Say No to This - Jasmine Cephas Jones, Leslie Odom, Jr., Lin-Manuel Miranda

There’s nothing like summer in the city

Someone under stress meets someone looking pretty

There’s trouble in the air, you can smell it

And Alexander’s by himself.

I’ll let him tell it

I hadn’t slept in a week

I was weak, I was awake

You never seen a bastard orphan

More in need of a break

Longing for Angelica

Missing my wife

That’s when Miss Maria Reynolds walked into my life, she said:

I know you are a man of honor

I’m so sorry to bother you at home

But I don’t know where to go, and I came here all alone…

She said:

My husband’s doin' me wrong

Beatin' me, cheatin' me, mistreatin' me…

Suddenly he’s up and gone

I don’t have the means to go on

So I offered her a loan, I offered to walk her home, she said

You’re too kind, sir

I gave her thirty bucks that I had socked away

She lived a block away, she said:

This one’s mine, sir

Then I said, «Well, I should head back home,»

She turned red, she led me to her bed

Let her legs spread and said:

Stay?

Hey…

Hey…

That’s when I began to pray:

Lord, show me how to

Say no to this

I don’t know how to

Say no to this

But my God, she looks so helpless

And her body’s saying, «Hell, yes.»

Whoa…

No, show me how to

Say no to this

I don’t know how to

Say no to this

In my mind, I’m tryin' to go

Go!

Go!

Go!

Then her mouth is on mine, and I don’t say…

No!

No!

Say no to this!

No!

No!

Say no to this!

No!

No!

Say no to this!

No!

No!

Say no to this!

I wish I could say that was the last time

I said that last time.

It became a pastime

A month into this endeavor I received a letter

From a Mr. James Reynolds, even better, it said:

Dear Sir, I hope this letter finds you in good health

And in a prosperous enough position to put wealth

In the pockets of people like me: down on their luck

You see, that was my wife who you decided to

Fuuuu…

Uh-oh!

You made the wrong sucker a cuckold

So time to pay the piper for the pants you unbuckled

And hey, you can keep seein' my whore wife

If the price is right: if not I’m telling your wife

I hid the letter and I raced to her place

Screamed, «How could you?!"in her face

She said:

No, sir!

Half dressed, apologetic

A mess, she looked pathetic, she cried:

Please don’t go, sir!

So was your whole story a setup?

I don’t know about any letter!

Stop crying

Goddammit, get up!

I didn’t know any better

I am ruined…

Please don’t leave me with him helpless (I am helpless — how could I do this?)

Just give him what he wants and you can have me

(I don’t want you)

Whatever you want (I don’t want you)

If you pay (I don’t)

You can stay

(Lord, show me how to say no to this)

Tonight (I don’t know how to say no to this)

('Cause the situation’s helpless)

Helpless

(And her body’s screaming, «Hell, yes.»)

Whoa!

(No, show me how to say no to this)

How can you say no to this?

(How can I say no to this?)

(There is nowhere I can go)

(When her body’s on mine I do not say…)

(Yes) Yes

(Yes) Yes

(Yes) Ye-ye-yes

(Yes) Yes

(Say no to this…)

(I don’t say no to this) Don’t say no to this

(There is nowhere I can go)

So?

Nobody needs to know