You’ve been listening to the Hamilton cast recording for weeks? Me too! At first, I was listening just to get a general gist of the musical. I wasn’t REALLY following plot points as much as I was just enjoying songs. However, after listening to it over and over again, I got the story. Somewhat. There were still a few things that tripped me up, that took me seeing the musical for it to make sense. So in honor of sometimes getting confused, Broadway Black is here to help you out. I’m sure there are more, but here are the top 10 Hamilton lyrics that made me say oh, ah, and huh?
1. Hamilton in Cabinet Battle #1
“A civics lesson from a slaver. Hey neighbor, your debts are paid cuz you don’t pay for labor.”
Meaning: We all know slaves were the backbone of this entire country. Hamilton wasn’t afraid to remind Jefferson of that. It’s the thing we probably would have said to Jefferson if we could.
2. Angelica in “Satisfied”
“So this is what it feels like to match wits with someone at your level. What the hell is the catch?”
Meaning: Pretty self explanatory. Everyone wants their equal. However, what makes this line so cool is Angelica is the only sister that gets to rap in the play, and quite fast. Angelica is truly the only one that can keep up with him in a way. I see you, Lin.
3. Lafayette in “Guns & Ships”
“I’m taking this horse by the reins making Redcoats redder with bloodstains.”
Meaning: This entire song is rapped so fast, I miss most of it. However, this line particularly about the Redcoats getting redder with blood stains is awesome, violent, and bold.
4. Angelica in “Schuyler Sisters”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.”
Meaning: This is a line in the Declaration of Independence. But when they said “all men,” they mean land-owning white men. To have a Black woman recite these lines that weren’t mean for us, followed with the lines “When I meet Thomas Jefferson, I’mma compel him to include women in the sequel.” The greatest.
5. Thomas Jefferson in “Washington On Your Side”
“If Washington isn’t gonna listen to disciplined dissidents, this is the difference; this kid is out.”
Meaning: Did Jefferson just quit? I think so. Also, the alliteration of these lyrics is amazing.
6. Hamilton in “Cabinet Battle #2”
“A game of chess, where France is Queen and Kingless.”
Meaning: Burn! Chess is alluded to a lot in this musical. Queen and King are the most important pieces in a game. Hamilton is relating the current state of France to chess to show they really aren’t worth the fight.
7. King George III in “You’ll Be Back”
“You’ll be back soon; you’ll see. You remember you belong to me.”
Meaning: He’s talking about the U.S of A, you know? Britain thought they owned us for a period of time, and they did. But soon we broke “free.” This entire song is like a cheesy break-up song, saying we’ll be begging to come back, but look at us now!
8. Thomas Jefferson in “What Did I Miss?”
“I’ve been in Paris meeting lots of different ladies…”
Meaning: One of the ladies? Angelica Schuyler. BOOM! Remember when she said she would compel him to include women in the sequel?
9. Aaron Burr in “We Know”
“Alexander, rumors only grow. And we both know what we know.
Meaning: People will find out about the affair eventually. Plus, Hamilton knows all about Burr’s affairs too so it’s fair game.
10. Hamilton/Angelica in “Take A Break”
“My dearest, Angelica.”
Meaning: THE COMMA. It changes the meaning. Grammar is a funny thing. “My dearest, Angelica” vs “My dearest Angelica,” changes everything. The former saying that Angelica IS his dearest, where the latter is letter formality, it could be written to anyone. It was also Lin-Manuel’s way to add to the already underlying romantic tension between the two. He calls it Commasexting. LOL.
Find more meanings & history of Hamilton lyrics on Genius.com!
