When You're An Addams

The song 'When You're An Addams' from The Addams Family Original Broadway Cast is a whimsical and darkly humorous celebration of the Addams family's unique lifestyle and values. The lyrics, sung by various members of the family, highlight their love for the macabre, their sense of humor, and their deep familial bonds. The song opens with Gomez Addams setting the scene in a graveyard, emphasizing the family's connection to the cycle of life and death. This introduction sets the tone for the rest of the song, which is filled with playful references to the Addams' unconventional way of life.

Throughout the song, the Addams family members describe the various traits and activities that define them. They revel in the moonlight, embrace the chill of the night, and find joy in the darker aspects of life, such as poison and death. Morticia and Gomez sing about the importance of having a sense of humor and a taste for death, while the rest of the family chimes in with their own peculiar preferences, like smelling blood and stirring the pot. These lyrics paint a vivid picture of a family that thrives on the eerie and the unusual, finding happiness in what others might consider morbid or frightening.

The song also underscores the strong sense of loyalty and love within the Addams family. Despite their oddities, they prioritize family above all else, as evidenced by lines like 'It's family first and family last / And family by and by.' This theme of familial devotion is a central aspect of the Addams' identity, and it is celebrated with gusto in the song. The final lines, 'When you're an Addams / You do what Addams do or- / Die!' encapsulate the family's commitment to their unique way of life, suggesting that being an Addams is not just about embracing the macabre, but also about staying true to oneself and one's family.