Lin-Manuel Miranda, accompanied by Alex Lacamoire on piano, performed this song on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on April 24th, 2016. The main topic of the show was Puerto Rico’s debt crisis. The entire Puerto Rico segment can be seen below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt-mpuR_QHQ
Miranda...
[Verse 1]
Yo. My family's from
Puerto Rico. The tropical destination
Where you can spend your Washingtons, the spot where you vacation
A commonwealth with not a lot o' wealth, a not-quite nation
Seventy billion dollar topic of conversation
Hopin' to God John Oliver's comical dissertation
Resonates with the Congress that got us in this situation
Along with suicidal tax incentive declarations:
"Yeah, we'll pay your bonds first. Close the hospital, fuck the patients."
[Hook]
This is an island a hundred miles across
A hurricane is coming and we're runnin' up a loss
[Verse 2]
We got here through a million misguided loopholes
That giveth and take away businesses n' poop in our soup bowls
They crapped in yours? They crapped in mine
And somewhere down the line
Strom Thurmond's ghost busted a cap at a chance at Chapter 9
The great debate over statehood has to wait
That's Rose and Jack on the Titanic askin', "When's our next date?"
"The ship is sinking," we have to say, and pay shit that matters
Then we'll figure out our Facebook relationship status
[Hook]
"Will they or won't they?" It's Friends's Rachel and Ross
We have to help our island just a hundred miles across
[Verse 3]
To recap: three point five million
American civilians are on the hook for billions
Vulture funds are circling and lobbying for payout
There's nothing left to tax or cut. We're stuck. We need a way out
Allow them to restructure. There's no structure for what happens
If you let this crisis play out when May is less than a day out
It's non-partisan
The hard part is in
Convincing Congress Puerto Rico matters so their heart is in The fight for relief
Not a bailout, just a relief
A belief that you can pass legislation to ease our grief
Paul Ryan, I'll come sing Hamilton at your house
I'll do-si-do with Pelosi. I'll wear my Hamilton blouse!
[Hook]
Your citizens are suffering. Stop the bleeding, stop the loss
Help Puerto Rico. It's just a hundred miles across
Puerto Rico (A Hundred Miles Across) was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Puerto Rico (A Hundred Miles Across) was produced by Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
Lin-Manuel Miranda released Puerto Rico (A Hundred Miles Across) on Sun Apr 24 2016.