Why We Build the Wall
Anaïs Mitchell & Greg Brown * Track #9 On Hadestown
Download "Why We Build the Wall"
Album Hadestown
- #1Wedding Song
Anaïs Mitchell & Justin Vernon
- #2Epic, Pt. 1
Anaïs Mitchell & Justin Vernon
- #3Way Down Hadestown
Anaïs Mitchell & Ani DiFranco & Ben Knox Miller & Justin Vernon
- #4Songbird Intro
Anaïs Mitchell
- #5Hey, Little Songbird
Anaïs Mitchell & Greg Brown
- #6Gone, I’m Gone
Anaïs Mitchell & The Haden Triplets
- #7When the Chips Are Down
Anaïs Mitchell & The Haden Triplets
- #8Wait for Me
Anaïs Mitchell & Justin Vernon & Ben Knox Miller
- #9Why We Build the Wall
Anaïs Mitchell & Greg Brown
- #10Our Lady of the Underground
Anaïs Mitchell & Ani DiFranco
- #11Flowers (Eurydice’s Song)
Anaïs Mitchell
- #12Nothing Changes
Anaïs Mitchell & The Haden Triplets
- #13If It’s True
Anaïs Mitchell & Justin Vernon
- #14Papers (Hades Finds Out)
Anaïs Mitchell
- #15How Long?
Anaïs Mitchell & Greg Brown & Ani DiFranco
- #16Epic (Part II)
Anaïs Mitchell & Justin Vernon
- #17Lover’s Desire
Anaïs Mitchell
- #18His Kiss, the Riot
Anaïs Mitchell & Greg Brown
- #19Doubt Comes In
Anaïs Mitchell & Justin Vernon
- #20I Raise My Cup to Him
Anaïs Mitchell & Ani DiFranco
Why We Build the Wall by Anaïs Mitchell (Ft. Greg Brown)
Release Date
Performed by
Anaïs MitchellGreg BrownProduced by
Todd SickafooseWrited by
Anaïs MitchellAbout
Obviously, a wall around the underworld would be meant primarily to keep people in. But the most effective way to keep people in is a mental wall: the idea that something outside is worse.
The circular argument made by the residents of Hadestown is that building the wall provides meaningful work an...
Why We Build the Wall Lyrics
[HADES]
Why do we build the wall, my children, my children?
Why do we build the wall?
[ALL TOGETHER]
Why do we build the wall?
We build the wall to keep us free
That’s why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free
[HADES]
How does the wall keep us free, my children, my children?
How does the wall keep us free?
[ALL TOGETHER]
How does the wall keep us free?
The wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That’s why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free
[HADES]
Who do we call the enemy, my children, my children?
Who do we call the enemy?
[ALL TOGETHER]
Who do we call the enemy?
The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That’s why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free
[HADES]
Because we have and they have not, my children, my children
Because they want what we have got
[ALL TOGETHER]
Because we have and they have not
Because they want what we have got
The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That’s why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free
[HADES]
What do we have that they should want, my children, my children?
What do we have that they should want?
[ALL TOGETHER]
What do we have that they should want?
We have a wall to work upon
We have work and they have none
And our work is never done
My children, my children
And the war is never won
The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That’s why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free
We build the wall to keep us free
Why We Build the Wall Q&A
Who wrote Why We Build the Wall's ?
Why We Build the Wall was written by Anaïs Mitchell.
Who produced Why We Build the Wall's ?
Why We Build the Wall was produced by Todd Sickafoose.
When did Anaïs Mitchell release Why We Build the Wall?
Anaïs Mitchell released Why We Build the Wall on Tue Mar 09 2010.
What has the media said about the song?
In 2018, NPR ranked this as the #45 greatest song by a female or nonbinary artist in the 21st century, saying:
They say certain songwriters are given five perfect songs from God (or whatever spiritual force you follow). ‘Why We Build The Wall’ is one of folk singer Anaïs Mitchell’s God Songs. First...