"forgive for i did not know
Cos I was just a boy
And you were so much more
Than any god could ever plan
More than a woman or a man
And now I understand how much I took from you
That, when everything starts breaking down
You take the pieces off the ground
And show this wicked town
Something beautiful and new
You think that Luck
Has left you there
But maybe there's nothing
Up in the sky but air
And there's no mystical design
No cosmic lover preassigned
There's nothing you can find
That can not be found
Cos with all the changes
You've been through
It seems the stranger's always you
Alone again in some new
Wicked little town
So when you've got no other choice
You know you can follow my voice
Through the dark turns and noise
Of this wicked little town
Oh it's a wicked little town
Goodbye, wicked little town"
meaning by author
This reprise of “Wicked Little Town” is sung by Tommy Gnosis, appropriately full-circle, since “Wicked Little Town” is the song that Tommy hears Hedwig singing when they first meet each other.
In the song, Tommy apologizes to Hedwig for his coldness and asks her forgiveness, for he was young and knew not what he did. He also expresses his admiration for her and what she was and is: more than a woman, or a man.
In a recent interview with Out, Stephen Trask stated that this song was, on one level, him talking to his co-writer John Cameron Mitchell.
Hedwig’s a very unusual character, but much of her observations about the world come from either John or me. John was looking for another half, and when Tommy sings his version of “Wicked Little Town,” that’s me talking to John. Because we had this character to do it through, it didn’t seem indulgent. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met, but her feelings are identifiable and very real, so people find themselves making an unexpected connection with her. That’s what ended up happening.