The Ballad of Booth
Neil Patrick Harris, Michael Cerveris, Brandon Wardell
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Someone tell the story Someone sing the song Every now and then The country Goes a little wrong Every now and then A madman's Bound to come along Doesn't stop the story Story's pretty strong Doesn't change the song Johnny Booth was a handsome devil Got up in his rings and fancy silks Had him a temper but kept it level Everybody called him Wilkes Why did you do it, Johnny? Nobody agrees You, who had everything What made you bring A nation to its knees? Some say it was your voice had gone Some say it was booze They say you killed a country, John Because of bad reviews Johnny lived with a grace and glitter Kind of like the lives he lived on stage Died in a barn in pain and bitter Twenty-seven years of age Why did you do it, Johnny Throw it all away? Why did you do it, boy Not just destroy The pride and joy Of Illinois But all the U.S.A.? Your brother made you jealous, John You couldn't fill his shoes Was that the reason, tell us, John Along with bad reviews? Damn They're coming! They'll be here any minute I need your help, Davey I gotta to write this and I can't hold a pen Johnny, they've found us! We gotta get out of here! No! I have to make my case And I need you to take it down We don't have time Take it down An indictment Of the former President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln Who is herein charged with the following High Crimes and Misdemeanors They say your ship was sinkin', John One That you did ruthlessly provoke a war between the States Which cost some six hundred thousand of my countrymen their lives Two You'd started missing cues Two That you did silence your critics in the North By hurling them into prison without benefit of charge or trial Three They say it wasn't Lincoln, John Shut up! Three You'd merely had a slew of bad reviews I said shut up! Booth! I have fifty soldiers out here, Booth! Give yourselves up or we'll set fire to the barn! Don't shoot! I'm coming out! No! I have given up my life for one act, you understand? Do not let history rob me of its meaning Pass on the truth! You're the only one who can Please He said "Damn you, Lincoln You had your way Tell 'em, boy! With blood you drew out Of blue and gray!" Tell it all! Tell them 'til they listen! He said "Damn you, Lincoln And damn the day You threw the 'U' out Of U.S.A!" He said Hunt me down, smear my name Say I did it for the fame What I did was kill the man who killed my country Now the Southland will mend Now this bloody war can end Because someone slew the tyrant Just as Brutus slew the tyrant He said Damn you, Lincoln You righteous whore Tell 'em Tell 'em what he did You turned your spite into Civil War Tell 'em Tell 'em the truth And more Tell 'em, boy Tell 'em how it happened How the end doesn't mean that it's over How surrender is not the end Tell 'em How the country is not what it was Where there's blood on the clover How the nation can never again Be the hope that it was How the bruises may never be healed How the wounds are forever How we gave up the field But we still wouldn't yield How the union can never recover From that vulgar High and mighty Niggerlover Never! Never Never Never No, the country is not what it was Damn my soul if you must Let my body turn to dust Let it mingle with the ashes of the country Let them curse me to hell Leave it to history to tell What I did, I did well And I did it for my country Let them cry, "Dirty traitor!" They will understand it later The country is not what it was Johnny Booth was a headstrong fella Even he believed the things he said Some called him noble, some said yellow What he was was off his head How could you do it, Johnny Calling it a cause? You left a legacy Of butchery and treason we Took eagerly And thought you'd get applause But traitors just get jeers and boos Not visits to their graves While Lincoln, who got mixed reviews Because of you, John, now gets only raves Damn you, Johnny You paved the way For other madmen To make us pay Lots of madmen Have had their say But only for a day Listen to the stories Hear it in the songs Angry men don't write the rules And guns don't right the wrongs Hurts a while But soon the country's Back where it belongs And that's the truth Still and all Damn you, Booth
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Written by: Stephen Sondheim, Michael Starobin
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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"The Ballad of Booth Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric-lf/1432142/Michael+Cerveris/The+Ballad+of+Booth>.
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