Overture
Webber & Roce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From our saviors
From the enslaving force of Rome!
With feasting and dancing and song
Tonight in celebration
We greet the victorious throng
Returned to bring salvation!
The trumpets of Carthage resound!
Hear, Romans, now and tremble!
Hark to our step on the ground!
Hear the drums
Hannibal comes!
Sad to return to find the land we love threatened once more by
Roma's far-reaching grasp
Gentlemen, gentlemen
Rehearsals, as you can see, are under way, for a new production of
Chalumeau's 'Hannibal'
M. Lefevre, I am rehearsing
M. Reyer, Mme. Giry, ladies and gentlemen, please, if I can have
Your attention, thank you
As you know, for some weeks there have been rumors of my imminent retirement
I can now tell you that these were all true
And it is my pleasure to introduce to you
The two gentlemen who now own the Opera Populaire
M. Richard Firmin and M. Gilles Andre
And we're deeply honored to introduce our new patron
The Vicomte de Chagny
My parents and I are honored to support all the arts
Especially the world-renowned Opera Populaire
Gentlemen, Signora Carlitta Guidicelli, our leading soprano for
Five seasons now
Signor Ubaldo Piangi
An honour, Signor, I believe I'm keeping you for your rehearsal
I will be here this evening to share your great triumph
My apologies, monsieur
Thank you, M. Le Vicomte, once more, if you please, Signor
He love me
We take a particular pride here in the excellence of our ballets, monsieur
I see why, especially the little blonde angel
My daughter, Meg Giry
And that exceptional beauty, no relation I trust
Christine Daae, promising talent, M. Firmin, very promising
Daae, you say? No relation to the famous Swedish violinist?
His only child, an orphan at seven when she came to live and
Train in the Ballet Dormitory
An orphan, you said?
Bid welcome to Hannibal's guests
The elephants of Carthage!
As guides on our conquering quests
Dido sends
Hannibals friends!
The trumpeting elephants sound
Hear, Romans, now and tremble!
Hark to their step on the ground
Hear the drums!
Hannibal comes!
The lyrics of ‘Overture’ by Webber & Rice’s are adventurous and descriptive. The song starts with the trophy of the savior which saved them from the enslaving force of Rome. The people celebrate their victory over Rome by having feasts and dancing. They welcome the victorious throng who has come to bring salvation. The trumpets of Carthage resound and it signifies that Hannibal has come. The people of Rome tremble at the sound of the trumpets and the drums. They were sad to find the land they love being threatened by Rome’s far-reaching grasp. Suddenly, the song shifts from the adventures of Hannibal to a rehearsal of an opera. The scene is set at the Opera Populaire where the rehearsals for Chalumeau’s ‘Hannibal’ are underway. The director, M. Lefevre, announces his retirement, and introduces his successors, M. Richard Firmin and M. Gilles Andre. Next, the Vicomte de Chagny, a new patron of the opera is introduced. The leading soloists, Carlitta Guidicelli and Signor Ubaldo Piangi, make their entrance. The audience takes particular pride in the excellence of their ballets, especially the little blonde angel, Meg Giry, and Christine Daae, an orphan, who is the only child of the famous Swedish violinist. The lyrics then return to Hannibal and his friends, the elephants of Carthage, as they go on conquering quests. The sound of their steps and trumpets make the people of Rome tremble, and they behold the arrival of Hannibal.
Line by Line Meaning
This trophy from our saviors
We celebrate the victory over Rome, which enslaved us and now we have been saved from their forces.
With feasting and dancing and song
We are celebrating the victory with great enthusiasm by dancing, singing and feasting.
Tonight in celebration
The celebration takes place tonight.
We greet the victorious throng
We are welcoming the victorious group of warriors who brought salvation.
Returned to bring salvation!
The victorious warriors have returned to bring us salvation.
The trumpets of Carthage resound!
The trumpets played by the Carthaginians are echoing and filling the air.
Hear, Romans, now and tremble!
The Romans should listen and be scared of Hannibal's triumph.
Hark to our step on the ground!
Listen to the sound of Hannibal's army marching on the ground.
Hear the drums
Listen to the sound of the drums.
Hannibal comes!
Hannibal and his army are approaching.
Sad to return to find the land we love threatened once more by Roma's far-reaching grasp
We are sad to return to find that Rome is still a threat to our beloved land.
Gentlemen, gentlemen
Attention please.
Rehearsals, as you can see, are under way, for a new production of Chalumeau's 'Hannibal'
We are currently rehearsing for Chalumeau's 'Hannibal'.
M. Lefevre, I am rehearsing
I am rehearsing, M. Lefevre.
M. Reyer, Mme. Giry, ladies and gentlemen, please, if I can have Your attention, thank you
Attention please, M. Reyer, Mme. Giry, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for listening.
As you know, for some weeks there have been rumors of my imminent retirement I can now tell you that these were all true And it is my pleasure to introduce to you The two gentlemen who now own the Opera Populaire M. Richard Firmin and M. Gilles Andre
There have been rumors of my retirement, which are true. I am now introducing M. Richard Firmin and M. Gilles Andre as the new owners of Opera Populaire.
And we're deeply honored to introduce our new patron The Vicomte de Chagny My parents and I are honored to support all the arts Especially the world-renowned Opera Populaire
We are honored to introduce our new patron, The Vicomte de Chagny. My parents and I are honored to support all the arts, including the world-renowned Opera Populaire.
Gentlemen, Signora Carlitta Guidicelli, our leading soprano for Five seasons now Signor Ubaldo Piangi
Gentlemen, please welcome Signora Carlitta Guidicelli, our leading soprano for five seasons now, and Signor Ubaldo Piangi.
An honour, Signor, I believe I'm keeping you for your rehearsal I will be here this evening to share your great triumph My apologies, monsieur
It's an honor to meet you, Signor. I believe I am keeping you from your rehearsal. I will be here later to share in your triumph. My apologies, monsieur.
Thank you, M. Le Vicomte, once more, if you please, Signor
Thank you, M. Le Vicomte, I would like to hear Signor sing once more.
He love me
He loves me.
We take a particular pride here in the excellence of our ballets, monsieur. I see why, especially the little blonde angel. My daughter, Meg Giry. And that exceptional beauty, no relation I trust. Christine Daae, promising talent, M. Firmin, very promising. Daae, you say? No relation to the famous Swedish violinist? His only child, an orphan at seven when she came to live and Train in the Ballet Dormitory. An orphan, you said?
We take pride in the excellence of our ballets. I see why especially the little blonde angel, who is actually my daughter Meg Giry. And that exceptional beauty, Christine Daae, is a promising talent. M. Firmin finds her very promising. Is she related to the famous Swedish violinist, also named Daae? Actually, she is his only child, who was orphaned at seven and came to live and train in the Ballet Dormitory.
Bid welcome to Hannibal's guests The elephants of Carthage! As guides on our conquering quests Dido sends Hannibals friends!
Let's welcome Hannibal's guests, the elephants of Carthage. These elephants will be our guides on our conquering quests, and they are Hannibal's friends sent by Dido.
The trumpeting elephants sound Hear, Romans, now and tremble! Hark to their step on the ground Hear the drums! Hannibal comes!
The trumpeting elephants are sounding, and Romans should listen and tremble. Hark to their step on the ground, and hear the sound of the drums. Hannibal and his army are coming.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind