29 Musical Theater Lyrics That Give Us Hope
You know what makes us feel happy in times of great uncertainty and fear? Musical theater. There’s nothing like hearing the sweet melodies of “The sun’ll come out tomorrow” from “Annie” or “You are not alone” from “Dear Evan Hansen” to keep our spirits lifted and make us feel like we’re all in this phase of social distancing together.
So we compiled some of the most comforting and uplifting song lyrics from an array of our favorite musicals to share the love and light. We even put together a Spotify playlist of these tunes so you can jam along at home.
The sun’ll come out tomorrow
“Tomorrow,” Annie
Tomorrow is a latter day
–The Book of Mormon

Holding to the ground as the ground keeps shifting
“Holding to the Ground,” Falsettos
Trying to keep sane as the rules keep changing
Keeping up my head as my heart falls out of sight
Everything will be alright

And I’m thankful for everyday that I’m givin’
“I’m Here,” The Color Purple
Both the easy and hard ones I’m livin’

It isn’t where I am, It’s only where I’ll go from here”
“Times Are Hard for Dreamers,” Amelie
Don’t hold me back ’cause today all my dreams will come true!
“Good Morning Baltimore,” Hairspray
And nobody in all of Oz
“Defying Gravity,” Wicked
No Wizard that there is or was
Is ever gonna bring me down

In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee
“Seasons of Love,” Rent
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strifeIn five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life?
We can do it, we can do it
“We Can Do It,” The Producers
This is not the time to shirk
We can do it, you won’t rue it
Say goodbye to petty clerk
To us and our good fortune
“To Life,” Fiddler on the Roof
Be happy, be healthy, long life!
And if our good fortune never comes
Here’s to whatever comesDrink l’chaim to life!
As we stumble along
“As We Stumble Along,” The Drowsy Chaperone
‘Cross life’s crowded dance floors
As we push and we shove
We live and we learn
And when we fin’lly leave the bar
And we see that morning star
We pull our boot straps up and homeward turn.
I’ve got a wonderful feeling
“Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” Oklahoma!
Everything’s going my way.
When the dog bites
“My Favorite Things,” The Sound of Music
When the bees sting
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad.
Every day they shout and scold and go about their lives
“Out There,” Hunchback of Notre Dame
Heedless of the gift it is to be them
If I were in their skin, I’d treasure every instant.

Don’t give up and don’t give in
“Hero is My Middle Name,” SpongeBob: The Musical
If you’re thinking sink or swim.
Courage is your plane to fame
When hero is your middle name.

So let the sun come streaming in
“You Will Be Found,” Dear Evan Hansen
‘Cause you’ll reach up and you’ll rise again
If you only look around
You will be found

And this present will be past so here we are
“Stop the World,” Come From Away
where the world has come together.

I see stars, we shine as bright as day
“I See Stars,” Mean Girls
I will look out for you; we’ll light each other’s way.
What I thought was so permanent fades
“Everything Changes,” Waitress
In the blink of an eye, there’s a new life in front in my face
And I know in due time, every right thing will find its right place.

I know that the night must end
“Endless Night,” The Lion King
And that the clouds must clear
The sun, the sun will rise
If you take your time (look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now), you will make your mark
“Take a Break,” Hamilton
Close your eyes and dream
When the night gets dark, take a break.

Some flowers bloom
“We Raise Our Cups,” Hadestown
Where the green grass grows
Our praise is not for them
But the ones who bloom in the bitter snow
We raise our cups to them
But I say: Why invite stress in?
“Dancing Through Life,” Wicked
Stop studying strife
And learn to live “the unexamined life

I spend hours in the garden
“It’s Quiet Uptown,” Hamilton
I walk alone to the store
And it’s quiet uptown
I never liked the quiet before
Just remember
“No One Is Alone,” Into the Woods
Someone is on your side
Someone else is not
While we’re seeing our side
Maybe we forgot, they are not alone
No one is alone
It doesn’t matter if your life’s a mess
“Shine,” Billy Elliot
The whole process will coalesce
Girls, just try to effervesce
All you really have to do is shine.
But all I know is nothing happens if you just give in
“Watch What Happens,” Newsies
It can’t be any worse than how it’s been
And it just so happens that we just might win
So whatever happens! Let’s begin!

I will beat the odds
“Go the Distance,” Hercules
I can go the distance
I will face the world
Fearless, proud, and strong
Listen to all of these songs on Spotify!