The Bells of Notre Dame

Olim, olim Deus accelere Hoc saeculum splendidum Accelere fiat venire olim Ah, ah, ah Ah, ah, ah Morning in Paris, the city awakes To the bells of Notre Dame The fisherman fishes, the baker-man bakes To the bells of Notre Dame To the big bells as loud as the thunder To the little bells soft as a psalm And some say the soul of the city's the toll of the bells The bells of Notre Dame (Kyrie eleison) Listen, they're beautiful, no? So many colours of sound, so many changing moves Because, you know, they don't ring all by themselves (They don't?) No, silly boy Up there, high, high in the dark bell tower lives the mysterious bell-ringer Who is this creature (who?) What is he (what?) How did he come to be there (how?) Hush (aw) and Clopin will tell you It is a tale, a tale of a man and a monster Dark was the night when our tale was begun On the docks near Notre Dame (Shut it up, will you? We'll be spotted) (hush, little one) Four frightened gypsies slid silently under The docks near Notre Dame (Four guilders for safe passage into Paris) But a trap had been laid for the gypsies And they gazed up in fear and alarm At a figure whose clutches were iron as much as the bells (Judge Claude Frollo) The bells of Notre Dame (Kyrie eleison) Judge Claude Frollo longed to purge the world of vice and sin (Kyrie eleison) And he saw corruption everywhere except within (Bring these gypsy vermin to the palace of justice) (You there, what are you hiding?) (Stolen goods, no doubt, take them from her) She ran (dies irae, dies irae) Dies illa, dies illa Solvet saeclum in favilla Teste David cum sibylla Quantus tremor est futurus (dies irae) Quando Judes est venturus Sanctuary, please give us sanctuary! Quantus tremor est futurus (dies irae) Quando Judes est venturus (dies irae) A baby? A monster Solvet saeclum in favilla Dies irae, dies illa Ah, ah, ah "Stop!" cried the archdeacon This is an unholy demon, I'm sending it back to Hell where it belongs See there the innocent blood you have spilt On the steps of Notre Dame (I am guiltless, she ran, I pursued) Now you would add this child's blood to your guilt On the steps of Notre Dame (my conscience is clear) You can lie to yourself and your minions You can claim that you haven't a qualm But you never can run from nor hide what you've done from the eyes The very eyes of Notre Dame (Kyrie eleison) And for one time in his life of power and control (Kyrie eleison) Frollo felt a twinge of fear for his immortal soul What must I do? (Care for the child and raise it as your own) What? I'm to be saddled with this misshapen- Very well, but let him live with you in your church (Live here? Where?) Anywhere Just so he's kept locked away where no one else can see The bell tower, perhaps And who knows? Our Lord works in mysterious ways Even this foul creature may yet prove one day to be Of use to me And Frollo gave the child a cruel name A name that means "half-formed", Quasimodo "Now, here is a riddle to guess, if you can" Sing the bells of Notre Dame "Who is the monster and who is the man?" Sing the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells Bells of Notre Dame Ah, ah, ah Ah