Finale
Doreen Montalvo Lin-Manuel Miranda & 'In The Heights' Original Broadway Company Lyrics

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No te vayas
Si me dejas
Si te alejas de mí
Seguirás en mis recuerdos
Para siempre
Para siempre
Para siempre
Para siem-

Para siem-, para siempre

Lights up on Washington Heights
And now the crack of dawn
I pack up as life goes on and on and on
Para siempre

Time to go, but I'm doing the math
On this cash money to have Sonny stay on his path
Para siempre

Abuela really wanted me up on a beach
With margaritas in my reach, and
Soon that's how it's gonna be
Para siempre

And look at me, leavin' today
On a seven-forty-seven boardin' JFK

The hydrants are open
Cool breezes blow

The hydrants are open
Cool breezes blow

¡Piragua, piragua! (good morning) (the hydrants are open)
New block of ice, ¡piragua! (cool breezes blow)
So sweet and nice, piragua!
¡Piragua, piragua!

¡Piragua, piragua! (siempre) (the hydrants are open)
New block of ice, ¡piragua! (cool breezes blow)
So sweet and nice, piragua! (Seguirás en mis recuerdos)
¡Piragua, piragua! (para siempre)

¡Piragua, piragua! (siempre) (the hydrants are open)
New block of ice, ¡piragua! (cool breezes blow)
So sweet and nice, piragua! (Seguirás en mis recuerdos) (it won't be long now)
¡Piragua, piragua! (para siempre)

There's a breeze off the Hudson
And just when you think
You're sick of living here the memory floods in
The morning light, off the fire escapes
The nights in Bennett Park blasting Big Pun tapes
I'm 'a miss this place, to tell you the truth
Kevin dispensin' wisdom from his dispatch booth
And at dawn, Vanessa at the salon, we gotta move on
But who's gonna notice we're gone?

When our job's done, as the evening winds
Down to a crawl, son, can I ease my mind
When we're all done? When we've resigned
In the long run, what do we leave behind?
Most of all, I'll miss Abuela's whispers
Doin' the Lotto Pick Six every Christmas
In five years, when this whole city's rich folks and hipsters
Who's gonna miss this raggedy little business?

Hey, you
Hey
Do you have two minutes?
You said you wanted to see the world through my eyes, right?
Yeah
Come with me

He hates it
Shh, he's forming an artistic opinion
You did this last night?
Yeah
There goes my flight
What?

Graffiti Pete you're gonna need some new cans
Here's some money, finish up
There's been a slight change of plans! (Nice!)
Listen up guys, you got a job, I'm not playin'
You gotta go now, tell the whole block I'm stayin'!
Go ahead, tell everyone we know! Sonny
Alright, go!

Yeah, I'm a streetlight!
Chillin' in the heat!
I illuminate the stories of the people in the street
Some have happy endings
Some are bittersweet
But I know them all and that's what makes my life complete
(We're home!)
And if not me, who keeps our legacy?
Who's gonna keep the coffee sweet with secret recipes?
Abuela, rest in peace, you live in my memories
But Sonny's gotta eat, this corner is my destiny (we're home!)
Brings out the best in me, we pass a test and we
Keep pressin' and yes indeed, you know I'll never leave
If you close your eyes that hydrant is a beach
That siren is a breeze, that fire escape's a leaf on a palm tree!
(We're home!)

Abuela I'm sorry
But I ain't goin' back because I'm telling your story
And I can say goodbye to you smilin', I found my island
I been on it this whole time
I'm home! (We're home!)

The hydrants are open
Cool breezes blow!

It's a wonderful life that I've known
"Merry Christmas you ole' Building and Loan!"
I'm home! (We're home!)

The hydrants are open
Cool breezes blow!

Abuela that ain't a stoop, that's your throne
Long after ya birds have all flown
I'm home! (We're home!)

Where the coffee's non-stop
And I drop this hip-hop
In my mom and pop shop
I'm home! (We're home!)
Where people come
People go
Let me show all of these
People what I know
There's no place like home! (Home!)

And let me set the record straight!
I'm steppin' to Vanessa
I'm gettin' a second date
I'm home!
Where it's a hundred in the shade
But with patience and faith
We remain unafraid
I'm home!
You hear that music in the air?
Take the train to the top of the world

I'm there
I'm home! (Home!)

Overall Meaning

The song “Finale” from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “In the Heights” is a celebration of the characters and their neighborhood, Washington Heights. The first verse contains Spanish lyrics, which translate to “Don't leave, if you leave, if you go away from me, you'll keep living forever in my memories, forever, forever, forever, forever," speaking to the idea that memories can last a lifetime. The song goes on to describe the characters’ plans and dreams for the future, while also acknowledging the bittersweet goodbye to their current lives in Washington Heights.

The song also includes a scene where graffiti artist Graffiti Pete is given money to finish his work, but instead, Usnavi tells him to spread the news that he's staying in Washington Heights. This scene shows the community aspect of the neighborhood and the bond between the characters. The song also references Abuela Claudia, who has passed away but remains a beloved part of the community, and Sonny, who is following his own path in life.

Line by Line Meaning

No te vayas
Don't go

Si me dejas
If you leave me

Si te alejas de mí
If you distance yourself from me

Seguirás en mis recuerdos
You will remain in my memories

Para siempre
Forever

Para siem-
For-e-

Para siem-, para siempre
Forever and ever

Lights up on Washington Heights
The scene is set on Washington Heights at dawn

And now the crack of dawn
It's dawn

I pack up as life goes on and on and on
I'm packing up while life goes on

Time to go, but I'm doing the math
It's time to go, but I'm calculating expenses

On this cash money to have Sonny stay on his path
I need the money to help Sonny stay on the right path

Abuela really wanted me up on a beach
Abuela wished for me to be on the beach with margaritas

With margaritas in my reach, and
With margaritas within grasp,

Soon that's how it's gonna be
Soon that will become a reality

And look at me, leavin' today
And here I am, leaving today

On a seven-forty-seven boardin' JFK
Boarding a 747 headed for JFK

The hydrants are open
The fire hydrants are open to combat the heat

Cool breezes blow
The breeze is refreshing

¡Piragua, piragua! (good morning) (the hydrants are open)
Spanish for shaved ice, signifying that summer is here

New block of ice, ¡piragua! (cool breezes blow)
New block of ice for shaved ice is now available and the breeze feels good

So sweet and nice, piragua!
The shaved ice is sweet and delicious

¡Piragua, piragua! (siempre) (the hydrants are open)
Shaved ice forever, as the hydrants are open in the summer

So sweet and nice, piragua! (Seguirás en mis recuerdos)
The shaved ice is sweet and delicious and will continue to remind me of this place

¡Piragua, piragua! (para siempre)
Shaved ice forever!

So sweet and nice, piragua! (Seguirás en mis recuerdos) (it won't be long now)
The shaved ice is sweet and delicious and will continue to remind me of this place. Time is running out until we leave

There's a breeze off the Hudson
A breeze is coming from the Hudson River

And just when you think
Just when you think

You're sick of living here the memory floods in
Just when you think you're tired of living here, a memory pops up and makes you reconsider

The morning light, off the fire escapes
The morning light shining off the metal slides

The nights in Bennett Park blasting Big Pun tapes
The nights in Bennett Park with music by Big Punisher playing aloud

I'm 'a miss this place, to tell you the truth
I'm going to miss this place, to be honest

Kevin dispensin' wisdom from his dispatch booth
Kevin giving important advice from his job as a dispatcher

And at dawn, Vanessa at the salon, we gotta move on
Vanessa is working at the salon, and we need to move on

But who's gonna notice we're gone?
But who will notice when we're gone?

When our job's done, as the evening winds
As the evening draws to a close after we finish work

Down to a crawl, son, can I ease my mind
The pace slows down and I can finally relax

When we're all done? When we've resigned
When our work is done and we move on

In the long run, what do we leave behind?
What will we leave behind in the future?

Most of all, I'll miss Abuela's whispers
I will miss Abuela's secret whispers the most

Doin' the Lotto Pick Six every Christmas
Playing the Lotto every Christmas

In five years, when this whole city's rich folks and hipsters
In five years, when the city is populated with rich people and hipsters

Who's gonna miss this raggedy little business?
Who will miss this small local business?

Hey, you
Hey, you

Hey
Hey

Do you have two minutes?
Do you have a couple of minutes?

You said you wanted to see the world through my eyes, right?
You said you want to see the world through my point of view, correct?

Come with me
Come with me

He hates it
He dislikes it

Shh, he's forming an artistic opinion
Quiet, he's formulating an artistic opinion

You did this last night?
Did you already do this last night?

There goes my flight
I missed my flight

What?
What?

Graffiti Pete you're gonna need some new cans
Graffiti Pete, you're going to need more spray paint cans

Here's some money, finish up
Here's some money, complete your work

There's been a slight change of plans! (Nice!)
There's been a slight change of plans, but it's a good thing!

Listen up guys, you got a job, I'm not playin'
Listen up, guys, this is a real job, and I'm serious

You gotta go now, tell the whole block I'm stayin'!
You guys need to leave now, and tell everyone in the block that I'm staying put!

Go ahead, tell everyone we know! Sonny
Go ahead and tell everyone we know, Sonny!

Alright, go!
Okay, go!

Yeah, I'm a streetlight!
Yes, I'm a streetlight!

Chillin' in the heat!
Relaxing in the heat!

I illuminate the stories of the people in the street
I bring to light the stories of the people on the street

Some have happy endings
Some of these stories have happy endings

Some are bittersweet
Some, unfortunately, don't end well

But I know them all and that's what makes my life complete
But I know them all, and that's what brings meaning to my life

(We're home!)
We're home!

And if not me, who keeps our legacy?
Who will keep our legacy if not me?

Who's gonna keep the coffee sweet with secret recipes?
Who will keep the coffee sweet with our secret recipes?

Abuela, rest in peace, you live in my memories
Abuela, rest in peace, you'll always be a part of my fondest memories

But Sonny's gotta eat, this corner is my destiny (we're home!)
But Sonny needs to eat, and this corner is where I belong (we're home!)

Brings out the best in me, we pass a test and we
Being here brings out the best in me, and we've passed many tests

Keep pressin' and yes indeed, you know I'll never leave
We keep pushing forward, and I'll always stay

If you close your eyes that hydrant is a beach
If you close your eyes, you can imagine the hydrant to be a beach

That siren is a breeze, that fire escape's a leaf on a palm tree!
That siren sounds like a breeze, and the fire escape looks like a leaf on a palm tree!

Abuela I'm sorry
Abuela, I'm sorry

But I ain't goin' back because I'm telling your story
But I'm not going back because I'm telling your story

And I can say goodbye to you smilin', I found my island
And I can say goodbye to you with a smile, because I found my place

I been on it this whole time
I've been here the whole time

I'm home! (We're home!)
I'm home! (We're home!)

Cool breezes blow!
The cool breeze is blowing!

It's a wonderful life that I've known
It's a wonderful life that I've experienced

"Merry Christmas you ole' Building and Loan!"
"Merry Christmas, you old building and loan!" (a quote from the movie It's a Wonderful Life)

Abuela that ain't a stoop, that's your throne
Abuela, that isn't just a step, that's your throne

Long after ya birds have all flown
Even long after we've all left

Where the coffee's non-stop
Where you can have endless cups of coffee

And I drop this hip-hop
And I play this hip hop music