"Look Away" is the main theme song for the television series A Series of Unfortunate Events. It was written by composer Nick Urata, featuring lyrics by Daniel Handler. The song is performed by Neil Patrick Harris, and plays during the Opening Credits.
Like Lemony Snicket's original narration, and the publisher summaries, this song warns against continuing the dreadful story any further, tempting the viewer with reverse psychology. It foresees the unfortunate events that will occur throughout the episode, should the viewer wish to continue watching it.
The middle portion of the lyrics changes depending on which book is being portrayed in the episode in the form of a brief synopsis. In every second part of each book adaptation, Harris sings the song in character as Count Olaf's disguise for that episode, or as Count Olaf himself if he is not in disguise for that episode, while in every first part and in The End, Harris sings in his normal voice with an occasional backup singer helping out.
Lyrics[]
- Look away, look away
- Look away, look away
- This show will wreck your evening your whole life and your day
- Ev'ry single episode is nothing but dismay
- So look away, look away, look away
Middle verses (Season 1)[]
A Bad Beginning[]
- 3 children lose their home and go to live with someone awful
- He tries to steal their fortune with a plot that's not quite lawful
- It's hard to fathom how the orphans manage to live through it
- Or how a decent person like yourself would even want to view it
- (Part 2 as himself)
The Reptile Room[]
- The Baudelaires are living with a man who studies snakes
- He's jolly and he's secretive and makes a few mistakes
- Spoiler alert a villain comes to steal and murder
- And so if I were you I wouldn't even watch one minute further
- (Part 2 as Stephano)
The Wide Window[]
- The Baudelaires' new guardian is wracked by fear and panic
- They end up on a boat that might as well be the Titanic
- We polled a bunch of adults 99% agree
- There must be something happier on screen for you to see
- (Part 2 as Captain Sham)
The Miserable Mill[]
- The lumbermill is where the Baudelaires are forced to work
- The eye doctor is sinister the owner is a jerk
- They end up in a fiendish plot with logs and hypnotism
- The very thought of watching should be met with skepticism
- (Part 2 as Shirley)
Middle verses (Season 2)[]
The Austere Academy[]
- At school the Baudelaires are forced to live in an old shack
- Comfort joy and safety are among the things they lack
- They run a lot of laps which keeps them in fantastic shape
- But you're the one who ought to take this chance for an escape
- (Part 2 as Coach Genghis)
The Ersatz Elevator[]
- The Baudelaires* are taken in by people who are rich
- But Olaf has a plan that's going off without a hitch
- It's a race against the clock to rescue their 2 kidnapped friends*
- You'll need rescuing yourself before this grim tale ends
- (In Part 2 it says 'Das Baudelaires' and 'Please')
- (Part 2 as Gunther)
The Vile Village[]
- The town of VFD is full of people full of rules
- The Quagmires have once again been kidnapped for their jewels
- The Baudelaires must rescue them but end up getting jailed
- You might hope that things improve but I'm afraid* that ship has sailed
- (In Part 2 it says 'shoo-be-do-be-dop' instead of 'I'm afraid')
- (Part 2 as Detective Dupin)
The Hostile Hospital[]
- The Baudelaires are hiding in a place crawling with doctors
- Count Olaf's close behind them with his troupe of lousy actors*
- Something dreadful happens with a big sharp rusty knife
- So if I were you I'd find some other way to spend your life
- (The singer pronounces it 'ahctors' to rhyme with 'doctors')
- (Part 2 as Mattathias Medicalschool)
The Carnivorous Carnival[]
- The Baudelaires are hiding in a carnival of freaks
- Count Olaf is the worst he's been* for more than several weeks
- The lions in the Hinterlands are hungry and quite fierce
- There's lit'rally no program you can watch that's any wierse*
- (In Part 2 'Been' is pronounced /bēn/ and in both parts ‘worse’ is either stretched to rhyme with ‘fierce’ or combined with 'weird')
- (Part 2 as Ringmaster)
Middle verses (Season 3)[]
The Slippery Slope[]
- The Baudelaires are trapped in mountains covered up in snow
- More villains have arrived and there is no place they can go
- It's a horrid way to start up this our 3rd and final season
- Anyone still watching it has clearly lost all reason
- (Part 2 as himself)
The Grim Grotto[]
- The Baudelaires are deep below the surface of the sea
- Hoping to avoid Count Olaf's horrid company
- But of course he finds them and of course it's very awful
- This show is so grim it really ought to be unlawful
- (Part 2 as himself)
The Penultimate Peril[]
- The Baudelaires check into a hotel to spy upon
- A group of awful people for whom murder is a yawn
- It may seem like Count Olaf will be fin'lly brought to justice
- But why would any viewers think that they could really trust us?
- (Part 2 as himself)
The End[]
- The Baudelaires adrift at sea wash up far off the map
- Olaf's right behind them with a fungus and a trap
- Our story ends in tragedy upon a coastal shelf
- I beg of you I beg of you stop watching save yourself
Back to Main Lyrics[]
- Just look away, look away
- There's nothing but horror and inconvenience on the way
- Ask any stable person "Should I watch?" and they will say
- Look away
- Look away, look away
- Look away, look away
- Look away, look away
- Look away, look away