No One Mourns The Wicked – English Lyrics

• By: Ariana Grande, Andy Nyman, Courtney-Mae Briggs, Jeff Goldblum, Sharon D. Clarke, Jenna Boyd
• Album: Wicked - Music & Lyrics By Stephen Schwartz

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the world of Oz with "No One Mourns The Wicked," the powerful opening song from the musical *Wicked*. This track is a masterclass in storytelling through song, revealing how language can be used to celebrate, condemn, and subtly hint at deeper, untold truths. Pay attention to the contrasting vocal performances and lyrics to understand how perspective shapes narrative. It's an excellent piece to observe the use of dramatic irony and nuanced emotional expression in English lyrics.

[English]

Good news! The witch, she's dead

Come out, come out, she's gone

Good news! She's dead

The Witch of the West is dead

The wickedest witch there ever was

The enemy of all of us here in Oz

Is dead

Good news! Good news!

Look, it's Glinda

Let us be glad

Let us be grateful

Let us rejoicify that goodness could subdue

The wicked workings of you-know-who

Isn't it nice to know that good will conquer evil?

The truth we all believe'll by and by

Outlive a lie

For you and-

No one mourns the wicked

No one cries, "They won't return"

No one lays a lily on their grave

The good man scorns the wicked

Through their lives, our children learn

What we miss when we misbehave

And goodness knows the wicked's lives are lonely

Goodness knows the wicked die alone

It just shows when you're wicked, you're left only

On your own

Yes, goodness knows the wicked's lives are lonely

Goodness knows the wicked cry alone

Nothing grows for the wicked, they reap only

What they've sown

Miss Glinda, why does wickedness happen?

That's a good question

Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?

After all, the Wicked Witch had a childhood

She had a father, who by the way, had been appointed governor of Munchkin land

"I'm off to the assembly, dear"

And she had a mother, as so many do

How I hate to go and leave you lonely

That's alright, it's only just one night

But know that you're here in my heart while I'm out of your sight

And like every family, they had their secrets

Have another drink, my dark-eyed beauty

I've got one more night left here in town

So have another drink of green elixir

And we'll have ourselves a little mixer

Have another little swallow, little lady, and follow me down

And one thing led to another, as it so often does

But from the moment the witch was born, she was, well, different

"It's coming"

"Now?"

"The baby's coming"

"Oh-oh-oh, and how?"

"I see a nose"

"I see a curl"

"It's a healthy, perfect, lovely little- (oh)

Oh, sweet Oz"

"How can it be?"

"What does it mean?"

"It's uncanny"

"It's obscene!"

"Like a froggy, ferny cabbage

The baby is unnaturally green"

"Take it away, take it away!"

And so, it couldn't have been easy

No one mourns the wicked

Now at last, she's dead and gone

Now at last, there's joy throughout the land

And goodness knows (goodness knows)

We know what goodness is

Goodness knows the wicked die alone (she died alone)

Woe to those (woe to those)

Who spurn what goodness (they are shown)

No one mourns the wicked (good news!)

No one mourns the wicked (good news!)

No one mourns the wicked!

Wicked!

Wicked!

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
wicked /ˈwɪk.ɪd/ B2	adjective - evil or morally wrong noun - a wicked person
glinda /ˈɡlɪn.də/ C1	noun (proper noun) - a fictional character, often associated with 'The Wizard of Oz'
rejoicify /rɪˈdʒɔɪ.sɪ.faɪ/ C2	verb (neologism) - to rejoice or make joyful, especially in a poetic or exaggerated sense
conquer /ˈkɒŋ.kər/ B2	verb - to overcome or take control of
truth /truːθ/ A2	noun - the fact or reality of a situation
conquer /ˈkɒŋ.kər/ B2	verb - to overcome or take control of
cry /kraɪ/ A2	verb - to produce tears when crying
grave /ɡreɪv/ B1	noun - a place for burying a dead body
lonely /ˈloʊn.li/ B1	adjective - feeling sad because of lack of companionship
misbehave /ˌmɪs.bɪˈheɪv/ B2	verb - to behave badly or improperly
teach /tiːtʃ/ A2	verb - to give knowledge or lessons to others
sow /soʊ/ B2	verb - to plant seeds in the ground

Key Grammar Structures

• No one mourns the wicked

  ➔ Present Simple tense - used for general truths or habitual actions

  ➔ The phrase indicates a general truth about people's reactions toward the wicked, using the simple present tense.

• The wickedest witch there ever was

  ➔ Superlative form - used to describe the extreme degree of an adjective

  ➔ The superlative 'wickest' emphasizes that she is the most wicked among all witches.

• Let us be glad

  ➔ Imperative mood with first person plural - used to make a polite suggestion or exhortation

  ➔ This use of 'let us' is a formal or poetic way to suggest we should feel or do something collectively.

• Nothing grows for the wicked

  ➔ Present Simple tense - expresses a universal truth or habitual situation

  ➔ This sentence states a universal truth, meaning that the wicked will not prosper or have positive outcomes.

• And goodness knows the wicked's lives are lonely

  ➔ Present Simple tense - used for stating facts or truths

  ➔ This statement emphasizes the awareness or 'knowing' that the wicked live lonely lives, using the verb 'knows' in the present tense to indicate a truth.