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La Vie Boheme Lyrics
Restaurant Man
No please no
Not tonight please no
Mister - can't you go -
Not tonight - can't have a scene
Roger
What?
Restaurant Man
Go, please go;
You - Hello, sir -
I said, "No"
Important customer
Mark
What am I - just a blur?
Restaurant Man
You sit all night - you never buy!
Mark
That's a lie - that's a lie
I had a tea the other day
Restaurant Man
You couldn't pay
Mark
Oh yeah
Collins
Benjamin Coffin III -- here?
Restaurant Man
Oh no!
All
Wine and beer!
Maureen
The enemy of Avenue A
We'll stay
Restaurant Man
Oiy vey!
Collins
What brings the mogul in his own mind to the Life Cafe?
Benny
I would like to propose a toast
To Maureen's noble try
It went well
Maureen
Go to hell
Benny
Was the yuppie scum stomped
Not counting the homeless
How many tickets weren't comped
Roger
Why did Muffy --
Benny
Alison
Roger
Miss the show?
Benny
There was a death in the family
If you must know
Angel
Who died?
Benny
Our Akita
Benny, Mark, Angel, Collins
Evita
Benny
Mimi - I'm surprised
A bright and charming girl like you
Hangs out with these slackers
(Who don't adhere to deals)
They make fun - yet I'm the one
Attempting to do some good
Or do you really want a neighborhood
Where people piss on your stoop every night?
Bohemia, Bohemia's
A fallacy in your head
This is Calcutta
Bohemia is dead
Mark
Dearly beloved we gather here to say our goodbyes
Collins & Roger
Dies irae - dies illa
Kyrie eleison
Yitgadal v' yitkadash (etc)
Mark
Here she lies
No one knew her worth
The late great daughter of mother earth
On this night when we celebrate the birth
In that little town of Bethlehem
We raise our glass - you bet your ass to -
La vie Boheme
All
La vie Boheme
La vie Boheme
La vie Boheme
La vie Boheme
Mark
To days of inspiration
Playing hookey, making something out of nothing
The need to express -
To communicate,
To going against the grain,
Going insane
Going mad
To loving tension, no pension
To more than one dimension,
To starving for attention,
Hating convention, hating pretension
Not to mention of course,
Hating dear old mom and dad
To riding your bike,
Midday past the three piece suits
To fruits - to no absolutes -
To Absolut - to choice -
To the Village Voice -
To any passing fad
All
La vie Boheme
La vie Boheme
Maureen
Is the equipment in a pyramid?
Joanne
It is, Maureen
Maureen
The mixer doesn't have a case
Don't give me that face
Mr. Grey
Ahhemm
Maureen
Hey Mister - she's my sister
Restaurant Man
So that's five miso soup, four seaweed salad
Three soy burger dinner, two tofu dog platter
And one pasta with meatless balls
A boy
Ugh
Collins
It tastes the same
Mimi
If you close your eyes
Restaurant Man
And thirteen orders of fries
Is that it here?
All
Wine and beer!
Mimi & Angel
To hand-crafted beers made in local breweries
To yoga, to yogurt, to rice and beans and cheese
To leather, to dildos, to curry vindaloo
To huevos rancheros and Maya Angelou
Maureen & Collins
Emotion, devotion, to causing a commotion
Creation, vacation
Mark
Mutual Masturbation
Maureen & Collins
Compassion, to fashion, to passion when it's new
Collins
To Sontag
Angel
To Sondheim
Four People
To anything taboo
Collins & Roger
Ginsberg, Dylan, Cunningham and Cage
Collins
Lenny Bruce
Roger
Langston Hughes
Maureen
To the stage
Person #1
To Uta
Person #2
To Buddha
Person #3
Pablo Neruda, too
Mark & Mimi
Why Dorothy and Toto went over the rainbow
To blow off Auntie Em
All
La vie Boheme
Maureen
And wipe the speakers off before you pack
Joanne
Yes, Maureen
Maureen
Well - hurry back
Mr. Grey
Sisters?
Maureen
We're close
Angel, Collins, Maureen, Mark, Mr. Grey
Brothers!
Mark, Angel, Mimi & Three Others
Bisexuals, trisexuals, homo sapiens,
Carcinogens, hallucinogens, men, Pee Wee Herman
German wine, turpentine, Gertrude Stein
Antonioni, Bertolucci, Kurosawa
Carmina Burana
All
To apathy, to entropy, to empathy, ecstasy
Vaclav Havel - The Sex Pistols, 8BC,
To no shame - never playing the Fame Game
Collins
To marijuana
All
To sodomy,
It's between God and me
To S & M
Benny
Waiter...Waiter...Waiter
All
La vie Boheme
Collins
In honor of the death of Bohemia an impromptu salon will
commence immediately following dinner... Mimi Marquez,
clad only in bubble wrap, will perform her famous lawn
chair-handcuff dance to the sounds of iced tea being stirred.
Roger
Mark Cohen will preview his new documentary about his
inability to hold an erection on high holy days.
Mark
Maureen Johnson, back from her spectacular one-night engagement
at the eleventh street lot, will sing native american tribal
chants backwards through her vocoder, while accompanying herself
on the electric cello - which she has never studied.
Benny
Your new boyfriend doesn't know about us?
Mimi
There's nothing to know
Benny
Don't you think that we should discuss --
Mimi
It was three months ago
Benny
He doesn't act like he's with you
Mimi
We're taking it slow
Benny
Where is he now?
Mimi
He's right -- hmm
Benny
Uh huh
Mimi
Where'd he go?
Mark
Roger will attempt to write a bittersweet, evocative song.
(Roger picks up a guitar and plays)
That doesn't remind us of "Musetta's Waltz"
Collins
Angel Dumott Schunard will now model the latest fall fashions
from Paris while accompanying herself on the 10 gallon plastic
pickle tub.
Angel
And Collins will recount his exploits as an anarchist -
including the successful reprogramming of the M.I.T.
virtual reality equipment to self-destruct, as it broadcast
the words:
All
"Actual reality - Act Up - Fight AIDS"
Benny
Check!!
Mimi
Excuse me - did I do something wrong?
I get invited - then ignored - all night long
Roger
I've been trying - I'm not lying
No one's perfect. I've got baggage
Mimi
Life's too short, babe, time is flying
I'm looking for baggage that goes with mine
Roger
I should tell you --
Mimi
I've got baggage too
Roger
I should tell you --
Mimi
I got baggage too
Roger
I should tell you --
Both
Baggage - wine --
Others
And beer!
Mimi
AZT break
Roger
You?
Mimi
Me. You?
Roger
Mimi
No please no
Not tonight please no
Mister - can't you go -
Not tonight - can't have a scene
What?
Go, please go;
You - Hello, sir -
I said, "No"
Important customer
What am I - just a blur?
You sit all night - you never buy!
That's a lie - that's a lie
I had a tea the other day
You couldn't pay
Oh yeah
Benjamin Coffin III -- here?
Oh no!
Wine and beer!
The enemy of Avenue A
We'll stay
Oiy vey!
What brings the mogul in his own mind to the Life Cafe?
I would like to propose a toast
To Maureen's noble try
It went well
Go to hell
Was the yuppie scum stomped
Not counting the homeless
How many tickets weren't comped
Why did Muffy --
Alison
Miss the show?
There was a death in the family
If you must know
Who died?
Our Akita
Evita
Mimi - I'm surprised
A bright and charming girl like you
Hangs out with these slackers
(Who don't adhere to deals)
They make fun - yet I'm the one
Attempting to do some good
Or do you really want a neighborhood
Where people piss on your stoop every night?
Bohemia, Bohemia's
A fallacy in your head
This is Calcutta
Bohemia is dead
Dearly beloved we gather here to say our goodbyes
Dies irae - dies illa
Kyrie eleison
Yitgadal v' yitkadash (etc)
Here she lies
No one knew her worth
The late great daughter of mother earth
On this night when we celebrate the birth
In that little town of Bethlehem
We raise our glass - you bet your ass to -
La vie Boheme
La vie Boheme
La vie Boheme
La vie Boheme
La vie Boheme
To days of inspiration
Playing hookey, making something out of nothing
The need to express -
To communicate,
To going against the grain,
Going insane
Going mad
To loving tension, no pension
To more than one dimension,
To starving for attention,
Hating convention, hating pretension
Not to mention of course,
Hating dear old mom and dad
To riding your bike,
Midday past the three piece suits
To fruits - to no absolutes -
To Absolut - to choice -
To the Village Voice -
To any passing fad
La vie Boheme
La vie Boheme
Is the equipment in a pyramid?
It is, Maureen
The mixer doesn't have a case
Don't give me that face
Ahhemm
Hey Mister - she's my sister
So that's five miso soup, four seaweed salad
Three soy burger dinner, two tofu dog platter
And one pasta with meatless balls
Ugh
It tastes the same
If you close your eyes
And thirteen orders of fries
Is that it here?
Wine and beer!
To hand-crafted beers made in local breweries
To yoga, to yogurt, to rice and beans and cheese
To leather, to dildos, to curry vindaloo
To huevos rancheros and Maya Angelou
Emotion, devotion, to causing a commotion
Creation, vacation
Mutual Masturbation
Compassion, to fashion, to passion when it's new
To Sontag
To Sondheim
To anything taboo
Ginsberg, Dylan, Cunningham and Cage
Lenny Bruce
Langston Hughes
To the stage
To Uta
To Buddha
Pablo Neruda, too
Why Dorothy and Toto went over the rainbow
To blow off Auntie Em
La vie Boheme
And wipe the speakers off before you pack
Yes, Maureen
Well - hurry back
Sisters?
We're close
Brothers!
Bisexuals, trisexuals, homo sapiens,
Carcinogens, hallucinogens, men, Pee Wee Herman
German wine, turpentine, Gertrude Stein
Antonioni, Bertolucci, Kurosawa
Carmina Burana
To apathy, to entropy, to empathy, ecstasy
Vaclav Havel - The Sex Pistols, 8BC,
To no shame - never playing the Fame Game
To marijuana
To sodomy,
It's between God and me
To S & M
Waiter...Waiter...Waiter
La vie Boheme
In honor of the death of Bohemia an impromptu salon will
commence immediately following dinner... Mimi Marquez,
clad only in bubble wrap, will perform her famous lawn
chair-handcuff dance to the sounds of iced tea being stirred.
Mark Cohen will preview his new documentary about his
inability to hold an erection on high holy days.
Maureen Johnson, back from her spectacular one-night engagement
at the eleventh street lot, will sing native american tribal
chants backwards through her vocoder, while accompanying herself
on the electric cello - which she has never studied.
Your new boyfriend doesn't know about us?
There's nothing to know
Don't you think that we should discuss --
It was three months ago
He doesn't act like he's with you
We're taking it slow
Where is he now?
He's right -- hmm
Uh huh
Where'd he go?
Roger will attempt to write a bittersweet, evocative song.
(Roger picks up a guitar and plays)
That doesn't remind us of "Musetta's Waltz"
Angel Dumott Schunard will now model the latest fall fashions
from Paris while accompanying herself on the 10 gallon plastic
pickle tub.
And Collins will recount his exploits as an anarchist -
including the successful reprogramming of the M.I.T.
virtual reality equipment to self-destruct, as it broadcast
the words:
"Actual reality - Act Up - Fight AIDS"
Check!!
Excuse me - did I do something wrong?
I get invited - then ignored - all night long
I've been trying - I'm not lying
No one's perfect. I've got baggage
Life's too short, babe, time is flying
I'm looking for baggage that goes with mine
I should tell you --
I've got baggage too
I should tell you --
I got baggage too
I should tell you --
Baggage - wine --
And beer!
AZT break
You?
Me. You?
Mimi
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
Song is set after Maureen's performance piece. The cast is commencing in the Life Cafe. Some of what's happening: Benny gloats that Bohemia is dead, and Mark and others reject his pronouncement. Rodger discovers that Mimi is also suffering from AIDS.
This song drops so many names, and makes TONS of references: Maya Angelou : Famous Poet Sontag : Probably Susan Sontag, cinema critic, author, playwright Sondheim : Composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim. Ginsburg: Allen Ginsberg, beat generation poet. Dylan: Bob Dylan. Folk-rock songwriter and performer. Cunningham: Merce Cunningham, modern choreographer. Cage: John Cage, avant-garde musician. Lenny Bruce: Controversial comedian who was reportedly the first person jailed for swearing in public in the US Langston Hughes: African-american playwright, poet. Uta: Uta Hagen; noted stage actress and teacher of Stanislavski's Method of acting. Pablo Neruda: Poet, 1971 Nobel Prize recipient for literature. Gertrude Stein: Lesbian poet, novelist Antonioni: Probably Michelangelo Antonioni, Italian filmmaker. Bertolucci: Probably Bernardo Bertolucci, Italian filmmaker. Kurosawa: Probably Akira Kurosawa, Japanese film director. Carmina Burana: A musical based on poems contained in a 13th Century German manuscript from the Benedictine abbey of Benediktbeuern, in Bavaria. Vaclav Havel: President of the Czech Republic. 8BC: once a nightclub in the East Village ACT UP: AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power.
One of my favorite RENT songs!
i love this song i know all the words
This is possibly my all time favourite song IN THE WORLD.
My schooly-people think I'm mad, sitting with a book on the tarmac with my iPod in my ears, singing away about dildos and masturbation, heh. I know every word off by heart, I've scrawled the lyrics into my diary twice, and I joined this site just so I could comment. =)
And to Ms/Mr Sociology Report Person, reading too much into things often ruins them bigtime.
I love it. SO MUCH. I love Rent, I love everything Rent related, I love people who love Rent, I love singing Rent, I love listening to Rent on my iPod, and the very SECOND I get the chance, I am buying the movie, or going to see it in theatre...
Yeah, I've never seen it. But I know just as much about it, and I love it just as much as anyone who has. So there. =P
YAY RENT! La Vie Boheme = Best Song EVER! And I knew Rent was a play well before I knew it was a movie too. =D
I'm so annoying...
MUCHO MASTERBATION!
favorite song from rent its just so funny and i love singing along with it!!!!!
so well choreographed on stage, especially with the fauz funeral scene lol.
This is a song that not only advocates but celebrates the many varied lifestyles that ad to our culture. It also celebrates everyone who came before pushing the envelope and forcing people to really see life instead of just pretending it doesn't exist.
Umm... Someone told me it was about AIDS ... (hint hint the person who wrote the most up there ^.^) but it's pretty kewl. Once I read the lyrics, I understood it a bit better, even if I haven't seen it on stage.
This is definitely up there with One Song Glory and What You Own as my favorite song from Rent. Such a great celebration of diversity and acceptance. I love the line "To being an us for once instead of a them"-- something about that just seems to fit my friends and I very well, even if it doesn't make much sense when you think about it. One warning though; even though this is one of the best songs in Rent, there are certain parts of it (e.g. the "sisters" and "brothers" parts) that don't work unless you're seeing it in person, or you just know the show very well. Other than that though, this is one of the best celebrations of life in general that will probably ever be recorded. Listen and be happy.
I know all the words to this song, too. =) i loooveee it