In the Heights

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 y'all, good morning! Ice cold piragua! Parcha, china, cherry, strawberry! And just for today, I got mamey! Oye, piragüero. ¿Cómo estás? Como siempre, Señor 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 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 makin' any profit if the coffee isn't light and sweet Ooh-hoo Abuela, my fridge broke I got café, but no con leche Try my mother's old recipe: One can of condensed milk (nice!) ¡Ay, paciencia y fe! That was Abuela, she's not really my abuela But she practically raised me, this corner is her escuela Now you're probably thinking I'm up shit's creek I've never been north of 96th Street Well, you must take the A train Even farther than Harlem to northern Manhattan and maintain Get off at 181st and take the escalator I hope you're writin' this down, I'm gonna test you later I'm gettin' tested, times are tough on this bodega Two months ago somebody bought Ortega's Our neighbors started packin' up and pickin' up And ever since the rents went up It's gotten' mad expensive but we live with just enough In the Heights I flip the lights and start my day There are fights, endless debts, and bills to pay In the Heights I can't survive without café (i serve café) 'Cuz tonight seems like a million years away En Washington 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 Good morning, Usnavi! Pan caliente, café con leche Put 20 dollars on today's lottery One ticket, that's it Hey, a man's gotta dream! Don't mind him, he's all excited 'Cuz Nina flew in at 3 a. M. Last night Don't look at me This one's been cooking all week Usnavi, come over for dinner There's plenty to eat So then Yeseña walks in the room (aha) She smells sex and cheap perfume (oh-oh) It smells like one of those trees that you hang from the rearview (ha-ha, no) 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 José from the liquor store ¡No me diga! Daniela and Carla, from the salon Thanks, Usnavi! Sonny, you're late! Chillax, you know you love me 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 Buss it, I'm like One dollar, two dollars, one fifty, one sixty-nine, 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' maxi-pads, fuzzy dice for taxicabs Practically everybody's stressed, yes But they press through the mess Bounce checks and wonder what's next In the Heights I buy my coffee and I go I buy my coffee and set my sights On only what I need to know (what I need to know) In the Heights Money is tight, but even so (even so) When the lights go down, I blast my radio You ain't got no skills Benny! Yo, let me get a Milky Way Yeah, let me also get a Daily News And a Post And most important my Boss' second coffee, one cream, five sugars I'm the number one earner (what?) The fastest learner (what?) My boss can't keep me on the damn back burner Yes, he can! I'm makin' moves, I'm makin' deals, but guess what? What? You still ain't got no skills (hardy-har) Yo, Vanessa show up yet? (Shut up!) Hey, little homie, don't get so upset (man!) Tell Vanessa how you feel Buy the girl a meal on the real Or you ain't got no skills Nooo! No, no, nooo No, no, nooo, no-no-no Nooo, 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 Here's your chance ask her out right now I'll see you later we can look at that lease Do somethin', make your move, don't freeze! Hey! You owe me a bottle of cold champagne Are you movin'? Just a little credit check and I'm on that downtown train Well, your coffee's on the house (okay) Usnavi, ask her out (no way) I'll see you later so Ooh, smooth operator, oh damn, there she goes Yo, bro, take five, take a walk outside You look exhausted, lost, don't let life slide The whole hood is struggling, yeah times are tight And you're stuck to this corner like a streetlight Yeah, I'm a streetlight, chokin' on the heat The world spins around, while I'm frozen to my seat The people that I know, all keep on rollin' 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 In the Heights I hang my flag up on display (we came to work and to live and we got a lot in common) It reminds me that I came from miles away (DR, PR, we are not stoppin') In the Heights (every day, paciencia y fe!) Until the day we go from poverty to stock options In the Heights I've got today Today's all we got, so we cannot stop, this is our block In the Heights I hang my flag up on display (lo-le-lo-le-lo-lai-lai-lo-lei) It reminds me that I came from miles away My family came from miles away In the Heights It gets more expensive every day (every day) And tonight is so far away But as for mañana, mi pana, ya gotta just keep watchin' (in the Heights) You'll see the late night, you'll taste beans and rice (in the Heights) The syrup and shaved ice, I ain't gotta say it twice (in the Heights) Turn up the stage lights, we're takin' a flight To a couple days in the life of what it's like ¡En Washington Heights!