Ellie Ward - Stand Up lyrics

Tai: I have a dream Sebastian: I have a dream Saffron: I have a dream Kase: I have a dream Alex: I have a dream Arlo: I have a dream All: I have a dream Tai: I have a dream Sebastian: I have a dream Saffron: I have a dream Kase: I have a dream Alex: I have a dream Arlo: I have a dream All: I have a dream Tai: Here I am striding off the plane at JFK I'm on a non-stop train to the Great White Way My name's Tai and you don't know from where I came But one day in my fame you'll have heard of my name The day is hot, my chances cold, but I feel no angst ‘Cause today my life finally begins so I give my thanks Here I am in New York City my dreams unfurling out in front of me Do you feel that in the air? My goodness what a place to be The city is busy and the streets are winding The ecstatic energy that fills every space is blinding I ride fast on the trains that travel underneath the streets But I'm not sitting down now I'm finally in this town Every person that I pa** is dreaming out of reach But hey it's New York City it doesn't matter what you preach And I'll tell you all now I came from pretty far away An ocean full of distance between me and the United States Everyday was agonizing but they told me to wait None of us were privileged it was exceptionally tough But it doesn't matter where I was cause I'm here now and that's enough Are you sitting there wondering why I'm here? I've felt the radiation of anticipation for years I know that I'll be telling sounds optimistic I know what I'll find but keep in mind that I'm not a simplistic “Everybody wants it and it's flawed they say,” they say But one day I swore that I'd be up on br-oad-way They tap their feet and roll their eyes as they fill me in Satisfaction in their actions as they tell me it's one in a million I know this place is packed and racked with hopefuls but what if I'm a one So I'll keep at this mountain watch me climb it till I'm done And just so you know I know this journey won't be an upward ride But I have faith in this world and I'm always ready for the downward slide Though I don't have a plan and no I don't have a bachelor But one day they'll say “Damn I wish we catched her,” But I'm here in the moment and the city is mine And honestly, who knows what I'll find [Company] Look at me Standing here I've been waiting for years Look at me Standing here I've been waiting for years Eyes up Chin up Stand up Stand up Don't let them see inside Now I'm ready for the ride Eyes up Chin up Stand up Stand up Stand up Stand pretty For New York City Sebastian: New York City is our galaxy and we are the stars We've all got to play are part yo you know it ain't hard The island we call home is our canvas so let's paint it with colour And you and I know this place could be so vibrant so why make it duller? We know that there are problems that we really should go ahead and face You need to make a difference, whoever you are, here it doesn't matter what race But we shouldn't delude ourselves the world will never ever be a perfect place But imperfection equals beauty we should leave no trace But some of us still have to live with judging and discrimination Lets open our eyes we have to stand up there should be no anticipation So come on let's go and let's stand together! With every step we take let's stride to make this place better! We're just trying to live we shouldn't need to wear a metaphorical scarlet letter! So don't retreat! Dance to the beat of our streets! You have to understand! We can only act at the hand of our command! Oh, Hey! I strode off the plane at JFK Fresh from my country Puerto Rico living in a brand new day My name's Sebastian and instead of guns and knives I use words as my weapon If you ever want somebody to fight for what's right I'm happy to step in Every day I've been alive I've worked and saved my whole life no matter the stakes Never wasted a second, finished school two years early and planned my escape When I elaborate people are usually taken aback by my ambition But something I've learned is you got to have lots of it when you're in my position I'm running to my aspirations as fast as I can cause I'm focusing on my mission The world's a musical and New York City is a song so this is my rendition Blood sweat and tears for years, I paved the roads to my goals and nothing's getting in the way My mind is always racing, it's limpid I've just got so much in me to say Saved everything I had and got a run down studio in Washington Heights I'm gonna keep on pacing and racing till I see my name in lights You see I'm a writer so everyday I live I'm scripting my story And I don't want or need anybody else to do it for me Writing like a river flowing getting a journalism major down in NYU Cause if no one else will focus on our problems then that's what I gotta do And one day they'll put it in the times where everybody can read it With my name in black ink on white paper, damn I can almost see it But it's ten grand a year and I can hardly scrape it But we only have one life so in full gear I'll find a way to pay it I write about what matters but no one's hearing it Cause nobody wants to listen to a Puerto Rican immigrant But I'll keep trying, reading and writing and it will be imminent Yes I'm young but don't disvalue me because of details, I have something to say The youth are the future you can't push us away But I'll keep writing people's stories until I become known Because when I write theirs I'm creating my own [Company] Look at me Standing here I've been waiting for years Look at me Standing here I've been waiting for years Eyes up Chin up Stand up Stand up Don't let them see inside Now I'm ready for the ride Eyes up Chin up Stand up Stand up Stand up Stand pretty For New York City Saffron: I strode off the plane at JFK Straight out of the Caribbean which now feels like worlds away The name is Saffron but people call me Saffey which I don't pity The Dominican Republic is my home like so many in the city And just to make it clear so there's no confusion Don't try to change it because it's the conclusion My pronouns are they, them, their thanks for asking You would not believe the problem that it brings up in casting With every frantic mile I flew it felt like ten million My life has been quite a reckoning journey so let me fill you in I come from a picturesque place with forever clear blue seas Just people trying to live but we'll stick together like a committee I moved here just last year awaiting the time when I was old enough And here I am stating that ever since then I've been living it rough Well not really but I'm a young artist if you know what I mean Every day I've been trying my hardest to get on the scene Cause you see I'm a dancer and the world is my stage so I'm picking up the pace I have a spark burning within me that I can't quite place I just need someone to see it cause I know it's there When I hear the music, not one thing can compare But for what they make us pay I'm not getting any tuition They're ridiculous, damn I couldn't even afford the audition Forty thousand a year? They're just playing Just to put on my CV? No way, I'm just saying! So I'm dancing on the street and keeping the beat and looking for the big break Just trying to get what I have to make I go to every audition and perform everywhere Sometimes I feel like giving up but I won't I swear! Cause in the black of night the day is still new So I'll fight for my right and do what I have to do! Kase: I strode off the plane at JFK Twelve years old and I knew straight away that I wanted to stay The name is Kase and it is so nice to meet you He, him, his by the way, if you do I came from afar for a better life And my eyes had never seen so many bright lights Because in New York they understand you and they know your rights In New York City you can be yourself Nobody's searching for inevitable wealth We're just trying to be who we are and we raise the bar as we're climbing to the stars Ever since I was young I knew I was different on the inside But where I was people were indifferent and weren't onboard for the ride When I was twelve we packed our bags and left when I finished the transition But you can't notice now and it doesn't matter in any auditions And my Mother supported me when no one else did and she still is now She says that I could be whoever and I would still make her proud I grew up right over in Brooklyn, on the other side of the Hudson I went to school and did my work and trained hard and I was never lazy And with my dreams they called me hypothetically crazy You see I've always had an undescribable pa**ion within me I've been born with a hard working fashion to intrigue I long for being an actor on that New York stage Bright lights, silver screen and Broadway So now I'm sailing on the stars in a rocket down in Juilliard A theatre major will be in my pocket and I look back at how far I have travelled and now it's all falling into place I've learned in New York it doesn't matter what colour, what race I've got a half scholarship but it's still breaking the bank We're risking it all like so many, my Mother's the number one rank She wants to fulfill my dreams no matter the cost Here in New York City I could never feel lost [Company] Look at me Standing here I've been waiting for years Look at me Standing here I've been waiting for years Eyes up Chin up Stand up Stand up Don't let them see inside Now I'm ready for the ride Eyes up Chin up Stand up Stand up Stand up Stand pretty For New York City Alex: I strode off the plane at JFK Came straight from my home Brazil anticipating ‘twas time to see better days The name is Alexandra but they all call me Alex here Nice to meet you, give me the wheel and I'll be the one to steer Success is a song that I promise I will one day sing Living in the city is honest it finally gave me my wings I'm experiencing the world through brand new eyes It's a tricky industry to stand in but I'll give it a try I sing to the notes of the city's blaring symphony I rap to the beat of everything that I see I'm trying to make it but it's hard, why? Because I have to get by But you'll remember me when you see my name in the sky Everybody back home was convinced thought I was out of my mind Insisted that the city's full of people, thought they knew what I wouldn't find So when they ring me up I smile and tell them everything is great But hell I know I'll get there even if I have to wait Arlo: I strode off the plane at JFK I didn't know I wanted to end up at the Great White Way Hello, Nice to meet you! My name is Arlo! I've been running after my dreams I've been chasing the stars yo I came straight from Mexico just my mother and I Didn't speak a word of English but we gave it a try I landed on this ground back when I was two years old Never looked down and fell in love with the city, truth be told Spent my childhood living the Brooklyn life in Bushwick, yeah that's right When I was young I thought I wanted to play sports for the rest of my life I auditioned for the musical in high school completely by mystery Seventeen years old I finally started writing my very own history I was going to attend community college I didn't know what was around the bend to be honest My teacher got me an audition in a school where I could get a performing arts major Didn't think I was good enough but she was cool so I went to repay her Then I got a place but of course I couldn't pay the fee So my teacher did the deed and organized a scholarship for me I told them this is my chance, I only have one life so I gotta give it a go So I'm attending right now and that's all you need to know But getting work in a city full of eight million people is tough Nothing that I seem to do is enough But everybody has to start at the bottom so I'm working my way up [Company] Look at me Standing here I've been waiting for years Look at me Standing here I've been waiting for years Eyes up Chin up Stand up Stand up Don't let them see inside Now I'm ready for the ride Eyes up Chin up Stand up Stand up Stand up Stand pretty For New York City