Page type: lyric reference
Artist: Hadestown Cast
Canonical path: /hadestown-cast/how-long
Related lyric paths: 6
Video embedded: yes
Lyric guide
How Long?
Read How Long? lyrics by Hadestown Cast on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Lyrics
How Long?
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
[Persephone]
What are you afraid of?
[Hades]
What?
[Persephone]
He's just a boy in love
[Hades]
Have a drink, why don't you?
[Persephone]
No, I've had enough
He loves that girl, Hades
[Hades]
Well that's too bad
[Persephone]
He has the kind of love for her that you and I once had
[Hades]
The girl means nothing to me
[Persephone]
I know, but she means everything to him
[Hades]
So?
[Persephone]
Let her go
Hades my husband, Hades my light, Hades my darkness
If you had heard how he sang tonight you'd pity poor Orpheus
All of the sorrow won't fit in his chest
It just burns like a fire in the pit of his chest
And his heart is a bird on a spit in his chest
How long?
How long?
How long?
[Hades]
How long?
Just as long as Hades is king
Nothing comes of wishing on stars
And nothing comes of the songs people sing
However sorry they are
Give them a piece they'll take it all
Show them a crack they'll tear down the wall
Lend them an ear and the kingdom will fall
The kingdom will fall for a song
[Persephone]
What does he care for the logic of kings?
The laws of your underworld?
It is only for love that he sings
He sings for the love of a girl
[Hades]
You and your pity don't fit in my bed
You just burn like a fire in the pit of my bed
And I turn like a bird on a spit in my bed
How long?
How long?
How long?
[Persephone]
How long?
Just as long as I am your wife
It's true the earth must die
But then the earth comes back to life
And the Sun must go on rising
[Hades and Persephone]
And how does the Sun even fit in the sky
It just burns like a fire in the pit of the sky
And the earth is a bird on a spit in the sky
How long?
How long?
How long?
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "How Long?"?
Hadestown Cast performs "How Long?", and this lyric page sits inside the Hadestown Cast catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "How Long?"?
Yes. The related section below points to Way Down Hadestown and Come Home With Me with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Hadestown Cast?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Hadestown Cast's lyric pages.
Song Room
Open Song Room
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
Listener comments
What people are saying
No listener comments on How Long? yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.