For other versions of this number, see The Rap (Disambiguation)
"The Rap: Hey You!" is the song that started Act 2 of the original version of Starlight Express. The scene features the entire ensemble boasting and arguing about the races.
Context[]
At the close of Act 1, Pearl has chosen to race with Electra rather than Rusty; Rusty, racing with Belle, lost the race against Electra and Pearl; Poppa incredibly won a race but is too exhausted to continue, but he nominated Rusty to take his place. Now, in The Rap, all the characters argue what should happen next. Eventually they conclude that, although Bobo came second to Poppa in their heat, Poppa has the right to nominate his replacement and Rusty should take his place. Caboose volunteers to partner with him, Pearl races with Greaseball and Electra takes an unwilling Dinah.
History[]
An extra verse was included since the 1984 previews in The Rap. It is unclear why it wasn't featured in the original album recording. Whether they cut it after previews then added it back in later as seen in 1988 after the show went through some minor updates, is unknown. Pearl received a short verse of new lyrics that Bobo then interrupts giving a new verse of his own. CB's "Must be a steamer!" proceeded straight after with the song then continuing as normal. The line "Who'll go with him, can't take a heavy truck" is also sometimes sung by Krupp instead of a Rocky.
Lyrics[]
Original London Lyrics[]
| ROCKIES: | Hey you! |
| Who me? | |
| Yes you, Race you! | |
| Hey you! Who me? | |
| Yes you, Race you! | |
| Rusty's gonna race, | |
| Rusty's gonna race, | |
| Rusty's gonna race, | |
| Rusty's gonna race, | |
| Race in the final | |
| Rusty's gonna race— | |
| GREASEBALL: | No he ain't, no he ain't, |
| BELLE: | Who says? |
| GREASEBALL: | I say, He ain't gonna race. |
| BELLE: | But Poppa won a place, |
| Poppa won a place, | |
| Poppa won a place, | |
| Poppa won a place, | |
| A place in the final | |
| Poppa can't take it, | |
| He's half-dead, | |
| Chosen Rusty to go instead! | |
| BELLE & ROCKIES: | Hey you, yes you. |
| Rusty can race you! Hey you, yes you, | |
| Rusty can race you! | |
| DINAH: | Yes, let him race you. |
| GREASEBALL: | Shut it, Dinah. |
| DINAH: | Let him race you in the final. |
| ASHLEY: | Let him race, what harm can he do? |
| BUFFY: | You know he's no match for you, |
| ALL: | Let him race! |
| GREASEBALL: | No. |
| ELECTRA: | No! No question, |
| Won't even listen to your suggestion | |
| Pearl and me will never be seen | |
| Racing against yesterday's machine. | |
| COMPONENTS: | Electra won't share a circuit with him, |
| Needs water and coal and still wears a chimney. | |
| ELECTRA & COMPONENTS: | No style, |
| PEARL: | Now that's not fair |
| What do you prove if he ain't there? | |
| BELLE: | Right! |
| COACHES: | Yeah! |
| ROCKIES: | That's right! |
| GREASEBALL: | That's true, Okay Pearl I'm with you! |
| PEARL: | Hey you, yes you, |
| Rusty can race you! | |
| ALL: | Hey you, yes you, |
| Rusty can race you! | |
| CB: | Must be a steamer |
| Poppa was a steamer, | |
| Rusty is a steamer, | |
| He has a right. | |
| ROCKY: | Who'll go with him, |
| Can't take a heavy truck. | |
| DUSTIN: | Look what happened. |
| CB: | I'll go, I'm light |
| ELECTRA: | No! |
| BOBO: | No! |
| FLAT-TOP: | No! |
| DUSTIN: | Why not? Leaving out steam trains isn't fair, |
| Steam trains ought to 'ave their share. | |
| ELECTRA: | No! |
| COMPONENTS: | No! |
| FLAT-TOP: | No, I hate steam trains, |
| Don't look the same an' have different smoke, | |
| Eat strange things, keep the rhythm going all night. | |
| And some next door. Just a joke. | |
| POPPA: | Steam will beat you! |
| Steam will race you! | |
| Hey you, yes you, | |
| Rusty can race you! | |
| ALL: | Hey you, yes you, |
| Rusty can race you! | |
| ELECTRA: | No! |
| BOBO: | No! I was second, |
| I should have won. I'm incredibly fast. | |
| Nobody beats me, everybody beats him. | |
| Where's the point? He'll only be last. | |
| DINAH: | He has a point there! |
| COACHES: | Shut it, Dinah! |
| [All argue] | |
| BOBO: | Will somebody listen to what I say? |
| ELECTRA: | Quiet! |
| Yes, CB? | |
| CB: | You ought to take on Rusty and me, |
| If the French train runs and I'm not in it | |
| Could go wrong at the last minute. | |
| Trust me, I'll sort it out | |
| Tell you later what it's all about. | |
| GREASEBALL: | Let him race against Pearl and me, |
| If he wants he can have CB, | |
| You take Dinah. | |
| TANK: | That'll be good, |
| TANK, BELLE, and DUSTIN: | That's how it's gonna be, understood? |
| DINAH: | I don't wanna. |
| ALL: | Shut it, Dinah! |
| GREASEBALL: | Electra, All this fuss you've made, |
| Don't tell me you're a little bit afraid? | |
| COMPONENTS: | Eleeeectraaaaa, |
| ELECTRA: | Hey you! |
| RUSTY: | Who me? |
| ELECTRA: | Yes you, race you! |
| COMPONENTS: | Hey you, yes you, |
| Electra's gonna race you, | |
| Hey you, yes you… | |
| ELECTRA: | I'll erase you, you'll be the last, |
| The future's a duty to rub out the past! | |
| ALL: | Hey you, yes you, |
| Hey you, yes you, | |
| Hey you, yes you, | |
| Hey you, yes you, | |
| Hey you, yes you | |
| Rusty. | |
| Hey you, yes you, | |
| Race you--Race you! |
Additional Bobo Verse[]
| GREASEBALL: | That's true, okay Pearl I'm with you! |
| PEARL: | Hey you, yes you, |
| Rusty can race you! | |
| ALL: | Hey you, yes you, |
| Rusty can race you! | |
| PEARL: | Diesel should race |
| ENSEMBLE: | Yes he should! |
| Rise above it he'll make you look good! | |
| PEARL: | Thank you! |
| ELECTRA: | No! |
| BOBO: | And I say no! |
| Poppa won and cannot go! | |
| In that case you give the cup? | |
| To ,how do you say, the runner up? | |
| That's me! | |
| ALL: | (cut off by rabble) |
1st US Tour Lyrics[]
This version saw new lyrics that would eventually travel over into "Check It Out, Can You Believe This?" in 1992.
| ROCKIES: | We are the Rockies, 1, 2, 3 |
| We are the best you'll ever see! | |
| Yeah! | |
| ELECTRA: | AC, DC! |
| COMPONENTS: | E.L.E.C. Tricity! Electric! |
| Ooo! That's me! | |
| GREASEBALL + GANG: | Diesel! D-d-diesel! |
| ROCKIES: | Hey you! |
| RUSTY: | Who me? |
| ROCKIES: | Yes you - Race you! |
| ELECTRA: | Hey you! |
| GREASEBALL: | Who me? |
| COACHES: | Yes you, race you! |
| COMPONENTS: | Hey, I make Electra the one they gotta beat |
| GANG: | Nah, diesel's wicked! |
| COACHES: | Yeah, diesel's neat! |
| ROCKIES: | What about Rusty? |
| ALL: | You're not serious! |
| He doesn't have a chance against his superiors! | |
| Hey you | |
| Who me? | |
| Yes you, race you! | |
| Hey you! | |
| ELECTRA: | Who me? |
| ALL: | Yes you race you! |
| RUSTY: | If I were the winner of tonight's big fight |
| Pearl would come back | |
| DUSTIN: | Yeah, that's right! |
| RED CABOOSE: | Any thing that I can do? |
| ELECTRA: | Hey Greaseball, I'm talkin' to you |
| Still got Dinah on a lead? | |
| A new set of wheels is what you need | |
| Hey you! | |
| GREASEBALL: | Who me? |
| COMPONENTS: | Electra, can race you! |
| GREASEBALL: | Hey you |
| ALL: | Who me? |
| COACHES: | Rusty can race you! |
| GREASEBALL: | Any car that you can see |
| Would be proud to ride with me | |
| ALL: | Not Pearl! |
| GREASEBALL: | Oh no? |
| Pearl's like the rest | |
| She knows diesel is the best | |
| Pearl knows she's a winner | |
| She won't risk | |
| Losing the race with that floppy disk | |
| DINAH: | Greaseball stop it! |
| GREASEBALL: | Shut it Dinah |
| ELECTRA: | All my software is designer |
| GREASEBALL: | Pearl you know that he don't cut it |
| DINAH: | Greaseball don't go |
| ALL: | Dinah shut it |
| GREASEBALL: | Pearl, come on, it's time to choose |
| You wanna boil with the oil, | |
| Or lose with the fuse? | |
| ALL: | Hey you, yes you, |
| Hey you, yes you, | |
| Hey you, yes you, | |
| Hey you, yes you, | |
| Hey you | |
| Who me? | |
| Yes you race you! | |
| Hey you, yes you | |
| Race you - Race you! |