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!