When You're An Addams Lyrics – Addams Family, The
When You're An Addams Lyrics
Andrew Lippa ft...
Ancestral Voices:
AH AH AH AH
AH AH AH AH
AH AH AH AH
AH! AH!
Gomez (Spoken):
Ah, the intoxicating spell of the graveyard. Once a year when the last leaf of autumn falls, we gather to honor the great
cycle life and death. Come,every member of our clan - living, dead- and undecided and let us celebrate what is to be an
Addams.
Gomez(Sung):
When you're an Addams
You need to have a little moonlight
When you're an Addams
You need to feel a little chill
You have to see the world in shades of gray
You have to put some poison in your day
Motricia(Spoken):
The's the way
Gomez and Morticia:
When you're an Addams
Gomez:
You need to have a sense of humor
Gomez and Morticia:
When you're an Addams
Morticia:
You need to have a taste for death
Gomez/Morticia:
Who cares about the world outside
And what it wants from you
When you're and Addams
You do what Addams always do!
Addams Family:
When you're an Addams
Gomez:
You gotta have a lotta passion
Addams Family:
When you're an Addams
Morticia:
You need to really love your wife
Gomez (Spoken):
Several times a day
Addams Family:
You're happy when your toes are in the mud
Fester and Grandma:
You smile a bit the moment you smell blood
AA-OOOH!!!
Addams Family:
When you're an Addams
Wednesday:
You need to grab a bow and arrow
Addams Family:
When you're an Addams
Pugsley:
You need a moment to explode
Grandma:
Just pour a potion
Fester:
Flip the switch
Fester/Grandma/Wednesday/Pugsley:
And wait till things get hot
Addams Family:
When you're an Addams
You have to really stir the pot
Fester:
So keep your sunshine
And keep your glee
Gomez:
Country music and Tennessee
Wednesday:
Keep you laughter
Grandma:
And MTV
Addams Family:
And all will be all right
Give us shadows and give us gloom
Broken glass in a motel room
Something fun we can all exhume
And give it all tonight!
Gomez(Spoken):
And on this special night,beneath our Family Tree,we summon our beloved Ancestors.
Ancestors:
One torn asunder
Down six feet under
We get to gather here
Male Ancestor One:
Dead for forever
Male Ancestor Two:
Bled from whatever
Male Ancestors One and Two:
Called now to reappear
Male Ancestor Three/Female Ancestor One:
Every cadaver
Start the palaver
Once in an Addams year
Ancestors:
Hold your decaying
Hear what we're saying
Time now to give a cheer
Gomez (Spoken):
Line Dance!
Bunny Hop!
Do the Twist!
Rigor Mortis!
All:
When you're an Addams
Male Ancestors:
That's right!
When you're an Addams
Addams Family/Female Ancestors:
You have a very special duty
Male Ancestors:
Late night! Out with the Addams!
Addams Family/Female Ancestors:
When you're an Addams
Male Ancestors:
With one bite
All:
You're obligated to the clan
It's family first and family last
And family by and by
When you're an Addams
The standard answers don't apply
When you're and Addams
You do what Addams do or-
Lurch:
Ughhh
All:
Die!
AH AH AH AH
AH AH AH AH
AH AH AH AH
AH! AH!
Gomez (Spoken):
Ah, the intoxicating spell of the graveyard. Once a year when the last leaf of autumn falls, we gather to honor the great
cycle life and death. Come,every member of our clan - living, dead- and undecided and let us celebrate what is to be an
Addams.
Gomez(Sung):
When you're an Addams
You need to have a little moonlight
When you're an Addams
You need to feel a little chill
You have to see the world in shades of gray
You have to put some poison in your day
Motricia(Spoken):
The's the way
Gomez and Morticia:
When you're an Addams
Gomez:
You need to have a sense of humor
Gomez and Morticia:
When you're an Addams
Morticia:
You need to have a taste for death
Gomez/Morticia:
Who cares about the world outside
And what it wants from you
When you're and Addams
You do what Addams always do!
Addams Family:
When you're an Addams
Gomez:
You gotta have a lotta passion
Addams Family:
When you're an Addams
Morticia:
You need to really love your wife
Gomez (Spoken):
Several times a day
Addams Family:
You're happy when your toes are in the mud
Fester and Grandma:
You smile a bit the moment you smell blood
AA-OOOH!!!
Addams Family:
When you're an Addams
Wednesday:
You need to grab a bow and arrow
Addams Family:
When you're an Addams
Pugsley:
You need a moment to explode
Grandma:
Just pour a potion
Fester:
Flip the switch
Fester/Grandma/Wednesday/Pugsley:
And wait till things get hot
Addams Family:
When you're an Addams
You have to really stir the pot
Fester:
So keep your sunshine
And keep your glee
Gomez:
Country music and Tennessee
Wednesday:
Keep you laughter
Grandma:
And MTV
Addams Family:
And all will be all right
Give us shadows and give us gloom
Broken glass in a motel room
Something fun we can all exhume
And give it all tonight!
Gomez(Spoken):
And on this special night,beneath our Family Tree,we summon our beloved Ancestors.
Ancestors:
One torn asunder
Down six feet under
We get to gather here
Male Ancestor One:
Dead for forever
Male Ancestor Two:
Bled from whatever
Male Ancestors One and Two:
Called now to reappear
Male Ancestor Three/Female Ancestor One:
Every cadaver
Start the palaver
Once in an Addams year
Ancestors:
Hold your decaying
Hear what we're saying
Time now to give a cheer
Gomez (Spoken):
Line Dance!
Bunny Hop!
Do the Twist!
Rigor Mortis!
All:
When you're an Addams
Male Ancestors:
That's right!
When you're an Addams
Addams Family/Female Ancestors:
You have a very special duty
Male Ancestors:
Late night! Out with the Addams!
Addams Family/Female Ancestors:
When you're an Addams
Male Ancestors:
With one bite
All:
You're obligated to the clan
It's family first and family last
And family by and by
When you're an Addams
The standard answers don't apply
When you're and Addams
You do what Addams do or-
Lurch:
Ughhh
All:
Die!
Song Overview
Song Credits
- Producer: Andrew Lippa
- Writer: Andrew Lippa
- Mixing Engineer: Frank Filipetti
- Recording Engineers: Frank Filipetti & Alex Venguer
- Production Manager: Jill Dell’abate
- Orchestration: Larry Hochman
- Mastering Engineer: Scott Hull
- Engineer: Derik Lee
- Conductor: Mary-Mitchell Campbell
- Label: Decca Records
- Release Date: 2010-06-08
- Genre: Broadway, Musical Theatre
- Language: English
- Album: The Addams Family (Original Broadway Cast)
Song Meaning and Annotations
“When You're an Addams” by Andrew Lippa isn’t just a song — it’s a curtain-raiser, a gothic manifesto, and a darkly comedic family creed rolled into one mischievously macabre anthem. As the opening number of the Broadway musical The Addams Family, this track flings the doors of the Addams mansion wide open, inviting us into their spooky, spunky, and shadow-soaked world.
The number kicks off with Gomez Addams musing, in a flourish of theatrical graveyard charm:
Ah, the intoxicating smell of the graveyard.
That line alone sets the tone. This family doesn’t just accept the oddities of life and death — they revel in them. From moonlit strolls to celebratory blood whiffs, the song text paints their ghoulishness not as a quirk, but a badge of honor.
The chorus line hits like a haunted hug:
When you're an Addams / You do what Addams always do!
That’s not just showy rhetoric — it’s tribalism in tap shoes. Family loyalty, a twisted sense of tradition, and an unapologetic embrace of the grotesque are the lifeblood of this track. It’s a celebration of subversion, a musical toast to the unorthodox and the undead.
Morticia’s morbid charm, Fester’s fevered enthusiasm, and the children’s gleeful violence (bow and arrow, anyone?) all underscore that being an Addams means living joyfully on the fringe — like a vampire at a beach party, fully aware it doesn’t belong and dancing anyway.
Similar Songs
- "This Is Halloween" by Danny Elfman (from The Nightmare Before Christmas) — Both songs feature eccentric, spooky characters singing about their identity and values. “This Is Halloween” and “When You’re an Addams” are spiritual siblings — one in animation, the other onstage, both turning fright into delight.
- "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast — Swap candlesticks and teapots for ghouls and graves, and you’ve got a similarly extravagant musical number that introduces a cast through their unique worldview and hospitality — albeit a bit... colder in the Addams’ case.
- "Skid Row (Downtown)" from Little Shop of Horrors — Another show tune that combines dark themes with musical charm. It shares the outsider motif, though “Skid Row” is steeped in tragedy, while “When You’re an Addams” laughs maniacally in its face.
Questions and Answers
- What is the main theme of “When You’re an Addams”?
- The song embraces individuality, family unity, and the joyous acceptance of the morbid and bizarre. It defines what it means to live by the Addams' code — delight in the dark and weird.
- Why is this song placed at the start of the musical?
- It sets the tone and introduces the central characters and their values, giving audiences a flavorful sample of the Addams' strange stew of humor and heart.
- Who are the main performers in this track?
- Andrew Lippa composed it, and it's performed by the original Broadway cast featuring Nathan Lane as Gomez, Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia, and a full ensemble including Kevin Chamberlin, Jackie Hoffman, and more.
- What makes the Addams Family's worldview unique in the song?
- They find beauty in gloom, laughter in danger, and joy in the traditionally morose. It’s a satirical reversal of conventional family values, played with theatrical bravado.
- How does the music support the song’s theme?
- The orchestrations are lively, full of macabre flair with whimsical rhythms that mirror the family's eccentric charm. It’s as if cabaret met a coffin and they choreographed the funeral.
Fan and Media Reactions
"This number slaps — it's creepy, kooky, and catchy as hell!"– @BroadwayJunkie
"Only the Addams could make ‘bleeding from whatever’ sound like a celebration."– @SpookyStageMom
"If my family had a theme song, I’d want it to be this weird and wonderful."– @TheatreKid666
"Perfect musical opener. It’s like ‘Circle of Life’ for the dearly departed."– @UndeadMaestro
"I saw this live and couldn’t stop humming it for a week. Infectiously kooky!"– @GloomAndTunes
Music video
Addams Family, The Lyrics: Song List
- Addams Family Theme
- Overture
- When You're An Addams
- Pulled
- Where Did We Go Wrong
- One Normal Night
- Morticia
- What If
- Full Disclosure
- Waiting
- Full Disclosure - Part 2
- Just Around The Corner
- The Moon And Me
- Happy/Sad
- Crazier Than You
- Let's Not Talk About Anything Else But Love
- Let's Not Talk About Anything Else But Love (Reprise)
- In The Arms
- Live Before We Die
- Tango De Amor
- Move Toward The Darkness