I'll Cover You Lyrics – Rent
I'll Cover You Lyrics
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 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

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

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

- 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
- Act 1
- Tune Up 1
- Voice Mail 1
- Tune Up 2
- Rent
- You Okay Honey?
- Tune Up 3
- One Song Glory
- Light My Candle
- Voice Mail 2
- Today 4 U
- You'll See
- Tango: Maureen
- Life Support
- Out Tonight
- Another Day
- Will I?
- On The Street
- Santa Fe
- I'll Cover You
- We're Okay
- Christmas Bells
- Over The Moon
- La Vie Boheme
- I Should Tell You
- La Vie Boheme B
- Act 2
- Seasons Of Love
- Happy New Year
- Voice Mail 3
- Happy New Year B
- Take Me Or Leave Me
- Seasons Of Love B
- Without You
- Voice Mail 4
- Contact
- I'll Cover You (Reprise)
- Halloween
- Goodbye Love
- What You Own
- Voice Mail 5
- Finale A
- Your Eyes
- Finale B