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Way Down Hadestown II Lyrics by Original Cast of Hadestown

Hadestown: The Myth. The Musical. (Original Cast Recording) [Live]

2017

[HERMES]
Now in Hadestown there was a lot of souls
[COMPANY]
Low, keep your head, keep your head
[HERMES]
Working on the wall with all their might
[COMPANY]
Oh, you gotta keep your head
[HERMES]
You see, they kept their heads down low
[COMPANY]
If you wanna keep your head
[HERMES]
You couldn’t quite see their faces right
Oh, but you could hear them singing:
[COMPANY]
Low, keep your head, keep your head
[HERMES]
Swinging their hammers in the cold, hard ground
You could hear the sound of the pickaxe a-ringing
[COMPANY]
One! Two! If you wanna keep your head
[HERMES and COMPANY]
They called it “freedom”
[EURYDICE, spoken]
I’m free! We’re free!
Mr. Hades set us free!
[FATES (COMPANY)]
Mr. Hades set you free
To work yourself into the ground
Free to spend eternity
In the factory
And the warehouse
Where the whistles scream
And the foreman shouts
And you’re punchin' in
And punchin' in
And punchin' in
And you can’t punch out!
You're way down Hadestown (Oh, keep your head, keep your head low)
Way down Hadestown (Oh, you gotta keep your head low)
Way down Hadestown (If you wanna keep your head)
Way down under the ground!
[EURYDICE, spoken]
But I don’t understand... you said this was the promised land!
[FATES]
You sell your soul
You get your due!
That is all we promised you!
Heard that mighty trumpet sound
Crossed the river to the Other Side,
Thought you’d lay your burdens down
And rest in peace in Paradise
But there ain’t no rest for your weary soul
Hades keeps you toiling
[HADES & FATES]
Shoveling coal in a big black hole to keep his boiler boiling
[FATES (COMPANY)]
Way down Hadestown (Oh, keep your head, keep your head low)
Way down Hadestown (Oh, you gotta keep your head low)
Way down Hadestown (If you wanna keep your head)
Way down under the ground!
[EURYDICE, spoken]
But don’t you see?
It’s different with me!
[FATES, spoken]
Different than who? They thought they were different too!
[FATES]
Down in the river of oblivion
You kissed your little life goodbye
And Hades laid his hands on you
And gave you everlasting life!
And everlasting overtime
In the mine, the mill, and the machinery
Running his old assembly line
From Pluto to the Pleiades
[FATES (COMPANY)]
Way down Hadestown (Oh, keep your head, keep your head low)
Way down Hadestown (Oh, you gotta keep your head low)
Way down Hadestown (If you wanna keep your head)
Way down under the ground!
[EURYDICE, spoken]
[yelling] There must be some mistake!
[FATES, spoken]
Oh, it was a mistake alright!
And now you gotta pay-
And pay-
And pay for it, for the rest of your life!
[HERMES, spoken]
See, it’s like I said before: a lot can happen behind closed doors
Eurydice was a hungry young girl, but she wasn’t hungry anymore
What she was, instead, was dead-
Dead to the world, anyway
See, she went behind those doors
And signed her life away
[FATES]
Saw that wheel up in the sky
Heard the big bell tolling
A lot of souls have gotta die
To keep the Rust Belt rolling
A lot of spirits gotta break
To make the underworld go ‘round
(FATES & COMPANY)
Way down Hadestown
Way down under the ground!
Credits
Original Cast of Hadestown

Original Cast of Hadestown

About “Way Down Hadestown II” by Original Cast of Hadestown

Read the complete lyrics to "Way Down Hadestown II" by Original Cast of Hadestown from the album "Hadestown: The Myth. The Musical. (Original Cast Recording) [Live]" in 2017. 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 Jazz, Pop, Live.

"Way Down Hadestown II" is performed by Original Cast of Hadestown. from the album "Hadestown: The Myth. The Musical. (Original Cast Recording) [Live]" in 2017 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 "Way Down Hadestown II", explore more songs by Original Cast of Hadestown 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.

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Frequently asked questions

"Way Down Hadestown II" is credited to Original Cast of Hadestown. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Way Down Hadestown II" appears on "Hadestown: The Myth. The Musical. (Original Cast Recording) [Live]" in 2017.

Visit the Original Cast of Hadestown artist page at /artist/original-cast-of-hadestown for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.