Wicked’s “No One Mourns the Wicked” Lyrics Explained

Universal Pictures' Wicked is now in theaters, which means old and new fans alike will be looking to the show's beloved lyrics for clues, context, and meaning before and after they experience the musical event of the year. 

And that includes the very beginning of the film and stage musical, and an epic number called "No One Mourns the Wicked." It's packed with anticipation and with emotional weight, and it's right at the top of the story, so let's take a closer look at the song and what it means.

RELATED: The Ending of Wicked Part One Explained

The meaning behind Wicked song "No One Mourns the Wicked"

Glinda (Ariana Grande) appears in Wicked (2024), directed by Jon M. Chu Photo: Universal Pictures

Wicked begins where The Wizard of Oz ends. As the story opens, the Wicked Witch of the West is dead, and the Citizens of Oz are celebrating the departure of their feared and hated enemy. Amid the celebration, Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande in the film) arrives to confirm the reports that the Witch truly is dead, and offers words of comfort to the Ozians. Because Glinda was and is a key player in the Wicked Witch's story, though, she knows more than the Ozians actually do about the Witch's life, and seeks to add context to what's happening. 

But the citizens offer no nuance, instead singing "No One Mourns the Wicked" as a refrain to emphasize that they don't care that a person is dead because, for them, she was nothing more than a Wicked Witch. Again, Glinda pushes back gently, pointing out the loneliness of being a wicked person whom no one cares for, and gets the citizens to sing along with this refrain. She then goes further, pointing out that the Wicked Witch was a person like any of them, with a mother and a father. 

RELATED: Does Wicked Have a Post-Credits Scene?

From there, the show flashes back mid-song to show the birth of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the liasons of her mother, and the way her family reacts when they discover she has green skin. It's sets a tone for a life as an outsider, something we'll soon learn all about when we meet the grown-up Elphaba.

Wicked is a show all about perception, belief, and how what we think we've seen is not always the reality. Elphaba is ostracized from the moment she's born, but she's not an inherently bad person, just as Glinda is not the shallow, lilting creature of perfection we've been led to believe. Even the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), the savior of the land in the eyes of the people, is not truly a wizard at all. "No One Mourns the Wicked" is all about setting up this tale of false perceptions and assumptions, and that's emphasized by the subtle ways in which Glinda suggests that what's really happening is different from what the citizens believe.

Wicked’s “No One Mourns the Wicked” Lyrics

Now that we've covered the meaning behind the song, take a closer look at the lyrics for yourself, and see what you find. All-caps indicates singing, while regular caps indicates someone speaking.

GOOD NEWS!
SHE'S DEAD!
THE WITCH OF THE WEST IS DEAD!
THE WICKEDEST WITCH THERE EVER WAS
THE ENEMY OF ALL OF US HERE IN OZ
IS DEAD!
GOOD NEWS!
GOOD NEWS!

SOMEONE IN THE CROWD
Look! It's Glinda!

GLINDA
Fellow Ozians ...
LET US BE GLAD
LET US BE GRATEFUL
LET US REJOICIFY THAT GOODNESS COULD SUBDUE
THE WICKED WORKINGS OF YOU-KNOW-WHO
ISN'T IT NICE TO KNOW
THAT GOOD WILL CONQUER EVIL?
THE TRUTH WE'LL ALL BELIEVE'LL BY AND BY
OUTLIVE A LIE
FOR YOU AND ~ ~

SOMEONE IN THE CROWD
NO ONE MOURNS THE WICKED

ANOTHER PERSON
NO ONE CRIES:"THEY WON'T RETURN!"

ALL
NO ONE LAYS A LILY ON THEIR GRAVE

MAN
THE GOOD MAN SCORNS THE WICKED!

WOMEN
THROUGH THEIR LIVES, OUR CHILDREN LEARN:

ALL
WHAT WE MISS
WHEN WE MISBEHAVE ...

GLINDA
AND GOODNESS KNOWS
THE WICKED'S LIVES ARE LONELY
GOODNESS KNOWS
THE WICKED DIE ALONE
IT JUST SHOWS WHEN YOU'RE WICKED
YOU'RE LEFT ONLY
ON YOUR OWN ...

ALL
YES, GOODNESS KNOWS
THE WICKED'S LIVES ARE LONELY
GOODNESS KNOWS
THE WICKED CRY ALONE
NOTHING GROWS FOR THE WICKED
THEY REAP ONLY
WHAT THEY'VE SOWN ...

GLINDA
Are people born Wicked? Or do they have Wickedness thrust upon them? After all, she had a father. She had a mother, as so many do...

FATHER
HOW I HATE TO GO AND LEAVE YOU LONELY

MOTHER
THAT'S ALRIGHT~~ IT'S ONLY JUST ONE NIGHT

FATHER
BUT KNOW THAT YOU'RE HERE IN MY HEART
WHILE I'M OUT OF YOUR SIGHT...

GLINDA
And like every family-they had their secrets.

LOVER
HAVE ANOTHER DRINK, MY DARK-EYED BEAUTY
I'VE GOT ONE MORE NIGHT LEFT, HERE IN TOWN
SO HAVE ANOTHER DRINK OF GREEN ELIXIR
AND WE'LL HAVE OURSELVES A LITTLE MIXER
HAVE ANOTHER LITTLE SWALLOW, LITTLE LADY
AND FOLLOW ME DOWN...

GLINDA
And of course, from the moment she was born, she was - well - different ...

MIDWIFE
IT'S COMING ...

FATHER
NOW?

MIDWIFE
THE BABY'S COMING ...

FATHER
AND HOW!

MIDWIFE AND FATHER
I SEE A NOSE
I SEE A CURL
IT'S A HEALTHY, PERFECT
LOVELY, LITTLE -

FATHER
Sweet Oz!

MOTHER
What is it? What's wrong?

MIDWIFE
HOW CAN IT BE?

FATHER
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

MIDWIFE
IT'S ATROCIOUS!

FATHER
IT'S OBSCENE!

MIDWIFE AND FATHER
LIKE A FROGGY, FERNY CABBAGE
THE BABY IS UNNATURALLY -

ALL
GREEN!

FATHER
Take it away ... take it away!

GLINDA
So you see - it couldn't have been easy!

ALL
NO ONE MOURNS THE WICKED
NOW AT LAST, SHE'S DEAD AND GONE
NOW AT LAST, THERE'S JOY THROUGHOUT THE LAND
AND
GOODNESS KNOWS
WE KNOW WHAT GOODNESS IS
GOODNESS KNOWS
THE WICKED DIE ALONE

GLINDA
SHE DIED ALONE ...

ALL
WOE TO THOSE (WOE TO THOSE)
WHO SPURN WHAT GOODNESSES
THEY ARE SHOWN
NO ONE MOURNS THE WICKED ...

GLINDA
GOOD NEWS!

CROWD
NO ONE MOURNS THE WICKED!

GLINDA
GOOD NEWS!

ALL
NO ONE MOURNS THE WICKED!
WICKED!
WICKED!

 Wicked Part One is in theaters now. Get tickets at Fandango. Wicked Part Two hits theaters November 21, 2025.