Category: art

Hamilton: Two Songs, Different Perspectives, One Truth

On By jeff ludlumIn art, Attitude, culture, faith, family, Insight, marriage, mental health, parenting, politicsLeave a comment

[Reposted from last week, these two songs in the context of the whole Hamilton sequence, and because they are so pivotal to his story.]

Hamilton’s intellect and courage and vision and words, all were not enough to save his marriage after his adultery.

Though still married in title, only a shell remained. The trust and confidence and certainty of love had disappeared. In the wake of the hurricane, only ruin. And then the ruin, it was burned.

“Hurricane”

[Hamilton:]

In the eye of a hurricane

There is quiet

For just a moment

A yellow sky

When I was seventeen a hurricane

Destroyed my town

I didn’t drown

I couldn’t seem to die

I wrote my way out

Wrote everything down far as I could see

I wrote my way out

I looked up and the town had its eyes on me

They passed a plate around

Total strangers

Moved to kindness by my story

Raised enough for me to book passage on a

Ship that was New York bound…

I wrote my way out of hell

I wrote my way to revolution

I was louder than the crack in the bell

I wrote Eliza love letters until she fell

I wrote about The Constitution and defended it well

And in the face of ignorance and resistance

I wrote financial systems into existence

And when my prayers to God were met with indifference

I picked up a pen, I wrote my own deliverance

In the eye of a hurricane

There is quiet

For just a moment

A yellow sky

I was twelve when my mother died

She was holding me

We were sick and she was holding me

I couldn’t seem to die

[Burr:]

Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it…

[Hamilton:]

I’ll write my way out…

[Burr and Ensemble:]

Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it…

[Hamilton:]

Write ev’rything down, far as I can see…

[Burr and Ensemble (Washington/Eliza/Angelica/Maria):]

Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it, wait… (History has its eyes on you)

[Hamilton:]

I’ll write my way out…

Overwhelm them with honesty

This is the eye of the hurricane, this is the only

Way I can protect my legacy…

[Company (Except Hamilton):]

Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it, wait…

[Hamilton:]

The Reynolds Pamphlet

“Burn”

[Eliza:]

I saved every letter you wrote me

From the moment I read them

I knew you were mine

You said you were mine

I thought you were mine

Do you know what Angelica said

When we saw your first letter arrive?

She said, “Be careful with that one, love.

He will do what it takes to survive.”

You and your words flooded my senses

Your sentences left me defenseless

You built me palaces out of paragraphs

You built cathedrals

I’m re-reading the letters you wrote me

I’m searching and scanning for answers

In every line

For some kind of sign

And when you were mine

The world seemed to burn, burn

You published the letters she wrote you

You told the whole world how you brought

This girl into our bed

In clearing your name, you have ruined our lives

Do you know what Angelica said

When she read what you’d done?

She said, “You’ve married an Icarus.

He has flown too close to the sun.”

You and your words, obsessed with your legacy…

Your sentences border on senseless

And you are paranoid in every paragraph

How they perceive you

You, you, you…

I’m erasing myself from the narrative

Let future historians wonder

How Eliza reacted when you broke her heart

You have torn it all apart

I’m watching it burn

Watching it burn

The world has no right to my heart

The world has no place in our bed

They don’t get to know what I said

I’m burning the memories

Burning the letters that might have redeemed you

You forfeit all rights to my heart

You forfeit the place in our bed

You sleep in your office instead

With only the memories

Of when you were mine

I hope that you burn

Hamilton: A Side Note

On By jeff ludlumIn art, Attitude, culture, human rights, Insight, leadership, lifestyle, mental health, politics, social change, social justiceLeave a comment

A side note to provide a bit of added explanation – in case needed – as to why all the Hamilton lyrics post.

Love the musical. A

Saw it in San Francisco a couple years ago with my wife; she was so excited she saw it a second time the next weekend.

The music has played in our house since then. Our kids know some of the songs. I find myself listening over and over again. The songs are like a salve for my soul.

It seemed appropriate to capture some of the lyrics that are most meaningful to me in this blog, to further enshrine them.

And when better to do so than on 4th July weekend, as we celebrate 244 years of America; as our nation sits in a pandemic; as our immunities, our society take fresh aim at changing fundamental inequities within, injustice, police violence, systemic racism.

The great American Experiment continues. And “Hamilton” is high on the playlist.

Hamilton: A New Nation Struggles, It’s Founders Battle and Shape

On By jeff ludlumIn art, Attitude, culture, economy, examples, human rights, Insight, leadership, politics, social change, social justiceLeave a comment

Non-Stop

(Lin-Manuel Miranda – Hamilton Cast)

[BURR]
After the war I went back to New York

[HAMILTON]
A-After the war I went back to New York

[BURR]
I finished up my studies and I practiced law

[HAMILTON]
I practiced law, Burr worked next door
[BURR]
Even though we started at the very same time
Alexander Hamilton began to climb
How to account for his rise to the top?
Maaaaan, the man is
Non-stop!

[ENSEMBLE]
Non-stop!

[HAMILTON]
Gentlemen of the jury, I’m curious, bear with me
Are you aware that we’re making hist’ry?
This is the first murder trial of our brand-new nation
[HAMILTON]
The liberty behind
Deliberation-

[ENSEMBLE]
Non-stop!

[HAMILTON]
I intend to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt
With my assistant counsel-

[BURR]
Co-counsel
Hamilton, sit down
Our client Levi Weeks is innocent. Call your first witness
That’s all you had to say!

[HAMILTON]
Okay!
One more thing-

[BURR]
Why do you assume you’re the smartest in the room?
Why do you assume you’re the smartest in the room?
Why do you assume you’re the smartest in the room?
Soon that attitude may be your doom!

[ENSEMBLE]
Awwww!
[BURR]
Why do you write like you’re running out of time?
Write day and night like you’re running out of time?
Ev’ry day you fight, like you’re running out of time

Keep on fighting. In the meantime- [ENSEMBLE]
Why do you write like you’re running out of time?

Ev’ry day you fight, like you’re running out of time

Non-stop!

[HAMILTON]
Corruption’s such an old song that we can sing along in harmony
And nowhere is it stronger than in Albany
This colony’s economy’s increasingly stalling and
[HAMILTON]
Honestly, that’s why public service
Seems to be calling me.

[BURR AND ENSEMBLE]
He’s just
Non-stop!

[HAMILTON]
I practiced the law, I practic’ly perfected it
I’ve seen injustice in the world and I’ve corrected it
Now for a strong central democracy
If not, then I’ll be Socrates
[HAMILTON]
Throwing verbal rocks
At these mediocrities.

[ENSEMBLE]
Awww!

[BURR]
Hamilton, at the Constitutional Convention:

[HAMILTON]
I was chosen for the Constitutional Convention

[BURR]
There as a New York junior delegate:
[HAMILTON]
Now what I’m going to say may sound indelicate…

[BURR]
Goes and proposes his own form of government!

His own plan for a new form of government!

[COMPANY]
Awwww!

What?

What?

[BURR]
Talks for six hours! The convention is listless!

[ENSEMBLE MAN]
Bright young man…

[ANOTHER ENSEMBLE MAN]
Yo, who the f is this?
[BURR]
Why do you always say what you believe?
Why do you always say what you believe?
Ev’ry proclamation guarantees free ammunition for your enemies!

[BURR AND MEN]
Why do you write like it’s
Going out of style?
Write day and night like it’s
Going out of style?

[COMPANY]
Why do you always say what you believe?

Awww!

[ALL WOMEN]
Going out of style, hey!

Going out of style, hey!

[BURR AND COMPANY]
Ev’ry day you fight like it’s
Going out of style
Do what you do

[BURR]
Alexander?

[HAMILTON]
Aaron Burr, sir

[BURR]
It’s the middle of the night

[HAMILTON]
Can we confer, sir?

[BURR]
Is this a legal matter?

HAMILTON
Yes, and it’s important to me

[BURR]
What do you need?

[HAMILTON]
Burr, you’re a better lawyer than me

[BURR]
Okay

[HAMILTON]
I know I talk too much, I’m abrasive
You’re incredible in court. You’re succinct, persuasive
My client needs a strong defense. You’re the solution

[BURR]
Who’s your client?

[HAMILTON]
The new U.S. Constitution?

[BURR]
No

[HAMILTON]
Hear me out

[BURR]
No way!

[HAMILTON]
A series of essays, anonymously published
Defending the document to the public

[BURR]
No one will read it

[HAMILTON]
I disagree

[BURR]
And if it fails?

[HAMILTON]
Burr, that’s why we need it

[BURR]
The constitution’s a mess

[HAMILTON]
So it needs amendments

[BURR]
It’s full of contradictions

[HAMILTON]
So is independence
We have to start somewhere

[BURR]
No. No way

[HAMILTON]
You’re making a mistake

[BURR]
Good night

[HAMILTON]
Hey
What are you waiting for?
What do you stall for?

[BURR]
What?

[HAMILTON]
We won the war
What was it all for?
Do you support this constitution?

[BURR]
Of course

[HAMILTON]
Then defend it

[BURR]
And what if you’re backing the wrong horse?

[HAMILTON]
Burr, we studied and we fought and we killed
For the notion of a nation we now get to build
For once in your life, take a stand with pride
I don’t understand how you stand to the side
[BURR]
I’ll keep all my plans
Close to my chest

I’ll wait here and see
Which way the wind
Will blow
I’m taking my time
Watching the
Afterbirth of a nation
Watching the tension grow.

[ENSEMBLE]
Wait for it, wait for
It, wait…

Which way the wind
Will blow
I’m taking my time
Watching the
Afterbirth of a nation
Watching the tension grow.

[ANGELICA]
I am sailing off to London. I’m accompanied by someone
Who always pays
I have found a wealthy husband who will keep
Me in comfort for all my days
He is not a lot of fun, but there’s no one who
Can match you for turn of phrase
My Alexander

[HAMILTON]
Angelica

[ANGELICA]
Don’t forget to write

[ELIZA]
Look at where you are
Look at where you started
The fact that you’re alive is a miracle
Just stay alive, that would be enough
And if your wife could share a fraction of your time
If I could grant you peace of mind
Would that be enough?

[BURR]
Alexander joins forces with James Madison and John Jay to write a series of essays defending the new United States Constitution, entitled The Federalist Papers. The plan was to write a total of twenty-five essays, the work divided evenly among the three men. In the end, they wrote eighty-five essays, in the span of six months. John Jay got sick after writing five. James Madison wrote twenty-nine. Hamilton wrote the other fifty-one!
[BURR]
How do you write like you’re
Running out of time?
Write day and night like you’re
Running out of time?

[BURR AND MEN]
Ev’ry day you fight
Like you’re
Running out of time
Like you’re
Running out of time
Are you
Running out of time?
[ALL WOMEN]
Running out of time?

Running out of time?

Running out of time

Running out of time

Awwww!

[FULL COMPANY (EXCEPT HAMILTON)]
How do you write like tomorrow won’t arrive?
How do you write like you need it to survive?
How do you write ev’ry second you’re alive?
Ev’ry second you’re alive? Ev’ry second you’re alive?

[WASHINGTON]
They are asking me to lead
I am doing the best I can
To get the people that I need
I’m asking you to be my right hand man

[HAMILTON]
Treasury or State?

[WASHINGTON]
I know it’s a lot to ask

[HAMILTON]
Treasury or State?

[WASHINGTON]
To leave behind the world you know…

[HAMILTON]
Sir, do you want me to run the Treasury or State department?

[WASHINGTON]
Treasury

[HAMILTON]
Let’s go

[ELIZA]
Alexander…

[HAMILTON]
I have to leave

[ELIZA]
Alexander-

[HAMILTON]
Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now

[ELIZA]
Helpless…

[HAMILTON]
They are asking me to lead

[ELIZA]
Look around, isn’t this enough?
[ANGELICA]
He will never be satisfied
He will never be satisfied

Satisfied
Satisfied…

He will never be satisfied

Satisfied

Satisfied…

Why do you fight like
History has its eyes on you…

[HAMILTON]
I am not throwin’ away my shot!

I am not throwin’ away my shot!
I am
Alexander Hamilton!

I am not throwin’ away my shot!

Hamilton: Twin Developments Shaped His Path

On By jeff ludlumIn art, Attitude, culture, examples, Insight, leadership, lifestyle, mental health, politics, social change, social justiceLeave a comment

Hamilton’s bravery and leadership got General Washington’s attention; thus he became the general’s Right Hand Man. And then his charisma at a Winter’s Ball caught the eye of a certain Schuyler, and she was Helpless.

[WASHINGTON]
Don’t get me wrong, you’re a young man, of great renown
I know you stole British cannons when we were still downtown
Nathaniel Green and Henry Knox wanted to hire you…

[HAMILTON]
To be their Secretary? I don’t think so

[WASHINGTON]
Why’re you upset?

[HAMILTON]
I’m not-

[WASHINGTON]
It’s alright, you want to fight, you’ve got a hunger
I was just like you when I was younger
Head full of fantasies of dyin’ like a martyr?

[HAMILTON]
Yes

[WASHINGTON]
Dying is easy, young man. Living is harder

[HAMILTON]
Why are you telling me this?

[WASHINGTON]
I’m being honest
I’m working with a third of what our Congress has promised
We are a powder keg about to explode
I need someone like you to lighten the load. So?

[COMPANY (EXCEPT HAMILTON)]
I am not throwin’ away my shot!
I am not throwin’ away my shot!
Ayo, I’m just like my country, I’m young
Scrappy and hungry!

[HAMILTON]
I am not throwing away my shot!

[WASHINGTON]
Son

[WASHINGON AND COMPANY]
We are outgunned, outmanned!

[HAMILTON]
You need all the help you can get
I have some friends. Laurens, Mulligan
Marquis de Lafayette, okay, what else?

[WASHINGTON AND COMPANY]
Outnumbered, outplanned!

[HAMILTON]
We’ll need some spies on the inside
Some King’s men who might let some things slide
[HAMILTON]
I’ll write to Congress and tell ‘em we need supplies, you rally the guys, master the element of surprise

I’ll rise above my station, organize your information, ‘til we rise to the occasion of our new nation. Sir!

[ENSEMBLE]
Here comes the General!

[HAMILTON]
Rise up!

[HAMILTON]
Rise up!

[ENSEMBLE]
Here comes the General!

[HAMILTON]
Rise up! [COMPANY]
Boom!

Chicka-boom!

[ENSEMBLE]
Here comes the General!

[SCHUYLER SISTERS]
Rise up!

[SCHUYLER SISTERS AND WOMEN]
Rise up! [ELIZA/ANGELICA/PEGGY]
Whoa, whoa, whoa…

Whoa, whoa, whoa…

[ELIZA/ANGELICA/PEGGY AND WOMEN]
Whoa, whoa, whoa…

[LAURENS/
LAFAYETTE/
MULLIGAN]
What?

[LAURENS/
LAFAYETTE/
MULLIGAN]
What?

[LAURENS/
LAFAYETTE/
MULLIGAN]
What?

[FULL COMPANY]
Here comes the General!

[HAMILTON]
What?

[WASHINGTON]
And his right hand man!

[FULL COMPANY]
Boom!

Top▲

A Winter’s Ball

(Lin-Manuel Miranda – Hamilton Cast)

[BURR]
How does the bastard, orphan, son of a whore
Go on and on
Grow into more of a phenomenon?
Watch this obnoxious, arrogant, loudmouth bother
Be seated at the right hand of the father
Washington hires Hamilton right on sight
But Hamilton still wants to fight, not write
Now Hamilton’s skill with a quill is undeniable
But what do we have in common? We’re
Reliable with the

[ALL MEN]
Ladies!

[BURR]
There are so many to deflower!

[ALL MEN]
Ladies!

[BURR]
Looks! Proximity to power

[ALL MEN]
Ladies!

[BURR]
They delighted and distracted him
Martha Washington named her feral tomcat after him!

[HAMILTON]
That’s true

[FULL COMPANY]
1780

[BURR]
A winter’s ball
And the Schuyler sisters are the envy of all
Yo, if you can marry a sister, you’re rich, son

[HAMILTON]
Is it a question of if, Burr, or which one?

[HAMILTON/BURR/LAURENS]
Hey
Hey
Hey hey

Top▲

Helpless

(Lin-Manuel Miranda – Hamilton Cast)

[HAMILTON/BURR/LAURENS/ALL WOMEN (EXCEPT ELIZA)]
Hey hey hey hey
[ELIZA]
Ohh, I do I do I do I
Dooo! Hey!
Ohh, I do I do I do I
Dooo! Boy you got me [ALL WOMEN]
Hey hey hey hey
Hey hey hey hey
Hey hey hey hey
Hey hey hey

[ELIZA AND WOMEN]
Helpless!
Look into your eyes, and the sky’s the limit I’m helpless!
Down for the count, and I’m drownin’ in ‘em

[ELIZA]
I have never been the type to try and grab the spotlight
We were at a revel with some rebels on a hot night
Laughin’ at my sister as she’s dazzling the room
Then you walked in and my heart went “Boom!”
Tryin’ to catch your eye from the side of the ballroom
Everybody’s dancin’ and the band’s top volume

[ELIZA AND WOMEN]
Grind to the rhythm as we wine and dine
[ELIZA]
Grab my sister, and
Whisper, “Yo, this
One’s mine.”

My sister made her way across the room to you
And I got nervous, thinking “What’s she gonna do?”
She grabbed you by the arm, I’m thinkin’ “I’m through”
Then you look back at me and suddenly I’m
Helpless!

Oh, look at those eyes

Oh!
Yeah, I’m
Helpless, I know

I’m so into you
I am so into you

I know I’m down for the count
And I’m drownin’ in ‘em.

[ALL WOMEN]
Oooh

Oooh

Oooh

Oooh

Helpless!

Look into your eyes
And the sky’s the limit
I’m
Helpless!
Down for the count
And I’m drownin’ in ‘em

I’m helpless!

Look into your eyes
And the sky’s the limit I’m helpless!

Down for the count
And I’m drownin’ in ‘em.

[HAMILTON]
Where are you taking me?

[ANGELICA]
I’m about to change your life

[HAMILTON]
Then by all means, lead the way

[ELIZA]
Elizabeth Schuyler. It’s a pleasure to meet you

[HAMILTON]
Schuyler?

[ANGELICA]
My sister

[ELIZA]
Thank you for all your service

[HAMILTON]
If it takes fighting a war for us to meet, it will have been worth it

[ANGELICA]
I’ll leave you to it

[ELIZA AND WOMEN]
One week later

[ELIZA]
I’m writin’ a letter nightly
Now my life gets better, every letter that you write me
Laughin’ at my sister, cuz she wants to form a harem

[ANGELICA]
I’m just sayin’, if you really loved me, you would share him
[ELIZA]
Ha!
Two weeks later
In the living room stressin’
My father’s stone-faced
While you’re asking for his blessin’
I’m dying inside, as
You wine
And dine
And I’m tryin’ not to cry
‘cause there’s nothing that your mind can’t do
My father makes his way across the room
To you
I panic for a second, thinking
“we’re through”
But then he shakes your hand and says
“Be true”
And you turn back to me, smiling, and I’m
Helpless!

Helpless!
Hoo!

That boy is mine
That boy is mine!

Helpless! Helpless!
Down for the count
And I’m drownin’ in em

[ALL WOMEN]
Stressin’

Blessin’

Oooh

Oooh

Oooh

Oooh

Helpless!
Look into your eyes
And the sky’s the
Limit I’m
Helpless!
Down for the count
And I’m drownin’ in
‘em I’m
Helpless!

Look into your eyes
And the sky’s the
Limit I’m
Helpless!
Down for the count
And I’m drownin’ in em

[HAMILTON]
Eliza, I don’t have a dollar to my name
An acre of land, a troop to command, a dollop of fame
All I have’s my honor, a tolerance for pain
A couple of college credits and my top-notch brain
Insane, your family brings out a different side of me
Peggy confides in me, Angelica tried to take a bite of me
No stress, my love for you is never in doubt
We’ll get a little place in Harlem and we’ll figure it out
I’ve been livin’ without a family since I was a child
My father left, my mother died, I grew up buckwild
But I’ll never forget my mother’s face, that was real
And long as I’m alive, Eliza, swear to God
You’ll never feel so…

[HAMILTON]
Eliza…

I’ve never felt so-

My life is gon’ be fine cuz Eliza’s in it.
[ELIZA]
I do I do I do I do!

I do I do I do I do!

Hey, yeah, yeah!

I’m down for the count
I’m-

I look into your eyes, and the sky’s the limit
I’m

…drownin’ in ‘em. [ALL WOMEN]
Helpless!

Helpless!

Helpless!

Down for the count
And I’m drownin’ in ‘em

Helpless!

Helpless!

Helpless!

Down for the count
And I’m drownin’ in ‘em.

Wedding march plays

[ALL WOMEN]
In New York, you can be a new man…
In New York, you can be a new man…
In New York, you can be a new man…

[ELIZA]
Helpless

Hamilton: My Shot

On By jeff ludlumIn art, culture, Insight, leadership, mental health, politics, social change, social justiceLeave a comment

I am not throwing away my shot!

I am not throwing away my shot!
Hey yo, I’m just like my country
I’m young, scrappy and hungry
And I’m not throwing away my shot!

I’m ‘a get a scholarship to King’s College
I prob’ly shouldn’t brag, but dag, I amaze and astonish
The problem is I got a lot of brains but no polish
I gotta holler just to be heard
With every word, I drop knowledge!

I’m a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal
Tryin’ to reach my goal. My power of speech: unimpeachable
Only nineteen but my mind is older
These New York City streets get colder, I shoulder
Ev’ry burden, ev’ry disadvantage
I have learned to manage, I don’t have a gun to brandish
I walk these streets famished
The plan is to fan this spark into a flame…

I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory When’s it gonna get me? In my sleep? Seven feet ahead of me? If I see it comin’, do I run or do I let it be? Is it like a beat without a melody? See, I never thought I’d live past twenty Where I come from some get half as many

Ask anybody why we livin’ fast and we laugh, reach for a flask We have to make this moment last, that’s plenty

Scratch that This is not a moment, it’s the movement Where all the hungriest brothers with Something to prove went? Foes oppose us, we take an honest stand We roll like Moses, claimin’ our promised land

And? If we win our independence? ‘Zat a guarantee of freedom for our descendants? Or will the blood we shed begin an endless Cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants? I know the action in the street is excitin’ But Jesus, between all the bleedin’ ‘n fightin’ I’ve been readin’ ‘n writin’

We need to handle our financial situation Are we a nation of states? What’s the state of our nation?

I’m past patiently waitin’. I’m passionately Smashin’ every expectation Every action’s an act of creation! I’m laughin’ in the face of casualties and sorrow For the first time, I’m thinkin’ past tomorrow

​

source: https://www.lyricsondemand.com/soundtracks/h/hamiltonlyrics/hamiltonact1albumlyrics.html#myshotlyrics

Following, Hamilton Snippets …

On By jeff ludlumIn art, culture, examples, human rights, Insight, leadership, politics, social change, social justiceLeave a comment

So MUCH good lyric and beat and rhythm and history and story in those 46 songs that make “Hamilton”, The Musical, come alive.

More than history coming to life, it’s an invitation for each of us to listen and learn and sing and watch the story unfold and churn,

of an immigrant’s contribution and vision of what could be, how it should be, what he thought America would be,

So many words in these songs, lyric like the Federalist Papers Hamilton lead, shed forth, and so much more,

And so snippets for you, for me, just sharing for myself, and for you to maybe remember, or look deeper in, some of my favorites that tell a story,

Go ahead, history has its eyes on you…

Lyrics Post: “Ten Duel Commandments”

On By jeff ludlumIn art, culture, InsightLeave a comment

These silly rules effected Hamilton’s life twice. Once it was tragic, the second it was fatal.

I’m glad we’ve moved on. But still it’s worth it to remember, least we forget and let ego and so-called honor get in the way of compromise once again.

“Ten Duel Commandments”

[Men:]
One, two, three, four

[Full Company:]
Five, six, seven, eight, nine…

[Burr/Hamilton/Laurens/Lee:]
It’s the Ten Duel Commandments

[Full Company:]
It’s the Ten Duel Commandments
Number one!

[Laurens:]
The challenge: demand satisfaction
If they apologize, no need for further action

[Company:]
Number two!

[Laurens:]
If they don’t, grab a friend, that’s your second

[Hamilton:]
Your lieutenant when there’s reckoning to be reckoned

[Company:]
Number three!

[Lee:]
Have your seconds meet face to face

[Burr:]
Negotiate a peace…

[Hamilton:]
Or negotiate a time and place

[Burr:]
This is commonplace, ‘specially ‘tween recruits

[Company:]
Most disputes die, and no one shoots
Number four!

[Laurens:]
If they don’t reach a peace, that’s alright
Time to get some pistols and a doctor on site

[Hamilton:]
You pay him in advance, you treat him with civility

[Burr:]
You have him turn around so he can have deniability

[Company:]
Five!

[Lee:]
Duel before the sun is in the sky

[Company:]
Pick a place to die where it’s high and dry
Number six!

[Hamilton:]
Leave a note for your next of kin
Tell ’em where you been. Pray that hell or heaven lets you in

[Company:]
Seven!

[Lee:]
Confess your sins. Ready for the moment
Of adrenaline when you finally face your opponent

[Company:]
Number eight!

[Laurens/Lee/Hamilton/Burr:]
Your last chance to negotiate
Send in your seconds, see if they can set the record straight…

[Burr:]
Alexander

[Hamilton:]
Aaron Burr, sir

[Burr:]
Can we agree that duels are dumb and immature?

[Hamilton:]
Sure
But your man has to answer for his words, Burr

[Burr:]
With his life? We both know that’s absurd, sir

[Hamilton:]
Hang on, how many men died because Lee was inexperienced and ruinous?

[Burr:]
Okay, so we’re doin’ this

[Company:]
Number nine!

[Hamilton:]
Look ’em in the eye, aim no higher
Summon all the courage you require
Then count

[Men:]
One two three four

[Full Company:]
Five six seven eight nine

[Hamilton/Burr:]
Number

[Company:]
Ten paces!

[Hamilton/Burr:]
Fire!

Lyrics Post: “Satisfied”

On By jeff ludlumIn art, culture, family, Happy, Insight, lifestyle, marriage, mental health, parentingLeave a comment

So SO many songs in Hamilton, 46 in all, I think it is. And so which ones to highlight in this lead-up to the TV debut of the staged musical from 2016 and the original cast…

This song comes to mind as one of my favorites, but also reflective of one of the fundamental themes of the production: striving, pushing, yearning to be better, to do more, to be happier…to be, satisfied.

Don’t we all strive to that, in the end?

[Laurens:]
Alright, alright. That’s what I’m talkin’ about!


Now everyone give it up for the maid of honor
Angelica Schuyler!

[Angelica (all men) {all women}:]
A toast to the groom!
(To the groom!)
(To the groom!)
{(To the groom!)}
To the bride!
{To the bride!}
(To the bride!)
{To the bride!}
From your sister
(Angelica!)
(Angelica!)
{(Angelica!)}
Who is always by your side
(By your side)
{By your side}
To your union
{(To the union!)}
{(To the revolution!)}
And the hope that you provide
(You provide!)
{(You provide!)}
May you always…
{(Always)}
Be satisfied
{(Rewind)}

[Recorded Samples:]
Rewind, rewind
Helpless,
Schuyler, Schuyler
Helpless
Drownin’ in ’em
Drownin’, rewind

I remember that night, I just might (rewind)
I remember that night, I just might (rewind)
I remember that night, I remember that

[Angelica:]
I remember that night, I just might
Regret that night for the rest of my days
I remember those soldier boys
Tripping over themselves to win our praise
I remember that dreamlike candlelight
Like a dream that you can’t quite place
But Alexander, I’ll never forget the first time I saw your face

I have never been the same
Intelligent eyes in a hunger-pang frame
And when you said, “Hi,” I forgot my dang name
Set my heart aflame, every part aflame
[Full Company:]
This is not a game…

[Hamilton:]
You strike me as a woman who has never been satisfied
[Angelica:]
I’m sure I don’t know what you mean
You forget yourself
[Hamilton:]
You’re like me
I’m never satisfied
[Angelica:]
Is that right?
[Hamilton:]
I’ve never been satisfied
[Angelica:]
My name is Angelica Schuyler
[Hamilton:]
Alexander Hamilton
[Angelica:]
Where’s your family from?
[Hamilton:]
Unimportant
There’s a million things I haven’t done
but just you wait, just you wait…

[Angelica:]
So so so… so this is what it feels like to match wits
With someone at your level! What the hell is the catch?
It’s the feeling of freedom, of seein’ the light
It’s Ben Franklin with a key and a kite!
You see it, right?

The conversation lasted two minutes, maybe three minutes
Everything we said in total agreement, it’s
A dream and it’s a bit of a dance
A bit of a posture, it’s a bit of a stance

He’s a bit of a flirt, but I’m ‘a give it a chance
I asked about his family. Did you see his answer?
His hands started fidgeting, he looked askance?
He’s penniless, he’s flying by the seat of his pants

Handsome. Boy, does he know it?
Peach fuzz, and he can’t even grow it!
I wanna take him far away from this place
Then I turn and see my sister’s face
And she is…

[Eliza:]
Helpless…
[Angelica:]
And I know she is…
[Eliza:]
Helpless…
[Angelica:]
And her eyes are just…
[Eliza:]
Helpless…
[Angelica:]
And I realize
[Angelica and Company:]
Three fundamental truths at the exact same time…

[Hamilton:]
Where are you taking me?
[Angelica:]
I’m about to change your life
[Hamilton:]
Then by all means, lead the way

[Company (except Angelica):]
Number one!
[Angelica:]
I’m a girl in a world in which
My only job is to marry rich
My father has no sons so I’m the one
Who has to social climb for one
So I’m the oldest and the wittiest and the gossip in
New York City is insidious
And Alexander is penniless
Ha! That doesn’t mean I want him any less

[Eliza:]
Elizabeth Schuyler. It’s a pleasure to meet you
[Hamilton:]
Schuyler?
[Angelica:]
My sister

[Company:]
Number two!
[Angelica:]
He’s after me ’cause I’m a Schuyler sister
That elevates his status, I’d
Have to be naïve to set that aside
Maybe that is why
I introduce him to Eliza
Now that’s his bride
Nice going, Angelica, he was right
You will never be satisfied

[Eliza:]
Thank you for all your service
[Hamilton:]
If it takes fighting a war for us to meet, it will have been worth it
[Angelica:]
I’ll leave you to it

[Company:]
Number three!
[Angelica:]
I know my sister like I know my own mind
You will never find
Anyone as trusting or as kind
If I tell her that I love him she’d be silently resigned
He’d be mine
She would say, “I’m fine.”
[Angelica and Company:]
She’d be lying

[Angelica:]
But when I fantasize at night
It’s Alexander’s eyes
As I romanticize what might
Have been if I hadn’t sized
Him up so quickly
At least my dear Eliza’s his wife;
At least I keep his eyes in my life…

[Angelica (all men) {all women}:]
To the groom!
(To the groom!)
(To the groom!)
{(To the groom!)}
To the bride!
{To the bride!}
(To the bride!)
{To the bride!}
From your sister
(Angelica!)
(Angelica!)
{(Angelica!)}
Who is always by your side
(By your side)
{By your side}
To your union
{(To the union!)}
{(To the revolution!)}
And the hope that you provide
(You provide!)
{(You provide!)}
May you always…
{(Always)}
Be satisfied
(Be satisfied)
{Be satisfied}
(Be satisfied)
And I know
{(Be satisfied)}
(Be satisfied)
(Be satisfied)
(Be satisfied)
She’ll be happy as
(Be satisfied)
(Be satisfied)
His bride
{(Be satisfied)}
And I know
(Be satisfied)
(Be satisfied)
(Be satisfied)
{Be satisfied}
He will never be satisfied
I will never be satisfied


Writer(s): Lin-manuel Miranda

Lyrics Post: “Alexander Hamilton”

On By jeff ludlumIn art, culture, Insight, leadership, lifestyle, politics, social change, social justiceLeave a comment

[Aaron Burr:]
How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a
Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten
Spot in the Caribbean by providence, impoverished, in squalor
Grow up to be a hero and a scholar?

[John Laurens:]
The ten-dollar Founding Father without a father
Got a lot farther by working a lot harder
By being a lot smarter
By being a self-starter
By fourteen, they placed him in charge of a trading charter

[Thomas Jefferson:]
And every day while slaves were being slaughtered and carted
Away across the waves, he struggled and kept his guard up
Inside, he was longing for something to be a part of
The brother was ready to beg, steal, borrow, or barter

[James Madison:]
Then a hurricane came, and devastation reigned
Our man saw his future drip, dripping down the drain
Put a pencil to his temple, connected it to his brain
And he wrote his first refrain, a testament to his pain

[Burr:]
Well, the word got around, they said, “This kid is insane, man.”
Took up a collection just to send him to the mainland
“Get your education, don’t forget from whence you came, and
The world’s gonna know your name. What’s your name, man?”

[Alexander Hamilton:]
Alexander Hamilton
My name is Alexander Hamilton
And there’s a million things I haven’t done
But just you wait, just you wait…

[Eliza Hamilton:]
When he was ten his father split, full of it, debt-ridden
Two years later, see Alex and his mother bed-ridden
Half-dead sittin’ in their own sick, the scent thick

[Full Company except Hamilton (whispering):]
And Alex got better but his mother went quick

[George Washington (Company):]
Moved in with a cousin, the cousin committed suicide
Left him with nothin’ but ruined pride, something new inside
A voice saying, “Alex, you gotta fend for yourself.”
He started retreatin’ and readin’ every treatise on the shelf

[Burr (Company):]
There would’ve been nothin’ left to do
For someone less astute
He would’ve been dead or destitute
Without a cent of restitution
Started workin’, clerkin’ for his late mother’s landlord
Tradin’ sugar cane and rum and all the things he can’t afford
Scammin’ for every book he can get his hands on
Plannin’ for the future see him now as he stands on (ooh…)
The bow of a ship headed for a new land
In New York you can be a new man

[Company (Hamilton):]
In New York you can (just you wait) be a new man
In New York you can (just you wait) be a new man
In New York you can be a new man
[Women:] In New York
[Men:] New York
[Hamilton:] Just you wait!

[Company:]
Alexander Hamilton (Alexander Hamilton)
We are waiting in the wings for you (waiting in the wings for you)
You could never back down
You never learned to take your time!
Oh, Alexander Hamilton (Alexander Hamilton)
When America sings for you
Will they know what you overcame?
Will they know you rewrote the game?
The world will never be the same, oh

[Burr:]
The ship is in the harbor now
See if you can spot him ([Men:] Just you wait)
Another immigrant
Comin’ up from the bottom ([Company:] Just you wait)
His enemies destroyed his rep
America forgot him

[Mulligan/Madison and Lafayette/Jefferson:]
We fought with him

[Laurens/Philip:]
Me? I died for him

[Washington:]
Me? I trusted him

[Eliza and Angelica and Peggy/Maria:]
Me? I loved him

[Burr:]
And me? I’m the damn fool that shot him

[Company:]
There’s a million things I haven’t done
But just you wait!

[Burr:]
What’s your name, man?

[Company:]
Alexander Hamilton!