Way Down Hadestown

[HERMES]
On the Road to Hell there was a railroad track.

[PERSEPHONE, spoken]
Oh, come on!

[HERMES]
There was a train comin' up from way down below.

[PERSEPHONE, spoken]
That was not six months!

[FATES]
Better go and get your suitcase packed, guess it's time to go.

[HERMES]
She's gonna ride that train.

[COMPANY]
Ride that train...

[HERMES]
She's gonna ride that train.

[COMPANY]
Ride that train!

[HERMES]
She's gonna ride that train 'til the end of the line
'Cause the King of the Mine is coming to call
Did you ever wonder what it's like on the underside?

[COMPANY]
Way down under.

[HERMES]
On the yonder side?

[COMPANY]
Way down yonder.

[HERMES]
On the other side of his wall
Follow that dollar for a long way down
Far away from the poorhouse door
You either get to hell or to Hadestown
Ain’t no difference anymore!
Way down Hadestown
Way down under the ground
Hound dog howl and the whistle blow
Train come a-rollin, clickety-clack
Everybody tryin' to get a ticket to go
But those who go they don’t come back
They goin'.

[HERMES and COMPANY]
Way down Hadestown
Way down under the ground.

[HERMES, spoken]
Ha!

[PERSEPHONE]
Winter's nigh and summer's o'er
Hear that high, lonesome sound
Of my husband coming for
To bring me home to Hadestown.

[COMPANY]
Way down Hadestown
Way down under the ground.

[PERSEPHONE]
Down there, it's a bunch of stiffs
Brother, I'll be bored to death
Gonna have to import some stuff
Just to entertain myself
Give me morphine in a tin
Give me a crate of the fruit of the vine
Takes a lot of medicine
To make it through the wintertime.

[COMPANY]
Way down Hadestown
Way down under the ground.

[FATES]
Every little penny in the wishing well
Every little nickel on the drum.

[COMPANY]
On the drum!

[FATES]
All them shiny little heads and tails
Where do you think they come from?
They come from.

[COMPANY]
Way down Hadestown
Way down under the ground.

[HERMES]
Everybody hungry
Everybody tired
Everybody slaves by the sweat of his brow
The wage is nothing and the work is hard
It's a graveyard in Hadestown.

[COMPANY]
Way down Hadestown
Way down under the ground.

As the band plays, you can hear HERMES, PERSEPHONE, the FATES, and COMPANY exclaiming in the background. They seem to be having [a party.]

[HERMES]
Mr. Hades is a mean old boss.

[PERSEPHONE]
With a silver whistle and a golden scale.

[COMPANY]
An eye for an eye!

[HERMES]
And he weighs the cost.

[COMPANY]
A lie for a lie!

[HERMES]
And your soul for sale.

[COMPANY]
Sold!

[PERSEPHONE]
To the king on the chromium throne.

[COMPANY]
Thrown!

[PERSEPHONE]
To the bottom of a Sing Sing cell.

[HERMES]
Where the little wheel squeals and the big wheel groans.

[PERSEPHONE]
And you better forget about your wishing well.

[COMPANY]
Way down Hadestown
Way down under the ground.

[HERMES, spoken]
On the Road to Hell, there was a railroad car
And the car door opened and a man stepped out
Everybody looked and everybody saw
It was the same man they'd been singin' about.

[PERSEPHONE, spoken]
You're early!

[HADES, spoken]
I missed you.

[FATES]
Mr. Hades is a mighty king
Must be making some mighty big deals
Seems like he owns everything.

[EURYDICE]
Kind of makes you wonder how it feels.

[HERMES]
All aboard...
A-one, A-two
A-one, two, three, four.

[COMPANY]
Way down Hadestown
Way down under the ground
Way down Hadestown
Way down under the ground
Way down under the ground
Way down under the ground.