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Byline Mine by J P | Neume
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Byline Mine
J P
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“
”
Musical theatre, male ensemble. One featured female vocalist. Set in a press room, 1940s New York. lyrics about being a woman in a man‘s job.
Lyrics
(ENSEMBLE: murmurs, typewriters)
Rat-tat-tat, clack-clack, roll the teletype — hey! (hey!)
Coffee cups, bent fedoras, the deadline's growl — oh-oh
(Whistle) Extra copy! Extra copy! (shh, shh)
(ENSEMBLE:) She's in the doorway — who gave her the pass? (who?)
(SHE:)
Ink on my fingers, ink on my sleeve,
I learned to read the city before they taught me to believe.
They called me 'darling' in the elevator light,
But I learned how to listen and I learned how to fight.
I’ve walked through press doors with a notepad thin,
Taken names, pulled leads, put the facts in.
I’ve stood on the corner where the wires all hum,
Wore a pencil like armor, kept my collar up.
(SHE:)
You can set the kettle, fold the column, pour the tea,
But when the scoop comes sweeping, you’ll look straight at me.
I patch the byline where the ink gets cold,
I stake the truth, I go where the story's told.
(SHE:)
Byline mine, byline mine — I sign my name, I sign my name (I sign my name)
Byline mine, byline mine — watch the lead, watch the lead (watch me, watch me)
(ENSEMBLE: ooh, ooh)
Byline mine, byline mine — type it loud, type it proud (type it proud)
Byline mine, byline mine — don’t you call it luck (don't you, don't you)
(MAN 1:)
He’s got a cigarette, he’s got a swagger (uh-huh)
He says, "Kid, this beat's a man's to stagger" (ha)
(MAN 2:)
They pass the wire and they pass the jokes,
They say, "Sweetheart, take the notes and the coffee pokes."
(SHE:)
I took the cigarette, I put it out — with a line,
I soaked the facts and I poured them fine.
You think your banter can knock me flat?
I’ll write the comeback, I’ll lead the chat.
(SHE:)
I know the code on the copy desk like a hymn,
I know when a byline’s thin or when a lead will sing.
You can laugh at my shoes, my skirt, my pen,
But you can’t laugh when I'm first on the wire again.
(SHE:)
Byline mine, byline mine — I sign my name, I sign my name (I sign my name)
Byline mine, byline mine — watch the lead, watch the lead (watch me, watch me)
(ENSEMBLE: hmm, hmm)
Byline mine, byline mine — type it loud, type it proud (type it proud)
Byline mine, byline mine — don’t you call it luck (don't you, don't you)
(MAN 3: spoken, then sung by ensemble)
He says, "The pressroom's a vessel, it takes a steady hand,"
He says, "We’ve more than met our share of jittery brand."
(ENSEMBLE:)
She’s got a nerve, she’s got a look, she’s got a way —
She'll file a name and walk away.
(SHE:)
I’ve covered parades, I’ve covered strikes,
I’ve walked through courthouse doors, I've seen the lights.
They tried to swap my headline for a lighter piece,
But I dug up receipts; I didn’t cease.
(SHE: soft, then building)
Once I was told a woman’s place is at the type,
To mind the ink, to mind the tea — "Keep it polite."
But I have a nose for crooked angles and a mouth for the tr
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