Music and Lyrics by Jim Steinman
Book by David Ives
Jim Steinman: Piano, Vocals on "The Graveyard Shift", "Wonderful Toys" and "We’re Still The Children", Spoken intro of "Catwoman"
Emily Pulley: Soprano on "The Song of Gotham City"
Steve Margoshes: Piano on "The Song of Gotham City"
Karine Hannah: Vocals on "Catwoman’s Song" and "Not Allowed To Love"
Rob Evan: Vocals on "Land of the Pig"
Elaine Caswell: Backing Vocals on "Land of the Pig"
Marcus Lovett: Vocals on "Not Allowed To Love"
Kyle Gordon: Vocals on "Cry To Heaven"
(Vespers) The Song of Gotham City / The Graveyard Shift
The opening sequence from Batman.
It starts with VESPERS coming from the Gotham Cathedral, then into "THE SONG OF GOTHAM CITY" which includes, for the first time, the "Angels Arise" melody (later "Appropriated & annexed & snatched" for VAMPIRES, where it was wasted. We see the Gothamites fearing the onset of night, pulling those metal sliding "doors/barriers" down and filling with oncoming terror as a storm approaches. The soprano is a SALVATION ARMY woman on the street in front of the cathedral.
THEN: "we rise up" to see the entire panoramic vista of all of Gotham City. And from the darkness, amidst gargoyles and turrets and spires (OH MY!), suddenly we see a gargoyle come alive-- its Batman, watching all before & below him. He sings THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT, on the Gothic rooftops, a human, watchful, vengeful dark presence. Then HES GONE! During his aria, below, a parade of characters pass by: Selena Kyle/Catwoman, The Joker, various city dwellers and "villains" we’ll meet later on.......Jim Steinman
(Vespers) The Song Of Gotham City
Gotham:
Nox noctis venit
Nox noctis venit
Tenebrae tenebris involvunt
Tenebrae tenebris involvunt
Salva nos, Domine
Salva nos, Domine
Come midnight’s midnight
Come midnight’s midnight
When the dark entwines with darkness
When the dark entwines with darkness
Save us O’ Lord
Save us
Save us
Salvation Army Woman:
Angels arise as night must fall
And radiant eyes stare down on us all
If the powers that be
Be beyond our call
Then angels arise as the night must fall
Citizens:
I can hear the thunder roll
I can feel the lightning strike
Could a storm be on its way?
How I wish it would stay light
It’s so much better in the day
Everything seems safe and bright
Looks like it’s gonna be a dark one tonight
Looks like it’s gonna be a dark one tonight
Woman & Streetwalker:
Come, come and cry
Cry, cry to heaven
Say a prayer and light a candle
Toll a bell
Come, come and cry
Cry unto heaven
And if your tears fall on deaf ears then
Go ahead and cry like hell
Citizens:
Will the sirens never cease?
Will the fires fade away?
Gotham City is our home
But we fear the end of days
From the cradle to the grave
From the dawn to the last twilight
Looks like it’s gonna be a dark one tonight
Looks like it’s gonna be a dark one tonight
Woman, Streetwalker & Boy Soprano:
Angels arise as night must fall
And glorious eyes stare down on us all
If the powers that be
Be beyond our call
Then angels arise as the night must surely, always, always fall...
Nox noctis venit
Nox noctis venit
Tenebrae tenebris involvunt
Tenebrae tenebris involvunt
Salva nos, Domine
Salva nos, Domine
Come midnight’s midnight
Come midnight’s midnight
When the dark entwines with darkness
When the dark entwines with darkness
Save us O’ Lord
Save us
Save us....
The Graveyard Shift
Batman:
Hear the screams of the mad and desperate
Hear the cries of the lost and lonely
There are things that have been only in the dark
That’s the sound of an old dream dying
And that’s the birth of an original sin
There are things that have been only in the dark
And I see it all
I see it:
All of the devils are rising
As all of the angels are starting to fall
Maybe it’s a curse
Maybe it’s a gift
But I see it all
I work the graveyard shift
I work the graveyard shift
I work the graveyard shift
God speed
God speed
God speed, speed us away
God speed
God speed
God speed, speed us away
God speed
God speed
God speed, speed us away
Safe home! Safe…
Only in the dark all the criminals gather
Always searching for the ultimate crime
Chaos and corruption and annihilation
Infinite victims, infinitesimal time!
And it’s time to unleash the furies
Stop it now and draw a line in the sand
This is where all the evil festers
Only in the dark I will make my stand
And I see it all
I see it:
All of the devils are rising
As all of the angels are starting to fall
Maybe it’s a curse
Maybe it’s a gift
But I see it all
I work the graveyard shift
I work the graveyard shift
I work the graveyard shift
God speed
God speed
God speed, speed us away
God speed
God speed
God speed, speed us away
God speed
God speed
God speed, speed us away
Safe home! Safe home!
God speed
God speed
God speed, speed us away....
The nightmares never end
I never sleep, I never wake
And after all these years I dedicate myself
To the memories of the innocent destroyed by crime
And to my parents who I buried
When I was only eight
To all the ghosts long departed
To all the ghosts who still wait
I swear
I vow:
Right here, right now!
All of the angels are falling
As all of the devils are starting to rise
Now the time has come
Now it’s time to stop
Is there anybody here who does not hear these cries?!
I work the graveyard shift....
Wonderful Toys (The Joker’s Song)
The Joker:
We are NOT amused!
Let me put it to you this way...
Where does Chicago get all that meat?
How does Venezuela get all their heat?
And where does Adidas find all their feet?
You’d like to know the answers, now, wouldn’t you boys?
Well, tell me where does he get all those wonderful toys?!
Where do all the Disney folk get all their toons?
How did Davy Crockett capture all those coons?
Why are all my henchmen only second-class goons?
If you know the answers then you make a joyful noise
And where does he get all those wonderful toys?!
How did Esmeralda get a hunchback to fall?
What exactly does a priest do when he answers the call?
How did Julius Caesar deal with all that Gaul?
Do you think I’m off my rocker, off the wagon, on a bender, on a [?], on a roll, I’m on a tear and on the wall!
And how did Abercrombie and Fitch come up with so many boys?
And where does he get all those wonderful, wonderful toys?!
I know what you’re thinking, well, forget it!
I know what you’re planning, you’ll regret it!
I know who they are and where they’ve been and exactly what they’re hoping to be!
They think they’ve been there, done that, seen it all, it’s all they can see
Well, wait till they get a load, get a load of me
Been there, done that, seen it all, it’s all they can see
Well, wait till they get a load, get a load of me
They think they’ve been there, done that, seen it all, it’s all they can see
Well, wait till they get a load, get a load of me
Been there, done that, seen it all, it’s all they can see
Well, wait till they get a load, get a load of me
They think they’ve been there, done that, seen it all, it’s all they can see
Well, wait till they get a load, get a load of me
Been there, done that, seen it all, it’s all they can see
Well, wait till they get a load, get a load of me
They think they’ve been there, done that, seen it all, it’s all they can see
Well, wait till they get a load, get a load of me
Been there, done that, seen it all, it’s all they can see
Well, wait till they get a load, get a load of me
From the shores of Montezuma
To the halls of Timbuktuma– Eeehw! Timbuktuma? Stop me before I rhyme again!
From the shores of Montezuma
To the tip of Timbuktu…
You can see him everywhere these days
What did Batman do in Katmandu?
Ooh, what a rhyme!
Eat your heart out, Stephen Sondheim!
I think that Captain Hook deserves appreciation for the way
That he could handle all those
Imbecilic, nauseating, stupefying, putrefying, mortifying, little Lost Boys!
But that’s clearly off the topic
Which is obviously: where does he get all those wonderful toys?
Where do all the country clubs get all their goys?
Where do all the Yiddish folk get all of their oys?
How do you stay away from the awful hoy-polloys?
And make a joyful noise
Where does he get all those…
Where does he get all those…
Where does he get all those…
Where does he get all those…
Where does he, where does he, where does he, where does he…
Where does he, where does he, where does he, where does he… Oooh, that’s very easy for me to say
Where does he get all those wonderful toys!
You’d like to know the secrets, now, wouldn’t you boys?
Well, where does he get all those wonderful toys?
You’d like to know the secrets, now, wouldn’t you boys?
Well, where does he get all those wonderful toys?
Been there, done that, seen it all, it’s all they can see
Well, wait till they get a load, get a load of me
Been there, done that, seen it all, it’s all they can see
Well, wait till they get a load, get a load of me
You’d like to know the secrets, now, wouldn’t you boys?
Well, where does he get all those wonderful toys?
You’d like to know the secrets, now, wouldn’t you boys?
Well, where does he get all those wonderful toys?
Been there, done that, seen it all, it’s all they can see
Well, wait till they get a load, get a load of me
Been there, done that, seen it all, it’s all they can see
Well, wait till they get a load, get a load of me
Ooooh baby, that’s what I like!
Chantilly lace and a pretty face and a pony-tail just a’hangin’ down!
(I want a pony!)
Ooooh, look at that one over there, that’s my beloved, my paramour!
Isn’t she fine?!
Well, to tell you the truth, I hate her every bone in her body except mine
Oh well
[The Joker starts to adblib frantically.]
Father, I want to kill you!
Mother, I want to…
Ooooh, will this get me on TRL or MTV?
Look out rover!
And let Joker take over!
Doe! A deer!
I killed that deer!
Why don’t you come up to the lab
And see what’s on the slab!
Oh, look at her skin
The skin’s the colour mochre
Livin’ la vida Joker!
Been there, done that, seen it all, it’s all they can see
Well, wait till they get a load, get a load of me
Been there, done that, seen it all, it’s all they can see
Well, wait till they get a load, get a load of me
Will the real caped crusader
Please stand up?
Please stand up?
Please stand up?
My name is…
My name is…
My name is…
Jose Jimenez!
THE JOKER HAS LEFT THE BUILDING!
Catwoman’s Song
In CATWOMAN: Selena Kyle, aka Catwoman secretly, was A WITNESS to the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents. A street urchin who happened to see it all, hidden away. The brutal murders haunt both Bruce and Selena. But both respond totally differently to their traumatic bruising. Bruce learns to vow REVENGE and becomes the avenging knight, BATMAN. But Selena is mostly mentally scarred by realizing how easily things that are precious can be taken from you. (Mrs. Wayne’s pearl necklace is ripped from her throat.) So Selena grows up, CRAVING precious jewels, & obsessed with HOLDING ONTO THEM! (She never wears them outside, shes a plain mousy woman, but she hoards them in chests.) Only when she transforms into CATWOMAN are her love of danger & lust for precious jewels & "crime" what dominates her. Its the secret total possession of them that drives her, not the public display.
So both "witnesses" to the crime of the Wayne’s horrific murder by Joker has mutated two little "observers": Bruce became Batman, Selena became CATWOMAN. Two little "lost" children have mutated thru their own complex reactions to a numbing loss, and in fact fall in love, with a dark, somewhat "kinky" S&M like undertow. This is new to the Batman world.
Catwoman sings her song alone in a jewelry store, an orgiastic revel in the glinting glittering jewels, piled up around her. She smashes glass cases and dances as erotically as Salome with the severed head of John the Baptist. I think you’ll recognize my best use of the "chorus" here": "I NEED ALL THE LOVE I CAN GET AND I NEED ALL THE LOVE THAT I CANT GET TO(O)"Jim Steinman
[spoken]
Look! Look… Look…
She lies awash in beauty
Afloat in a river of crystal
Among waves of turquoise that sparkle like… diamonds
Every precious jewel is a memento
A memento mori, a souvenir of death!
No!–not a memento mori
A memento vitae
A memento of life
A many-sided mirror
A prism
A prison for rainbows
Rainbow, rainbow
Remember, O Catwoman, that thou art dust
No–not dust!
Remember that you’re going to live
To live!–Because you must! You must… you must…
Catwoman:
Too dangerous to wear
Too beautiful to sell
A glinting glimpse of heaven
In the midst of all this hell
Memento mori – grab everything you can
You can lose it all so suddenly to the frozen face of death
Memento vitae – just grasp it in your hand
You’ve got to live in beauty is life, a jewel, a heartbeat, a breath
Memento mori – grab everything you can
They’ll take it all away from you, you’re left alone, bereft
Memento vitae – just clutch it in your hand
You can take it back, steal life away from death, your greatest theft
And I need all the love I can get
And I need all the love that I can’t get too
I need all the love I can get
And I need all the love that I can’t get to....
The wind is sharp, it makes me shiver
The night’s a promise, will it deliver?
The nothingness surrounds me, makes me so reflective
I’ve got nine lives, just like they said, and all of them defective!
Forever I’ll be collecting jewels and regrets
Forever is such a long, long time and most of it hasn’t even happened yet…
And I need all the love I can get
And I need all the love that I can’t get too
And I need all the love I can get
And I need all the love that I can’t get to....
And I need all the love I can get
And I need all the love that I can’t get too
And I need all the love I can get
And I need all the love that I can’t get to....
And I need all the love I can get
And I need all the love that I can’t get too (repeat)
The wind is sharp and it makes me shiver
The nights are promised, will it deliver?
At times like this I’m so reflective
I’ve got nine lives and they’re all defective!
Too dangerous to wear
Too beautiful to sell
A glinting glimpse of heaven
In the midst of all this hell
Forever I’ll be collecting precious jewels and regrets
Forever is such a long, long time and most of it hasn’t even happened yet....
We’re Still the Children We Once Were
Then, at the end of BATMAN, under the fiery ruins of an elevated train & track, fighting ferociously with Joker, Catwoman & Batman unite. And in the battle, Catwoman is mortally wounded, "saving" Batman’s life heroically. In a climactic elegiac song, BATMAN, holding the dying Catwoman in his arms, sings "We’re Still The Children We Once Were", along with the expiring Catwoman, AND with THEMSELVES as the little kids who saw the murder. It forms a hopefully thrilling, tragic quartet: Bruce as an orphan, Selena as a terrified urchin, BATMAN, as a heartshattered avenger, and CATWOMAN as a dying doomed hero. A spine tingling quartet. Batmans final act of gruesome revenge still awaits. But this is the operatic finale.Jim Steinman
Batman and Catwoman:
We’re still the children we were then
And we never found a way
We never did get home
Where’s Mommy? Daddy? Where’d they go?
They’ve left us here alone
And with all the arts we mastered
And all the things we’ve known
Who’s going to take us home?
We’re still the children we were then
Who’s going to take us home?
We’re still the children we were then
Who’s going to take us home?
Take us home
And I hope you know that after all these demons
Have passed and gone
There’s always one more left
And we simply can’t turn on the light
And we surely can’t turn off the night
We can’t find a way to get away from how we’ve grown
Still waiting to go home
We’re still the children we were then
Still waiting to go home
We’re still the children we were then
Still waiting to go home
Still waiting to go home
I apologize for any histrionics
Reality can be a crashing bore
But if you really want something maudlin
All you do is march a broad in
And let emotions pour
Just let emotions pour
But now in all sincerity
Try not to be too rough on me
When adding up the score
Who did what and how, what for!
And with all this knowledge how can we be so alone?
Some people never do get home
We’re still the children we once were
Some people never do get home
We’re still the children we once were
Some people never do get home
And with all this knowledge
How can we be so alone?
Some people never do get home
We’re still the children we were then
Some people never do get home
We’re still the children we were then
Some people never do get home
Take me home… now
In the Land of the Pig, the Butcher is King
"PIG" is written to be the song of the corrupt bloodsuckers who run GOTHAM CITY, and stare down from their chrome towers that disembowel the sky, pollutants raining down like a thick clotted rain of decay. Its meant to be comically grotesquely frightening.Jim Steinman
Gotham City Officials:
Look at them now!
What do they want and what do they do now?
Nothing at all!
They all live on so aimlessly
But what do they know?
What do they think and who do they tell?
Well, no one at all!
Their lives are purely meaningless
And we are busy being blessed
With all that we can take and pocket
No one needs to know
We’re the plug and they’re the socket
Give us the juice and we’ll glow!
Can’t you hear the choir now?
Listen to the animals sing!
Can’t you hear the slaughter-house bells?
In the land of the pig the butcher is king!
In the land of the pig the butcher is king!
Can’t you hear the choir now?
Listen to the market-place sing!
Can’t you hear the slaughter-house bells?
In the land of the pig the butcher is king!
In the land of the pig the butcher is king!
How do they sleep?
Their lives are all so tawdry
And they’re nothin’ but trash!
And we’re the biggest trash collector!
What d’you expect?
They’ve got no standards, perfect for us!
We lower the bar!
And we’ll open up Pandora’s Box
Pandora gave us keys and locks!
And they’re the victims waiting for their mugger
Come to the confessional
So I can tell you all to bugger off!
No time like now!
And we’ll do it our way
Today in the U.S.A.
We know what to say
If you stand in our way
Don’t stand in our way!
That’s our way
No time like today!
Can’t you hear the choir now?
Listen to the amputees sing!
Can’t you hear the slaughter-house bells?
In the land of the pig the butcher is king!
In the land of the pig the butcher is king!
Can’t you hear the choir now?
Listen to the chosen ones sing!
Can’t you hear the slaughter-house bells?
In the land of the pig the butcher is king!
In the land of the pig the butcher is king! …
In the land of the pig the butcher is king!
In the land of the pig the butcher is king!
In the land of the pig the butcher is king! …
Not Allowed to Love
Batman:
I am not allowed to love, not allowed to fall
It seems that after all some rules must be unbroken
I am not allowed to swoon, romanticize or croon
The beauty of your eyes must still remain unspoken
But my head will be unbowed
I’m certainly no fool
I’m no fool
For I know I’ll always be allowed
To find exceptions to the rules
Catwoman:*
I’m not allowed to love, not admit career
There’s just so little time–I can afford to be wrong
I’m not allowed to cry, tremble, whimper, sigh
These signs of weakness are avoided–I must be strong
The pessimism must be disavowed
Life couldn’t be so cruel
Be so cruel
And I know, a girl must be allowed
To find exceptions to the rules....
Both:
But my head will unbowed
I’m certainly no fool
I’m no fool
For I know we’ll always be allowed
To find exceptions to the rules
Batman:
Say that you will:
I’ll hang on every word
I’ll hang on every letter
But nothing’s gonna change the truth:
My night is better
Nothing’s gonna change the truth:
My night is better....
* Alternate verse used in the dance and pop versions
Catwoman:
I’m not allowed to love, ’til they legalize it here
The kind of love I need has been forbidden so long
I’m not allowed to cry, tremble, whimper, sigh
These signs of weakness are avoided–I must be strong
Cry to Heaven
Cry, baby, cry
Cry, cry to heaven
Say a prayer and light a candle
Toll a bell
Cry, baby, cry
Cry, cry to heaven
If that doesn’t do it for you
Go ahead, and cry like hell....
Cry, baby, cry
Cry, cry to heaven
Storm the castle, stem the tide
Rise above your cell
Cry, baby, cry
Cry, cry to heaven
If that doesn’t do it for you
Go ahead, and cry like
Go ahead, and cry like
Go ahead, and cry like hell....