RENT
Lyrics: Rent
MARK
How do you document real life
When real life is getting more
Like fiction each day
Headlines -- bread-lines
Blow my mind
And now this deadline
"Eviction -- or pay"
Rent!
ROGER
How do you write a song
When the chords sound wrong
Though they once sounded right and rare
When the notes are sour
Where is the power
You once had to ignite the air
MARK
And we're hungry and frozen
ROGER
Some life that we've chosen
TOGETHER
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
Last year's rent
MARK
We light candles
ROGER
How do you start a fire
When there's nothing to burn
And it feels like something's stuck in your flue
MARK
How can you generate heat
When you can't feel your feet
BOTH
And they're turning blue!
MARK
You light up a mean blaze
ROGER
With posters --
MARK
And screenplays
ROGER AND MARK
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
Last year's rent
JOANNE
Don't screen, Maureen
It's me -- Joanne
Your substitute production manager
Hey hey hey! (Did you eat?)
Don't change the subject Maureen
But darling -- you haven't eaten all day
You won't throw up
You won't throw up
The digital delay ---
Didn't blow up (exactly)
There may have been one teeny tiny spark
You're not calling Mark
COLLINS
How do you stay on your feet
When on every street
It's 'trick or treat'
(And tonight it's 'trick')
'Welcome back to town'
Oh, I should lie down
Everything's brown
And uh -- oh
I feel sick
MARK
Where is he?
COLLINS
Getting dizzy
MARK AND ROGER
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
Last year's rent
BENNY
Alison baby -- you sound sad
I don't believe those two after everything I've done
Ever since our wedding I'm dirt -- They'll see
I can help them all out in the long run
ROGER
"The music ignites the night with passionate fire"
"The narration crackles and pops with incendiary wit"
MARK AND ROGER
And feel the heat of the future's glow
MARK
Hello? Maureen?
--Your equipment won't work?
Okay, all right, I'll go!
MARK AND HALF OF COMPANY
How do you leave the past behind
When it keeps finding ways to get to your heart
It reaches way down deep and tears you inside out
Till you're torn apart
Rent!
ROGER AND OTHER HALF OF COMPANY
How can you connect in an age
Where strangers, landlords, lovers
Your own blood cells betray
ALL
What binds the fabric together
When the raging, shifting winds of change
Keep ripping away
BENNY
Draw a line in the sand
And then make a stand
ROGER
Use your camera to spar
MARK
Use your guitar
ALL
When they act tough - you call their bluff
MARK AND ROGER
We're not gonna pay
MARK AND ROGER WITH HALF OF COMPANY
We're not gonna pay
MARK AND ROGER WITH OTHER HALF OF COMPANY
We're not gonna pay
ALL
Last year's rent
This year's rent
Next year's rent
Rent rent rent rent rent
We're not gonna pay rent
ROGER AND MARK
'Cause everything is rent
Lyrics: One Song Glory
ROGER
One song
Glory
One song
Before I go
Glory
One song to leave behind
Find one song
One last refrain
Glory
From the pretty boy front man
Who wasted opportunity
One song
He had the world at his feet
Glory
In the eyes of a young girl
A young girl
Find glory
Beyond the cheap colored lights
One song
Before the sun sets
Glory -- on another empty life
Time flies -- time dies
Glory -- One blaze of glory
One blaze of glory -- glory
Find
Glory
In a song that rings true
Truth like a blazing fire
An eternal flame
Find
One song
A song about love
Glory
From the soul of a young man
A young man
Find
The one song
Before the virus takes hold
Glory
Like a sunset
One song
To redeem this empty life
Time flies
And then - no need to endure anymore
Time dies
The door
Lyrics: Light My Candle
ROGER
What'd you forget?
MIMI
Got a light?
ROGER
I know you? -- You're --
You're shivering
MIMI
It's nothing
They turned off my heat
And I'm just a little
Weak on my feet
Would you light my candle?
What are you staring at?
ROGER
Nothing
Your hair in the moonlight
You look familiar
Can you make it?
MIMI
Just haven't eaten much today
At least the room stopped spinning.
Anyway. What?
ROGER
Nothing
Your smile reminded me of --
MIMI
I always remind people of -- who is she?
ROGER
She died. Her name was April
MIMI
It's out again
Sorry about your friend
Would you light my candle?
ROGER
Well --
MIMI
Yeah. Ow!
ROGER
Oh, the wax -- it's --
MIMI
Dripping! I like it -- between my --
ROGER
Fingers. I figured...
Oh, well. Goodnight.
It blew out again?
MIMI
No -- I think that I dropped my stash
ROGER
I know I've seen you out and about
When I used to go out
Your candle's out
MIMI
I'm illin' --
I had it when I walked in the door
It was pure --
Is it on the floor?
ROGER
The floor?
MIMI
They say I have the best ass below
Is it true?
ROGER
What?
MIMI
You're staring again.
ROGE
Oh no.
I mean you do -- have a nice --
I mean -- You look familiar
MIMI
Like your dead girlfriend?
ROGER
Only when you smile.
But I'm sure I've seen you somewhere else --
MIMI
Do you go to the Cat Scratch Club?
That's where I work - I dance - help me look
ROGER
Yes!
They used to tie you up --
MIMI
It's a living
ROGER
I didn't recognize you
Without the handcuffs
MIMI
We could light the candle
Oh won't you light the candle?
ROGER
Why don't you forget that stuff
You look like you're sixteen
MIMI
I'm nineteen -- but I'm old for my age
I'm just born to be bad
ROGER
I once was born to be bad
I used to shiver like that
MIMI
I have no heat -- I told you
ROGER
I used to sweat
MIMI
I got a cold
ROGER
Uh huh
I used to be a junkie
MIMI
But now and then I like to --
ROGER
Uh huh
MIMI
Feel good
ROGER
Here it -- um --
MIMI
What's that?
ROGER
It's a candy bar wrapper
MIMI
We could light the candle
MIMI
What'd you do with my candle?
ROGER
That was my last match
MIMI
Our eyes'll adjust, thank God for the moon
ROGER
Maybe it's not the moon at all
I hear Spike Lee's shooting down the street
MIMI
Bah humbug ... Bah humbug
ROGER
Cold hands
MIMI
Yours too.
Big. Like my father's
You wanna dance?
ROGER
With you?
MIMI
No -- with my father
ROGER
I'm Roger
MIMI
They call me
They call me Mimi
Lyrics: Tango Maureen
JOANNE
The samples won't delay
But the cable --
MARK
There's another way
Say something -- anything
JOANNE
Test -- one, two three --
MARK
Anything but that
JOANNE
This is weird
MARK
It's weird
JOANNE
Very weird
MARK
Fuckin' weird
JOANNE
I'm so mad
That I don't know what to do
Fighting with microphones
Freezing down to my bones
And to top it all off
I'm with you
MARK
Feel like going insane?
Got a fire in your brain?
And you're thinking of drinking gasoline?
JOANNE
As a matter of fact --
MARK
Honey, I know this act
It's called the 'Tango Maureen'
The Tango Maureen
It's a dark, dizzy merry-go-round
As she keeps you dangling
JOANNE
You're wrong
MARK
Your heart she is mangling
JOANNE
It's different with me
MARK
And you toss and you turn
'Cause her cold eyes can burn
Yet you yearn and you churn and rebound
JOANNE
I think I know what you mean
BOTH
The Tango Maureen
MARK
Has she ever pouted her lips
And called you 'Pookie'
JOANNE
Never
MARK
Have you ever doubted a kiss or two?
JOANNE
This is spooky
Did you swoon when she walked through the door?
MARK
Every time -- so be cautious
JOANNE
Did she moon over other boys --?
MARK
More than moon --
JOANNE
I'm getting nauseous
MARK
Where'd you learn to tango?
JOANNE
With the French Ambassador's daughter in her dorm
room at Miss Porter's. And you?
MARK
With Nanette Himmelfarb. The Rabbi's daughter at the
Scarsdale Jewish Community Center.
It's hard to do this backwards.
JOANNE
You should try it in heels!
She cheated
MARK
She cheated
JOANNE
Maureen cheated
MARK
Fuckin' cheated
JOANNE
I'm defeated
I should give up right now
MARK
Gotta look on the bright side
With all of your might
JOANNE
I'd fall for her still anyhow
BOTH
When you're dancing her dance
You don't stand a chance
Her grip of romance
Make you fall
MARK
So you think, 'Might as well'
JOANNE
"Dance a tango to hell"
BOTH
'At least I'll have tangoed at all'
The Tango Maureen
Gotta dance till your diva is through
You pretend to believe her
Cause in the end -- you can't leave her
But the end it will come
Still you have to play dumb
Till you're glum and you bum
And turn blue
MARK
Why do we love when she's mean?
JOANNE
And she can be so obscene
JOANNE
My Maureen
BOTH
The tango Maureen
Lyrics: Will I
Will I lose my dignity
will someone care
will i wake tomorrow
from this nightmare
Lyrics: Without You
MAUREEN
Without you, the ground thaws, the rain falls, the grass grows. Without you, the seeds root, the flowers bloom, the
children play. The stars gleam, the poets dream, the
eagles fly, without you. The earth turns, the sun burns, but I die, without you. Without you, the stars roar the breeze
warms, the girl smiles, the cloud moves. Without you, the tides change, the boys run, the oceans crash. The crowds roar,
the
days soar, the babies cry, without you. The moon glows, the river flows, but I die, without you.
MAUREEN & JOANNE
The world revives, colors renew, but I know blue, only blue, lonely blue, within
me blue.
MAUREEN
Without you. Without you the hand gropes, the ear hears, the pulse beats.
BOTH
Without you, the eyes gaze, the legs walk, the lungs breathe.
JOANNE
The mind churns!
MAUREEN
The mind churns!
JOANNE
The heart yearns!
MAUREEN
The heart yearns!
BOTH
The tears dry, without you. Life goes on, but I’m gone.
MAUREEN
Cause I die, without you.
JOANNE
Without you.
BOTH
Without you
ver. 2
ROGER
Where were you?
MIMI
I'm sorry I'm late...
ROGER
I know, You lost your keys. No, you went for a walk; you
had to help your mother. And how's Benny? I'm going
upstairs tonight.
MIMI
That's Not...
I Should Tell You
I Should...
Never mind...
ROGER
Happy Spring
MIMI
Without You
The Ground Thaws
The Rain Falls
The Grass Grows
Without You
The Seeds Root
The Flowers Bloom
The Children Play
The Stars Gleam
The Eagles Fly
Without You
The Earth Turns
The Sun Burns
But I Die
Without You
Without You
The Breeze Warms
The Girls Smile
The Cloud Moves
Without You
The Tides Change
The Oceans Crash
The Crowd Roars
The Days Soar
The Babies Cry
Without You
The Moon Glows
The River Flows
But I Die
Without You
ROGER
The World Revives
MIMI
Colors Renew
BOTH
But I Know Blue
Only Blue
Lonely Blue
Within Me, Blue
Without You
MIMI
Without You
The Hand Gropes
The Ear Hears
The Pulse Beats
ROGER
Without You
The Eyes Gaze
The Legs Walk
The Lungs Breathe
BOTH
The Mind Churns
The Heart Yearns
The Tears Dry
Without You
Life Goes On
But I'm Gone
Cause I Die
ROGER
Without You
MIMI
Without You
ROGER
Without You
BOTH
Without You
Lyrics: Seasons Of Love
COMPANY
525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure,
measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In
inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes - how do you
measure a year in the life?
How about love? How about love? How about love? Measure in love. Seasons of
love.
SOLOIST 1
525,600 minutes! 525,000 journeys to plan. 525,600 minutes - how can you measure
the life of a woman or man?
SOLOIST 2
In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried. In bridges he burned, or
the way that she died.
COMPANY
It’s time now to sing out, tho the story never ends let's celebrate remember a year in the life of friends. Remember
the love! Remember the love! Remember
the love! Measure in love. Seasons of love! Seasons of love.
Lyrics: La Vie Boheme
RESTAURANT MAN
No please no
Not tonight please no
Mister can't you go
Not tonight can't have a scene
ROGER
What?
RESTAURANT MAN
Go, please go;
You - Hello, sir
I said, "No"
Important customer
MARK
What am I just a blur?
RESTAURANT MAN
You sit all night you never buy
MARK
That's a lie that's a lie
I had a tea the other day
RESTAURANT MAN
You couldn't pay
MARK
Oh yeah
COLLINS
Benjamin Coffin III - here?
RESTAURANT MAN
Oh no
ALL
Wine and beer!
MAUREEN
The enemy of Avenue A
We'll stay
RESTAURANT MAN
Oy vey!
COLLINS
What brings the mogul in his own mind to the Life Cafe?
BENNY
I would like to propose a toast
To Maureen's noble try
It went well
MAUREEN
Go to hell
BENNY
Was the yuppie scum stomped
Not counting the homeless
How many tickets weren't comped
ROGER
Why did Muffy-
BENNY
Alison
ROGER
Miss the show?
BENNY
There was a death in the family
If you must know
ANGEL
Who died?
BENNY
Our Akita
BENNY, MARK, ANGEL, COLLINS
Evita
BENNY
Mimi I'm surprised
A bright and charming girl like you
Hangs out with these slackers
They make fun yet I'm the one
Attempting to do some good
Or do you really want a neighborhood
Where people piss on your stoop every night?
Bohemia, Bohemia's
A fallacy in your head
This is Calcutta
Bohemia is dead
MARK
Dearly beloved we gather here to say our goodbyes
MARK
Here she lies
No one knew her worth
The late great daughter of mother earth
On this night when we celebrate the birth
In that little town of Bethlehem
We raise our glass- you bet your ass to-
La vie Boheme
ALL
La vie Boheme
La vie Boheme
La vie Boheme
La vie Boheme
MARK
To days of inspiration
Playing hookie, making something out of nothing
The need to express
To communicate,
To going against the grain,
Going insane
Going mad
To loving tension, no pension
To more than one dimension,
To starving for attention,
Hating convention, hating pretension
Not to mention of course,
Hating dear old mom and dad
To riding your bike,
Midday past the three- piece suits
To fruits to no absolutes
To Absolute- to choice
To the Village Voice
To any passing fad
To being an us-for once-, instead of a them -
ALL
La vie Boheme
La vie Boheme
MAUREEN
Is the equipment in a pyramid?
JOANNE
It is, Maureen
MAUREEN
The mixer doesn't have a case
Don't give me that face
MR. GREY
Ahhemm
MAUREEN
Hey Mister- she's my sister
RESTAURANT MAN
So that's five miso soup, four seaweed salad
Three soy burger dinner, two tofu dog platter
And one pasta with meatless balls
A BOY
Ugh
COLLINS
It tastes the same
MIMI
If you close your eyes
RESTAURANT MAN
And thirteen orders of fries
Is that it here?
ALL
Wine and beer!
MIMI & ANGEL
To hand-crafted beers made in local breweries
To yoga, to yogurt, to rice and beans and cheese
To leather, to dildos, to curry vindaloo
To huevos rancheros and Maya Angelou
MAUREEN & COLLINS
Emotion, devotion, to causing a commotion
Creation, vacation
MARK
Mucho masturbation
MAUREEN & COLLINS
Compassion, to fashion, to passion when it's new
COLLINS
To Sontag
ANGEL
To Sondheim
FOUR PEOPLE
To anything taboo
COLLINS & ROGER
Ginsberg, Dylan, Cunningham and Cage
COLLINS
Lenny Bruce
ROGER
Langston Hughes
MAUREEN
To the stage
PERSON #1
To Uta
PERSON #2
To Buddha
PERSON #3
Pablo Neruda, too
MARK & MIMI
Why Dorothy and Toto went over the rainbow
To blow off Auntie
ALL
La
MAUREEN
And wipe the speakers off before you pack
JOANNE
Yes, Maureen
MAUREEN
Well - hurry back
MR. GREY
Sisters?
MAUREEN
We're close
ANGEL, COLLINS, MAUREEN, MARK, MR. GREY
Brothers!
MARK, ANGEL, MIMI & THREE OTHERS
Bisexuals, trisexuals, homo sapiens,
Carcinogens, hallucinogens, men, Pee Wee Herman
German wine, turpentine, Gertrude Stein
Antonioni, Bertolucci, Kurosawa
Carmina Burana
ALL
To apathy, to entropy, to empathy, ecstasy
Vaclav Havel - The Sex Pistols, 8BC,
To no shame - never playing the Fame Game
COLLINS
To marijuana
ALL
To sodomy,
It's between God and me
To S & M
BENNY
Waiter...Waiter...Waiter
ALL
La vie Boheme
COLLINS
In honor of the death of Bohemia an impromptu salon will commence
immediately following dinner
Mimi Marquez, clad only in bubble wrap, will perform her famous lawn
chair-handcuff dance to the sounds of iced tea being stirred
ROGER
Mark Cohen will preview his new documentary about his inability to hold an
rection on high holy days
MARK
Maureen Johnson, back from her spectacular one-night engagement at the
eleventh street lot,
Will sing native american tribal chants backwards through her vocoder,
While accompanying herself on the electric cello
Which she has never studied
BENNY
Your new boyfriend doesn't know about us?
MIMI
There's nothing to know
BENNY
Don't you think that we should discuss-
MIMI
It was three months ago
BENNY
He doesn't act like he's with you
MIMI
We're taking it slow
BENNY
Where is he now?
MIMI
He's right - hmm
BENNY
Uh huh
MIMI
Where'd he go?
MARK
Roger will attempt to write a bittersweet, evocative song
That doesn't remind us of "Musetta's Waltz"
COLLINS
Angel Dumott Schunard will now model the latest fall fashions from Paris
While accompanying herself on the
ANGEL
And Collins will recount his exploits as an anarchist
Including the successful reprogramming of the M.I.T. virtual reality equipment
To self-destruct, as it broadcast the words:
ALL
"Actual reality -- Act Up -- Fight AIDS"
BENNY
Check!
Lyrics: Out Tonight
MIMI:
Whats the time?
Well it's gotta be close to midnight
My body's talking to me
It say,'Time for danger'
It says 'I wanna commit a crime
Wanna be the cause of a fight
Wanna put on a tight skirt and flirt
With a stranger'
I've had a knack from way back
At breaking the rules once I learn the
Games
Get-up life's too quick
I know someplace sick
Where this chick'll dance it the flames
We don't need any money
I always get in for free
You can get in too
If you get in with me
Let's go out tonight
I have to go out tonight
You wanna play?
Let's run away
We wont be back
Before it's Christmas Day
Take me out tonight (meow)
When I get a wink from the doorman
Do you know how lucky you'll be?
That your on line with the feline of
Avenue B
Let's go out tonight
I have to go out tonight
You wanna prowl
Be my night owl?
Well take my hand we're gonna howl
Out tonight
In the evening I must roam
Can't sleep in the city of neon and chrome
Feels to damn much like like home
When the spanish babies cry
So let's find a bar
So dark we forget who we are
And all the scares from the
Nevers and maybes die
Let's go out tonight
Have to go out tonight
You're sweet
Wanna hit the street?
Wanna wail at the moon like a cat in
Heat?
Just take me out tonight
Please take me out tonight
Don't forsake me - out tonight
I'll let you make me - out tonight
Tonight - tonight – tonight
Lyrics: Take me or leave me
MAUREEN
every single day,
i walk down the street
i hear people say 'baby so sweet'
ever since puberty
everybody stares at me
boys girls i can't help it baby
so be kind and don't lose your mind
just remember that i'm your baby
take me for what i am
who i was ment to be
and if you give a damn
take me baby
or leave me
take me or leave me
a tiger in a cage
can never see the sun
this diva needs her stage baby
lets have fun
you are the one i choose
folks will kill to fill your shoes
you love the lime light to now baby
so be mine but don't waste my time
cryin' 'honey bear are you still my, my, my baby?'
take me for what i am
who i was ment to be
and if you give a damn
take me baby or leave me
no way, can i be what i'm not
but hey, don't you want your girl hot?
oh, don't fight, don't loose your head
'cause every night who's in your bed?
who?
who's in your bed?
kiss pookie
JOANNE
it won't work
i look before i leap
i love margins and discipline
i make list in my sleep baby
whats my sin?
never quit
i follow through
i hate mess but i love you
what do with my improptu baby?
so be wise 'cause this girl satisfies
you got a prize but don't compomise
your one lucky baby
JOANNE
take me for what i am
MAUREEN
a control freak
JOANNE
who i was ment to be
MAUREEN
a snob yet over attentive
JOANNE
and if you give a damn
MAUREEN
a loveable droll geek
JOANNE
take me baby or leave me
MAUREEN
a anal retentave
BOTH
thats it
JOANNE
the straw that breaks my back
BOTH
I quit
JOANNE
unless you take it back
MAUREEN
women what is it about them?
BOTH
can't live with them or without them
take me for what i am
JOANNE
who i was ment to be
MAUREEN
who i was ment to be
and if you give a damn
JOANNE
and if you give a damn then
take me baby, or leave me
MAUREEN
take me baby, take me or la-la-la-la-la-leave me
BOTH
take me baby or leave me
Guess i'm leaving i'm gone!
Lyrics: Another day
ROGER
Who do you think you are?
Barging in on me and my guitar
Little girl -- hey
The door is that way
You better go you know
The fire's out anyway
Take your powder -- take your candle
Your sweet whisper
I just can't handle
Well take your hair in the moonlight
Your brown eyes -- goodbye, goodnight
I should tell you I should tell you
I should tell you I should -- no!
Another time -- another place
Our temperature would climb
There'd be a long embrace
We'd do another dance
It'd be another play
Looking for romance?
Come back another day
Another day
MIMI
The heart may freeze or it can burn
The pain will ease if I can learn
There is no future
There is no past
I live this moment as my last
There's only us
There's only this
Forget regret
Or life is yours to miss
No other road
No other way
No day but today
ROGER
Excuse me if I'm off track
But if you're so wise
Then tell me -- why do you need smack?
Take your needle
Take your fancy prayer
And don't forget
Get the moonlight out of your hair
Long ago -- you might've lit up my heart
But the fire's dead -- ain't never ever gonna start
Another time -- another place
The words would only rhyme
We'd be in outer space
It'd be another song
We'd sing another way
You wanna prove me wrong?
Come back another day
Another day
MIMI
There's only yes
Only tonight
We must let go
To know what's right
No other course
No other way
No day but today
MIMI & OTHERS
I can't control
My destiny
I trust my soul
My only goal is just
To be
There's only now
There's only here
Give in to love
Or live in fear
No other path
No other way
No day but today...
ROGER
Control your temper
She doesn't see
Who says that there's a soul?
Just let me be...
Who do you think you are?
Barging in on me and my guitar
Little girl, hey
The door is that way
The fire's out anyway
ALL
No day but today
No day but today
No day but today
No day but today
No day but today
ROGER
Take your powder; take your candle
Take your brown eyes, your pretty smile, your silhouette
Another time, another place
Another rhyme, a warm embrace
Another dance, another way
Another chance, another day
