Rent
Anthony Rapp Adam Pascal Daphne Rubin-Vega Jesse L. Martin Wilson Jermaine Heredia Idina Menzel Lyrics

How do you document real life
How do you capture the essence of the everyday events that happen in reality

When real life's getting more
When the events that occur in reality become more complex and harder to understand

Like fiction each day
Just like events out of a fictional story, reality is becoming more unbelievable day by day

Headlines, bread lines
The struggles of the everyday person and the current events that are being reported in the news every day

Blow my mind
It's difficult to comprehend the situations that are happening in the world right now

And now this deadline
The impending eviction deadline is adding to the stress and difficulties of life

"Eviction or pay"
The choice is between being evicted from one's home or somehow finding a way to make the payment

How do you write a song
How do you express yourself creatively through music

When the chords sound wrong
When the music you're producing doesn't quite sound the way you want it to

Though they once sounded right and rare
Even though the music once sounded unique and special, it no longer does

When the notes are sour
When the music you're creating lacks the spark and emotion it once had

Where is the power
Where is the force and strength that used to drive your creativity

You once had to ignite the air
You used to be able to inspire passion and generate energy with your music and creativity

We're hungry and frozen
We're struggling to make ends meet and we feel trapped and stuck in our current situations

Some life that we've chosen
Despite the difficulties and hardships we face, we still choose to live the life we're living

How we gonna pay
How are we going to come up with the money needed to meet our obligations

Last year's rent
The unpaid rent from last year is still hanging over our heads

How do you start a fire
How do you inspire passion and ignite creativity

When there's nothing to burn
When there's nothing inspiring or motivating you to create something new

And it feels like something's stuck in your flue
When it feels like something's blocking your creativity and preventing you from creating something new

How can you generate heat
How can you create something that inspires passion and excitement

When you can't feel your feet
When you're feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from the world around you

And they're turning blue
When you're feeling cold and alone, and unable to connect with others

You light up a mean blaze
You find ways to generate passion and creativity through art and self-expression

With posters
By creating art and hanging it up for others to see

And screenplays
By writing stories and ideas that inspire others

How do you stay on your feet
How do you keep going when life is difficult and you're struggling to make ends meet

When on every street
When it seems like there are struggles and hardships happening everywhere around you

It's 'trick or treat'
It feels like you're constantly being presented with a choice between something good and something bad

And tonight its 'trick'
You're facing another obstacle or difficulty that you need to overcome

'Welcome back to town'
Someone or something is returning to the place where you live

I should lie down
You're feeling overwhelmed and need to rest for a moment

Everything's brown
Everything feels dull and uninteresting, like there's no spark of life or creativity around you

And uh oh
Something's gone wrong or there's a problem that needs to be addressed

I feel sick
You're physically or emotionally unwell

Where is he?
Where is the person who should be helping or supporting you

Getting dizzy
You're feeling overwhelmed and struggling to keep everything together

The music ignites the night with passionate fire
The music inspires passion and excitement, kindling creativity throughout the night

The narration crackles and pops with incendiary wit
The story being told is full of humor and wit, adding to the passion and excitement of the music

Zoom in as they burn the past to the ground
Focus in on the people who are actively letting go of the past and moving forward with their lives

And feel the heat of the future's glow
Experience the excitement and thrill of what's yet to come

How do you leave the past behind
How do you move on from the things that have happened to you in the past

When it keep finding ways to get to your heart
When the memories of the past keep coming back to you and affecting you emotionally

It reaches way down deep and tears you inside out
It affects you so deeply that you feel completely torn apart emotionally

'Til you're torn apart
The memories are so painful that they completely break you down emotionally

How can you connect in an age
How can you form meaningful connections with other people in a world that's constantly changing

Where strangers, landlords, lovers
Where everyone around you seems like a stranger, and even the people you're closest to can be distant and unconnected

Your own blood cells betray
Even your own body can turn against you, making you feel like you're alone in the world

What binds the fabric together
What is the force that connects everyone together, even when everything around us seems to be falling apart

When the raging, shifting winds of change
When the world around us is constantly in flux and change seems to be the only constant

Keep ripping away
When everything you thought was certain and sure is changing and falling apart

Draw a line in the sand
Take a stand for what you believe in, and make it clear that you're not going to back down

And then make a stand
Stand up for what you believe in, even if it's difficult or unpopular

Use your camera to spar
Express yourself and your beliefs through the art of photography

Use your guitar
Express yourself and your beliefs through the art and creativity of music

When they act tough
When people around you are trying to intimidate or bully you

You call their bluff
You stand up to them and refuse to back down, even in the face of intimidation

We're not gonna pay
We refuse to be held down by the system and the expectations of society

Last year's rent
We refuse to be held back by the mistakes or obligations of the past

This year's rent
We refuse to be held back by the obligations and responsibilities of the present

Next year's rent
We refuse to be held back by the uncertainties and challenges of the future

Rent rent rent rent rent
The idea of rent and the obligations it represents are a constant burden and a reminder of the difficulties of life

We're not gonna pay rent
We refuse to be held down by the financial obligations and burdens of life

'Cause everything is rent
Because everything in life comes with a cost, whether it's financial or emotional, and those costs can be difficult to bear