The musical "Hamilton"--"the voice of a generation!" as one of my friends describes it--has sent shock waves through not only the theater community, but also through an even wider audience thanks to its soundtrack's availability on Spotify and the existence of several Tumblr tags to satisfy fans' need for Hamil-hype. Writer (and star) Lin Manuel-Miranda blends two seemingly disparate styles--hip-hop and musical theater--to capture a truly passionate life with the language and culture that America recognizes today. When the story begins, Alexander Hamilton is only 19 years old. Here are 19 lyrics that, although spouted by historically-bound characters, could have easily been said by your roommate at literally any time of the average paper-writing, social-awkwardness-avoiding, campus-fun-hunting day.
1. "He started retreatin' and readin' every treatise on the shelf." -George Washington, "Alexander Hamilton"
2. "So how'd you do it? How'd you graduate so fast?" -Alexander Hamilton, "Aaron Burr, Sir"
3. "Only 19 but my mind is older." -Alexander Hamilton, "My Shot"
4. "What are the odds the gods would put us all in one spot?" -Alexander Hamilton, "My Shot"
5. "We're gonna rise up! Time to take a shot!" -Company, "My Shot"
6."I've been reading 'Common Sense' by Thomas Paine. So men say that I'm intense or I'm insane." -Angelica Schuyler, "The Schuyler Sisters"
7. "Everybody's dancin' and the band's top volume." -Eliza Schuyler, "Helpless"
8. "Now my life gets better, every letter that you write me." -Eliza Schuyler, "Helpless"
9. "All I have's my honor, a tolerance for pain, a couple of college credits and my top-notch brain." -Alexander Hamilton, "Helpless"
10. "I made every mistake. I felt the shame rise in me." -George Washington, "History Has Its Eyes on You"
11. "I need no introduction! When you knock me down, I get the f*ck back up again!" -Hercules Mulligan, "Yorktown"
12. "Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room?" -Aaron Burr, "Non-Stop"
13. "I'll keep all my plans close to my chest. I'll wait here and see which way the wind will blow." -Aaron Burr, "Non-Stop"
14. "How do you write ev'ry second you're alive? Ev'ry second you're alive? Ev'ry second you're alive?" -Company, "Non-Stop"
15. "Uh... do whatever you want. I'm super dead." -Hamilton, "Cabinet Battle 2"
16. "Have you an ounce of regret? You accumulate debt." -Thomas Jefferson, "Cabinet Battle 2"
17. "I may have mortally wounded my prospects--but my papers are orderly!" -Alexander Hamilton, "We Know"
18. "Your sentences border on senseless, and you are paranoid in every paragraph." -Eliza Schuyler, "Burn"
19. "Well, I'm going back to sleep." -Eliza Schuyler, "Best of Wives and Best of Women"
