Anaïs Mitchell
Road to Hell II
[HERMES]
[mumbles and sighs]
Alright, alright
It’s an old song
It’s an old tale from way back when
It’s an old song
And we’re gonna sing it again and again

We’re gonna sing it again

There was a railroad line on a road to Hell
There was a young man down on bended knee
And that is the ending of the tale
Of Orpheus and Eurydice

It’s a sad song
It’s a sad tale, it’s a tragedy
It’s a sad song
But we sing it anyway

[sighs]
[spoken]
Cause, here’s the thing:
To know how it ends
And still begin to sing it again
As if it might turn out this time
I learned that from a friend of mine
See, Orpheus was a poor boy
But he had a gift to give:
He could make you see how the world could be
In spite of the way that it is

Can you see it?
Can you hear it?
Can you feel it like a train?
Is it coming?
Is it coming this a-way?

[sung]
On a sunny day there was a railroad car
And a lady stepping off a train
Everybody looked and everybody saw
That spring had come again

With a love song
With a tale of a love that never dies
With a love song
For anyone who tries