[NICK CARRAWAY]
I left my home in Minnesota
To escape a kind of restlessness
I couldn't shake after the war
And when I stepped off of the train at Pennsylvania Station
I felt that restlessness even more
All of New York City wanted what was coming next
Everyone was lookin' for what I was lookin' for

[ENSEMBLE]
Tonight let's misbehave
And take what happens to the grave
No matter what you crave
The city's reignited
The Great War has been won
The bacchanalia has begun
Manhattan's come undone
And everyone's invited
Where's the party and can you take me there?
And when the party's over, can you find another party somewhere?
We live for today, we pay off the cops
And today is never over if the party never stops
Where's the party and can you take me there?
And when the party's over, can you find another party somewhere?
We live for today, we pay off the cops
And when you think the party stops
The party's roaring on!
The party's roaring on!
And we'll beat on and on and on and on
And on and on and on

[NICK, spoken]
The practical thing was to find rooms in Manhattan. Turns out
Manhattan is expensive. So when I heard of a cottage on the grounds of a Long Island mansion for 80 bucks a month, I jumped on it!

[LOW ENSEMBLE MEMBER #1, sung]
A rumor's goin' round
About a mansion on the Sound

[HIGH ENSEMBLE MEMBER #1 & LOW ENSEMBLE MEMBER #1]
The city's found another John Jacob Astor

[HIGH ENSEMBLE MEMBER #2]
He opens up his place
Then disappears without a trace

[HIGH ENSEMBLE]
His parties set the pace
And he takes it faster

[ENSEMBLE]
Where's the party and can you take me there?
And when the party's over, can you find another party somewhere?
We live for today, we pay off the cops
And when you think the party stops
The party's roaring on!
The party's roaring on!
And we'll beat on and on and on and on
And on and on and on

[NICK]
One evening I went down to the shoreline
Here is what I'll never forget
There was my neighbor
Standing in silhouette
He was reaching 'cross the water
His arm stretched to the sky
And then he was gone
And I was left to wonder why
I turned back to my cottage
What was he reaching for?
Then a letter from my neighbor
Fell to the floor

[NICK, spoken]
"The honor would be entirely mine if you would attend my next little party
Yours
Jay Gatsby"

[NICK, sung]
The very first time I saw Gatsby's name
If only I knew then that I would never be the same

[ENSEMBLE]
Where's the party and can you take me there?

[NICK]
He hypnotized the city

[ENSEMBLE]
Yeah, take me there

[NICK]
We were drawn to him like moths to a flame
Was there some other way

[ENSEMBLE]
Some other way

[NICK]
This all could have gone?

[ENSEMBLE]
This all could've gone

[NICK]
Before he crossed the Rubicon

[ENSEMBLE]
Woo!

[ENSEMBLE]
The party's roaring on

[NICK]
He had the world at his feet

[ENSEMBLE]
The party's roaring on

[NICK]
Oh, he made the summer beat on and on and on

[ENSEMBLE]
Oh, we beat on and on and on and on and on and on

[NICK]
The party's roaring on

[ENSEMBLE]
The party's roaring on

[NICK]
The party's roaring on

[ENSEMBLE]
The party's roaring on
And we'll beat on and on and on and on

[NICK]
And on

[ENSEMBLE]
And on

[NICK]
And on

[ENSEMBLE]
And on
And on

[NICK]
And on

[NICK & ENSEMBLE]
And on