Easy Street Lyrics - Annie

Easy Street Lyrics

Easy Street

[ROOSTER]
I remember the way
Our sainted mother
Would sit and croon us
Her lullaby

[MISS HANNIGAN]
She'd say, kids, there's a place
That's like no other
You got to get there before you die

[ROOSTER]
You don't get there
By playing from the rule book

[MISS HANNIGAN]
You stack the aces

[ROOSTER]
You load the dice

[MISS HANNIGAN AND ROOSTER]
Mother dear
Oh, we know you're down there listening --
How can we follow
Your sweet
Advice
To

[ROOSTER]
Easy street
Easy street
Where you sleep till noon

[MISS HANNIGAN]
Yeah, yeah, yeah

[ROOSTER AND MISS HANNIGAN]
She'd repeat
Easy street
Better get there soon.

[ROOSTER, MISS HANNIGAN, AND LILY]
Easy street
Easy street
Where the rich folks play
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Move them feet

[MISS HANNIGAN]
Move them ever-lovin' feet

[ROOSTER, MISS HANNIGAN, AND LILY]
To easy street

[MISS HANNIGAN]
Easy street

[ROOSTER, MISS HANNIGAN, AND LILY]
When you get there stay

[ROOSTER]
It ain't fair
How we scrounge
For three of four bucks
While she gets
Warbucks

[MISS HANNIGAN]
The little brat!
It ain't fair this here life
Is drivin' me nuts!
While we get peanuts
She's livin' fat!

[ROOSTER]
Maybe she holds the key
That little lady

[MISS HANNIGAN]
To gettin' more bucks

[ROOSTER]
Instead of less
Maybe we fix the game
With something shady

[LILY]
Where does that put us?

[MISS HANNIGAN]
Give you one guess

[ROOSTER, MISS HANNIGAN, AND LILY]
Yes!

Easy street
Easy street
Annie is the key
Yes sirree
Yes sirree
Yes sirree
Easy street
Easy street
That's where we're gonna --
Be!



Song Overview

 Screenshot from Easy Street lyrics video by Annie: The Broadway Musical 30th Anniversary Cast
Annie: The Broadway Musical 30th Anniversary Cast belts the 'Easy Street' lyrics in this rehearsal clip.

Song Credits

  • Main Vocals: Scott Willis (Rooster), Alene Robertson (Miss Hannigan), Shelly Burch (Lily St. Regis)
  • Ensemble: Annie – The Broadway Musical 30th Anniversary Cast
  • Composer: Charles Strouse
  • Lyricist: Martin Charnin
  • Album: Annie: The Broadway Musical 30th Anniversary Cast Recording, Disc 1
  • Release Year: 2008 (score debuted 1977)
  • Genre: Show-tune / Jazz-swing caper
  • Instruments: stride piano, wah-wah trumpet, slithery trombone, walking bass, tap-board percussion
  • Mood: scheming, sultry, wink-and-a-nod
  • Label: Time-Life / Masterworks Broadway
  • Copyright © 1977 Strouse & Charnin • ? 2008 Time-Life

Song Meaning and Annotations

Cast performing song Easy Street
Performance in the music video.

The house lights dim, a sleazy trumpet slurs a blue note, and Rooster slinks onstage like a pin-striped alley cat. Easy Street sashays in 12-bar swing, part vaudeville hustle, part smoky speakeasy jam. Where Annie’s earlier tunes sparkle with hope, this one oozes plottin’ gravy: three grifters harmonising about shortcuts to champagne living.

Musically, it leans on minor-key blues colour, yet the chorus flips to a bright major release—mirroring the characters’ flip-flop from grim reality to velvet-lined fantasies. Lyrically, Strouse and Charnin sprinkle gambler slang (“stack the aces,” “load the dice”) over a cabaret groove, illustrating how Depression-era dreamers might con their way out of bread-line life.

Mother’s Crooked Lullaby

“Our sainted mother / Would sit and croon us her lullaby”

A sepia spoof of bedtime comfort—Mom doesn’t preach virtue; she hands out get-rich-quick commandments, planting the first crooked seed.

Dice-Rolling Doctrine

“You don’t get there by playing from the rule book”

That single line flips Annie’s moral compass: while the orphan dreams of meritocracy, the siblings toast to rigging the table.

Trio Chemistry

When Lily’s squeal collides with Rooster’s growl and Hannigan’s gravel, their three-part swing chords form a cynical Andrews Sisters parody. The call-and-response “Yes sirree!” lands like carnival barkers reeling in rubes.

Staging Note

Directors often plant the trio on an exaggeratedly tilted lamppost, spotlight cutting like a film-noir beam—visual shorthand for the moral slant they’re celebrating.

Similar Songs

Thumbnail from Easy Street lyric video
A screenshot from the 'Easy Street' music video.
  1. “Master of the House” – Les Misérables Cast
    Thénardier’s pub patter also lionises low-grade larceny. Both numbers pair jaunty tavern rhythms with rapscallion humour, though “Easy Street” swings while “Master” stomps in 3/4 brag-march.
  2. “When You’re Good to Mama” – Chicago (Queen Latifah)
    Matron “Mama” Morton purrs a quid-pro-quo gospel that echoes Hannigan’s self-interest. Each singer coats sly wisdom in jazz glissandi and comic timing.
  3. “Friend Like Me” – Robin Williams (Aladdin)
    Another show-stopping salesman tune, bursting with vaudeville references. Genie’s legit generosity contrasts Rooster’s crooked promises, yet the razzle-dazzle orchestration and tongue-twister delivery feel like cousins.

Questions and Answers

Scene from Easy Street track
Visual effects scene from 'Easy Street'.
Why is Easy Street set in a bluesy swing style?
Swing fits the 1930s timeline and instantly signals smoky back-room scheming—perfect for characters plotting a scam.
Does Annie appear in this number?
No—her absence highlights the villains’ private plotting, raising dramatic tension before their plan collides with her optimism.
Is the song always staged in the orphanage office?
Most productions keep it there, but some revivals shift to an alleyway or noir-lit lamppost for extra cinematic flair.
What key elements make the trio harmonies pop?
Tight close intervals (thirds and sixths), quick chromatic slides, and rhythmic unison punches on the word “Easy” amp up mischief.
How does the reprise differ?
The Act II reprise speeds up and modulates upward, underscoring the crooks’ rising confidence—until the plan unravels.

Fan and Media Reactions

“Anytime my rent’s due I hum ‘Easy Street’—instant villain swagger.” @PocketLarceny
“That trombone slide at ‘sleep till noon’ is pure cartoon gold.” @BrassNerd88
“My community-theatre trio hit the final ‘Be!’ and the audience actually boo-cheered. Mission accomplished.” @StageDoorBandit
“Proof that even in a kid-friendly musical you can sneak in a snarky jazz masterpiece.” @CriticInPinstripes
“The 30th Anniversary cast recording gives Hannigan a gravelly growl I didn’t know I needed.” @CastAlbumAddict


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Musical: Annie. Song: Easy Street. Broadway musical soundtrack lyrics. Song lyrics from theatre show/film are property & copyright of their owners, provided for educational purposes