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- “Hellfire! Dark fire! Now gypsy, it's your turn!”
- ―Lyric from the song
"Hellfire" is a song from Disney's 1996 animated feature, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The song is sung by the film's main antagonist, Judge Claude Frollo. The song "Hellfire" was intended to contrast with the song "Heaven's Light", which was a song that was sung by Quasimodo moments earlier, expressing his feelings of love for Esmeralda, while Frollo sings of his lust for Esmeralda. There is dialogue interruption, in which one of his guards informs his boss about the gypsy's escape from the cathedral, and the judge vows to "burn down all of Paris," and the song resumes.
This song is considered to be one of the darkest songs in any Disney film, depicting Hell, damnation, the Catholic religion, and lust, examples of subject matter that would generally be considered inappropriate for younger children. The sequence contains also heavy visuals to match the lyrics, including provocative dancing from images of Esmeralda in the fire.
Synopsis
The song opens as Frollo overlooks the night-lit city from the balcony of the cathedral and sings that he is better than the other people in Paris. As he heads inside, he admits he is disturbed about his lustful feelings for Esmeralda, which he feels is turning him to sin, and prays to the virgin Mary for help. As Frollo approaches his fireplace, he threatens to burn Esmeralda if she will not be his mistress. Eventually, he passes out as night dawns upon him.
Lyrics
Archdeacon & Priests:
Confiteor Deo Omnipotenti (I confess to God almighty)
Beatae Mariae semper Virgini (To blessed Mary ever Virgin)
Beato Michaeli archangel (To the blessed archangel Michael)
Sanctis apostolis omnibus sanctis (To the holy apostles, to all the saints)
Frollo:
Beata Maria, (Blessed Mary)
You know I am a righteous man
Of my virtue I am justly proud
Priests:
(Et tibi Pater (And to you, Father))
Frollo:
Beata Maria
You know I'm so much purer than
The common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd
Priests:
(Quia peccavi nimis (That I have sinned))
Frollo:
Then tell me, Maria
Why I see her dancing there
Why her smoldering eyes still scorch my soul
Priests:
(Cogitatione (In thought))
Frollo:
I feel her, I see her
The sun caught in her raven hair
Is blazing in me out of all control
Priests:
(Verbo et opere (In word and deed))
Frollo:
Like fire
Hellfire
This fire in my skin
This burning
Desire
Is turning me to sin
It's not my fault
(Mea culpa (My fault))
I'm not to blame
(Mea culpa (My fault))
It is the gypsy girl
The witch who set this flame
(Mea maxima culpa (My greatest fault))
It's not my fault
(Mea culpa (My fault))
If in God's plan
(Mea culpa (My fault))
He made the devil so much stronger than a man
Protect me, Maria
Don't let the siren cast her spell
Don't let her fire sear my flesh and bone
Destroy Esmeralda
And let her taste the fires of Hell!
Or else let her be mine and mine alone
Guard: Minister Frollo, the gypsy has escaped.
Frollo: What?
Guard: She's nowhere in the cathedral.
She's gone.
Frollo: But how? I... Never mind. Get out, you idiot! I'll find her! I'll find her if I have to burn down all of Paris!
Hellfire
Dark fire
Now gypsy, it's your turn
Choose me or
Your pyre
Be mine or you will burn
(Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy))
God have mercy on her
(Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy))
God have mercy on me
(Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy))
But she will be mine
Or she will burn!
Disney Parks
Hellfire has become a track commonly associated with Disney Villains as an instrumental in various Disney park shows, such as in World of Color, the Tokyo DisneySea version of Fantasmic!, and in fireworks shows such as Wishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams, and HalloWishes.
Gallery
Trivia
- The hooded priests sing “mea culpa,” meaning “my fault,” to answer to Frollo's "It’s not my fault."
- The priests are singing the beginning of the Confiteor (in Latin), a portion of the Penitential Rite of the Catholic Mass where the people confess their sins and ask for forgiveness.
- In the start of the song, Frollo claims himself to be righteous. Ironically, he sets fire to Paris the very next day.
- Despite Frollo claiming to be a righteous man, he displays some form of all Seven Deadly Sins in the lyrics of the song. This was likely done intentionally to show his hypocritical way of thinking.
- The lines Of my virtue I am justly proud and You know I'm so much purer than the common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd show him displaying Pride, considered the most dangerous of the seven, as it is often used to justify the other 6 deadly sins, or even deny committing them in the first place. This is displayed frequently in the song, and the film as a whole, and could be considered the first he has committed.
- Frollo's intense desire for Esmeralda to be his and his alone show Lust, Envy and Greed.
- Lust as the intense sexual desire for Esmeralda, especially her body alone.
- Envy towards anyone else who may gain her affections.
- Greed for seeing her merely as an item to be gained, and wanting her intensely even though he doesn't actually need her.
- His intent to destroy her if she does not comply is an example of Anger/Wrath.
- Frollo claiming it is not his fault he is sinning, and blaming Esmeralda for tempting him can be seen as an act of Sloth, as he is not taking the initiative to better himself, nor taking responsibility for his own sins.
- Gluttony is sometimes interpreted as Selfishness, displayed when Frollo says he will burn down all of Paris (despite what it would do to the innocents of the city) to get to Esmeralda.
- In the official soundtrack, this song is joined with “Heaven’s Light”.
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