Reunion Square Lyrics
Reunion Square
[TRAIN CONDUCTOR, spoken]This is 14th street, Union Square
[DJ, spoken]
You beat the odds and made it to Union Square, Warriors
And you slipped the noose when those cute boy Bizzies
Didn't want to get any blood on their cardigans
But will you make it through the maze of Union Square?
So many levels and angles
[DJ, spoken & TRAIN CONDUCTOR, spoken]
Trains, colors, letters, and numbers (Transfer here for the N, QB, RR)
Platforms movin' in and out like lost robots (And LL trains)
Trying to get home? (Please be careful of the platform edge)
It's a labyrinth
Can you crack the code?
Or will it crack you?
[COCHISE, spoken]
Roll call
[COCHISE, sung]
Cochise
[COWGIRL]
Cowgirl
[FOX]
Fox
[REMBRANDT]
Rembrandt
[FOX]
God, half of us ar? gone
[COCHISE]
Cochise
[COWGIRL]
Not now, girl
[FOX]
Fox
[MERCY]
Hey! M?rcy
[REMBRANDT]
Rembrandt
[SWAN]
Swan
[COCHISE, COWGIRL & FOX]
You made it! Hey! Yes! Woo!
[REMBRANDT]
Reunion Square!
[COCHISE]
Riunite on ice
[COCHISE & COWGIRL]
That's nice!
[REMBRANDT]
Only one more train to Coney
[COCHISE]
Yes!
[SWAN]
Let's find the train that gets us home
[MERCY]
And grab a bite
[COWGIRL]
Hey yo, this hot dude bit me
[COCHISE]
Ha ha
[REMBRANDT]
I wanna tag this moment
[FOX]
Reunion Square
[COWGIRL]
Hey yo, we just escaped this vampire's lair
[COCHISE]
And yo, I smashed that bad guy with his own chair
[REMBRANDT]
We were not prepared
[FOX]
We were fucking scared
[THE WARRIORS]
Ah-she-ca! Ah-ah-she-ca!
Ah-she-ca! Ah-ah-she-ca! (Hey)
Ah-she-ca! Ah-ah-she-ca! (Hey)
Warriors show 'em whatchoo gah!
[COCHISE]
I'm Cochise
Oh please
You know my style
I'm always steady with the verses and I'm versatile
[COWGIRL]
Turnstile, here's a token for one last ride
They call me Cowgirl but yo we almost died
[MERCY]
Yo, it's nice to meet you
[COCHISE]
What?
[MERCY]
My name is Mercy!
[COWGIRL]
Who?
[MERCY]
I'm a walkin' talkin' fire-breathing controversy!
[COCHISE & FOX]
Oh shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit
[MERCY]
Let's turn it up!
[SWAN]
You gotta turn it down
[MERCY]
What now?
[COWGIRL]
It's the cops
[MERCY]
What?
[FOX & REMBRANDT]
Turn around
[DISPATCH VOICE, spoken]
Officers are on the scene
[CAPTAIN VICTOR & DISPATCH VOICE, spoken]
Yoo hoo! (Officers are on the scene)
Ladies! (Officers are on the scene)
[QUEENS SAMPLE & DISPATCH VOICE, spoken]
You could do ninety-nine things right (Officers are on the scene)
Meet the wrong cop at night, and it's brrap on sight, ya dig
[VICTOR]
Yoo hoo! Ladies!
Hands where we can see 'em if you please
[FOX]
I'm sick of being afraid of you
[COWGIRL, spoken]
Fox?
[SWAN, spoken]
Fox
[FOX]
And what you have the power to do
[VICTOR]
Yoo hoo!
[FOX]
You're the baddest gang in the city
[REMBRANDT, spoken]
Fox
[FOX]
It's true!
Ha, and your color's fuckin' powder blue
[VICTOR]
Careful
[FOX]
Quiet girls don't make it home!
Why can't we just go back home?
Why we always on the run from you?
Well, every crew that gave us chase
Wound up landing on their face
We put them in their place
You want some too?
[VICTOR, spoken]
Oh, you wanna rumble?
No problem!
[SCRATCHED SAMPLES]
Officers are on the scene
On the scene, scene
On the scene, scene, scene, scene-scene
Officers are on the scene-scene, s-s-scene
Officers, officers, officers, scene-scene
Officers, officers, officers, officers
Officers are on the scene
Anybody testing these hands can see static
Meet the wrong cop at night, the wrong cop at night
Survival all depends upon the corner you run to
The wrong cop at night, the wrong cop at night
Only the strong survive, survive
Anybody testing these hands can see static
The wrong cop at night, the wrong cop at night
Survival all depends upon the corner you run to
Anybody testing these hands can see static
The wrong cop at night, the wrong cop at night
I'm sick of runnin' when I've done nothin' wrong
The wrong cop at night, the wrong cop at night
Only the strong survive, survive, survive, survive
The wrong cop at night, the wrong cop at night
Anybody testing these hands can see static
The wrong cop at night, the wrong cop at night
Survival all depends upon the corner you run to
The wrong cop at night, the wrong cop at night
Only the strong survive, survive
Anybody testing these hands can see static
The wrong cop at night, the wrong cop at night
Survival all depends upon the corner you run to
Anybody testing these hands can see static
The wrong cop at night, the wrong cop at night
Survive the night
The wrong cop at night, the wrong cop at night
Survive the night
The wrong cop at night, the wrong cop at night
Survive the armies of the night
It's a long way down
Down, down, down, down, down
The south end of the line is Coney Island
The south end of the line is Coney Island
Look, there's the train!
It's now or never, and it's just a hundred feet away
[FOX, COCHISE & COWGIRL]
(C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
And half a mile underground (C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
(C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
We find the train that's Brooklyn-bound (C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
(C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
The captain's trying to chase us down (C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
(C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
Just don't look back or turn around (C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
Hey, let's get gone, get on this train! (C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
Everybody on this train! (C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
Muscle through the pain and make it through! (C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
(C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
[TRAIN CONDUCTOR, spoken]
This is a Brooklyn-bound train
[FOX, COCHISE & COWGIRL]
This cop'll stop the subway line (C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
Unless somebody stays behind (C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
To keep 'em occupied (C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
And suddenly I know what I have to do
Get them home alive
[MERCY]
Fox?
[TRAIN CONDUCTOR, spoken]
Stand clear of the closing—
[FOX]
I jump through the doors and I'm back on the platform
There's no looking back so I make for the captain
If I can just grab him and make something happen
They'll be too distracted to check for the train
He sees my approach with a moment to spare
And he twists but I'm there so I tackle him square
In the ribs and he grimaces, spits in my hair
Now he's punching the air as we circle the drain
[VICTOR]
Stay down!
[FOX]
Tryin' to keep his hands from his waist
So I don't get a taste of his nightstick
I stick hands in his face but he lands with his weight on me
[VICTOR]
Ha!
[FOX]
Warriors, don't wait on me
[FOX & VICTOR]
Now every move that I make is a bid to survive
Keep me alive
When you woke up today, you didn't think you could die
Neither did I
Now every move that I make is a bid to survive
Keep me alive
When you woke up today, you didn't think you could die
[FOX]
But you don't decide
And we're both on the floor, I look to my right
I see all my Warriors watching us fight
As they bang on the door in the fluorescent light
Forming a chorus of screams in the night
On the opposite side is the parallel track
As I wrestle the captain back onto his back
Then my Warriors' train starts pulling away
Mission accomplished, I'll see you in Coney!
The captain is slappin' and kickin' and punchin'
He's too mad to function, I hear something crunchin'
And I've broken somethin', there's blood on his face
I feel his knees slide up under my waist
Putting space in between us, I try to hold on
Swan would've beat him, but I am no Swan
I am doing my best just to make it 'til dawn
Then his foot's in my chest and he launches me over the edge and I'm—
[FOX falls onto the tracks. The WARRIORS watch helplessly through the windows as a local train suddenly squeals in and hits her, killing her on contact. The WARRIORS are headed to Coney.]
Song Overview
Song Credits
- Featured: Shenseea, Kenita Miller, Sasha Hutchings, Phillipa Soo, Gizel Jiménez, Julia Harriman, Jasmine Cephas Jones, DJ Reborn
- Producers: Mike Elizondo, Eisa Davis, Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Writers / Composers: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Eisa Davis
- Release Date: October 18, 2024
- Album: Warriors – Track #24
- Genre: Rap • Hip-Hop • Musical-Theatre Fusion
- Instruments: Drum kit, electric bass, subway-field recordings, string pads, turntables
- Mood: Breathless urgency, streetwise bravado
- Length: 6 min 04 sec (album cut)
- Language: English with patois and NYC slang
- Copyright © 2024 Miranda / Davis / Elizondo & affiliates
Song Meaning and Annotations
If “Survive The Night” was a midnight rally, “Reunion Square” is the frantic 2 a.m. dash to the last Brooklyn-bound train. The track drops listeners onto Union Square’s labyrinthine platforms—fluorescent light, echoing announcements, distant screech of wheels. Over a skittering breakbeat and scratch-happy samples, seven vocalists trade panicked boasts while DJ Reborn loops a sinister refrain: “Officers are on the scene.” This is theatre that sweats—each bar feels like it’s sprinting for closing doors.
Musically, producer Mike Elizondo layers clacking hi-hats with real subway ambience; every snare hit sounds like a coin clanging off a turnstile. String swells hover in the background, hinting at tragedy even during the crew’s rowdy roll call. The dramatic arc hurtles forward: exhilaration at reuniting, sudden dread when the cops arrive, heart-in-throat sacrifice as Fox stays behind. It’s a mini-musical enclosed in a single tunnel echo, celebrating courage yet refusing to sugar-coat its cost.
DJ & Conductor Intro
“Trains, colors, letters, and numbers… It’s a labyrinth. Can you crack the code, or will it crack you?”
The DJ frames Union Square as an urban riddle—part carnival barker, part Cassandra. Her voice skips between stereo channels like footsteps on different platforms, underscoring the song text’s spatial confusion.
Roll-Call Cypher
“Cochise… Cowgirl… Fox… Rembrandt… Swan… Reunion Square!”
Each Warrior shouts a name over stuttered drums. The moment echoes classic posse cuts, yet it doubles as a head-count: who’s still breathing? Who’s missing? Shenseea’s patois-tinted interjections add dance-hall brightness before the mood darkens.
Mercy’s Entrance
“I’m a walkin’, talkin’, fire-breathing controversy!”
Mercy barges in with a self-intro worthy of comic-book onomatopoeia. Her bravado masks fear; the abrupt cop siren sample that follows cracks the joke in half.
Fox vs. Captain Victor
“I’m sick of being afraid of you… Quiet girls don’t make it home!”
Fox turns defiance into a manifesto, challenging powder-blue authority. The rhyme imperils her life—broken bones, blood on fluorescent tile—yet her stance ensures the crew’s escape. The production here drops to a single bass throb, amplifying every grunt and scrape.
Scratched Sample Refrain
“Anybody testing these hands can see static… Survival all depends upon the corner you run to.”
DJ Reborn chops earlier Queens lines into a hypnotic loop, connecting this scene to the wider album mythos. The repetition mimics a train’s rhythmic clatter while drilling home the moral: geography writes the odds.
The track ends with Fox’s fatal fall, a screeching train, then sudden silence—a sonic jump-cut that leaves the listener on the platform, heart hammering, waiting for the next carriage of story.
Similar Songs
- “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)” – Original Hamilton Cast
Both tracks stage a battlefield within a song, yet “Yorktown” unfurls victory while “Reunion Square” revels in ongoing chase. Lin-Manuel’s penchant for layering ensemble vocals, historical grit, and boom-bap drums threads between the two pieces. The difference lies in setting: colonial fields versus grimy subway tunnels—but the pulse of revolution, personal and public, beats alike. - “The Message” – Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Flash’s 1982 classic introduced urban claustrophobia to rap storytelling—broken glass everywhere, trains slipping off the track. “Reunion Square” inherits that street reportage, swapping decaying high-rises for digital turnstiles. Both songs hammer the listener with repetitive hooks that feel less like choruses and more like warning sirens. - “Run the Jewels” – Run the Jewels
Killer Mike and El-P’s signature track is a sprint of bravado, dense wordplay, and police-state suspicion. “Reunion Square” adopts a similar energy: ensemble smack-talk, sudden gear-shifts, roiling synth bass. Each cut weaponizes humor and swagger to mask existential dread, turning rap verses into survival tactics.
Questions and Answers
- Why is Union Square the setting for “Reunion Square”?
- The location’s multi-level platforms and chaotic transfer points mirror the Warriors’ fractured state—physically reunited yet spiritually cornered. Union Square becomes a micro-labyrinth testing their cohesion.
- Does Fox’s sacrifice echo the original The Warriors film?
- Yes, but with a twist: in the 1979 movie, Fox is male and meets a grim fate during a scuffle with police. The album re-imagines Fox as female, underlining themes of silenced voices and the cost of speaking up.
- What role does DJ Reborn play?
- She acts as on-stage turntablist and Greek chorus, manipulating samples to foreshadow danger. Her scratches stitch earlier album motifs into the present scene, creating a sonic déjà vu.
- How does the track blend theatre and hip-hop production?
- Live drums and strings provide Broadway lushness, while Elizondo’s basslines, vocal chops, and low-end punch root the piece firmly in contemporary rap. Scene dialogue flows seamlessly into rhyme, erasing genre borders.
- Is there a live version?
- During the December 14, 2024 Apollo Theater concert, the cast performed “Reunion Square” on a two-story scaffold replicating Union Square’s steps, complete with moving LED “gap fillers.” Critics called the staging “controlled chaos on rails.”
Fan and Media Reactions
Listeners describe the song text as “Hamilton in a hoodie,” praising its knack for turning subway panic into sing-along adrenaline. Comment threads light up with personal commuting war stories and respect for Fox’s last-stand heroism.
“I’ll never wait at Union Square without hearing that DJ voice whisper ‘labyrinth.’” @MetroLurker
“The scratching of ‘wrong cop at night’ is pure gooseflesh.” @VinylVandal
“Shenseea’s quick patois bars over Broadway strings? Chef’s kiss.” @IslandTracks
“Fox flipping the power dynamic then paying the price—we all felt that thud.” @StageDoorCrybaby
“Finally, a musical number that captures the terror of missing the last Q train.” @BrooklynBard
Rolling Stone applauded “Reunion Square” as “a master-class in ensemble tension, proof that Miranda and Davis can wring drama from a MetroCard swipe.” Meanwhile, Time Out NY called it “the most accurate sonic portrait of Union Square since the L train’s real-life screech.”