Sweeney Todd Lyrics

[laura_seabrook]

The following is taken from the sleeve of Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band's Australia album:

Sweeney Todd the Barber
Traditional / D.Flett / Image

In fleet street, that's in London Town,
When King Charlie wore the crown,
There lived a man of great renown,
was Sweeney Todd the Barber.

One shave from him you'd want no more,
bang crash tumble through the floor
and wake up playing harp and singing.

Sweeney Todd the Barber,
By God he's better than a plague.
Sweeney Todd the Barber
"I'll polish them off!" he used to say.       (chorus)

His clients through the floor would slope,
But he had no fear of hangman's rope.
"Dead men can't talk
With their mouth full of soap."
Said Sweeney Todd the Barber.

Now underneath the shop it's true
Where the bodies tumbled through
There lived a little widow
Who loved Sweeney Todd.
She made her living selling pies.
Her pies were quite a treat,
And choc full of meat,
Cos she was getting her meat from;

(chorus)

And there's many a poor young orphan lad,
The first square meal he ever had,
A large meat pie made out of his dad
From Sweeney Todd the Barber.

I was Saturday night in Sweeney's shop,
And the customers all sat in a row,
While Sweeney, behind a screen,
Was shaving some poor mug.
And his sweetheart was making pies
Down below, though none were aware
it was cut prices there!
They were rolling up
in their two's and three's.
While Sweeney's foot was getting quite sore
from pushing the knob on the floor.
And his voice was quite hoarse
From shouting "Next Please!"

First a Jim Dandy, a Toff got up and said:
"Just a shave and a perfumed shampoo
 for I've just got engaged."
Sweeney pushed the knob
There it's all fallen through!

Next a musician from Liverpool.
His hair all amok: "Just a trim,
cos I'm playin' at the Albert
and I'll be going down soon, gear fab"
Sweeney pushed the knob , and he did
He went down right away.

But rotten luck, the trapdoor stuck!
As a hinge he'd forgotten to grease
And a customer shouted nine or ten times
police police police police police police police police police
police!
But no police came,
cos they didn't have police then.

But up came the bold Bow Street Runners!
And many a pie they had to let burn,
as they dragged old Sweeney to court.
And the next day he was condemned
to be 'Switched off at Dawn'.
And there from the gibbet
in his chains he hangs.
And they say a fat old crow 
made a nest in Sweeney's whiskers
and sang a song as he swayed to and fro.

(chorus)

And the men folk call him from his grave,
saying "Wake up Sweeney, we need a shave!!"
and the ladies all need a permanent wave
from Sweeney Todd the Barber.

Of course the band were current back in the 1970s, and you'll notice the song has some touches from that era.