Morning in Paris, the city awakes To the bells of Notre Dame The fisherman fishes, the bakerman 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
Listen, they're beautiful, no? So many colors of sound, so many changing moods 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, 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 (Man #1) Shup it up, will you! (Man #2) We'll be spotted! (Gypsy) Hush, little one. (Clopin) Four frihtened gypsies slid silently under The docks near Notre Dame (Man #3) Four guilders for safe passage into Paris (Clopin) 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 (Man #4) Judge Claude Frollo (Clopin) The bells of Notre Dame
Chorus Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy) (Clopin) Judge Claude Frollo longed To purge the world Of vice and sin (Chorus) Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy) (Clopin) And he saw corruption Ev'rywhere Except within (Frollo) Bring these gypsy vermin to the palace of justice (Guard) You there, what are you hiding? (Frollo) Stolen goods, no doubt. Take them from her (Clopin) She ran (Chorus) Dies irae, dies illa (Day of wrath, that day) Solvet saeclum in favilla (Shall consume the world in ashes) Teste David cum sibylla (As prophesied by David and the sibyl) Quantus tremor est futurus (What trembling is to be) Quando Judex est venturus (When the Judge is come) (Gypsy) Sanctuary, please give us sanctuary (Frollo) A baby? A monster! (Archdeacon) Stop! (Clopin) Cried the Archdeacon (Frollo) This is an unholy deamon. I'm sending it back to hell, where it belongs. (Archdeacon) See there the innocent blood you have spilt On the steps of Notre Dame (Frollo) I am guiltless. She ran, I pursued. (Archdeacon) Now you would add this child's blood to your guilt On the steps of Notre Dame (Frollo) My conscience is clear (Archdeacon) 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 (Chorus) Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy) (Clopin) And for one time in his life Of power and control (Chorus) Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy) (Clopin) Frollo felt a twinge of fear For his immortal soul (Frollo) What must I do? (Archdeacon) Care for the child, and raise it as your own (Frollo) What? I'd be settled with this misshapen ...? Very well. Let him live with you, in your church. (Archdeacon) Live here? Where? (Frollo) 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 (Clopin) 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? (Clopin and Chorus) Sing the bells, bells, bells, bells Bells, bells, bells, bells Bells of Notre Dame