Finale
Jonathan Larson Lyrics

Christmas bells are ringing
The reminder of the holiday season approaching

How time flies
The realization that time moves quickly

When compassion dies
The sadness that can come with a lack of empathy and kindness

No stocking
The absence of traditional holiday decorations

No candy canes
The absence of traditional holiday treats

No gingerbread
The absence of traditional holiday food

No safety net
The lack of support for those in need

No loose change
The absence of extra money to give to those in need

No change no
The repetition of the idea that there is no change or money available

One homeless man
The presence of a person experiencing homelessness

"Santy claus is coming"
A reminder of the jolly holiday spirit

'Cause santy claus ain't coming
The realization that Santa Claus won't solve all problems

No room at the Holiday Inn again
The difficulty of finding a place to stay during the holiday season

Well, maybe next year
The hope that things will be different in the future

Or, when
The uncertainty of when things will improve

December 24th, ten PM eastern
The specific date and time of the song's events

Standard time
A reference to the time zone

I can't believe a year went by so fast
The surprise at how quickly time passes

Time to see what we have time to see
The importance of living in the present moment

Turn the projector on
A call to action to start the event

With the fender guitar he just got out
A description of the guitar being played

Of hock
The guitar was previously pawned for money

When he sold the car
The decision to sell the car for money

That took him away and back
The car was used for transportation

I found my song
The joy of discovering one's passion

He found his song
The joy of another character discovering their passion

If he could just find mimi
The hope that the character's love interest will be found

I tried, you know I tried
The acknowledgement of effort made to find the missing person

Fade in on mark
The start of a new scene focusing on the character Mark

Who's still in the dark
The character is still unaware of certain information

But he's got great footage
Mark has captured important footage

Which he's cut together
The footage has been edited

To screen tonight
The purpose of the edited footage

In honor of benny's wife
A tribute to a character's wife

Muffy
The name of a character

Pulling benny out of the east village
The act of rescuing a character from a difficult area

Location
The indication of where the rescue took place

Then again, maybe we won't screen it tonight
The possibility of changing plans

I wonder how alison found out about mimi?
Curiosity about how a character learned information

Maybe a bird told her
A humorous suggestion of how the information was learned

Or an angel
An alternative suggestion of how the information was learned

I had a little hunch you could use
A character has a suspicion that something would be helpful

A little 'flow
The character has something to offer

Tutoring again?
A question about someone's activity

Negative
The answer is no

Back at nyu?
A question about someone's education

No, no, no
Emphatically no

I rewired the atm at the food
The character has made some type of change to an ATM machine

Emporium
A reference to a store

To provide an honorarium to anyone
The change made to the ATM is meant to reward anyone

With the code
The reward requires a code

Roger and mark
The names of characters

Well?
A question about the code

A-n-g-e-l
The answer, which is the name of another character

Yet robin hooding isn't the solution
The idea that stealing from the rich to give to the poor is not a viable option

The powers that be must be undermined
Those in power must be challenged

Where they dwell in a small exclusive
The location where power is held

Gourmet institution
An exclusive restaurant

Where we overcharge the wealthy
A description of how the restaurant takes advantage of wealthy patrons

Clientele
The group of patrons of the restaurant

Let's open up a restaurant in santa fe
A suggestion to open a new restaurant location

With a private corner banquette in
A specific feature of the new restaurant

The back
A location within the restaurant

We'll make it yet, we'll somehow get to
The character's hope and determination

Santa fe
A specific location representing a new opportunity

But you'd miss new york before you
The regret that can come with leaving one location for another

Could unpack
The idea that leaving a place is more complicated than it first appears

Oh
An expression of surprise or realization

Mark, Roger, anyone, help
A call for assistance

Maureen?
The name of a character

It's Mimi, I can't get her up the stairs
A description of a character's difficulty

No
The response to a suggestion

She was huddled in the park in
A description of a difficult situation

The dark
The lack of light in the situation

And she was freezing
The physical discomfort of a situation

And begged to come here
An appeal for help

Over here
A signal of someone's location

Oh, god
An expression of shock, surprise, or concern

"Got a light, I know you, you're shivering"
A request or statement directed at another person

She's been living on the street
A description of a difficult situation

We need some heat
The suggestion that warmth is needed

We can buy some wood and something
The suggestion of a solution

To eat
Food is also needed

I'm afraid she needs more than heat
The acknowledgement of a difficult situation

I heard that
An expression of acknowledgement or agreement

Collins will call for a doctor, honey
An action to help the person in need

Don't waste your money on mimi, me, me
An argument against taking certain actions

Hell, 911?
A suggestion to call emergency services

I'm on hold
The difficulty in getting help

Cold, cold, would you light my candle
A question or request for assistance

Yes, we'll oh god, find a candle
An acknowledgement of the request

I should tell you
An admission of truth

Benny wasn't any
A suggestion of negative information about a character

Shh, I know
An attempt to stop the conversation

It wasn't 'cause I didn't
An explanation for past actions

I know
An acknowledgment of understanding

I should tell you
An admission of truth

I should tell you
Repetition of a previous line

I should tell you
Repetition of a previous line

I love you
The admission of love

Who do you think you are?
A confrontational question

Leaving me alone with my guitar
A description of a situation

Hold on there's something you
The suggestion of a surprise

Should hear
A suggestion to listen

It isn't much but it took all year
An admission of a small accomplishment after a long time