The Bells Of Notre Dame

Olim
Olim Deus accelere
Hoc sæculum splendidum
Accelere fiat venire

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 is 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, you 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
(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 Illa
Dies Irae, Dies Illa
Solvet saeclum in favilla
Teste David cum Sibylla
Quantus tremor est futurus
Quando Judex est venturus
(Sanctuary, please give us sanctuary!)
Quantus tremor est futurus
Quando Judex est venturus
Dies Irae
(A baby? A monster!)
Solvet saeclum in favilla
Dies Irae, Dies Illa

(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. 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