Ballad Lyrics – Dead Outlaw

Song Overview

Song Credits

• Featuring: Andrew Durand
• Producers: David Yazbek & Dean Sharenow
• Writers: David Yazbek & Erik Della Penna
• Release Date: May 2, 2025
• Album: Dead Outlaw (Original Broadway Cast Recording, Part 1)
• Track #: 1
• Genre: Country, Musical Theatre
• Language: English
• Style: Folk ballad, theatrical monologue

Song Meaning and Annotations

A Quiet Testament to the Spirit That Lingers

“Ballad” opens the Broadway show *Dead Outlaw* not with fireworks or fanfare, but with the hush of open plains and a man’s quiet marveling at the cosmos. Sung by Andrew Durand as Elmer, the song plays like a ghost’s lullaby to himself — tender, fragile, and stitched with wonder.

When the stars are bright, like these stars / So they almost hurt your eyes

This isn’t hyperbole; it’s humility. The light of the stars, so clear and raw, becomes almost too much to bear — a kind of truth that physically stings. It sets the tone: this show isn’t about spectacle. It’s about sensation.

And the cottonwoods are whistling / And the owls and frogs join in

Here, nature becomes a chorus. The song text blends flora and fauna into a hymn. Elmer’s voice weaves through rustling leaves, nocturnal croaks, and the night wind like someone singing to remember what it feels like to be alive — or to convince himself that he still is.

The sky is black, but filled with diamonds / You can almost hold them in your hand

A poetic sleight of hand. The blackness of death lit with dreams. Stars become touchable — or maybe it's just that, in death, nothing is too far anymore.

The dew, it appears, just like grateful tears / I'm here, I'm here, I'm here

This refrain echoes like a heartbeat, like Elmer clinging to presence itself. “I’m here” becomes both an affirmation and a plea — part acceptance, part existential defiance. The song suggests that though he’s dead (as the title implies), Elmer's spirit still sings — and not in anger or vengeance, but in longing and peace. It's a kind of Western haiku, where mortality smells like honeysuckle and the divine laughs while you reach for answers.

Similar Songs

1. "Finishing the Hat" – Stephen Sondheim (*Sunday in the Park with George*)
   Both are introspective, almost whispered soliloquies. Where Sondheim explores artistic isolation, Yazbek’s “Ballad” dives into cosmic loneliness — but they share a tender stillness and quiet emotional thunder.
2. "The Ballad of Booth" – *Assassins* (Sondheim)
   Thematically darker and more political, yet similar in tone and structure. A folk-style ballad with theatrical undercurrents, sung by someone haunted and half-remembered by history.
3. "Wandering" – Hadestown
   Myth and mortality braid together in both tracks. “Ballad” could easily be sung by a shade in the Underworld. They echo each other in their simplicity, lyric-driven construction, and mystical melancholy.

Questions and Answers

Who is Elmer, and why is he singing this?

Elmer likely represents the titular “dead outlaw.” He’s singing posthumously, either as a ghost or memory, reflecting on the beauty he sees now that he’s left the material world.

What does the repetition of “I’m here” signify?

It’s a desperate affirmation of presence in the face of disappearance. Elmer wants to be known, felt, remembered — to resist fading into oblivion.

Is this song religious?

It touches spiritual themes but not through doctrine. God is mentioned, yes — but more as a poetic force or laughing creator than as a formal deity.

Why start the musical with a song like this?

“Ballad” sets the tone with intimacy and weight. It roots the show in quiet emotion, preparing the audience for a journey that’s less about action than about memory and meaning.

What genre does this song blend?

It’s a mix of country ballad, theatrical monologue, and folk lullaby. Imagine Johnny Cash narrating from beyond the grave, with a soft tremble in his voice.

Fan and Media Reactions

"This ain’t your average Broadway opener. It’s still, sad, and absolutely stunning." — YouTube User: BroadwayDust

"I didn't expect to cry 30 seconds into a show about an outlaw. But here we are." — TheatreEnthusiast25

"Andrew Durand’s voice just floats. Like it’s not even coming from a stage. Like it’s coming from the stars." — Commenter: StarryCowboy

"The line about ‘God laughing while you're reaching’? Chills. Real ones." — MusicalMomentsBlog

"It’s rare a musical begins with poetry instead of plot. ‘Ballad’ sets the bar sky-high, literally and emotionally." — StageNotes Weekly