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What the Heck I Gotta Do: Lin-Manuel Miranda & Original Cast

Listen to 21 Chump Street: The Musical about a love story between a senior highschool student and an undercover police officer on This American Life. Read the transcript.







Here are the lyrics to the song "What the Heck I Gotta Do" by Lin-Manuel Miranda.  Find and write the full words for the contractions, interjections and accronyms.

Justin

(SINGING) And I was like, what the heck I gotta do to be with you?

Students

(SINGING) What the heck I gotta do?

Justin

(SINGING) What the heck I gotta do to be with you?

Students

(SINGING) What the heck I gotta do?

Justin

(SINGING) Tell me who I gotta be for you to be with me.

Lin

You told her all this in class?

Justin

(SINGING) Well, yeah. I texted her! You know, I was like, (SINGING) what the heck I gotta do to be with you?

Students

(SINGING) L-O-L-O-L-O-L!

Justin

(SINGING) What the heck I gotta do to be with you?

Students

(SINGING) R-O-F-L-O-L!

Justin

(SINGING) Tell me who I gotta be for you to be with me.

Naomi

(SINGING) (SINGING) Smiley face.

Justin

(SINGING) Yes! (SINGING) Next thing you know, we're texting day and night. I trust her right away.

Students

(SINGING) Like, whoa!

Justin

(SINGING) Hey, yo. I never met anyone like her, bro. Yo, she listens to all my problems. I let her copy all my homework. And then I lay it all on the line. And she was like--

Students

(SINGING) No, no--

Justin

(SINGING) No! She didn't say no exactly. I don't know.

Students

(SINGING) No, no, no!

Justin

(SINGING) Yeah, I was surprised. I'm a pretty great guy.

Students

(SINGING) So? So?

Justin

(SINGING) So I decided I needed to step my game up.

Students

(SINGING) Oh. Oh. Oh! Oh.

Justin

(SINGING) It's too late to be shy. So I got in front of the whole class one day, and I serenaded her. I was like, what the heck I gotta do to be with you?

Students

(SINGING) What the heck I gotta do?

Justin

(SINGING) What the heck I gotta do to be with you?

Students

(SINGING) What the heck I gotta do?

Justin

(SINGING) Tell me who I gotta be for you to go to prom with me!

Lin

You asked her to the prom?

Justin

(SINGING) Yeah! I danced and everything.

Students

(SINGING) (SINGING) Naomi!

Justin

(SINGING) Naomi! I know there's a reason you were transferred here to me.

Students

(SINGING) Naomi!

Students

(SINGING) Naomi! I know there's a reason this isn't luck. It's destiny.

Students

(SINGING) Naomi!

Justin

(SINGING) Naomi! You know me! Will you go to prom with me?

Naomi

(SINGING) I'll think about it.

Students

(SINGING) She'll think about it. She'll think about it. She'll think about it. She'll think about.

Justin

(SINGING) She said she'd think about it.

Students

(SINGING) She'll think about it.

Justin

(SINGING) She'll think about it.

Students

(SINGING) Think about it.

Justin

(SINGING) She'll think about it.

Students

(SINGING) She'll think about it. She'll think about it.

Justin

(SINGING) Yes!

List the contractions:
bro: brother, male friend, dude
didn't: did not
don't: do not
gotta: got to
I'll: I will
I'm: I am
isn't: is not
It's: It is
She'd: She would
She'll: She will
there's: there is
what the heck I gotta do: what the hell do I have to do
what the heck: a polite synonym for "what the hell"
List the interjections:
hey!
oh!
so!
whoa!
yeah!
yes!
yo!
you know me!
List the accronyms:
LOL: laughing out loud
ROFLOL: rolling on the floor laughing out loud