Our Lady of the Underground Lyrics - Hadestown

Song Overview

“Our Lady of the Underground” flips the lights back on at the top of Act II - Persephone runs a speakeasy behind Hades’ back and sells the memory of weather by the glass. The track arrived in the first digital drop of the Broadway cast album roll-out in early June 2019, before the full set landed in late July.

Review & Highlights

Creation History

The Broadway cast album rolled out in waves - and this number was one of the first out of the gate at 12:01 AM in the initial “character drop,” then more highlights followed on June 7, with the complete 40-track album arriving July 26, 2019.

Onstage, it opens Act II, immediately reframing the underworld as a club where Persephone works the room.

Review. It’s a tipsy waltz through cabaret, folk-blues, and brass-kissed jazz. Gray leans into patter, teasing the crowd and the band, while the groove slides like a bar cart on wheels. The hook isn’t just catchy - it’s an invitation to misbehave. You can hear the trombone wink, the drums shuffle, the violin sting.

Plot. After Hades’ indoctrination number, Persephone cracks the mask. She offers contraband - wind in a jar, rain on tap - and a survival kit for life six-feet-under. The lyrics double as contraband catalog and pep talk, and by the end you’ve met the house band and the house rules.

Verse 1

She clocks the gloom, sells the cure. The patter is pure barkeep - quick, flirty, transactional.

Chorus

Call-and-response with Hermes and the workers turns her into a saint of bad ideas. It’s church, if church had a cover charge.

Exchange/Bridge

She breaks the fourth wall to introduce the players, which mirrors the line about a “crack in the wall.” The room becomes the show.

Final Build

By the last pass, the band is roaring and the hustle looks almost holy. The lyrics leave you half-convinced that moonshine counts as mercy.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Persephone throws a party to survive. The scene frames her as a hostess, dealer, and reluctant queen, hustling joy in a town built on exhaustion.

“Step into my office.”

The tone toggles between mockery and warmth. She ribs the men, then feeds them weather.

“Boys.”

Hadestown isn’t just underground - it’s under your skin.

“Then hanging around this old manhole is bringing you down - Six-feet-under - Getting under your skin.”

Monotony becomes diagnosis.

“Cabin fever is a-setting in.”

What’s for sale? Nostalgia and weather, mostly.

“Oh you could use a little pick-me-up - I can give you what it is you crave.”

Identity gets slippery down here, so she rebrands herself with the room’s help.

“Brother, what’s my name? ... Our Lady of the Underground!”

Persephone’s empathy cuts through the patter.

“I know how you feel.”

She promises a rip in the fabric and delivers it.

“There’s a crack in the wall!”

The second half slips back into huckster mode.

“Put a quarter in the slot, you’ll get an eyeful.”

Production, instrumentation, style

Trombone, violin, cello, guitar, piano-accordion, bass, and drums lay down a louche, late-night shuffle - the exact band Persephone names on the record. Orchestrations and production credits confirm the lineup and the show’s folk-jazz DNA.

Key Facts

• Artist: Amber Gray & Hadestown Original Broadway Company
• Composer-Lyricist: Anaïs Mitchell
• Producers: Todd Sickafoose, David Lai, Anaïs Mitchell
• Release Date: June 4, 2019 - initial digital drop ahead of the full album
• Album: Hadestown (Original Broadway Cast Recording) - full release July 26, 2019
• Length: 5:24
• Track #: 21
• Label: Hadestown Broadway/Sing It Again
• Genre/Style: Broadway, folk-blues, jazz-inflected cabaret
• Instruments on record: Trombone, cello, violin, drums, bass, guitar, piano-accordion
• Mood: sly, convivial, rebellious
• Language: English

Questions and Answers

Is “Our Lady of the Underground” the first song of Act II?

Yes. It opens Act II and resets the tone after “Why We Build the Wall.”

When did this track hit streaming during the rollout?

It was part of the first midnight drop announced June 3, 2019, with more highlights added June 7 and the complete album on July 26, 2019.

Who sings it on the Original Broadway Cast Recording?

Amber Gray as Persephone, backed by the Hadestown Original Broadway Company.

Any notable guest renditions outside the original cast?

Yes. Ani DiFranco, Allison Russell, and Yola have all performed the number during later Broadway stints and features.

Is there an official audio upload for this track?

Yes - the label’s topic upload on YouTube uses the cast album master.

Awards and Chart Positions

Album honors. The Hadestown (Original Broadway Cast Recording) won Best Musical Theater Album at the 62nd Grammy Awards.

Album charts. US Billboard 200 peak no. 49, US Independent Albums no. 4, and US Cast Albums no. 1.

How to Sing “Our Lady of the Underground”?

Range & placement. The role sits in a comfortable mezzo-alto pocket for a female voice, with speech-song patter and sly slides more important than high notes. Amber Gray’s Broadway turn defined the swaggering template.

Style. Think speakeasy host - conversational, conspiratorial, a little tipsy. Keep consonants crisp so the jokes land, then loosen into the held lines.

Band-led phrasing. Let the trombone fills and drum shuffle cue your breaths. Don’t rush the banter - sit behind the beat like you own the room.

Character beats. Lightly tease the crowd on the call-and-response (“Brother, what’s my name?”), then soften on the empathy lines. That push-pull is the trick.

Additional Info

• Opening Act II status is consistent across production guides and press notes.
• Official audio is available on major platforms and YouTube’s topic channel.
• Live features and guest turns keep the number rotating - see clips with Ani DiFranco, Allison Russell, and Yola.