Sondheim has been writing for the American Musical Theatre for the past four decades. His breakthrough musical Company revolutionized the art form. He is considered by many to be the finest living composer of our time.
His scores include Passion, Assassins, Bounce, Into The Woods, Sunday In The Park With George, Merrily We Roll Along, Sweeney Todd, Pacific Overtures, A Little Night Music, Follies, Company, The Frogs, Anyone Can Whistle, and A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to The Forum, as well as the lyrics for Gypsy and West Side Story.
He studied composition with the legendary avant-garde composer Milton Babbitt. Sondheim says that when he asked Babbitt if he could study atonality, Babbitt replied "You haven’t exhausted tonal resources for yourself yet, so I’m not going to teach you atonal." Sondheim agreed, and despite frequent dissonance and a highly chromatic style, his music remains resolutely tonal.
A notable aspect of Sondheim's songwriting is the use of complex and innovative rhyme patterns that "delight the ear."
Epiphany
Stephen Sondheim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
His throat was bare beneath my hand
“No! I had him!”
His throat was there and he’ll never come again!
Mrs. Lovett: Easy not!
Hush, love, hush!
I keep telling you--
Sweeney Todd: When!
Mrs. Lovett: What’s your rush!?
Sweeney Todd: 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 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
Though 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 ’bout 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 not 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 honourable 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!
In the musical "Sweeney Todd," the song "Epiphany" expresses the darkest, most disturbing thoughts of the titular character, who has just finished murdering a man he believed ruined his life. At the beginning of the song, Sweeney is reliving the experience and arguing with Mrs. Lovett, his accomplice, about who actually took the man's life. Gradually, Sweeney's anger and madness become more pronounced, and he launches into a rant about the state of the world, which he believes is full of "vermin" who deserve to die. He then turns his attention to Mrs. Lovett and reflects that they, too, deserve to die for their roles in his vengeful scheme. Finally, the song ends with Sweeney's triumphant declaration that he is "alive at last" and filled with joy, even as he plots his revenge against others.
The lyrics of "Epiphany" are especially dark and haunting, reflecting the character's descent into madness as he becomes consumed by his desire for revenge. In its structure and melody, the song also reflects Sweeney's deepening sense of instability, moving from sharp, staccato lines to longer, more chaotic phrases as his anger boils over. The song serves as a powerful reminder of the brutal emotional toll that revenge can have on those who seek it, and how it can warp even the most rational and stable of individuals.
Line by Line Meaning
I had him!
I had my enemy in my control and power.
His throat was bare beneath my hand
I had the opportunity to take his life.
No! I had him!
No, he was mine to kill, not yours.
His throat was there and he’ll never come again!
I had the perfect chance to take his life, but I missed it and he'll never be in my grip again.
Easy not! Hush, love, hush! I keep telling you--
Calm down, don't rush, I know what I'm doing.
When! What’s your rush!?
When will you be ready? Why are you in such a hurry?
Why did I wait!? You told me to wait! Now he’ll never come again!
I followed your advice and waited, but now I've lost my chance to get him forever.
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!
There is a dark, horrible place full of terrible people, and they won't be around for much longer.
They all deserve to die, Tell you why, Mrs. Lovett, Tell you why, Because in all of the whole human race, Mrs. Lovett, There 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, Though we all deserve to die, Even you, Mrs. Lovett, Even I
Everyone deserves to die, because there are only two types of people in the world - those who keep to their place and those who exploit others. Everyone, including you and me, are guilty of this.
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!
The wicked don't deserve to live long lives, and for everyone else, death would be a welcome release. We all deserve to die in the end.
And I’ll never see Johanna, No, I’ll never hug my girl to me, Finished!!
I will never see my daughter again or embrace her. It's over!
Alright! You, sir! How ’bout a shave? Come and visit Your good friend Sweeney
Hey, you there! How about getting a shave from me, your old pal Sweeney?
You, sir! Too, sir! Welcome to the grave! I will have vengeance! I will have salvation!
You're also welcome to your final resting place! I will have both revenge and salvation!
Who, sir!? You, sir? No one’s in the chair! Come on! Come on! Sweeney’s waiting I want you bleeders!
Who's next? You there? No one is currently in the chair for a shave! Come on, come on, Sweeney is waiting! I want to kill more people!
You sir, anybody! Gentlemen, now don’t be shy! Not one man No not ten men Nor a hundred can assuage me! I will have you!
Anyone can come! Don't be afraid! No one man, not even ten or a hundred of them, can make me feel better! I want to kill you all!
And I will get him back even as he gloats In the meantime I’ll practice on less honorable throats
I will take revenge on him even if he thinks he's won. In the meantime, I'll continue my killing spree on less deserving victims.
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!
My wife Lucy is dead and gone, I'll never see her and my daughter again, but the work of killing continues! It brings me joy to be alive and killing!
Contributed by Sebastian O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.