Hedwig and the Angry Inch- Tear Me Down

written by Stephen Trask

::Lyrics::
I was born on the other side
Of a town ripped in two
I made it over the great divide
Now I'm coming for you

Enemies and adversaries
They try and tear me down
You want me baby, I dare you
Try and tear me down

I rose from off of the doctor's slab
Like Lazarus from the pit
Now everyone wants to take a stab
And decorate me
With blood, graffiti and spit

Enemies and adversaries
They try to tear me down
You want me, baby, I dare you
Try and tear me down

On August 13, 1961,
A wall was erected
Down the middle of the city of Berlin
The world was divided by a cold war
And the Berlin Wall
Was the most hated symbol of that divide
Reviled, graffitied, spit upon
We thought the wall would stand forever
And now that it's gone
We don't know who we are anymore
Ladies and gentlemen
Hedwig is like that wall
Standing before you in the divide
Between East and West
Slavery and freedom
Man and woman
Top and bottom
And you can try and tear her down
But before you do
You must remember one thing--Hed:

There ain't much of a difference
Between a bridge and a wall
Without me right in the middle, babe
You would be nothing at all

Enemies and adversaries
They try and tear me down
You want me, baby, I dare you
Try and tear me down

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• hedwig
• and
• the
• angry
• inch
• john
• cameron
• mitchell
• stephen
• trask
• miriam
• shor
• berlin
• wall
• musical
• transgender

[bittersweetsunrise]

Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a a landmark in musical cinema. It's a frickin' rock opera, for God sakes! Never has such a topic as the transgenderal life been handled as comically, artistically and emotionally raw as this one musical.

God love ya, Stephen Trask. You and JCM have unleashed the life of the sexual revolution.

[IntellectualAmy]

The lyrics on Hedwig truly are brilliant. Stephen Trask did some class work on this. I love the film and bought the Soundtrack - fantastic.

[RevengeRook]

I'm one of those cats on the verge of what you'd call "homo-phobic"--sorry, I have this addiction to females-------------that being said--------this is one of the BEST movies I have ever seen----it confronts SEVERAL issues---surviving opression in a divided Germany, terms with sexuality, crooked music industry, struggles in everyday life, bigotry------it hits them ALL--and does it head on--------and it does so with a KILLER soundtrack---there aren't many movies that can do this--laugh,cry,enjoy!

[musicmagicpan]

@NinjaAssassin874 Ok.. Thanks for telling me that. I'm just a 12 year old who hasn't heard of the Berlin Wall until she saw this movie. I haven't truly researched this movie for a project unlike you.

[NinjaAssassin874]

@musicmagicpan Hedwig and the Angry Inch is more than "be who you want to be." It represents the feeling of hope and freedom every person who lived in East Berlin during the communist rule, felt. The desire to escape to America and live in freedom. I studied this musical in university, it's more than just a fashion statement.

[musicmagicpan]

@SandySilvie36 I'd hate to say this but you're comparing Rocky Horror Picture Show to Hediwg and the Angry Inch. You may think I'm crazy but I seemed to get the same message from both movies. As in "Be who you want to be." or something like that.

[louisisanabadasz]

Wtf

[barracudatheband]

Standing before you in the divide

Between East and West

Slavery and freedom

Man and woman

Top and bottom

<3<3<3

[ignatzly]

That was fucking awesome

[voltaman33]

Awesome movie!

[Poet2916]

can you post the video of the song "Angry Inch"?

[anidroc]

Oh dear...that told me then...