After graduating from Juilliard in 2012, Soo was cast as Natasha Rostova in the Ars Nova production of Dave Malloy's Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, based on Leo Tolstoy's War & Peace; the show went on to transfer Off-Broadway to Kazino, a tent custom built for the show.
In 2013 she was cast in a small recurring role in the NBC television series Smash as the character Lexi. She appeared in five episodes in the second season before the show's cancellation.
After seeing her in Great Comet, director Thomas Kail and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda asked her to take part in an early 2014 reading of the musical Hamilton, where she read as the leading female role, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton. Soo remained with the show through its Off-Broadway and Broadway debuts. She left the show on July 9th 2016 to reprise a previous role in Amelie.
Burn
Phillipa Soo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the moment I read them, I knew you were mine
You said you were mine
I thought you were mine
Do you know what Angelica said
When we saw your first letter arrive?
She said
He will do what it takes to survive"
You and your words flooded my senses
Your sentences left me defenseless
You built me palaces out of paragraphs
You built cathedrals
I'm re-reading the letters you wrote me
I'm searching and scanning for answers in every line
For some kind of sign, and when you were mine
The world seemed to burn
Burn
You published the letters she wrote you
You told the whole world how you brought this girl into our bed
In clearing your name, you have ruined our lives
Do you know what Angelica said
When she read what you'd done?
She said
"You have married an Icarus
He has flown too close to the sun"
You and your words, obsessed with your legacy
Your sentences border on senseless
And you are paranoid in every paragraph
How they perceive you
You, you, you
I'm erasing myself from the narrative
Let future historians wonder how Eliza reacted when you broke her heart
You have torn it all apart, I'm watching it
Burn
Watching it burn
The world has no right to my heart
The world has no place in our bed
They don't get to know what I said
I'm burning the memories
Burning the letters that might have redeemed you
You forfeit all rights to my heart
You forfeit the place in our bed
You'll sleep in your office instead
With only the memories of when you were mine
I hope that you burn
In Phillipa Soo's song "Burn," she speaks about a failed relationship and the emotions that come with it. The opening lines of the song suggest that the singer had been in a relationship and had received letters from her partner that she cherished. However, as the relationship progressed, she discovered that her partner had betrayed her trust and shared intimate details of their relationship with others, leading to its ruin. The song is a reflection of the pain that comes from betrayal and heartbreak.
The song's chorus "The world seemed to burn, Burn" refers to the emotional turmoil and pain that the singer was going through during the fallout of the relationship. She is overcome with bitterness, anger, and the desire to move on from the memory of the relationship. As she sings, she is visibly upset and angry, but also comes across as someone who is determined to overcome the pain.
Burn is a song about betrayal, anger, and ultimately redemption. It is a reflection of what many of us may experience in our relationships and how we can overcome those emotions through resilience and determination.
Line by Line Meaning
I saved every letter you wrote me
I kept each correspondence from you as evidence of our love.
From the moment I read them, I knew you were mine
As soon as I laid eyes on your charming words, I was captivated and fell deeply in love.
You said you were mine
You proclaimed that we belonged together.
I thought you were mine
I believed I had your undivided love and devotion.
Do you know what Angelica said
When we saw your first letter arrive?
She said
Angelica warned me about the danger and deceitfulness that you may possess.
"Be careful with that one, love
He will do what it takes to survive"
"You have to be cautious with him because he will go to great lengths to protect himself."
You and your words flooded my senses
Your sweet phrases overwhelmed my every sense.
Your sentences left me defenseless
Your words disarmed me and made me vulnerable.
You built me palaces out of paragraphs
Your eloquent writing made me feel like royalty.
You built cathedrals
Your love and devotion felt like a holy place, sacred and inviolable.
I'm re-reading the letters you wrote me
I am poring over the words you once wrote to me.
I'm searching and scanning for answers in every line
For some kind of sign, and when you were mine
The world seemed to burn
Burn
I am scrutinizing every sentence, hoping to find some explanation and reconciliation for the emotional pain you have caused me. Yet, when we were together, it felt like the world was on fire, ablaze with passion and desire.
You published the letters she wrote you
You told the whole world how you brought this girl into our bed
You made public intimate details about another woman whom you invited into our relationship.
In clearing your name, you have ruined our lives
By airing your dirty laundry to the world, you have destroyed any chance of saving our relationship.
Do you know what Angelica said
When she read what you'd done?
She said
Angelica expressed her disgust and disappointment in your behavior.
"You have married an Icarus
He has flown too close to the sun"
"You have chosen to be with a man who is foolish and arrogant, destined to suffer a great downfall."
You and your words, obsessed with your legacy
You are consumed with your reputation and how history will remember you.
Your sentences border on senseless
Your words are becoming nonsensical and devoid of meaning.
And you are paranoid in every paragraph
How they perceive you
You are constantly worried about how people view you, causing you to act erratically and unpredictably.
You, you, you
You are the center of your own universe, and everything revolves around you.
I'm erasing myself from the narrative
I am removing myself from the story of our relationship.
Let future historians wonder how Eliza reacted when you broke her heart
I want to leave it to the future historians to guess how I felt when you shattered my heart into pieces.
You have torn it all apart, I'm watching it
Burn
You have destroyed everything, and I am left to observe it all crumble and disintegrate.
Watching it burn
Witnessing the destruction caused by your actions.
The world has no right to my heart
I am reclaiming my right to privacy and guarding my heart from further damage.
The world has no place in our bed
The whole world should stay out of our intimate relationship.
They don't get to know what I said
I will keep my thoughts and feelings private, and you cannot expose them to the world.
I'm burning the memories
I am destroying all the painful memories in an attempt to move on from the heartache.
Burning the letters that might have redeemed you
Even the letters you wrote to me, which once had the power to redeem and reconcile us, now have to be destroyed.
You forfeit all rights to my heart
You forfeit the place in our bed
You have lost all possessions of my heart and our relationship.
You sleep in your office instead
You live a solitary, loveless life without me.
With only the memories of when you were mine
You are left with bittersweet memories of the time when we were still together.
I hope that you burn
I hope that you suffer the same emotional pain and hurt that you inflicted upon me.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind