Byline Mine

Intro

(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?)

Verse

(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.

Pre-chorus

(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.

Chorus

(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)

Verse

(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.

Pre-chorus

(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.

Chorus

(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)

Verse

(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.

Bridge

(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