea culpa
It is the gypsy girl
The witch who sent this flame
mea maxima culpa
It's not my fault
mea culpa
If in god's plan
mea culpa
He made the devil
so much stronger than the man!
mea maxima culpa
Protect me Maria
Don't let this siren cast her spell
Don't her fire sear my flesh and bone
Destroy esmeralda!
And let her taste the fires of hell
Or else let her be mine
and mine alone
Hellfire, dark fire
Now gypsy, it's your turn
Choose me or
your pyre
Be mine or
You will burn!
kyrie eleison
God have mercy on her
kyrie eleison
God have mercy on me
kyrie eleison




But she will be mine
or she will burn

Overall Meaning

The song "Hellfire" is a dark and intense soliloquy sung by the character of Claude Frollo in Disney's musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” The lyrics are in Latin and English, reflecting Frollo's conflicted and tormented psyche. The song starts with Frollo confessing his sins to various saints, including the virgin Mary, Saint Michael the archangel, and the apostles. He then expresses his self-righteousness and his disdain for the "vulgar" and "licentious" crowd, believing himself to be morally superior. However, he cannot control his attraction to Esmeralda, the gypsy girl, who ignites a sinful desire within him that he blames on her, calling her a witch who sent this flame. He begs for protection from the virgin Mary, whom he also desires, and contemplates destroying Esmeralda rather than facing the damnation his desire might bring upon him.


In the song, Frollo's self-righteousness is contrasted with his hypocrisy, as he tries to absolve himself from culpability. He twists his religious beliefs and moral code to justify his heinous crime of attempting to destroy Esmeralda. The song reveals the depth of Frollo's obsession and highlights the themes of lust, sin, and damnation that run throughout the story. The melody and orchestration of the song grow more and more frenzied as Frollo descends deeper into his delusions of righteousness and his desire.


Line by Line Meaning

Confiteor Deo
I confess to God


Omnipotenti
The Almighty


Beatae mariae
To Blessed Mary


Semper virgini
Ever Virgin


Beato Michaeli Archangelo
To Blessed Michael, the Archangel


Sanctis apostolis
To the holy apostles


Omnibus sanctis
To all the saints


Beata Maria
Blessed Mary


You know I am a righteous man
I am a man of high moral standards


Of my virtue I am justly proud
I am rightfully proud of my own morality


Et tibi pater
And to you, Father


Beata Maria
Blessed Mary


You know I'm so much purer than the common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd
I hold myself to a higher standard of purity than the average person


Quia peccavi nimis
Because I have sinned too much


Then tell me Maria, Why I see her dancing there
Oh Blessed Mary, tell me why I see that gypsy woman dancing, tempting me


Why her smold'ring eyes Still scorch my soul?
Why do her passionate and alluring eyes have such a strong impact on my soul?


Cogitatione
In thought


I feel her, I see her The sun caught in her raven hair is blazing in me out of all control
I feel her presence with me, I see the sun shining on her dark hair, and my desires spiral out of control


Like fire Hellfire This fire in my skin This burning desire Is turning me to sin It's not my fault!
This flame inside me burns like hellfire, igniting my skin and desires, leading me to sin, but it's not my fault!


Mea culpa I'm not to blame! Mea culpa It is the gypsy girl The witch who sent this flame Mea maxima culpa
I admit my guilt, but I'm not truly to blame. It is Esmeralda, the gypsy girl who is a witch, who has ignited this sinful flame within me.


It's not my fault Mea culpa If in God's plan Mea culpa He made the devil so much stronger than the man! Mea maxima culpa
I know I'm guilty, but it's not entirely my fault. It is part of God's plan that the devil is more powerful than man, leading me to sin.


Protect me Maria Don't let this siren cast her spell Don't her fire sear my flesh and bone Destroy Esmeralda! And let her taste the fires of hell Or else let her be mine and mine alone
Blessed Mary, protect me from Esmeralda's allure, don't let her temptation harm me. Destroy Esmeralda and let her burn forever in hell, or let her be with me and no one else.


Hellfire, dark fire Now gypsy, it's your turn Choose me or your pyre Be mine or You will burn! Kyrie eleison
Hellfire, dark fire, it's time to choose, Esmeralda. Choose to be with me, or burn at the stakes. Kyrie eleison, Lord have mercy.


God have mercy on her Kyrie eleison God have mercy on me Kyrie eleison But she will be mine or she will burn
Lord have mercy on Esmeralda, but also have mercy on me. She will either be mine or meet her fiery demise.




Contributed by Alice D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@littlepipthetoasterrepairp8731

Lyrics(With Translated Latin):
Blessed Mary
You know I'm a righteous man
Of my virtue,I'm justly proud
(And to you,Father)
Blessed Mary
You know I'm so much purer than
The common,vulgar,weak,licentious crowd
(That I have sinned)
Then tell me,Mary
Why I see her dancing there
Why her s'moldering eyes still schorch my soul
(In thought)
I feel her,I see her
The sun caught in her raven hair
Is blazing in me out of all control
(In words and deeds)
Like fire!
Hellfire!
This fire in my skin
This burning
Desire
Is turning me to sin
It's not my fault
(Through my fault)
I'm not to blame
(Through my fault)
It was the gypsy girl,
The witch who send this flames
(Through my grevious fault)
It's not my fault
(Through my fault)
If in God's plan
(Through my fault)
He made the devil
So much stronger than a man
(Through my grevious fault)
Protect me,Mary
Don't let this sirens cast her spells
Don't let her fire shear my flesh and bone
Destroy Esmeralda and let her tastes the fires of hell or else let her be mine and be mine alone
Hellfire!
Dark fire!
Now Gypsy,it's your turn
Choose me or
Your pyre
Be mine or you will burn
(Lord have mercy)
God have mercy on her
(Lord have mercy)
God have mercy on me
(Lord have mercy)
But she will be mine or she will burn!



@DarthWill3

Frollo:
Protect me, Maria
Don't let the siren cast her spell
Don't let her fire sear my flesh and bone
Destroy Esmeralda
And let her taste the fires of Hell!
Or else let her be mine and mine alone

(Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock)

Guard: Minister Frollo, the gypsy has escaped.
Frollo: What...?
Guard: She's nowhere in the cathedral. She's gone.
Frollo: But how? I... Never mind. Get out, you idiot! I'll find her! I'll find her if I have to burn down all of Paris!

Hellfire
Dark fire
Now gypsy, it's your turn
Choose me or
Your pyre
Be mine or you will burn



@Enterprise-D666

Hellfire Lyrics:

[PRIESTS, CHOIR MEN]
Confiteor Deo
Omnipotenti
Beatae Mariae
Semper Virgini
Beato Michaeli archangelo
Sanctis apostolis
Omnibus sanctis

[FROLLO]
Beata Maria
You know I am a righteous man
Of my virtue I am justly proud

[PRIESTS, CHOIR MEN]
Et tibi Pater

[FROLLO]
Beata Maria
You know I'm so much purer than
The common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd

[PRIESTS, CHOIR MEN]
Quia peccavi nimis

[FROLLO]
Then tell me, Maria
Why I see her dancing there?
Why her smold'ring eyes still scorch my soul?

[PRIESTS, CHOIR MEN]
Cogitatione

[FROLLO]
I feel her, I see her
The sun caught in her raven hair
Is blazing in me out of all control

[PRIESTS, CHOIR MEN]
Verbo et opere

[FROLLO]
Like fire
Hellfire
This fire in my skin
This burning
Desire
Is turning me to sin!

[FROLLO, PRIESTS, CHOIR MEN]
It's not my fault! Mea culpa
I'm not to blame! Mea culpa
It is the gypsy girl
The witch who sent this flame! Mea maxima culpa
It's not my fault! Mea culpa
If in God's plan Mea culpa
He made the devil so much stronger than a man Mea maxima culpa

[FROLLO]
Protect me, Maria
Don't let this siren cast her spell
Don't let her fire sear
My flesh and bone!
Destroy Esmeralda
And let her taste the fires of hell
Or else let her be mine
And mine alone

[FROLLO & PRIESTS, CHOIR]
Hellfire Hellfire
Dark fire Dark fire
Now gypsy, it's your turn
Choose me or Choose me or
Your pyre Your pyre
Be mine or you will burn!

Kyrie Eleison
God have mercy on her...
Kyrie Eleison
God have mercy on me...
Kyrie Eleison

But she will be mine
Or she will burn!



All comments from YouTube:

@peregrine5327

Frollo is one of the most psychologically complex villains Disney has ever put on screen (I mean, he obviously wasn't their creation originally, but it was a bold choice to put him in a kid's film).

@gamestation2690

How did it get away with a G rating, exactly?

@kharkovluzhin8333

@@gamestation2690 kids aren't stupid as we always thought

@hashtagcritical8688

It’s also bold to make him even more heinous than the original, making me question how Disney managed to get away with a G rating.

@michaelscarn3053

@@hashtagcritical8688 It wasn't a bold choice actually. By making him so atrociously and obviously evil he becomes less relatable and people cannot sympathize with him. This turns him into a character people are naturally against and so leads the audience. He was made like this so people wouldn't believe Disney promotes the whole being evil is cool thing.

I personally prefer the Frolo from the musical or the book. A villain has to have a humane side and a conscience to be believable in order to make the point in the story where he shifts and succumbs to his desire more impactful.

@LucarioBot

@@michaelscarn3053 his voice actor says that he was written to be tragic and three-dimensional but as for him lacking a human side I wouldn’t call that such when he is based on Amon goeth’s depiction in schindlers list who is much tamer than the real person being depicted so yes people as atrocious as movie frollo do actually exist

6 More Replies...

@dapchaibia728

ironically, this man plays the god of the underworld in hadestown

@dallascimini3619

And he's damn good at it

@GareksApprentice

Not ironic, but "meant to be"

@elainazimmerman5105

When I found that out I was saying I was like
😋 👏NO👏 FREAKEN 👏WAY!

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