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I'll Cover You Lyrics Rent

I'll Cover You Lyrics

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MARK
I'll meet you at the show.
I'll try and convince Roger to go.
(MARK exits)

ANGEL
Alone at last...

COLLINS
He'll be back, I guarantee.

ANGEL
I've been hearing violins all night!

COLLINS
Anything to do with me? Are we a thing?

ANGEL
Darling... we're everything!

Live in my house
I'll be your shelter
Just pay me back
With one thousand kisses
Be my lover -- I'll cover you

COLLINS
Open your door
I'll be your tenant
Don't got much baggage
To lay at your feet

But sweet kisses I've got to spare
I'll be there -- I'll cover you

BOTH
I think they meant it
When they said you can't buy love
Now I know you can rent it
A new lease you are, my love,
On life -- be my life

(They do a short dance.)

Just slip me on
I'll be your blanket
Wherever -- whatever -- I'll be your coat

ANGEL
You'll be my king
And I'll be your castle

COLLINS
No you'll be my queen
And I'll be your moat

BOTH
I think they meant it
When they said you can't buy love
Now I know you can rent it
A new lease you are, my love,
On life -- all my life

I've longed to discover
Something as true as this is

COLLINS
So with a thousand
sweet kisses
I'll cover you
With a thousand sweet kisses
I'll cover you
When you're worn
out and tired
When your heart has expired
ANGEL (simultaneously)
If you're cold
And you're lonely
You've got one nickel only
With a thousand sweet kisses
I'll cover you
With a thousand sweet kisses
I'll cover you

BOTH
Oh lover I'll cover you
Oh lover I'll cover you

Song Overview

I’ll Cover You lyrics by Original Broadway Cast of Rent
Original Broadway Cast of Rent is singing the 'I’ll Cover You' lyrics in the music video.

I’ll Cover You drifts in like a wool blanket on a cold Alphabet City night. Wilson Jermaine Heredia and Jesse L. Martin trade promises of shelter, kisses, and unconditional care – turning an abandoned lot into a heartbeat-warm home. One listen, and the hook feels stitched into your coat lining.

Personal Review

The I’ll Cover You lyrics glide over a gentle shuffle groove, two lovers wrapping hopes around each other like scarves. The phrase “just pay me back with one thousand kisses” captures Angel and Collins in one breath – playful yet profound, simple yet boundless.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Wilson Jermaine Heredia and Jesse L. Martin performing I’ll Cover You
Performance in the music video.

Set in a barren New York courtyard, the duet flips the capitalist pulse of Rent on its ear: love as currency, kisses as rent. Collins jokes he has “no baggage,” nodding to both his empty pockets and rare emotional lightness -->. Angel calls him king, he crowns her queen; each metaphor re-threads gender lines with affectionate mischief.

Live in my house – I’ll be your shelter…
I think they meant it when they said you can’t buy love
Now I know you can rent it…

The pun on “rent” reframes the show’s title, hinting that safety can be leased in kisses even when time feels short. Foreshadowing creeps in: “When your heart has expired I’ll cover you.” Darkness pokes through the bright melody; AIDS hovers over the couple’s vows.

Verse Highlights

I’ll Cover You lyric video by Original Broadway Cast of Rent
A screenshot from the 'I’ll Cover You' video.
Opening Invitation

Angel’s first line feels like unlocking a door. The rhythm mimics a heartbeat: sturdy, unhurried.

Middle Blanket-and-Coat Imagery

Domestic metaphors stack fast – house, blanket, coat – all things poor artists crave on a December night.

Final Thousand-Kiss Refrain

Collins and Angel volley the promise until it becomes a chant, a spell, a shared heartbeat.

Key Facts

Scene from I’ll Cover You by Original Broadway Cast of Rent
Scene from 'I’ll Cover You'.
  • Featuring: Wilson Jermaine Heredia & Jesse L. Martin
  • Producer: Arif Mardin
  • Composer / Lyricist: Jonathan Larson
  • Release Date: August 27, 1996 -->
  • Genre: Show-tune soul blend
  • Length: 2 min 29 sec -->
  • Album: Rent (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
  • Label: DreamWorks Records
  • Mood: Tender, protective
  • Language: English

Songs Exploring Similar Themes

Seasons of Love trades kisses for minutes, asking how we count affection when time runs thin.

One Song Glory voices Roger’s plea to leave a legacy before illness takes him. Where Angel offers warmth, Roger seeks immortality.

I’ll Cover You (Reprise) twists the original duet into a funeral hymn – proof that promises echo even after hearts stop.

Questions and Answers

Why do Angel and Collins sing I’ll Cover You so soon after meeting?
The show compresses time; facing fragile futures, they dive straight into commitment.
What does “rent it” mean in the chorus?
A playful jab at capitalism – love can’t be bought but it can be borrowed, shared, passed along.
Is there a real blanket on stage?
In most productions, yes – a visual cue that the lyric’s promise is literal, not just metaphor.
How has the song been covered?
Notable renditions appear on the 2005 film soundtrack and dozens of international cast albums.
Which voice part fits Angel’s lines?
High tenor squeezing toward alto – bright but gentle, with a smile in every vowel.

Awards and Chart Positions

The parent double-disc debuted at No. 19 on the Billboard 200 --> and has since earned double-platinum certification -->. The musical itself won the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama -->.

How to Sing?

Keep tempo around 86 BPM – slow enough to breathe between each promise. Angel floats in bright head-voice; Collins rests in baritone warmth. Lean into consonants on “thousand sweet kisses” to keep the groove crisp. Let vibrato bloom on “lover” – love should shimmer, not shout.

Music video


Rent Lyrics: Song List

  1. Act 1
  2. Tune Up 1
  3. Voice Mail 1
  4. Tune Up 2
  5. Rent
  6. You Okay Honey?
  7. Tune Up 3
  8. One Song Glory
  9. Light My Candle
  10. Voice Mail 2
  11. Today 4 U
  12. You'll See
  13. Tango: Maureen
  14. Life Support
  15. Out Tonight
  16. Another Day
  17. Will I?
  18. On The Street
  19. Santa Fe
  20. I'll Cover You
  21. We're Okay
  22. Christmas Bells
  23. Over The Moon
  24. La Vie Boheme
  25. I Should Tell You
  26. La Vie Boheme B
  27. Act 2
  28. Seasons Of Love
  29. Happy New Year
  30. Voice Mail 3
  31. Happy New Year B
  32. Take Me Or Leave Me
  33. Seasons Of Love B
  34. Without You
  35. Voice Mail 4
  36. Contact
  37. I'll Cover You (Reprise)
  38. Halloween
  39. Goodbye Love
  40. What You Own
  41. Voice Mail 5
  42. Finale A
  43. Your Eyes
  44. Finale B

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