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."
No Place Like London
Stephen Sondheim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I have sailed the world
beheld its wonders
from the dardinells,
to the mountains of Peru,
But there's no place like London!
Sweeney Todd:
Antony (spoken):
Mr. Todd?
Sweeney Todd:
You are young...
Life has been kind to you...
You will learn.
Sweeney Todd:
There's a whole in the world like a great black pit
and the vermin of the world inhabit it
and its morals aren't worth what a pin could spit
and it goes by the name of London.
At the top of the hole sit the previlaged few
Making mock of the vermin in the lower zoo
turning beauty to filth and greed...
I too have sailed the world and seen its wonders,
for the cruelty of men is as wonderous as Peru
but there's no place like London!
Antony (spoken):
It's everything alright Mr.Todd?
Sweeney Todd (spoken):
I beg your indulgance, my mind is far from easy.
For in the once familiar streets I feel a 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 nieve.
There was another man who saw
that she was beautiful...
A biased 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!
Antony (spoken):
And the lady, sir, did she sucumb?
Sweeney Todd (sung):
Ah, that was many years ago...
I doubt if anyone would know.
(spoken)
I'd like to thank you, Antony. If you aren't spoted me, I've been lost in the ocean still
Antony (spoken)
Can I see you again?
Sweeney Todd (spoken)
You might find me if you like around Fleet street I will wonder...
Antony (spoken)
Until there my friend!
Sweeney Todd (spoken):
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 lyrics of "No Place Like London" from Stephen Sondheim's musical, Sweeney Todd, are sung by two characters, Antony and Sweeney Todd. The song is about each character's experiences traveling the world and seeing its wonders but realizing that there is no place like London. However, Sweeney Todd's lyrics describe a darker perspective, as he sees London as a great black pit inhabited by vermin. He complains that the privileged few at the top of society mock and exploit the "vermin" below them, turning beauty to filth and greed. He then tells Antony the tragic story of a foolish barber who loved his wife, who was beautiful and virtuous, but was taken away by a biased lawyer. Sweeney Todd ends the song with the idea that people filled with "shit" inhabit the great black pit of London.
Line by Line Meaning
I have sailed the world
I have travelled the world
beheld its wonders
seen its beauty
from the dardinells,
from the Dardanelle strait
to the mountains of Peru,
to the mountains of Peru
But there's no place like London!
But London is special
No there's no place like London...
London is unmatched
You are young...
You are inexperienced...
Life has been kind to you...
Life has been easy for you...
You will learn.
You will come to understand.
There's a whole in the world like a great black pit
The world is empty and depressing.
and the vermin of the world inhabit it
Bad people live in it
and its morals aren't worth what a pin could spit
The morals are worthless.
and it goes by the name of London.
This place is called London.
At the top of the hole sit the previlaged few
The privileged people control everything.
Making mock of the vermin in the lower zoo
They ridicule the less fortunate people.
turning beauty to filth and greed...
They corrupt everything good.
I too have sailed the world and seen its wonders,
I have also travelled the world and saw its beauty
for the cruelty of men is as wonderous as Peru
The cruelty of humans is as astounding as the beauty of Peru.
but there's no place like London!
But London still stands out.
It's everything alright Mr.Todd?
Are you okay, Mr. Todd?
I beg your indulgance, my mind is far from easy.
Excuse me, but my mind is troubled.
For in the once familiar streets I feel a shadows everywhere.
I feel darkness and danger everywhere in these once-familiar streets.
There was a barber and his wife
There was a barber and his wife
and she was beautiful...
And she was beautiful
a foolish barber and his wife.
But the barber was foolish.
She was his reason and his life...
She was his whole world.
and she was beautiful, and she was virtuous.
And she was not only beautiful but also virtuous.
And he was nieve.
But he was gullible.
There was another man who saw
Another man noticed
that she was beautiful...
that she was beautiful
A biased vulture of the law
A corrupt judge
who with a gesture of his claw
who used his power
removed the barber from his plate!
Took the barber away from him!
Then there was nothing but to wait!
Then it was just a waiting game.
And she would fall!
And she would eventually fail!
So soft!
So gentle!
So young!
So innocent!
So lost and oh so beautiful!
So vulnerable and incredibly beautiful!
And the lady, sir, did she sucumb?
And what happened to the lady, sir? Did she die?
Ah, that was many years ago...
That is a long time ago.
I doubt if anyone would know.
I don't think anyone knows.
I'd like to thank you, Antony. If you aren't spoted me, I've been lost in the ocean still
Thank you, Antony. If you didn't see me earlier, I was wandering aimlessly.
Can I see you again?
Can I see you again?
You might find me if you like around Fleet street I will wonder...
I might be wandering around Fleet Street if you're looking for me.
Until there my friend!
Until we meet again, my friend!
There's a hole in the world like a great black pit
The world is empty and depressing.
and it's filled with people who are filled with shit!
And bad people live in it!
And the vermin of the world inhabit it!
And even the worst of the worst live in it!
Contributed by Olivia C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.