JUST A BARISTA

This is the opener for the musical MUFFINS, in which the four baristas who lead the show set the tone and tell us who they are. I read somewhere that everyone should be a regular somewhere, that place you go every day and they all know you. I spend hours in coffee shops where the temptation to speculate about the lives of baristas is irresistible, and led me to write a musical comedy that won best music award at a Chicago musical theater festival in 2016. –J. Linn Allen

“JUST A BARISTA” from the musical

MUFFINS

LINDSEY

I KNOW I’M ON THE VERGE OF FINDING SOME NEW KIND OF ME.

I PRAY EACH DAY I’LL FEEL A FLASH OF INSIGHT SUDDENLY

OR MAYBE SEE A MAN WHO’LL STOP AND TURN HIS BURNING EYES

TO PIERCE MY SOUL AND MAKE MY DOUBTS AND FEARS ALL VAPORIZE  

BUT THESE ARE SILLY DREAMS AND I’M A BARISTA

LINDSEY, ERIN, TRAVIS, PAUL:

I’M JUST A BARISTA

YOU SEE ME EVERY DAY

WHERE I LIGHTLY GLIDE AND SWAY

AND SERVE YOU WITH A GRIN

BUT YOU CAN’T SEE WHAT REALLY HAPPENS

HERE WITHIN

NO NO NO NO NO

TRAVIS

I’M JUST THE FACE ABOVE THE HAND EXTENDED WITH A DRINK

NO ONE KNOWS ME OR HAS ANY NOTION WHAT I THINK

I’M TOTALLY ANONYMOUS AND AIM TO STAY THE SAME

UNTIL THE MOMENT COMES WHEN ALL THE WORLD WILL KNOW MY NAME

BUT DREAMS ARE FOR TOMORROW AND I’M A BARISTA

ERIN

I ALWAYS FIGURED I KNEW HOW MY FUTURE WOULD APPEAR

I HAD A LIST OF ALL THAT I’D ACCOMPLISH YEAR TO YEAR  

BUT THEN I REALIZED LIFE WAS MORE THAN PASSING SOME EXAM

AND SO I’M TAKING TIME AWAY TO FIND OUT WHO I AM

I’M LEARNING HANGING LOOSE WHEN I’M A BARISTA

LINDSEY, ERIN, TRAVIS, PAUL:

I’M JUST A BARISTA  

YOU SEE ME EVERY DAY

WHERE I LIGHTLY GLIDE AND SWAY

AND SERVE YOU WITH A GRIN

BUT YOU CAN’T SEE WHAT REALLY HAPPENS

HERE WITHIN

NO NO NO NO NO

PAUL

I HEAR OF LIFE’S TRUE MEANING AND IT GETS ME SO PERPLEXED

FROM WHAT I SEE LIFE’S GOAL IS TO BE RICH AND OVERSEXED

BUT SINCE I HAVE NO MONEY AND LOVE IS DAY TO DAY

I’LL FLOAT ON EVERY CURRENT UNTIL I DRIFT AWAY

IT’S A PERFECT SPOT FOR ME TO BE A BARISTA

LINDSEY, ERIN, TRAVIS, PAUL

WE’RE ONLY BARISTAS

YOU SEE US ALL THE TIME

SMILING LIKE A NURSERY RHYME

TURNING KNOBS AND MEASURING

FOR YOUR DAILY PLEASURING

THERE AMID THE CROCKERY

TRADING CHEERFUL MOCKERY

IN A TEAM PROPELLING STEAM

THROUGH MILK AND BEANS FOR THOSE WITH MEANS

BUT WHAT DO YOU THINK IT MEANS

TO BE A BARISTA?

TAKE A PEEK BEHIND THE SCENES

WHERE OUR HEARTS HAVE DEEP RAVINES

COME AND SEE THE SECRETS

OF THE BARISTAS.