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Road to Hell Lyrics by André De Shields, Hadestown Original Broadway Company

Hadestown (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

2019

[HERMES]
Mmm...

[Chorus]
Mmm...

[HERMES]
Mmhm...

[Chorus]
Mmhm...

[HERMES]
Chugga chugga chugga chugga
Chugga chugga chugga chugga

[HERMES and Chorus]
Chugga chugga chugga chugga
Chugga chugga chugga chugga

[HERMES]
Once upon a time there was a railroad line
Don't ask where, brother, don't ask when
It was the road to Hell, it was hard times
It was a world of gods...and men!

It's an old song

[Chorus]
It's an old song!

[HERMES]
It's an old tale from way back when
It's an old song

[Chorus]
It's an old song!

[HERMES]
And we're gonna sing it again

(spoken)
Gods and men, a'ight?
We got some gods in the house tonight!

(sung)
See, on the road to Hell there was a railroad line
And there were three old women all dressed the same
And they was always singin' in the back of your mind
Everybody meet the Fates!

(Applause, FATES bow)

[HERMES]
And on the road to Hell there was a railroad line
And a lady steppin' off a train
With a suitcase full of summertime
Persephone, by name!

(Applause, PERSEPHONE bows)

And if you ride that train

[Chorus]
Ride that train

[HERMES]
If you ride that train

[Chorus]
Ride that train

[HERMES]
If you ride that train to the end of the line
Where the sun don't shine and it's always shady
It's there you'll find the king of the mine
Almighty Mr. Hades!

(Applause, HADES bows)

[HERMES, spoken]
We got any other gods?
Oh, right, almost forgot...

(sung)
On the road to Hell there was a railroad station
And a man with feathers on his feet
Who could help you to your final destination
Mr. Hermes, that's me!

(Applause, HERMES bows)

[HERMES]
See, someone's got to tell the tale
Whether or not it turns out well
Maybe it will turn out this time
On the road to Hell
On the railroad line
It's a sad song

[Chorus]
It's a sad song!

[HERMES]
It's a sad tale, it's a tragedy
It's a sad song

[Chorus]
It's a sad song!

[HERMES]
We're gonna sing it anyway

(spoken)
Now, not everyone gets to be a god
And don't forget that times are hard
Hard times in the world of men
Let me introduce you to a few of them

You can tip your hats and your wallets
Brothers and sisters, boys and girls
To the hardest working Chorus
In the gods' almighty world!

(Applause, CHORUS bows)

[HERMES, spoken]
And workin' just as hard for you
Let's see what this crew can do!

(HERMES introduces the band. Band break.)

[HERMES]
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

(COMPANY applauds)

[HERMES]
A'ight!
A'ight!
On the road to Hell there was a railroad line
And a poor boy workin' on a song

[ORPHEUS]
La la la la la la...

[HERMES]
His mama was a friend of mine
And this boy was a muse's son
On the railroad line on the road to Hell
You might say the boy was touched

[ORPHEUS]
La la la la la la...

[HERMES]
Cause he was touched by the gods themselves!
Give it up for Orpheus!

(Applause, ORPHEUS misses the cue)

[HERMES]
Orpheus!

(ORPHEUS bows)

[HERMES]
There was one more soul on this road
Girl, come on in from the cold!
On the railroad line on the road to Hell
There was a young girl looking for something to eat!
And brother, thus begins the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice!

(Applause)

It's a love song

[Chorus]
It's a love song!

[HERMES]
It's a tale of a love from long ago
It's a sad song

[Chorus]
It's a sad song!

[HERMES]
But we're gonna sing it even so
It's an old song

[Chorus]
It's an old song!

[HERMES]
It's an old tale from way back when
And we're gonna sing

[HERMES and Chorus]
We're gonna sing
We're gonna sing it again!

[HERMES]
Again!
Again!
Credits
André De Shields

André De Shields

Hadestown Original Broadway Company

Hadestown Original Broadway Company

About “Road to Hell” by André De Shields

Read the complete lyrics to "Road to Hell" by André De Shields, Hadestown Original Broadway Company from the album "Hadestown (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 2019. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Folk, Pop, Broadway.

"Road to Hell" is performed by André De Shields, Hadestown Original Broadway Company. from the album "Hadestown (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 2019 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Road to Hell", explore more songs by André De Shields, Hadestown Original Broadway Company using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for André De Shields · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Road to Hell" is credited to André De Shields, Hadestown Original Broadway Company. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Road to Hell" appears on "Hadestown (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 2019.

Visit the André De Shields, Hadestown Original Broadway Company artist page at /artist/andre-de-shields for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.

Road To Hell (Reprise)
If it’s True
All I’ve Ever Known (”In spite of herself...”) [Intro]
Epic I
Livin’ It Up On Top
A Gathering Storm
Come Home with Me
Papers (”You’re not from around here, son...”) [Intro]
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