"Scream and Run Away" is the first track on The Tragic Treasury, performed by The Gothic Archies.
Lyrics[]
- The Count has an eye on his ankle
- And lives in a horrible place
- He wants all your money
- He's never at all funny
- He wants to remove your face
- And you might be thinking, what a romp this is
- But wait 'til you meet his accomplices
- When you see Count Olaf
- You're suddenly full of
- Disgust and despair and dismay
- In the whole of the soul
- Of Count Olaf there's no love
- When you see Count Olaf, count to zero
- Then scream and run away
- Scream, scream, scream and run away
- Run, run, run, run, run, run, run
- Or die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die
- Run, run, run, run, run, run, run
- Or die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die
- Two women with powdered white faces
- And one long-nosed bald man with warts
- Things worsen and worsen
- There's a hook-handed person
- And others with nastier parts
- This evil and unpleasant crew
- Complete Count Olaf's acting troupe
- The goal of Count Olaf is getting control of
- The fortunes of urchins and orphans, hooray
- I mean, horrors, Count Olaf
- Is no laughing matter
- When you see Count Olaf, count to zero
- Then scream and run away
- Scream, scream, scream and run away
- Run, run, run, run, run, run, run
- Or die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die
- Run, run, run, run, run, run, run
- Or die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die
References to A Series of Unfortunate Events[]
- The Count has an eye on his ankle
- A reference to Count Olaf's infamous tattoo; while it is used as an identifier of him in early books, it is later revealed to be a common insignia of VFD; however, the eye remains permanently entwined with Olaf for the Baudelaire children, who saw it on him first and etched throughout his home.
- The eye itself is likely symbolic of the siblings always feeling watched and judged- similar to the eye in The Great Gatsby, as referenced by Klaus in the Netflix adaptation.[1]
- And lives in a horrible place
- Count Olaf's house is described throughout The Bad Beginning as a dirty, crumbling building, not at all suitable for children- or anyone- to live in. Even worse than the building's foundation, it is noted to be a horrible place to live mainly due to the abuse the children suffer at the hands of their guardian.
- He wants all your money
- A reference to Count Olaf's claimed motive throughout the series, gaining access to the Baudelaire Fortune. It could also be a reference to his general greediness, as he attempts to gain riches through other unethical means.
- He's never at all funny
- Lemony Snicket consistently describes Olaf as a horrible, untalented actor. He describes this opinion in a newspaper editorial of one of his plays,[2] and claims the crowd was disgusted with The Marvelous Marriage even before Olaf's marriage plot was revealed, due to the poor acting and writing.[3]
- He wants to remove your face
- After witnessing Olaf threaten the Baudelaies for preparing the "wrong" meal, the Bald Man approaches Violet and tells her, "You're a pretty one. If I were you, I would try not to anger Count Olaf, or he might wreck that pretty little face of yours."
- And you might be thinking, what a romp this is
But wait 'til you meet his accomplices- While at first a clear reference to Count Olaf's acting troupe, it could be a subtle reference to his later associates and members of the Firestarting side of VFD, which provide a more existential threat.
- When you see Count Olaf, count to zero
Then scream and run away- "For years… Klaus thought of the time when he and his siblings realized that Stephano was actually Count Olaf, and was filled with regret that he didn’t call out to the driver of the taxicab who was beginning to drive back down the driveway."[4]
- Two women with powdered white faces
- A reference to the White-Faced Women.
- And one long-nosed bald man with warts
- A reference to the Bald Man with the Long Nose, as well as possibly the Wart-Faced Man, who only appears in The Bad Beginning.
- Things worsen and worsen
- Thoughout the books, the Baudelaires' situation becomes more dire until they are forced to take action themselves.
- There's a hook-handed person
- A reference to Fernald.
- And others with nastier parts
- Likely a reference to the rest of the troupe, unnamed in the song- the Henchperson of Indeterminate Gender, Esmé Squalor, Carmelita Spats, etc.
- This evil and unpleasant crew
Complete Count Olaf's acting troupe- Obviously referencing that the Henchpeople masquerade as an acting trorupe.
- The goal of Count Olaf is getting control of
The fortunes of urchins and orphans, hooray- Once again references Olaf's claimed motive of gaining control of the Baudelaire fortune, as well as his future goal of obtaining fortunes from the Quagmire triplets and Snow Scouts.
- The fortunes of urchins and orphans, hooray
I mean, horrors[...]- Likely a reference to how Count Olaf is rarely seen as a threat until it is too late...
Details in the Song[]
Each song in the treasury has a tune, effects, vocals, background details, and/or rhythm that makes each track unique.
- This song is the most directly related to the source material and like the book, is meant to introduce the listener to Count Olaf and his henchpeople.
- The rhythm of this song feels as though it would be the kind of song to sing while going in a circle. This can imply the idea of repetition that exists in all of Lemony's books and Count Olaf's neverending pursuit of the Baudelaire orphans
- This song's lyrics seem to have the most repetition. This could allude to the fact that Count Olaf repeatedly pursues the orphans in which they are forced to scream and run away from him.
- Daniel Handler can play this song on his accordion.
Gallery[]
Scream and Run Away Lemony Snicket-1
Scream and Run Away
Sources[]
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