Rent Cast - Rent Lyrics
[MARK:]
How do you document real life
When real life's getting more
Like fiction each day
Headlines-bread-lines
And now this deadline
"Eviction-or pay"
Rent
[ROGER:]
How do you write a song
When the chords sound wrong
Though they once sounded right and rare
When the notes are sour
Where is the power
[MARK:]
And we're hungry and frozen
[ROGER:]
Some life that we've chosen
[MARK & ROGER:]
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
Last year's rent
[MARK:]
We light candles
[ROGER:]
How do you start a fire
When there's nothing to burn
And it feels like something's stuck in
Your flue
[MARK:]
How can you generate heat
When you can't feel your feet
[MARK & ROGER:]
And they're turning blue!
[MARK:]
You light up a mean blaze
[ROGER:]
With posters
[MARK:]
And screenplays
[MARK & ROGER:]
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
Last year's rent
[JOANNE:]
Don't screen, Maureen
It's me-Joanne
Your substitute production manager
Hey hey hey! Did you eat?
Don't change the subject Maureen
But darling-you haven't eaten all day
You won't throw up
You won't throw up
The digital delay
Didn't blow up, exactly
There may have been one teeny tiny spark
You're not calling Mark!
[COLLINS:]
How do you stay on your feet
When on every street
It's 'trick or treat'
And tonight its 'trick'
'Welcome back to town'
I should lie down
Everything's brown
And uh-oh
I feel sick
[MARK:]
Where is he?
[COLLINS:]
Getting dizzy
[MARK & ROGER:]
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
Last year's rent
[BENNY:]
Allison, baby - you sound sad
I don't believe those two
After everything I've done
Ever since our wedding
I'm dirt - they'll see
I can help them all out in the long run
Forces are gathering
Forces are gathering
Can't turn away
Forces are gathering
[COLLINS:]
Ughhhh
Ughhhh
Ughhhh - I can't think
Ughhhh
Ughhhh
Ughhhh - I need a drink
[MARK:]
"The music ignites the night with
Passionate fire"
[JOANNE:]
Maureen, I'm not a theatre person
[ROGER:]
"The narration crackles and pops with
Incendiary wit"
[JOANNE:]
Could never be a theatre person
[MARK:]
Zoom in as they burn the past to the ground
[MARK & ROGER:]
And feel the heat of the future's glow
[JOANNE:]
Hello?
[MARK:]
Hello? Maureen?
Your equipment won't work?
Okay, all right, I'll go!
[MARK, 1/2 of COMPANY:]
How do you leave the past behind
When it keep finding ways to get to your heart
It reaches way down deep and tears you inside out
'Til you're torn apart
Rent
[ROGER, 1/2 of COMPANY:]
How can you connect in an age
Where strangers, landlords, lovers
Your own blood cells betray
[COMPANY:]
What binds the fabric together
When the raging, shifting winds of change
Keep ripping away
[BENNY:]
Draw a line in the sand
And then make a stand
[ROGER:]
Use your camera to spar
[MARK:]
Use your guitar
[COMPANY:]
When they act tough
You call their bluff
[MARK & ROGER:]
We're not gonna pay
[MARK & ROGER & 1/2 THE COMPANY:]
We're not gonna pay
[MARK & ROGER & OTHER 1/2:]
We're not gonna pay
[COMPANY:]
Last year's rent
This year's rent
Next year's rent
Rent rent rent rent rent
We're not gonna pay rent
[MARK & ROGER:]
Cause everything is rent
Other Lyrics by Artist
- Rent Cast - Finale B
- Rent Cast - Take Me Or Leave Me
- Rent Cast - Happy New Year B
- Rent Cast - Voice Mail #3
- Rent Cast - Happy New Year
- Rent Cast - Seasons Of Love
- Rent Cast - La Vie Bohème B
- Rent Cast - I Should Tell You
- Rent Cast - La Vie Bohème
- Rent Cast - Seasons Of Love B
- Rent Cast - Without You
- Rent Cast - Voice Mail #4
- Rent Cast - Your Eyes
- Rent Cast - Finale
- Rent Cast - Voice Mail #5
- Rent Cast - What You Own
- Rent Cast - Goodbye Love
- Rent Cast - Halloween
Rand Lyrics
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Rent Cast Rent Comments
How we gonna make last year's rent?
Why the hell did you miss last year's rent?
Here I am for the 525600th time
This is my favorite musical
How can you connect in an age
Where strangers, landlords, lovers
*Your own blood cells betray*
Is this line about aids already?
“We’re hungry and frozen. It’s the life we chose!”
You chose to starve and freeze to death? I feel like if you had the money you be eating in a air conditioned house... lmao
This is going to be me next year.
MARK
How do you document real life
When real life is getting more
Like fiction each day
Headlines -- bread-lines
Blow my mind
And now this deadline
"Eviction -- or pay"
Rent!
ROGER
How do you write a song
When the chords sound wrong
Though they once sounded right and rare
When the notes are sour
Where is the power
You once had to ignite the air
MARK
And we're hungry and frozen
ROGER
Some life that we've chosen
TOGETHER
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
Last year's rent
menu
Rent
Rent
MARK
How do you document real life
When real life is getting more
Like fiction each day
Headlines -- bread-lines
Blow my mind
And now this deadline
"Eviction -- or pay"
Rent!
ROGER
How do you write a song
When the chords sound wrong
Though they once sounded right and rare
When the notes are sour
Where is the power
You once had to ignite the air
MARK
And we're hungry and frozen
ROGER
Some life that we've chosen
TOGETHER
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
Last year's rent
MARK
We light candles
ROGER
How do you start a fire
When there's nothing to burn
And it feels like something's stuck in your flue
MARK
How can you generate heat
When you can't feel your feet
BOTH
And they're turning blue!
MARK
You light up a mean blaze
ROGER
With posters --
MARK
And screenplays
ROGER AND MARK
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
Last year's rent
COLLINS
How do you stay on your feet
When on every street
It's 'trick or treat'
(And tonight it's 'trick')
'Welcome back to town'
Oh, I should lie down
Everything's brown
And uh -- oh
I feel sick
MARK
Where is he?
COLLINS
Getting dizzy
MARK AND ROGER
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
How we gonna pay
Last year's rent
MARK
"The music ignites the night with passionate fire"
ROGER
"The narration crackles and pops with incendiary wit"
MARK AND HALF OF COMPANY
How do you leave the past behind
When it keeps finding ways to get to your heart
It reaches way down deep and tears you inside out
Till you're torn apart
Rent!
ROGER AND OTHER HALF OF COMPANY
How can you connect in an age
Where strangers, landlords, lovers
Your own blood cells betray
ALL
What binds the fabric together
When the raging, shifting winds of change
Keep ripping away
BENNY
Draw a line in the sand
And then make a stand
ROGER
Use your camera to spar
MARK
Use your guitar
ALL
When they act tough - you call their bluff
MARK AND ROGER
We're not gonna pay
MARK AND ROGER WITH HALF OF COMPANY
We're not gonna pay
MARK AND ROGER WITH OTHER HALF OF COMPANY
We're not gonna pay
ALL
Last year's rent
This year's rent
Next year's rent
Rent rent rent rent rent
We're not gonna pay rent
ROGER AND MARK
'Cause everything is rent
😍can’t believe my school were doing rent yass
I just saw this show on tour and it was the best thing ever!
Does anyone think this sounds like an anime intro?
Here after seeing the play three days ago. 😊 I FRICKEN LOVED IT
The sad part about this musical is the fact that the guy who wrote it never got to see how famous it would become.
The play was better, the kid was younger .-.
Can I just get a group of people to perform this in front of the Houses of Parliament whilst we chain ourselves to the gates to raise awareness of the fact our world is burning? I say HoP because I'm British. Anyone?
So I'm listening to a "happy songs in rent" playlist and I'm so extremely grateful bc I couldn't listen to life support one more time without breaking into tears...
Anyone else think this sounds like the song No More from Tick Tick BOOM? I know both musicals are by Jonathon Larsen but STILL!
College debt in the 21st century be like
🤢🤢🤢🤢🤮😥🤦♀️
If one of them gasps into the microphone one more time, I'm going to scream
i cant pay this years rent :/
Anyone else notice the typo in the description?
Your profile picture is actually great lmao
s co t t
haha ty, yours is great too
Who the hell is Rich???
Does anyone else try to sing this part of the song all in one breath or just me?
How do you leave the past behind
When it keeps finding ways to get to your heart?
It reaches way down deep and tears you inside out
'Till you're torn apart
Rent!
How can you connect in an age where
Strangers, landlords, lovers, your own blood cells betray?
What binds the fabric together
When the raging, shifting winds of change keep ripping away?
I had never seen the stage musical and only heard "Seasons Of Love" when I finally went to see the movie version. In the last 30 seconds of this song I almost leaped out of my seat. I was kicking myself for not seeing it back in the 90's.
we should do an actual school version of this song and movie! burn the hw and drive the teachers out of the schools! kids would rule the schools!!!! yassss!!!!
Probably the best opening number of all time.
true! i get pumped up listening to this song!!!
I still get chills when it gets around the end of this song! It's so good!!
Rent doesn’t feel like a word anymore...
This is one of my favorite musicals ever, with the most kickass soundtrack EVER!
The most underrated musical of all time
it really was an underrated masterpiece
Best Musical ever 🌟
What is the sequel for Rent was Buy?
We light candles
HIV add when listening to rent wooww
Wow I’m very late 😩😩🥺😂❤️
Broadway though!!!! I’m on the minority here. It’s the obc recording that I love
OMG, just get a damn job. And your friend was going to let you live rent free if you stopped one stupid protest. Idiots.
The guitar solo is so fucking hype holy fuck
This sucks trash I could make a better song in my sleep
HannahWarriors_Fan this song is amazing. Why do you think it’s bad? I’m legit curious.
Get out
lol it's a joke my sisters a huge fan of Broadway and me not so much i wanted to see how people reacted
Oh lol. I’m super into this musical, so I get defensive anytime someone criticized it 😂. Say hi to your sis for me :-) us theatre kids gotta stick together!
i love this ovie
This and Seasons of Love are my favorite songs in the productions.
*aggressive head banging*
howcanyouconnectinanagewherestrangerslandlordslovers, yourownbloodcellsbetrayyyy
"Well, that backfired"
If you get it... FREE COOKIES
Thomas Sanders
A good paying job question mark
HOW WE GONNA PAY?!?!
LAST YEAR'S RENT?!?!?#
I am officially in love.
*Everyone in this movie is my child-*
The 266 is the people who turned off their power and heat and needed them to pay rent
Wish this was on SoundCloud :D
This song made this movie extremely epic.
... *LAST YEARS RENT*
Me when I have to pay someone back
i love rent!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lol i like a roof over my head, so i pay rent.
the irony? these people, not the actors (mostly), whom the actors are representing, are the reason we have all the safe space pussies and SJWS of the modern era.
Great Song Lyrics and The Music
this is one my favorite musicals along with Hamilton
The guitar in the “how we gonna pay” part is fucking amazing
Where is Mr. Ditkovich??
I love this song but I've heard rent so much it doesn't sound like a word anymore
Seeing mimi singing "we're not gonna pay". Makes me think of catwoman for some reason. Rosario Dawson is just awesome.
My school did this for the play this year. It was so good! The set was amazing,and personally I liked the songs better with British accents.
Who wants to reenact this song by being gay and poor
sad and gay me
Gotcha covered already, my man
OMG YESSS
I've been reenacting this song for years.
When roger asks how to start a fire
Just ask Rich. He burned down the house. I guess he didn’t wanna pay rent either
Or JD or Eliza know what what is with musicals and burning things?
Burning stuff seems to be a common thing. In RENT, they burned eviction letters, in Hamilton, Eliza burned Alexander's letters, in Be More Chill, Rich burned a house down..
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST COMMENT EVER!
I legit just listened to that song for the first time before reading this
O.M.G. CHLOE. ANSWERR MEE!
Childhood is idolizing the characters in Rent and loving Rent. Adulthood is realizing the characters in Rent are all bad people and hating Rent. Sagehood is realizing the characters in Rent are all bad people, but loving Rent anyway for the music.
SourSkittles all bad people??? ANGEL DID NOTHING WRONG
Also it’s like about how compassion for people effected by poverty and sickness, regardless of what they’ve done
@Tara Raw
Dead dog.
*agressive headbanging*
"Howie gonna pay"
What did ever do to you guys
I'm two songs in my first listen and I'm already official Rent trash
Bruv they out here worrying about last years rent but I'm still worrying about about 2001's rent
This one seems a little faster than the broadway version? Am I the only one that noticed that?
Yes it does, why it is even faster than the 1994 NYTW version and the demo version.
roll credits.
J Thomas would be great at CinemaSins.
There's very few songs I can't help but head bump to. This is one. HOW CAN YOU NOT HEAD BANG!!!???!?
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENT
Oooo I like it
I will never get over;
Mark and Roger during 'Rent': HOW WE GONNA PAAAAYYY LAST YEAR'S REEEENT??
*1 song later*
Benny: I'm hear to collect the rent
Mark and Roger: what? we don't even pay the rent ??
XD
Meghan Robertshaw broadway version makes more sense ngl
I always say the "Maureen I'm not a theater person" followed by "damn" because I forget I'm not listening to the OBCR
Everything's BROWN
**mr regular intensifies**
I think 2:50 is my favorite part <3
My favorite movie, thank you drama teacher!
we light candles!!!
the only part I like is when he says drawl a line in the sand and then make a stand. lol only part 3:05
Sometimes I think about college and just sing "How we gonna pay? How we gonna pay?"
is it just me or the were not gonna pay last year's rent sound like lets do the timewarp again
But in all seriousness I feel like this song as well as "You're What You Own" relates more now more than ever. Who agrees?
Every month I play this song and I always instead sing....."How am I gonna pay. How am I gonna pay. How am I gonna pay my student loans!"
Well fuck me gently with a chainsaw, this is good
Cecilia Higgins What's your damage, Heather?!
Favorite comment so far, fellow Heather's fan
THE EDGE IS REAL
Did anyone come here just because it's an amazing song , or they just like RENT not from someone ???
pay your fucking taxes
PAY YOUR FUCKING TAXES
"We´re not gonna pay-" Hamilton bursts in: "PAY YOUR FUCKING TAXES"
I like how at the beginning of the movie their biggest problem was paying rent, but at the end it was AIDS.
Really didn't listen to the lyrics, did you?
I like Food a I d s
AIDS was always the problem.
They're saying fuck paying the rent because they're going to die anyway.
Legion Ivory exactly 😂
The point the creators want to assert is that poverty and illness are connected. Poverty is physical violence (by people who keep people stuck in poverty - not everyone can afford school and CEO's *can* afford to pay entry level workers a living wage, they simply won't. If you can't pay to live, or to live well - you are more likely to engage in reckless activities for survival (prostitution, drug dealing), or to engage in unprotected sex to avoid the overwhelming stress of traumatic dead-end jobs/poverty. That exposes people to circumstances where they're going to get sick or become more poor by having children, being incarcerated which eliminates most job potential, being in abusive relationships which make working impossible and expose the persons involved to financial abuse. The poor then become even more dependent on family or likely on their abusers bc if (healthy) family could have helped, they already would have let them help. Poverty and abuse in are both inter-generational (and connected) and it lead to illness and death.
But your quick judgement is also unfortunate - there's a lot to appreciate about this musical socially, musically, and in other capacities.
Man this movie was so underrated. One of the best movies of the 2000's in my opinion. And with a kickass soundtrack.
DeMario Burns I tbink it would have been more known and piblicized if Jonathan larson was alive.
DeMario Burns but the broadway was better
@Navy Gaming absolutely agree. I was lucky enough to see it on Broadway before it shut down, cried my eyes out. Beautiful 💗
Broadway was definitely better tho
I'm new to this am I in the right place
MassacreWolf _ Start at seasons of love.
you know how every musical has one or two songs you can play for hours on end and never get sick of it? Thats this song
First time listening to Rent, this song means I can out 'Heavy Metal' in my Instagram bio (bants)
🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝👈👈👈👈👈👈👈