Lyrics

[GHOST STORYTELLER, spoken] Beethoven collapsed at his piano Saying to the Devil,​ [BEETHOVEN, spoken] We now have a deal.​ [GHOST STORYTELLER, spoken] To which Satan replied,​​ [MEPHISTOPHELES, spoken] I'll be gone from her life on this very night From here on happiness is all she will feel [GHOST STORYTELLER, spoken] The Devil then leapt with sheer delight In evil ecstasy Shouting for all to hear within sight [MEPHISTOPHELES, spoken] The Tenth Symphony now belongs to me [GHOST STORYTELLER, spoken] But while Beethoven sat face down at his piano As if Satan's boast he had not heard Twist came up and pulled the composer's sleeve And said,​​ [TWIST, spoken] How do you know that the Devil will keep his word? [GHOST STORYTELLER, spoken] The Devil did not even look up from the manuscript Where he was examining his prize [MEPHISTOPHELES, spoken] Don't worry about hurting my feelings With what your warped friend has implied I see you have a Bible on the table Where you keep the statements from your bank And, as you may have noticed, the last page of a Bible Is always left quite blank Now, if you'll just take that Bible And tear out that last page You can write a contract of your own choosing That will hold my word like a dragon in a cage And if you don't believe me Just ask your good friend, Fate For a contract written on such a holy page Even I could never break [GHOST STORYTELLER, spoken] Beethoven glanced up at Fate Who was still within his view And she nodded her head gently Acknowledging that the Devil's words were true The old man took the Bible And tore out the last page, as he was told But when he tried to write, his hands, they shook From nervousness or perhaps just from being old [These words would be his ending But the words would just not come As the Devil grew impatient For the deal to finally be done] [GHOST STORYTELLER, spoken] Fate took pity on the composer And going gently to his side Offered to write the contract And the composer nodded his reply She then took the paper And with bold artistic strokes Put down their agreement And this is what she wrote It is agreed upon this night, March 26, 1827 between the undersigned That the music of the Tenth Symphony, composed by Ludwig van Beethoven Firstborn son of Johann and Maria van Beethoven, of the city of Bonn Shall henceforth be the property of Mephistopheles [It is also understood that it is his intention to remove any signs of this music from the memory of man for all time] In exchange for the destruction of the aforementioned music It is also agreed that Mephistopheles and all his minions Will remove themselves from the life of the child presently sleeping in the gutter directly across from the window of this room This removal of influence is to be commenced immediately upon signing and to be enforced for all eternity [Ludwig Van Beethoven Mephistopheles] [GHOST STORYTELLER, spoken] The Devil read it rapidly And quickly signed his name And slowly without looking up Beethoven did the same The Devil grinned a devil's grin And shoved the symphony over the candle's flame Savoring the fire that would consume it all Forever erasing its name But when the manuscript emerged from the fire It was still all quite there It wasn't burned or even singed There wasn't even smoke wafting in the air [He took the symphony once again And forced it to burst into flames But once again it remained unsinged And Mephistopheles looked for who to blame] [GHOST STORYTELLER, spoken] Then the Devil heard a giggle Escaping from a grinning dwarf And looked around, and saw Fate's son, Twist And he beckoned him to come forth [MEPHISTOPHELES, spoken] Why is this symphony still here? Why does it not ignite? Tell me you gnome, what do you know? For if it does not burn... you might [GHOST STORYTELLER, spoken] Twist squirmed nervously before Satan But could not hide his delight As he explained how the music had survived And would live long past this night [TWIST, spoken] The contract says that you now own The Tenth Symphony Written by the firstborn son, named Ludwig Of the Johann and Maria van Beethoven family Now, a little-known fact of history But I assure you, it's totally true That the composer had an older brother Who was named Ludwig van Beethoven, too [Twist laughs] [TWIST, spoken] Now this child died quite young Before our composer here was born So they named their second son Ludwig, also Though you would think the name was getting worn His older brother lived only days And now is at rest with God As to why they named their second son Ludwig too Perhaps coming up with names back then was hard So, according to the deal you signed If the first Ludwig rises through his coffin boards And writes nine other symphonies The tenth one will be yours! [Twist laughs] [GHOST STORYTELLER, spoken] The Devil's face contorted As he realized that he had been fooled And the child outside was safe as well For the contract's words would rule The floor opened into an abyss And the Devil disappeared As outside the storm subsided And the stars shined in the skies now clear Beethoven stood up in confusion Over what had just occurred He realized that the girl and the symphony were safe from what he had overheard But he asked Fate why the Devil Had not taken his soul to hell [FATE, spoken] He never had your soul,​ [GHOST STORYTELLER, spoken] Fate said [FATE, spoken] It was never his to sell [BEETHOVEN, spoken] But the Devil said he owned it From my sins that he did summarize [FATE, spoken] Well the Devil may have said that,​​ [GHOST STORYTELLER, spoken] Fate replied back [FATE, spoken] But, my dear, he's the Devil, he lies [BEETHOVEN, spoken] But I was rude and cruel in my life Beethoven answered with regret [FATE, spoken] Yes,​​ [GHOST STORYTELLER, spoken] Fate replied,​​ [FATE, spoken] But the Devil left out That those actions were often caused because you were deaf And the pains that you caused in life You worked twice as hard to undo And those acts of kindness, even more than your music That, my friend, is you It is true you made some mistakes in life Sometimes you seemed rude or a fool But it was always because of your deafness And not because you were evil or cruel You went out of your way your whole life To try to amend those you hurt And when God weighs your sins against your good deeds The world will be glad of your birth [BEETHOVEN, spoken] And what about Theresa? Is it now truly too late? [FATE, spoken] You will see her again,​​ [GHOST STORYTELLER, spoken] Fate replied [FATE, spoken] For love, it always waits She is on the other side of this night Which is closer than it seems And she will be there by your side When you awaken from your next dream [Slowly the shadows and spirits disappear. The room is now completely empty except for Beethoven who lies down on a cushioned window seat and drifts into his final sleep.]