
House of Fallen Women
Lyrics
​​Music, Book, and Lyrics by Natalie Rebecca Lovejoy
"The Way the Story Goes" (Eve's Song)
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I WANTED IT –
DIDN’T CARE ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCE.
LOOKED SO DAMN GOOD
THAT I TOSSED ASIDE MY COMMON SENSE.
I NEEDED IT –
STRONGEST IMPULSE THAT I EVER HAD.
FELT SO NATURAL
‘CAUSE IT’S IN MY NATURE TO BE BAD.
IT WAS CRISP AND SWEET AND DRIBBLED DOWN MY CHIN,
I SQUEALED IN DELIGHT AND REVELED IN THE SIN,
AND THE WORLD WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN.
NO ONE ASKED, SO NO ONE KNOWS.
NOW IT’S JUST THE WAY THE STORY GOES.
IT’S AN EXPOSÉ THAT REALLY FLOWS,
SO IT’S THE WAY THE STORY GOES AND GOES.
But you’re too smart to believe hearsay.
LETS GET BACK TO FACTS:
I WAS JUST THERE CHILLIN’ WHEN THIS SNAKE
TOLD ME ‘BOUT THIS TREE
AND HOW I’M ‘BOUT TO MAKE A BIG MISTAKE
IF I FLAKE ON MAKIN’ DINNER
FROM WHAT’S HANGIN’ ON IT’S VINE.
GOD SAID IT WAS TOXIC, BUT HE WAS LYIN’.
NO, INSTEAD, I’D BE LIKE GOD,
WITH ALL THE POWER TO DISCERN
BAD FROM GOOD, WANT FROM SHOULD, SALVE FROM BURN.
AND I THOUGHT THAT’S PROB’BLY SOMETHIN’ I SHOULD LEARN.
THEN SUDDENLY I’M NAKED HEAD TO TOES,
AND ALL HUMANITY IS PAYIN’ THROUGH THE NOSE.
FLAMINE, PLAUGES, AND ENDLESS WOES,
THERE’S NO REPRIEVE AND NO REPOSE.
YOU CAN’T DENY ALL THE DATA SHOWS
I’M THE ONE TO BLAME FOR HOW THE STORY GOES.
HEAVEN’S LOST ‘CAUSE OF WHAT I CHOSE,
BUT ONLY HEAVEN KNOWS HOW IT REALLY GOES.
I’D LIKE TO GIVE YOU MY PERSONAL INTERPRETATION
BUT I COULDN’T POSSIBLY DO IT JUSTICE
IN A ONE-VERSE SUMMATION
‘CAUSE AFTER I DIED IT ALL REALLY BEGAN:
THE REAL TEMPTATION, REAL DAMNATION,
THE REAL RISE AND FALL AND REVELATION.
I thought I’d died, but then all of the sudden, I opened my eyes and saw these beams of light shooting out of me as if I was a prism with a thousand faces. And I felt myself split into thousands of different particles and enter thousands of different physical forms, all separate, yet all the same; all happening at different times, yet all happening at once, like grooves on a record. Just go with it....
And I thought, “Oh, no! Not again!” Like Sisyphus, I was doomed to live the same fate over and over with no end in sight. This isn’t fair! Why do I keep getting punished, and how do I get it to stop?
IT’S THE SAME OLD LIFE IN DIFFERENT CLOTHES,
A FAMILIAR PLOT WITH DIFFERENT PROSE.
SOMEONE PAYS AND SOMEONE OWES,
ISN’T THAT THE WAY IT ALWAYS GOES?
LOVER LEAVES AND RUMOR GROWS,
BUT NO ONE EVER ASKS, SO NO ONE EVER KNOWS.
RECORD HIGHS MEET RECORD LOWS
ALL BECAUSE I COULDN'T HOLD A POSE.
CENTURIES START AND CENTURIES CLOSE,
BUT IT NEVER ENDS, AND IT NEVER SLOWS.
THERE'S NO REPRIEVE AND NO REPOSE,
AND NOW HEAVEN'S LOST FROM WHAT I CHOSE,
AND CHOSE AND CHOSE AND CHOSE....
BUT I THINK IT’S TIME
THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS.
I THINK YOU’RE READY NOW,
SO HERE IT GOES...​​
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"Mrs. Force Astor Dick" (Madeleine Astor's Song)
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Your honor, I’m here to file for divorce from my husband, Enzo Fiermonte, on the grounds of extreme cruelty. I know you’ve read the papers, and I know what you’re going to say: “A man half your age leaving you for a younger woman does not qualify as ‘extreme cruelty,’ Mrs. Fiermonte.” Oh, and that’s another...I wish to petition to change my name.
“MADELEINE FORCE ASTOR DICK”
I KNOW THAT IT'S A LITTLE LONG,
BUT MAKE IT WORK, AND MAKE IT QUICK,
AND THEN WE'LL GET TO WHAT WENT WRONG.
“MRS. FORCE ASTOR DICK”
STILL NOT AS LONG AS IT COULD BE.
I TRIED, BUT JUST I COULDN'T PICK -
EACH ONE IS A PART OF ME.
“FORCE” WAS FATHER, STRONG AND BOLD,
AND I UNTIL EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD,
WHEN ALL THAT MATTERED WAS CLIMBING THE LADDER
OF HIGH SOCIETY.
GROOMED AND GOVERNED ALL MY LIFE
TO ONE DAY BE A RICH MAN'S WIFE,
AND WHILE I'M STILL YOUNG TO REACH THE TOP RUNG,
BUT FORGET ABOUT VARIETY.
“MRS. FORCE ASTOR DICK”
IS READY FOR HER NEW DEBUT.
WHICH BOX DO I HAVE TO TICK?
WE'VE BOTH GOT OTHER THINGS TO DO.
“MRS. FORCE ASTOR DICK”
KINDA TAKES MY BREATH AWAY.
HE SAID I COULDN'T CHERRY PICK,
HE SAID HE'D HAVE THE FINAL SAY.
NOW I HAD SUITORS, YES I DID,
LIKE BILL DICK SINCE I WAS A KID,
BUT COLONEL ASTOR MOVED A LOT FASTER.
SUCH FIRE WHEN WE KISSED!
HE WAS OLD ENOUGH TO BE MY DAD,
BUT THE PAPERS MADE IT SOUND SO BAD!
SO JUST AS I'D BEGUN, I WAS FLUNG OFF THE RUNG,
AND ‘THE LIST’ - AND NOW I DON'T EXIST.
You know, the Social Register? It's this little semi-annual publication where they write your name if you're a somebody...a somebody who is not about to marry a divorced man more than twice her age. If you're not in there, you might as well be dead!
“MRS. FORCE ASTOR DICK,”
NO, “FORCE” ALONE WOULD NEVER DO.
“MRS. FORCE ASTOR DICK”
YOU SEE, I'VE DONE A THING OR TWO.
“MRS. FORCE ASTOR DICK”
THEY SAY A LADY JUST HAS ONE,
BUT I HAVE BUILT THIS BRICK BY BRICK,
AND ONLY I KNOW WHEN IT'S DONE.
But it didn't matter - I was the new “Mrs. Astor”! We went on a European honeymoon to escape the press and came back on a little ship called the Titanic. Maybe you've heard of it? You’ve also probably heard that there was no room for him on the lifeboat. I came home a pregnant widow to a five million dollar trust, mine so long I remained the new “Mrs. Astor” ‘til my dying day. Except I wasn’t ready to be dead!
SO I WED WILLY DICK –
OH, GOD, THAT NAME...
LOTS OF WARMTH,
BUT NOT MUCH FLAME,
BUT NOW I'M BACK ON THE LIST
AND BACK IN THE GAME
WHERE THEY'RE COLD, THEN THEY'RE HOT,
YOU'RE GOLD, THEN YOU'RE LEAD.
DO WHAT YOU'RE TOLD,
OR IT'S OFF WITH YOUR HEAD.
AND NOW I'M FORTY YEARS OLD,
AND STILL NOT READY TO BE DEAD.
Enter: Enzo! He was a dark and handsome Italian prize-fighter whom my husband had hired to teach boxing to our sons. Pause for irony. Enzo and I went to Reno for my divorce. After we were married, he turned to me and said,
“Darling, what are we going to do about your name?” You see, the papers liked referring to me as “Mrs. Force Astor Dick Fiermonte,” which drove him mad. He thought they were mocking him. He insisted the I should only be “Mrs. Fiermonte.” I agreed.
MADELEINE FORCE,
MADELEINE ASTOR,
MADELEINE DICK,
MADELEINE FIERMONTE -
WILL THE REAL MADELEINE PLEASE ARISE?
MADELEINE FORCE,
MADELEINE ASTOR,
MADELEINE DICK,
MADELEINE FIERMONTE -
HOW CAN ALL OF THEM BE ME,
YET NOT A SINGLE ONE APPLIES?
The Social Register didn't like all of those names either, and, once again, there was no room for someone like me on The List. I was removed. Who needs them telling me what to do? I had Enzo!
ENZO - HOW HE LOVED ME SO,
UNTIL I STARTED SAYING “NO.”
NOW HE'S ONLY PLEASANT WITH OTHERS ARE PRESENT.
STILL, I DON'T WANNA SEE.
NOW HE'S STARTED THROWING STONES.
HE BREAKS MY HEART, THEN BREAKS MY BONES.
HE GRABS MY HAIR AND CALLS ME A WHORE,
SAYS IT'S ALL MY FAULT, AND UNLESS I WANT MORE
I SHOULD BEG ON MY KNEES, OR HE'S OUT THE DOOR -
SO WHAT'S IT GONNA BE?
AND I SAID...
“'MRS. FORCE ASTOR DICK' -
THAT'S IS HOW I WILL BE KNOWN.
YOUR NAME ALWAYS MADE ME SICK,
AND NOW WILL DIE WITH YOU ALONE.
'MRS. FORCE ASTOR DICK' -
THAT'S THE NAME THAT THEY'LL RECALL.
'MRS. FORCE ASTOR DICK' -
IT'S LIKE YOU NEVER WERE AT ALL.”
“MRS. FORCE ASTOR DICK”
NO FORCE ON EARTH COULD MAKE ME STAY.
THEY'LL BALK, BUT I DON'T GIVE A LICK -
THEY NEVER LIKED ME ANYWAY.
FORCE – ASTOR – DICK
WRITE IT ON MY TOMB:
“MADELEINE FORCE ASTOR DICK” -
YOU BETTER NOT RUN OUT OF ROOM.
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"Nirvana Is Here" (Draupadi's Song)
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NIRVANA IS HERE;
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT.
TELL 'EM IT'S YOUR KARMA,
AND YOU DON'T SAY “NO” TO FATE.
BLAME IT ON YOUR MAMA;
SHE GAVE IT HER OKAY.
THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO –
AND THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN SAY...
IN MY LAST LIFE, I WAS HOT STUFF,
JUST COULND'T GET ENOUGH
OF MEN AND PLEASURE.
SO THIS LIFE,
THOUGH I WAS SO VERY GOOD,
AND PRAYED JUST AS I SHOULD
FOR ONLY ONE TO TREASURE,
THE GODS COULD NOT IGNORE
THAT ONE WAS NOT ENOUGH BEFORE.
SO TO SETTLE UP THE SCORE,
I GOT ONE...PLUS ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR....
NIRVANA IS HERE;
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT.
TELL 'EM IT'S YOUR KARMA,
AND YOU DON'T SAY “NO” TO FATE.
BLAME IT ON YOUR MAMA;
SHE GAVE IT HER OKAY.
THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO –
AND THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN SAY.
ONE HOLDS ME, WHILE ONE MAKES MY TEA,
ANOTHER ENGAGES ME
IN STIMULATING CONVERSATION.
ONE MAKES ME LAUGH,
AND ONE IS JUST HOT.
BUT THEY ALL LOVE A LOT
AND SHOW IT IN ROTATION.
OF COURSE, THEY LIKE ME PURE,
SO IN BETWEEN EACH ONE I'M SURE
TO WALK THROUGH SOME FIRE, THEN
I AM BORN AGAIN!
(AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN...)
NIRVANA IS HERE;
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT.
TELL 'EM IT'S YOUR KARMA,
AND YOU DON'T SAY “NO” TO FATE.
BLAME IT ON YOUR MAMA;
SHE GAVE IT HER OKAY.
THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO,
AND THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN SAY.
NIRVANA IS HERE;
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT.
TELL 'EM IT'S YOUR KARMA,
AND YOU DON'T SAY “NO” TO FATE.
BLAME IT ON YOUR MAMA;
SHE GAVE IT HER OKAY.
THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO,
AND THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN SAY.
AN ENDLESS EVOLUTION
FROM SUSPENSION TO SOLUTION
WITHOUT FEAR OF RETRIBUTION,
JUST CONNECTION AND PERFECTION.
OH, IF THIS IS MY CORRECTION,
I'M BEGGING SHIVA ON MY KNEES:
WOULD YOU PUNISH ME SOME MORE, PLEASE?
So, when they tell you heaven is some place you go when you get old and die, as long as you always do what you're told and never ask why...They lie.
NIRVANA IS HERE;
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT.
TELL 'EM IT'S YOUR KARMA,
AND YOU DON'T SAY “NO” TO FATE.
BLAME IT ON YOUR MAMA;
SHE GAVE IT HER OKAY.
THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO,
AND THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN SAY.
(CHORUS REPEATS 3X)
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"Follow Me" (Victoria Woodhull's Song)
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SINCE EVE AND ADAM LEFT THEIR GARDEN OF PERFECTION,
WE'VE TRIED TO GET BACK IN MIDST OF MISDIRECTION.
THE OFFICE THAT I SEEK HAS GOT US STARTED, SO TO SPEAK,
BUT IT'S GOT A LONG, LONG WAY TO GO.
OF MOST IMPORTANCE ARE THIS NATION'S CONVERSATIONS
REGARDING REGULATING SEXUAL RELATIONS.
I PROMISE YOU THIS FRICTION
IS THE CAUSE OF YOUR AFFLICTION,
AND THE FICTION GOES MUCH DEEPER THAN YOU KNOW.
IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE,
PLEASE HEED WHAT I SAY.
FORGET WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED;
THERE'S A BETTER WAY:
FOLLOW ME TO NEW VITALITY,
CONSTANT, GLORIOUS REALITY.
WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO LIVE FOREVER,
FULL AND FREE AS YOU'RE MEANT TO BE?
You’ve been taught that sexual union outside of the law is evil, and the temptation to engage in it the cause of destruction and death, but the destruction and death of what exactly? Who is harmed in the act of love and it’s physical expression? And what temptations are you avoiding? Temptation for joy? For vigor? Show me a man or woman who is a picture of physical health, and I will show you a person who enjoys healthy copulation. Of course, too often this is at expense of the other person in the partnership, and every woman who hears me knows this is true! They know that the demoralized and degenerate condition of female humanity is to be attributed to unsatisfactory sexual relations. So what do we do?
RIGHT OFF THE BAT, WE GOTTA EASE UP ON DIVORCES.
BOTH LOVE AND LUST SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO
RUN THEIR COURSES.
HUMANKIND'S CAPACITY FOR AMOROUS VORACITY
IS KEY, YOU SEE – SIT TIGHT, I'LL TELL YOU WHY.
But first -
TOO MANY MEN DON'T BRING THEIR WOMEN SATIATION,
AND, IF ELECTED, I WOULD MAKE IT LEGISLATION!
ALL MANNERS OF PREVENTION FOR AN UNWISHED FOR CONCEPTION
WOULD BE LEGAL AND IN LIMITLESS SUPPLY.
JEER ALL YOU WANT
AT THE LOVE THAT I MAKE,
BUT YOU’D MAKE IT, TOO,
IF YOU KNEW JUST WHAT’S AT STAKE.
FOLLOW ME TO EXALTATION,
SYNERGISTIC CONSUMMATION
WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO LIVE FOREVER,
FULL AND FREE AS YOU'RE MEANT TO BE?
FOLLOW ME TO PURE IMPURITY,
BOUNDLESS, RADIANT FUTURITY.
WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO LIVE FOREVER,
FULL AND FREE AS YOU'RE MEANT TO BE?
NOW YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING WHERE I GET MY EXPERTISE.
WELL, ALL MY LIFE I'VE BEEN A SEER; I’VE SEEN WHAT THE SEER SEES.
AND WHILE YOUR PREACHERS WOULD DAMN YOU TO THE SECOND LAYER OF HELL,
THE SPIRITS WOULD TAKE ME TO THE PLACE WHERE THEY DWELL.
AND I SAW A WORLD TURNED ON ITS HEAD,
WHERE THESE SO-CALLED VICES WERE VIRTUES INSTEAD!
WHERE PASSION WAS SACRED, AND OBLIGATION WAS SIN,
FOR ONE SLOWLY KILLED, WHILE ONE HEALED FROM WITHIN.
AND I KNEW IT WAS REAL, AND I KNEW IT WAS TRUE.
“VICTORIA!” THEY SAID, “WE'RE COUNTING ON YOU!
“TELL THEM THOSE WHOM THEY TRUST HAVE LED THEM ASTRAY.
THE PROBLEM OF LIFE AND DEATH IS AT PLAY.
AND WHEN WE SAY 'LIFE AND DEATH,' WE MEAN WHAT WE SAY!”
FOLLOW ME TO ACTUALITY,
NEW EXPANSES, IMMORTALITY.
WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO LIVE FOREVER?
FOLLOW ME TO REVELATION,
TANGIBLE REGENERATION.
WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO LIVE FOREVER,
FULL AND FREE AS YOU'RE MEANT TO BE?
FOLLOW ME TO TRUE SALVATION,
RAPTUROUS EMANCIPATION.
WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO LIVE FOREVER?
OH, DON'T YOU WANT TO LIVE FOREVER?
FOLLOW ME, AND LIVE FOREVER
FULL AND FREE AS YOU'RE MEANT TO BE!
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"They Say I'm a Witch" (Agnes Waterhouse's Song)
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THEY CALL ME A WITCH -
THAT'S WHAT THEY SAY I AM,
BUT YOU HAVEN'T HEARD MY SIDE.
YES, I'M OLD AND ALONE,
I TEND TO TALK TO MYSELF,
BUT BESIDES A HAIRY LIP,
I'VE GOT NOTHING TO HIDE.
I'M NOT DISPOSED TO CHEER,
BUT THERE'S NOTHING EVIL HERE.
THEY SAY I CONTROL THE WEATHER;
THEY SAY I RAISE THE DEAD,
BUT IF YOU LOOK FOR PROOF
YOU'LL FIND THEIR LIES INSTEAD.
I'M THE REASON THAT LAST SEASON
ALL CROPS BUT MINE DID ROT.
THEY SAY I'M A WITCH,
BUT I AM NOT.
THE MAN YOU SAY WE KILLED
ATTENDED CHURCH SIX TIMES A WEEK,
YET SUDDENLY AND STRANGELY DIED.
MEANWHILE I NEVER GO TO CHURCH,
I DO AS I PLEASE,
AND THAT DOES NOT SIT WELL WITH THEM.
WHERE'S MY PAIN? WHERE'S MY DISEASE?
LIFE DIDN'T PLAY THEIR GAME,
AND NOW THEY NEED SOMEONE TO BLAME.
THEY SAY THAT I HAVE SECRETS.
THEY SAY I'M FILLED WITH HATE.
THEY SAY I SHOULD STAY QUIET
AND ACCEPT MY FATE.
THEY SAY I'M CASTING CURSES.
THEY SAY I WON'T BACK DOWN.
THEY SAY I'M A WITCH,
BUT IF YOU TRY TO DROWN ME, I'LL DROWN.
I KNOW HOW TO MAKE THIS ALRIGHT:
TAKE ON IT ALL SO YOU CAN SLEEP TONIGHT.
AS IF I CAN CONTROL HOW YOU PRECIEVE ME.
YOU SAY LYING IS A SIN,
BUT SO IS NOT FITTING IN,
AND IF I TOLD YOU THE TRUTH, YOU'D NOT BELIEVE ME.
THE TRUTH ABOUT MY HUSBAND,
AND HOW HE REALLY DIED;
THE TRUTH ABOUT MY NEIGHBOR
AND WHAT HE WAS DOING ON THE SIDE;
BUT MY DAUGHTER DOESN'T KNOW A THING
IF SHE SAID SHE DOES, SHE LIED –
I NEVER TAUGHT HER WHAT I KNOW.
AND I'LL TAKE BACK WHAT I DENIED,
IF YOU LET HER GO – JUST LET HER GO.
ONLY I CONTROL THE WEATHER!
ONLY I CAN RAISE THE DEAD!
I CONJUR IN THE MOON'S LIGHT
STANDING ON MY HEAD.
I SAY WHAT YOU ARE THINKING,
BUT NO ONE SAYS OUT LOUD.
THEY SAY I'M A WITCH...
I HOLD THIS TOWN TOGETHER,
AND I CAN TEAR IT ALL APART.
EVERYTHING WAS WELL-WITHIN ME
FROM THE START.
I TURN THE LAMB INTO A LION,
AND THE LION TO A LAMB.
THEY SAY I'M A WITCH,
THEY SAY I'M A WITCH...
AND I AM.
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