Hamilton: Songs 16-20

As it happens we’ve got mostly short songs today – hops, skips, and jumps to get us to the Battle of Yorktown, which closes out this post.  A couple of slower numbers, as well as one with probably some of the fastest rapping in the entire show.

“Meet Me Inside” – I like that, while Washington is definitely on Hamilton’s “side,” Hamilton has clashes and disagreements with him as well.  Here, we see Hamilton’s kneejerk defensiveness on the importance of honor, as in reputation, while Washington is mature enough to realize that honor is about what someone does, not what others say about them.

Best lyric:  “These men take your name, and they rake it through the mud.”  - “My name’s been through a lot, I can take it.”

“That Would Be Enough” – A soft, lovely number for Eliza, in which Hamilton starts to realize just how much he has to live for.  His youthful, romantic visions of “dying like a martyr” start to dissolve as he listens to Eliza’s more modest wishes for their future.  The song takes the “look around” theme from “The Schuyler Sisters” and shapes it into its own recurring motif.

Best lyric:  “And if this child / Shares a fraction of your smile / Or a fragment of your mind, look out world! / That would be enough.”

“Guns and Ships” – “Everyone give up for America’s favorite fighting Frenchman!”  I love Lafayette (even before Hamilton, I always thought he was a neat figure from the Revolution, so I was delighted to find that he’s featured so memorably in the show,) and this is a great song for him.  It’s such a fun, rousing number, with raps that are just insane in their speed and intricacy. 

Best lyric:  “Hamilton! / No one has more resilience / Or matches my practical tactical brilliance.”

“History Has Its Eyes on You” – More of Washington just being awesomely on-point – this relationship is so wonderful.  The song is drop-dead gorgeous, and we get a sneak preview (quoted below) of the beautiful “who lives, who dies” theme.  I like how this show has history running through its veins, not just in the fact that it is historical, but in that the characters recognize what important times they live in, and that what they do is shaping the future.

Best lyric:  “Let me tell you what I wish I’d known / When I was young and dreamed of glory:  / You have no control:  / Who lives, who dies, who tells your story.”

“Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)” – Our last big battle number (obviously, since we’ve made it to Yorktown.)  The camaraderie is top-notch, Hamilton’s “take the bullets out your gun” bit is superb, and I’m in love with Mulligan’s verse here.  He’s used a bit sparingly throughout the show, but he’s always used incredibly well, hitting you with the full force of his personality every time he’s onstage.

Best lyric:  “Immigrants: / We get the job done.”