I Need to Take a Coffee Break Copyright ©2024 Alphasongs LLC (ASCAP) all rights reserved., www.Alphasongs.net Lyrics by Kai Cofer, Music by Matthew L. Kearns From: The Process, a play by Kai Cofer. Verse One Cindy + Ensemble I need to take a coffee break, and here’s the reason why. I need a simple antidote for my fading caffeine high. A cup or two of that black brew will help my brain revive, or at least help me to pretend that I am still alive. Chorus Ensemble Coffee, coffee, java, java, java. Coffee, coffee, java, java, java. Coffee, coffee, java, java, java. I need my Ensemble + Bernie Joe.................................... Verse Two Cindy + Ensemble I need to take a coffee break. that cannot be denied. it becomes important as my attention starts to slide. What I need is a sturdy mug. and a spoon to stir it quick. A little cream and sugar, yes, that ought to do the trick.   Chorus Ensemble Coffee, coffee, java, java, java. Coffee, coffee, java, java, java. Coffee, coffee, java, java, java. I need my Ensemble + Bernie Joe.................................... Verse Three Cindy + Ensemble I need to take a coffee break but much to my dismay… Addicted? no! but I can’t go without sixteen cups a day. So I will snatch a fresh new batch, brewed ‘til it’s piping hot. Forget the mug, I might as well chug it from the coffee pot. Chorus Ensemble Coffee, coffee, java, java, java. Coffee, coffee, java, java, java. Coffee, coffee, java, java, java. I need my Ensemble + Bernie Joe.................................... Ensemble + Cindy I gotta go!   Notes: In Scene Two of Act One of musical, the Process, the office workers gather around one of the cubes during frenetic work activity. As the office crew ensemble forms, they begin an accompaniment for Cindy, a secretary prominent in this office space. Cindy laments a common thought among the office crew, “I Need to Take a Coffee Break!” the title of this song. Offices have a culture and a pace of operations. Some are regimented, others are loose. Some are frenetic, others are casual. But coffee is always central to the American office culture and this song celebrates our collective reverence and addiction for the morning brew. Musically, I give this song a rhythmic staccato musical structure to help us into the mood of crisp alertness that coffee provides us. The vocal ensemble accompaniment provides a nice wake you up rhythm to Cindy’s enthusiastic story about her mild(?) addiction to coffee. We find out how much her enthusiasm is shared by the crew, especially an accountant named Bernie at the end of each chorus. Bernie really loves his Joe! Performance Notes: This piece is scored for small to medium vocal ensemble. The theatre performance will generally have one person on a part. There is also a part written for hand claps. The clapping parts are a starting point for adding rhythmic emphasis. The hand rhythm part is optional but could also be incorporated into improvisational beatboxing to enhance rhythmic emphasis even more. In the theatre version of the song, at the end of each chorus, Bernie holds a fermata on a G natural singing the word “Joe!!”, with coffee mug held prominently. In a concert performance of the song, I recommend eliminating the measure at the end of the chorus with the fermata, moving, at tempo, into the next verse. Have fun with it. Audio tracks generated with Cantamus software