Although the story of the musical follows the founding of our nation, there are so many lyrics that can relate to what our country is experiencing today.
1.
"There are moments that the words don’t reach
There is suffering too terrible to name
You hold your child as tight as you can
And push away the unimaginable
The moments when you’re in so deep
It feels easier to just swim down
The Hamiltons move uptown
And learn to live with the unimaginable"
For many Americans, the results of our recent election were "unimaginable". The important lesson we can learn from this lyric is that they learned to live with it. Hamilton moved on after the death of his son and after he grieved, he returned to the world of politics and continued to influence the nation. If you are feeling like this election is the death of our country, I suggest you follow Hamilton's example and grieve if you need to....but then move forward!
2.
"‘Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’
We fought for these ideals; we shouldn’t settle for less"
As this line from the first cabinet battle reminds us, the ideals we have today in our nation did not come about for free. The freedoms we have today were fought for and not something that we should take lightly.
3.
"So listen to my declaration:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident
That all men are created equal”
And when I meet Thomas Jefferson
I’m ‘a compel him to include women in the sequel!
Work!"
The fact that Hillary Clinton, a woman, was the Democratic candidate for President is a sign of progress in our nation towards gender equality. Angelica Schuyler would have been proud to say #ImWithHer. Lin-Manuel Miranda, in an interview for HeforShe with Emma Watson, eluded to the fact that he believes if Angelica Schuyler had been alive today, she might have been the one running for office.
4.
"Fools who run their mouths off wind up dead"
Aaron Burr may be painted as the villain of the story of Hamilton, but he does speak the truth with many of his lyrics. This line in particular seems to be more and more true today. Now, I am not saying that everyone who runs their mouth off winds up dead, but I do believe that all the words that are being shared are leading to more fights and more dissension between people. There is a point where speaking your mind makes you a fool. The wise know when to speak and when to keep silent.
5.
"“Everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree
And no one shall make them afraid.”
They’ll be safe in the nation we’ve made"
George Washington's hope is what I hope and pray for our nation today: that everyone can be safe. Let's continue making America a place that can be safe for all people!
These are just a few lyrics that I believe relate to the current state of our nation! Check out the songs from Hamilton for yourself and see what you can find in relation to the present day!
