Olim
Olim Deus accelere
Hoc sæculum splendidumAccelere fiat venire olim
Morining 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 colours of sound, so many changing moods
Because you know, they do not ring all by the themselves
They don′t?
No silly boy
Up there, high, high in the dark bell tower
Lives a mysterious bell ringer
Who is this strange 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 figure whose clutches
Were iron as much as the bells
Judge Claude Frollo!
The bells of Notre Dame
Judge Claude Frollo longed
To purge the world
Of vice and sin
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 iræ, dies illa
Solvet sæclum in favilla
Teste David cum Sibylla
Quantus tremor est futurus
Quando Judex est venturus
Sanctuary, please give us sancturary
Quantus tremor est futurus
Quando Judex est venturus
A baby? A monster!
Stop!
Cried the Archdeacon
This is an unholy demon
I'm sending to hell where it belongs
See there the inncoent 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 us 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
And for one time in his life
Of power and control
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 settled with this misshapen
Very well, let him live with you and 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
