Songs were a recurring, recognisable presence on the public stages of early modern London. Often, plays borrowed tunes, lyrics, and material already in circulation outside the theatre – in print, through oral transmission, or both. Borrowed song material was incorporated into larger webs of inter-textual and inter-theatrical references central to the shape and experience of early modern drama. Within these webs, vocal music created links between the world of the play and the everyday lives of early modern playgoers, as well as between performances on stage. This paper takes as its point of departure a particular kind of metropolitan itinerary, recognisable to playgoers of the time – that of the bellman or night-watchman. Versions of bellmen's cries are included in what can collectively be referred to as the ‘Cries of London’ repertory; printed musical settings drawing inspiration from the distinctive street cries of pedlars, vendors, and craftsmen. Variations of a lyric with similarities to these cries also occur on stage in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, in plays performed by both adult and boy companies. Drawing on current research around early modern music circulation and connecting to thoughts on textual mobility, the paper traces the trajectories of these interconnected lyrics through their appearances inside and outside the theatre. The discussion pursues links between musical material, lyrics, plays, dramatic characters, themes, and company repertories. In so doing, it explores the spaces of meaning opened up through the employment of borrowed song material, and investigates how the accrued meanings and familiar qualities of a piece of vocal music can contribute to a dramatic moment on stage.