The Whole "Being Dead" Thing, Pt. 2 Lyrics – Beetlejuice

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

1. Album track from Beetlejuice (Original Broadway Cast Recording), placed early in Act I as the post-accident welcome-wagon from the afterlife’s most chaotic host.
2. Music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect; featured vocals by Alex Brightman with Kerry Butler and Rob McClure; produced under the Sh-K-Boom label umbrella.
3. Digital release on June 7, 2019; typical track length 1:40.
4. Stitches together cheer-squad chants, patter rhyme, and hype-man brags - a vaudeville sprint in horror-comedy makeup.
5. Returns and reframes motifs from Part 1 while previewing running jokes that pay off later in Act I.

Creation History

The song sits inside a score written by Eddie Perfect for the 2019 Broadway production directed by Alex Timbers. The cast album rolled out digitally in early June 2019 with physical copies following later that summer. Official listings pin this cut at 1:40 and promote it alongside the show’s breakout singles. Trade coverage in the week of release spotlighted the album campaign’s staggered drops and streaming focus.

Highlights

Brightman’s Beetlejuice never stops moving - a barked cheer here, a muttered aside there, then a full-body sales pitch. The band leans into drumline snap and carny shuffle, while the ensemble punches G-U-I-D-E spell-outs like pom-pom hits. It’s brisk without feeling thin, the musical equivalent of a carnival barker flipping index cards.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Adam and Barbara wake up dead. Beetlejuice arrives with a pep rally, pitching himself as guide, fixer, and chaos agent. The point is simple: stay put, haunt the living, and let him run the show.

Song Meaning

It’s a con in a cheer uniform. The number turns grief into momentum, reframing shock as opportunity while Beetlejuice hawks his specialty - bio-exorcism - in a blizzard of wordplay. Mood: manic, flirty, and just threatening enough to keep the couple off balance.

Annotations

“Ready? Okay!”

Classic cheer kickoff; the dead cheerleaders set the tone - pep as pressure.

“G-U-I-D-E”

A campy chant that sells authority. Spelling turns crowd energy into credibility, at least for a beat.

“Don’t go to the Netherworld - … Did I say Netherworld? Never mind”

He needs the Maitlands to stick around as pawns. The diversion keeps them from seeking official afterlife channels.

“I’m the B-to-the-double-E-J-F-U… and Jesus, I can’t spell”

Running gag: he can’t just say his own name. The near-spell doubles as a naughty wink.

“Bio-exorcist”

He pitches himself as the anti-priest - he expels the living. In the Broadway staging, that job title becomes a brand.

“Giving houses enemas… Flush out all the breathers”

Gross-out metaphor meets mission statement. The joke lands because the beat is tight and the rhyme keeps moving.

“Ghost-zombie Jesus!”

A flash of mock reverence and a spotlight pose - another irreverent jab at afterlife mythologies.

“It’s the perfect day to die… to give you control of your soul”

He reframes their fatal accident as lucky timing, burying any hint of his own involvement under charm and volume.

Style, motifs, instrumentation

Meter-juggling patter over a pep-band pulse. Brass stabs, tight snares, and ensemble exclamation points. A brief quote of “In the Hall of the Mountain King” slides in as a sly sting - a musical shrug that says even classical menace is fair game here.

Key Facts

• Artist: Alex Brightman, Kerry Butler, Rob McClure, Beetlejuice Original Broadway Cast Recording Ensemble, Kurt Deutsch, Eddie Perfect
• Featured: Beetlejuice with Adam and Barbara plus ensemble cheerleaders
• Composer & Lyricist: Eddie Perfect
• Producers: Kurt Deutsch; Eddie Perfect; Alex Timbers; Matt Stine
• Release Date: June 7, 2019
• Genre: Musical theatre, pop-inflected patter
• Instruments: Pit band with brass hits, drumline accents, guitars, reeds, low brass
• Label: Sh-K-Boom Records
• Mood: Hyper, sardonic
• Length: 1:40
• Track #: 4 on the original Broadway cast album
• Language: English
• Album: Beetlejuice (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• Music style: Up-tempo chant-patter with pep-band color
• Poetic meter: Mixed - chant fragments and rapid internal rhyme

Canonical Entities & Relations

Questions and Answers

Where does Part 2 sit in the show’s timeline?

Right after the Maitlands’ fatal mishap, as Beetlejuice swoops in to “help.”

How does it differ from Part 1?

Shorter, punchier, more sales pitch than sermon - it’s the door-to-door version of his manifesto.

What’s with the cheerleaders?

They literalize the pep-talk scam, spelling out words and echoing hooks like a haunted halftime show.

Is there an official video?

Yes - the production issued a lyric video and platform uploads tied to the album campaign.

Any chart action for the track?

No traditional singles charts; the album carried the attention while the show racked up awards buzz.

How does this cue connect to later songs?

It sets up Beetlejuice’s naming gag and the bio-exorcist pitch that reshapes “Say My Name” and other Act I beats.

What’s the main vocal challenge?

Precision patter at speed while staying in character - a breath game as much as a note game.

Awards and Chart Positions

Show recognition: The Broadway production earned multiple 2019 nominations including Tony nods for Best Musical and Best Original Score, with design wins across other award bodies. This specific track was not serviced to radio charts; it functions within the album narrative.

How to Sing The Whole “Being Dead” Thing Pt. 2

Vocal range (Beetlejuice lead on album): roughly C4 to G4 in spoken-sung patter with spurts to A4 for emphasis. Tempo: about 148 BPM, bright 4/4. Likely key center: minor mode related to F minor/F sharp minor depending on edition. Length: 1:40. Feel: hype-man chant meets patter song.

1. Tempo first: Drill with a click at ~148 BPM. Keep subdivision tight - no drag between bar lines.
2. Diction: Treat spell-outs as drum hits. Land consonants on the grid, especially G-U-I-D-E.
3. Breath mapping: Mark micro-breaths before each brag couplet. Use low, quick inhales to avoid telegraphing.
4. Flow & groove: Sit on top of the beat for the cheer riffs, then relax a hair for the sales-pitch patter.
5. Accents: Pop internal rhymes (guide/side, clout/out). Save volume for punchlines, not set-ups.
6. Ensemble cues: If you have cheerleaders, unify vowel shapes on “hi” and “guide,” and line up cutoffs.
7. Mic craft: Close mic for patter clarity; step off slightly on shouted tags to avoid splash.
8. Pitfalls: Over-swinging eighths, swallowing consonants, and letting the click pull you faster.
9. Practice kit: A looped two-bar drumline pattern, a printed lyrics sheet for patter blocking, and a metronome ramp from 136 to 148 BPM.

Additional Info

The broader production’s momentum matters here. According to the Tony Awards site and season roundups, the show stacked multiple nominations, which helped the album travel beyond the theatre crowd. Playbill and Broadway trades leaned into a digital-first release push, and the official channels seeded lyric clips to prime listeners before the full drop. That staggered strategy suits a song like this - quick, sticky, and easy to share.

Sources: Tony Awards, Playbill, BroadwayWorld, Apple Music, Spotify, Ghostlight Records on YouTube, Musicstax, Tunebat, Official Beetlejuice sites.