In the Heights Lyrics

von Lin-Manuel Miranda

USNAVI
Lights up on Washington Heights, up at the break of day
I wake up and I got this little punk I gotta chase away
Pop the grate at the crack of dawn, sing
While I wipe down the awning
Hey ya'll good morning

PIRAGUA GUY
Ice cold piragua! Parcha. China. Cherry. Strawberry. Just for today, I got mamey!

USNAVI
Oye, piraguero, como estas?

PIRAGUA GUY
Como siempre, Senor Usnavi.

USNAVI
I am Usnavi and you prob'ly never heard my name
Reports of my fame
Are greatly exaggerated
Exacerbated by the fact that my syntax
Is highly complicated cuz I emigrated from the single greatest little place in the Caribbean
Dominican Republic
I love it,
Jesus, I'm jealous of it
And beyond that,
Ever since my folks passed on,
I haven't gone back
Goddamn, I gotta get on that
(He sniffs the milk carton) Foh!
The milk has gone bad, hold up just a second
Why is everything in this fridge warm and tepid?
I better step it up and fight the heat
Cuz I'm not making any profit if the coffee isn't light and sweet!

ABUELA CLAUDIA
Ooo-ooo!

USNAVI
Abuela, my fridge broke. I've got cafe, but no con leche.

ABUELA CLAUDIA
Try my mother's old recipe: one can of condensed milk.

USNAVI
Nice.

ABUELA CLAUDIA
Ay! Paciencia y fe!

USNAVI
That was Abuela, she's not really my abuela
But she practically raised me
This corner is her escuela
Now you're prob'ly thinkin
"I'm up on shit's creek
I never been north of 96th street"
Well you must take the A train
Even farther than Harlem
To norther Manhattan and maintain
Get off at 181st and take the escalator
I hope your writing this down I'm gonna test you later
I'm getting tested times are tough on this bodega
Two months ago somebody bought Ortega's
Our neighborhood started packin up and pickin up
And ever since the rents went up
It's gotten mad expensive
But we live with just enough

COMMUNITY
In the heights
I flip my lights and start my day
There are fights
(Girls) And endless debts
(Boys) And bills to pay
In the heights
I can't survive without cafe

USNAVI
I serve cafe

COMMUNITY
Cuz tonight seems like a million years away!
En Washington-

USNAVI
Next up to bat, the Rosarios
They run the cab company
They struggle in the barrio
See, their daughter Nina's off at college, tuition is mad steep
So they can't sleep
Everything they get is mad cheap

KEVIN
Good morning, Usnavi.

USNAVI
Pan caliente, cafe con leche

KEVIN
Put twenty dollars on today's lottery

CAMILA
One ticket, that's it

KEVIN
Hey, a man's gotta dream

CAMILA
Don't mind him, he's all excited
Cuz Nina just flew in at 3 AM last night

KEVIN
Don't look at me, this one's been cooking all week.

CAMILA
Usnavi, come over for dinner

KEVIN/CAMILA
There's plenty to eat

DANIELA
So then Yesenia walk in the room
She smells sex and cheap perfume
It smells like one of those trees that you hang from the rear view
It's true
She screams, "Who's in there with you, Julio?"
Grabs a bat and kicks in the door
He's in bed with Jose from the liquor store

CARLA/USNAVI
No me diga

USNAVI
Daniela and Carla from the salon.

DANIELA/CARLA
Thanks, Usnavi!

USNAVI
Sonny, you're late.

SONNY
Chillax, you know you love me.

USNAVI
Me and my cousin runnin just another dime a dozen
Mom-and-pop stop-and-shop
And, oh my God, it's gotten too darn hot like my man Cole Porter said
People come through for a few cold waters and a lottery ticket, just a part of the routine
Everybody's got a job
Everybody's got a dream
They gossip as I sip my coffee and smirk
The first stop as people hop to work
Bust it-I'm like-
1 dollar, 2 dollar, 1.50, 1.69
I got it
You want a box of condoms what kind?
That's two quarters
Two quarter waters. The New York Times
You need a bag for that? The tax is added
Once you get some practice at it
You do rapid mathematics
Automatically
Sellin maxipads and fuzzy dice for taxicabs and practically
Everybody's stressed, yes, but they press through the mess
Bounce checks and wonder what's next

COMMUNITY
In the heights
I buy my coffee and I go
Set my sights
On only what I need to know
In the heights
Money is tight
But even so
When the lights go down I blast my radio

BENNY
You ain't got no skills

USNAVI
Benny!

BENNY
Lemme get a-

USNAVI
Milky Way

BENNY
Yeah, lemme also get a-

USNAVI
Daily News

BENNY
And a-

USNAVI
Post

BENNY
And most important my-

USNAVI
Boss' second coffee, one cream

BOTH
5 sugars

BENNY
I'm the #1 earner
The fastest learner
My boss can't keep me on the damn back burner

USNAVI
Yes he can

BENNY
I'm makin moves, I'm makin deals, but guess what?

USNAVI
What?

BENNY/SONNY
You still ain't got no skills

USNAVI
Hardee-har

BENNY
Vanessa show up yet?

USNAVI
Shut up!

BENNY
Hey little homie don't get so upset
Tell Vanessa how you feel
Buy the girl a meal
On the real
Or you ain't got no skills

VANESSA
(on the phone) NO! NO NO NO!
NO NO NO NO!
NO NO NO NO!
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!
Mr. Johnson, I got the security deposit
It's locked in a box in the bottom of my closet
It's not reflected in my bank statement
But I've been savin to make a down payment and pay rent
No, no, I won't let you down

BENNY
(to Usnavi) Yo, here's your chance ask her out right now.

VANESSA
I'll see you later we can look at that lease. (She hangs up.)

BENNY
(to Usnavi) Do somethin, make your move, don't freeze-

USNAVI
Hey

VANESSA
You owe me a bottle of cold champagne

USNAVI
Are you moving?

VANESSA
Just a little credit check and I'm on that downtown train

USNAVI
Well, your coffee's on the house

VANESSA
Okay

BENNY
(under his breath to Usnavi)
Usnavi, ask her out

USNAVI
No way

VANESSA
I'll see you later, so...(she exits)

BENNY
Ooh, smooth operator, aw damn there she go!
Yo, bro, take 5, take a walk outside
You look exhausted, lost, don't let life slide!
The whole hood is struggling, times are tight,
And you're stuck to this corner like a streetlight (exits)

USNAVI
Yeah, I'm a streetlight
Choking on the heat
The world spins around
While I'm frozen to my seat
The people that I know
All keep rolling down the street
But every day is different
So I'm switchin up the beat
Cuz my parents came with nothing
They got a little more
And sure, we're poor, but yo,
At least we got the store
And it's all about the legacy
They left with me, it's destiny
And one day I'll be on a beach
With Sonny writing checks to me

COMMUNITY
In the heights
I hang my flag up on display

USNAVI
We came to work and to live and we got a lot in common

COMMUNITY
It reminds me that I came from miles away

USNAVI
DR, PR, we are not stoppin

COMMUNITY
In the heights

ABUELA CLAUDIA
Every day, paciencia y fe

USNAVI
Until the day we go from poverty to stock options

COMMUNITY
In the heights
I've got today

USNAVI
And today's all we got so we cannot stop
This is our block

COMMUNITY
In the heoghts
I hang my flag up on display

PIRAGUA GUY
Lo le lo le lo lai lai lo le

COMMUNITY
It reminds that I came from miles away

USNAVI/PIRAGUA GUY/OTHERS
My family came from miles away

COMMUNITY
In the heights
It gets more expensive every day
And tonight is so far away-

USNAVI
But as for manana, mi pana
Ya gotta keep watchin
You'll see the late night
You'll taste beans and rice
The syrups and shaved ice,
I ain't gotta say it twice
So turn up the stage lights
We're takin a flight
To a couple days
In the life of what it's like

ALL
En Washington Heights!