MARTA: Another hundred people just got off of the train,
And came up through the ground,
While another hundred people just got off of the bus,
And are looking around
At another hundred people who got off of the plane,
And are looking at us,
Who got off of the train,
And the plane, and the bus,
Maybe yesterday.
It's a city of strangers
Some come to work, some to play
A city of strangers
Some come to stare, some to stay
And every day
The ones who stay
Can find each other in the crowded streets and the guarded parks
By the rusty fountains and the dusty trees with the battered barks
And they walk together past the postered walls with the crude remarks
And they meet at parties through the friends-of-friends, who they never know
"Will you pick me up, or do I meet you there, or shall we let it go?
Did you get my message? 'Cause I looked in vain
Can we see each other Tuesday if it doesn't rain?
Look, I'll call you in the morning, or my service'll explain."
And another hundred people just got off of the train.
It's a city of strangers
Some come to work, some to play
A city of strangers
Some come to stare, some to stay
And every day
Some go away...
Or they find each other in the crowded streets and the guarded parks
By the rusty fountains and the dusty trees with the battered barks
And they walk together past the postered walls with the crude remarks
And they meet at parties through the friends-of-friends, who they never know
"Will you pick me up, or do I meet you there, or shall we let it go?
Did you get my message? 'Cause I looked in vain
Can we see each other Tuesday if it doesn't rain?
Look, I'll call you in the morning, or my service'll explain."
And another hundred people just got off of the train.
And another hundred people just got off of the train.
And another hundred people just got off of the train.
And another hundred people just got off of the train.
Another hundred people just got off of the train.
About This Song
"Another Hundred People" is a bustling, kaleidoscopic portrait of urban alienation and the constant flow of humanity in New York City, capturing the overwhelming anonymity of metropolitan life. Sondheim's lyrics brilliantly depict the endless cycle of strangers arriving by train, bus, and plane, each seeking connection while remaining fundamentally isolated in the crowd. The music mirrors this urban chaos with its driving, overlapping rhythms and complex vocal arrangements that create a sense of perpetual motion and sensory overload. The song explores themes of loneliness amid multitudes, the search for human connection in an impersonal city, and the paradox of being surrounded by people yet feeling profoundly alone. It stands as one of Sondheim's most vivid musical snapshots of modern urban existence, using intricate wordplay and musical layering to transform the simple act of commuting into a profound meditation on contemporary isolation.
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