Light at the End of the Tunnel

"Light at the End of the Tunnel" is the big, gospel-flavoured finale to Starlight Express.

Context[]

After the big 11th hour duet between Rusty and Pearl, Poppa and the ensemble are led to their location by the crashed Greaseball, Caboose and Electra. Poppa convinces Greaseball and Electra that the future lies in their converting to Steam power.

The first productions, London and Broadway, gave the main vocals to Poppa and Belle, but in subsequent productions, Belle's lines were sung in the main by the ensemble, but occasionally by Ashley and Buffy. Later productions altered what was originally a slow break in the middle to continuing the upbeat pace throughout.

This number is often performed for promotional purposes. In permanent productions, the staging of the finale brings all the characters out into the audience, breaking the 4th wall and encouraging the audience to clap along.

Prior to the Megamix, this number concluded the show, with an instrumental skate-round and individual bows, then the cast singing a final refrain of "At the end of the tunnel there's a light - Starlight!" to finish the show.

Lyrics[]

Original London Lyrics[]

POPPA:	Diesel is for unbelievers!
	Electricity is wrong!
	Steam has got the power
	That'll pull you along!

	There's a light
	At the end of the tunnel
	There's a light
	At the end of the tunnel
	The inside might
	Be as black as the night
ALL:	But there's a light
	At the end of the tunnel
	There's a light
	At the end of the tunnel
	The inside might
	Be as black as the night
	But at the end of the tunnel
	There's a light.
	(There's a light)

POPPA:	It's the power of James Watt,
	The steaming Scot
ALL:	The man who watched the pot
	And said "Hey, I've got
	A brilliant plot:
	When the steam is hot
	It seems to make a lot of power"

POPPA:	It could turn a wheel ...
ALL:	Lots of power ...
POPPA:	It could drive it down a track ...
ALL:	Clickety clack, clickety clack...
POPPA:	It could drive it with a beat ...
ALL:	Choo-choo-choo...
	With enough left over for a
	Whoo-whoo!

	He saw the light
	At the end of the tunnel
	He saw the light
	At the end of the tunnel
POPPA:	Thanks James Watt
ALL:	(Thank you Mr Watt)
POPPA:	For watching the pot
ALL:	He saw a light
	At the end of the tunnel
	He saw a light
	At the end of the tunnel
	The inside might
	Be as black as the night
	But at the end of the tunnel
	There's a light.

POPPA:	There are dark days ahead
	When the power goes dead.
	When the oil runs dry
	What can we try?
ALL:	We could use the sunlight
POPPA:	But it don't shine at night.
ALL:	Nuclear fission
	Leaves a nasty emission.
POPPA:	Soon the pistons will be humming
	Steam will have a second coming
	Woo-woo-woo!

ALL:	We see light
	At the end of the tunnel
	We see light
	At the end of the tunnel
	Just dig a hole
	And haul out the coal
	We see light
	At the end of the tunnel
	We see light
	At the end of the tunnel
	So let the water boil -
	Goodbye to oil
	At the end of the tunnel
	There's a light.

	We see light
	At the end of the tunnel
	(We see the light)
	We see light
	At the end of the tunnel
	(We see the light)
	When the Angel Gabriel
	Blows his magic toot
	We see light
	At the end of the tunnel
	(We see the light)
	We see light
	At the end of the tunnel
	(We see the light)

	We see the distant gleam
	That tells you it's steam
	At the end of the tunnel
	There's a light
	Starlight!

Tony Awards 1987 Starlight Sequence and Light

Light at the End of the Tunnel - Starlight Express London

1997 Mexico + Translation[]

^[1]

EL JEFE:	El Diesel debe irse lento	POPPA:	Diesel must make you slow
	Falla la electricidad		Electricity fails
	El vapor nos guía os		Steam will guide us,
	Lo digo en verdad		I tell you the truth

	Siempre hay luz		There's a light
	Al final del túnel		At the end of the tunnel
	Si, si		Yes, yes
	Siempre hay luz		There's a light
	Al final del túnel		At the end of the tunnel
	Da miedo entrar		It's frightening to enter
	Pero ves al final		But see at the end
TODOS:	Que siempre hay luz	ALL:	That there's a light
	Al final del túnel		At the end of the tunnel
	Siempre hay luz		There's a light
	Al final del túnel		At the end of the tunnel
	Da miedo entrar		It's frightening to enter
	Pero ves al final		But you see at the end
	Que brillará en el túnel		That the shine in the tunnel
	Una luz		Is a light

EL JEFE:	Volverá el vapor	POPPA:	Steam will return
TODOS:	Con potencia	ALL:	With power
EL JEFE:	Su poder locomotor	POPPA:	It's locomotive power
TODOS:	Ferrocarril, Ferrocarril	ALL:	Railroad, railroad
EL JEFE:	Y que suene al rodar	POPPA:	And it sounds when it's rolling
TODOS:	Chu, Chu, Chu	ALL:	Choo, choo, choo
EL JEFE:	Hasta que se oiga un gran	POPPA:	Until a great one is heard
TODOS:	Woo, Woo, Woo	ALL:	Woo, Woo, Woo

	Ya veo luz		We see the light
	Al final del túnel		At the end of the tunnel
	Ya veo luz		We see the light
	Al final del túnel		At the end of the tunnel
	Da miedo entrar		It may be frightening in side
	Pero ves al final		But see at the end
	Que brillará en el túnel		That the shine in the tunnel
	Una luz		Is a light
	(Una luz)		(Is a light)

EL JEFE:	Viene la extinción	POPPA:	The extinction is coming
	Si queremos tracción		If we want traction
	Sin petroleo Ya		Without oil now
	Que pasará		What happens
	Que mueva el sol al tren		To the solar powered train
	Y en la noche quién		In the night
TODOS:	Es muy nocivo	ALL:	It is very harmful
	El poder radioactivo		Radioactive power is very dangerous
EL JEFE:	El vapor esta más cerca	POPPA:	Steam is very close
	Su reacción se acerca		It's reaction coming

TODOS:	Ya veo luz	ALL:	We see the light
	Al final del túnel		At the end of the tunnel
	Ya veo luz		We see the light
	Al final del túnel		At the end of the tunnel
EL JEFE:	La solución será el carbón	POPPA:	The answer will be coal
TODOS:	Ya veo luz	ALL:	We see the light
	Al final del túnel		At the end of the tunnel
	Ya veo luz		We see the light
	Al final del túnel		At the end of the tunnel
EL JEFE:	Ya vemos luz	POPPA:	We see the light
TODOS:	La necesitaras agua y ya	ALL:	Now you need water
	Al final del túnel		At the end of the tunnel
	Siempre hay luz		There is light
EL JEFE:	Hay que llegar	POPPA:	You have to come

TODOS:	Ya vemos luz	ALL:	We see the light
	Al final del túnel		At the end of the tunnel
	(Ya vemos luz, ya vemos luz)		(we see the light, we see the light)
	Canta aleluya con el corazón		Sing "alelujah" with your heart
	Y ve la luz		And see the light
	Al final del túnel		At the end of the tunnel
	(Ve la luz y ve la luz)		(See the light, see the light)
	Y ve la luz		And see the light
	Al final del túnel		At the end of the tunnel
	(Ve la luz y ve la luz)		(See the light, see the light)

	Si miras un fulgor		If you see a light
	Y ves el vapor		And see the steam
	Esa luz en el túnel		This light in the tunnel
	Es la luz		Is the light
	Astral		Starlight

German Lyrics[]

POPPA:	Diesel nimmt dir deinen Glauben!
	Elektrizität schafft es nie!
	Dampf allein' hat Kräfte,
	Die uns jetzt vorwärts zieh'n.

	Es gibt ein Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnels.
	Es gibt ein Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnels.
	Ist man im Tunnel drin, dann sieht man es nicht,
	Jedoch am Ende des Tunnels scheint ein Licht.
ALL:	Es gibt ein Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnels.
	Es gibt ein Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnels.
	Ist man im Tunnel drin, dann sieht man es nicht,
	Jedoch am Ende des Tunnels scheint ein Licht.

POPPA:	Es entdeckte James Watt den Dampf im Pott,
	Der Schotte war ganz platt, dass Dampf Kraft hat,
	Denn in der Tat bringt Dampf in Fahrt,
	Mit Dampf kann man sehr viel bewegen.
	Er bewegt das Land -
ALL:	Kann bewegen.
POPPA:	Bringt jeden Zug in Fahrt -
ALL:	Ratatata, Ratatata.
POPPA:	Sein Rhythmus tut uns gut -
ALL:	Shoo Shoo Shoo.
POPPA:	Und er hat genug Kraft für das -
ALL:	Wowoo.
	Er sah das Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnel.
	Er sah das Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnel.

POPPA:	Denn dank James Watt bringt Dampf in Fahrt.
ALL:	Er sah das Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnel.
	Er sah das Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnel.
	Ist man im Tunnel drin, dann sieht man es nicht,
	Jedoch am Ende des Tunnels scheint ein Licht.

POPPA:	Es kommt eine Zeit großer Dunkelheit,
	Wenn das Öl versieht -
	Wo es nichts mehr gibt!
ALL:	Es gibt Sonnenenergie -
POPPA:	Doch nachts gibt es sie nie!
ALL:	Atomenergie -
POPPA:	Wollen wir nie!
	Lass den Kolben nicht verstummen,
	Dampf wird schließlich wieder kommen!

ALL:	Wir sehen ein Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnels.
	Wir sehen ein Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnels.
	Drum grabt ein Loch und holt Kohle raus.
	Wir sehen ein Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnels.
	Wir sehen ein Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnels.
	Das Wasser gibt uns kraft, wir haben's geschafft,
	Ganz am Ende des Tunnels schein ein Licht.
	Wir sehen ein Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnels.
	Wir sehen ein Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnels.

	Wenn der Engel Gabriel uns ein Zeichen gibt,
	Seh'n wir das Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnels.
	Wir sehen ein Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnels.
	Wir sehen den hellen Schein, der Dampf muss es sein,
	Denn ein Licht scheint uns in der Dunkelheit:
	Starlight!