The Raven by Jonathan Christenson Lyrics
[Player 2]
Soon he scored a success with a haunting verse-
Of which some of you may have heard-
Involving the love of a certain "Lenore"
And a very persistent bird!
And suddenly he found he was talk of the town
With everyone singing his praise-
[Rufus Griswold]
You really must read his "Annabel Lee"!
And The Mystery of Mari Roget!
[Mrs. Whitman and Miss Fuller]
Uh-huh!
[Rufus Griswold]
It's fabulous! Oh! And The House of Usher!
And his A. Gordon Pym of Nantucket-
[Mrs. Whitman and Miss Fuller]
Yes!
[Rufus Griswold]
And William Wilson- it's good! Very good-
I've never read anything like it!
[Mrs. Whitman and Miss Fuller]
Oh!
[Player 2]
Soon invitations began to pour in
To attend literary soirées-
[Rufus Griswold]
They're going to love you!
[Player 2]
In all the best homes in the city-
[Rufus Griswold]
You're going to be simply amazed!
[Edgar]
Once upon a midnight dreary
While I pondered, weak and weary
Over many a quaint and curious
Volume of forgotten lore
[Edgar with Player 2, offstage]
While I nodded, nearly napping
Suddenly there came a tapping
As of someone gently rapping
Rapping at my chamber door
[Edgar and Rufus with Player 2, offstage]
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered
"Tapping at my chamber door;
Only this and nothing more
Only this and nothing more."
[Mrs. Whitman and Miss Fuller]
The sweet Lenore hath "gone before,"
With hope, that flew beside
Leaving him wild for the dear child
That should have been his bride-
[Edgar with Player 2, offstage]
Then, again, I heard a tapping
Ever such a gentle rapping-
'Tis the wind and nothing more
'Tis the wind and nothing more
[Edgar and Rufus with Player 2, offstage]
But the rapping just grew stronger
Hesitating, then, no longer
I did open wide the door-
Darkness there and nothing more!
Deep into that darkness peering
Long I stood there wondering, fearing
When I heard a word there spoken
'Twas the whispered word, "Lenore!"
[Mrs. Whitman and Miss Fuller]
The sweet Lenore hath "gone before,"
With hope, that flew beside
Leaving him wild for the dear child
That should have been his bride-
[Edgar and Rufus with Player 2, offstage]
Then, in there flew an ancient raven-
Ghastly, grim, ungainly raven-
And above my chamber door
It perched, and sat, and nothing more
"Prophet!" Said I, "Thing of evil!
Prophet still, if bird or devil!-
By that heaven that bends above us-
By that God we both adore-"
[Edgar and Chorus]
"Tell this soul with sorrow laiden
If, within the distant aidenn
It shall clasp a sainted maiden
Whom the angels name Lenore."[Edgar]
"Tell me-is there
Balm in gilead?
Tell me-tell me," I
Implore
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore,"
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore,"
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore,"
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore,"
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore,"
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore!"[Chorus]
"Nevermore!
Nevermore!"
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore!"
"Nevermore!
Nevermore!"
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore!"
"Nevermore!
Nevermore!"
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore!"
"Nevermore!
Nevermore!"
Quoth the Raven
"Never!"[Edgar]
And the raven still is sitting
There, above my chamber door
And my soul from out its shadow
Shall be lifted...
Nevermore!
[Mrs. Whitman]
Oh, Mister Poe!
[Edgar]
Mrs. Whitman...
[Miss Fuller]
Oh
[Edgar]
Miss Fuller...
[Rufus Griswold]
Um, hello? Ladies? Edgar?
[Player 2]
Now Rufus, although he admired Edgar greatly
He envied his new-found success-
And envy can shrink a man, twist what is noble
And great into something much less. Thus
Rufus set out to discredit the friend
Who for so many years he had known- which wasn't too
Hard- as Edgar had already done
A formidiable job on his own
His affair with the bottle, you see, had resumed
And with it, his conduct grown frightful!
[Edgar]
Leave me!
[Player 2]
Unpredictable! Worse, unreliable! Even
Mean, and vindictive and spiteful!
[Rufus Griswold]
Ladies!
[Player 2]
So when Rufus spread a nasty rumour
Suggesting a torrid affair-
[Mrs. Whitman and Miss Fuller]
What?
[Player 2]
Between Edgar and one Mrs. Samuel Osgood-
[Mrs. Whitman and Miss Fuller]
No!
[Player 2]
The wife of an old millionaire-
[Mrs. Whitman and Miss Fuller]
Uugh!
[Player 2]
And almost as suddenly as his success
Arrived, it was taken away-
[Edgar]
Griswold!
[Player 2]
And Edgar found he was no longer welcome
In the very best homes of the day
[Rufus Griswold]
Ta-ta!
[Player 2]
What's more, he lost his job- Bill Burton
His boss, was fed up- was appalled!
[Bill Burton]
You're fired!
[Player 2]
And to add insult to injury
He hired, in his place-
Rufus Griswold!
[Rufus Griswold]
"Quoth the Raven: Nevermore!"
Soon he scored a success with a haunting verse-
Of which some of you may have heard-
Involving the love of a certain "Lenore"
And a very persistent bird!
And suddenly he found he was talk of the town
With everyone singing his praise-
[Rufus Griswold]
You really must read his "Annabel Lee"!
And The Mystery of Mari Roget!
[Mrs. Whitman and Miss Fuller]
Uh-huh!
[Rufus Griswold]
It's fabulous! Oh! And The House of Usher!
And his A. Gordon Pym of Nantucket-
[Mrs. Whitman and Miss Fuller]
Yes!
[Rufus Griswold]
And William Wilson- it's good! Very good-
I've never read anything like it!
[Mrs. Whitman and Miss Fuller]
Oh!
[Player 2]
Soon invitations began to pour in
To attend literary soirées-
[Rufus Griswold]
They're going to love you!
[Player 2]
In all the best homes in the city-
[Rufus Griswold]
You're going to be simply amazed!
[Edgar]
Once upon a midnight dreary
While I pondered, weak and weary
Over many a quaint and curious
Volume of forgotten lore
[Edgar with Player 2, offstage]
While I nodded, nearly napping
Suddenly there came a tapping
As of someone gently rapping
Rapping at my chamber door
[Edgar and Rufus with Player 2, offstage]
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered
"Tapping at my chamber door;
Only this and nothing more
Only this and nothing more."
[Mrs. Whitman and Miss Fuller]
The sweet Lenore hath "gone before,"
With hope, that flew beside
Leaving him wild for the dear child
That should have been his bride-
[Edgar with Player 2, offstage]
Then, again, I heard a tapping
Ever such a gentle rapping-
'Tis the wind and nothing more
'Tis the wind and nothing more
[Edgar and Rufus with Player 2, offstage]
But the rapping just grew stronger
Hesitating, then, no longer
I did open wide the door-
Darkness there and nothing more!
Deep into that darkness peering
Long I stood there wondering, fearing
When I heard a word there spoken
'Twas the whispered word, "Lenore!"
[Mrs. Whitman and Miss Fuller]
The sweet Lenore hath "gone before,"
With hope, that flew beside
Leaving him wild for the dear child
That should have been his bride-
[Edgar and Rufus with Player 2, offstage]
Then, in there flew an ancient raven-
Ghastly, grim, ungainly raven-
And above my chamber door
It perched, and sat, and nothing more
"Prophet!" Said I, "Thing of evil!
Prophet still, if bird or devil!-
By that heaven that bends above us-
By that God we both adore-"
[Edgar and Chorus]
"Tell this soul with sorrow laiden
If, within the distant aidenn
It shall clasp a sainted maiden
Whom the angels name Lenore."[Edgar]
"Tell me-is there
Balm in gilead?
Tell me-tell me," I
Implore
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore,"
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore,"
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore,"
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore,"
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore,"
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore!"[Chorus]
"Nevermore!
Nevermore!"
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore!"
"Nevermore!
Nevermore!"
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore!"
"Nevermore!
Nevermore!"
Quoth the Raven
"Nevermore!"
"Nevermore!
Nevermore!"
Quoth the Raven
"Never!"[Edgar]
And the raven still is sitting
There, above my chamber door
And my soul from out its shadow
Shall be lifted...
Nevermore!
[Mrs. Whitman]
Oh, Mister Poe!
[Edgar]
Mrs. Whitman...
[Miss Fuller]
Oh
[Edgar]
Miss Fuller...
[Rufus Griswold]
Um, hello? Ladies? Edgar?
[Player 2]
Now Rufus, although he admired Edgar greatly
He envied his new-found success-
And envy can shrink a man, twist what is noble
And great into something much less. Thus
Rufus set out to discredit the friend
Who for so many years he had known- which wasn't too
Hard- as Edgar had already done
A formidiable job on his own
His affair with the bottle, you see, had resumed
And with it, his conduct grown frightful!
[Edgar]
Leave me!
[Player 2]
Unpredictable! Worse, unreliable! Even
Mean, and vindictive and spiteful!
[Rufus Griswold]
Ladies!
[Player 2]
So when Rufus spread a nasty rumour
Suggesting a torrid affair-
[Mrs. Whitman and Miss Fuller]
What?
[Player 2]
Between Edgar and one Mrs. Samuel Osgood-
[Mrs. Whitman and Miss Fuller]
No!
[Player 2]
The wife of an old millionaire-
[Mrs. Whitman and Miss Fuller]
Uugh!
[Player 2]
And almost as suddenly as his success
Arrived, it was taken away-
[Edgar]
Griswold!
[Player 2]
And Edgar found he was no longer welcome
In the very best homes of the day
[Rufus Griswold]
Ta-ta!
[Player 2]
What's more, he lost his job- Bill Burton
His boss, was fed up- was appalled!
[Bill Burton]
You're fired!
[Player 2]
And to add insult to injury
He hired, in his place-
Rufus Griswold!
[Rufus Griswold]
"Quoth the Raven: Nevermore!"