I definitely agree those lines are fantastically powerful. I think 'let's teach them how to say goodbye' is also a strong contender, particularly for the way it crops up again right at the end.
I think, for me, THAT's one of the most powerful things in it - the way the words evolve over the course of the show, and continue to evolve the more you listen to them. For example, on today's listen (am restricting myself to once a day now) the weight of the word 'legacy' struck me pretty hard. Burr has clearly put his parents on a pedestal, and feels oppressed by the need to maintain their legacy, and not fuck it all up (which perhaps contributes to his unwillingness to commit himself to anything until he knows how it's all going to turn out? Unlike Hamilton, he does not have 'nothing to lose'). And Philip Hamilton is literally killed by the weight of his father's legacy - the lyrics highlight it, by expressly comparing Philip to his father, but changing key words: whereas Hamilton, in 'My Shot' says 'I shoulder ev’ry burden, ev’ry disadvantage', his son says 'I shoulder his legacy with pride'. ie. the legacy is a burden. And that's what leads him to his death. It's so deftly done. And it's just one of DOZENS of examples.
FUCK YOU, LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA. FUCK YOU AND YOUR BRILLIANCE AND YOUR FEELINGS AND EVERYTHING YOU DO. (I'm sorry Lin I love you)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2015-10-18 04:57 pm (UTC)I definitely agree those lines are fantastically powerful. I think 'let's teach them how to say goodbye' is also a strong contender, particularly for the way it crops up again right at the end.
I think, for me, THAT's one of the most powerful things in it - the way the words evolve over the course of the show, and continue to evolve the more you listen to them. For example, on today's listen (am restricting myself to once a day now) the weight of the word 'legacy' struck me pretty hard. Burr has clearly put his parents on a pedestal, and feels oppressed by the need to maintain their legacy, and not fuck it all up (which perhaps contributes to his unwillingness to commit himself to anything until he knows how it's all going to turn out? Unlike Hamilton, he does not have 'nothing to lose'). And Philip Hamilton is literally killed by the weight of his father's legacy - the lyrics highlight it, by expressly comparing Philip to his father, but changing key words: whereas Hamilton, in 'My Shot' says 'I shoulder ev’ry burden, ev’ry disadvantage', his son says 'I shoulder his legacy with pride'. ie. the legacy is a burden. And that's what leads him to his death. It's so deftly done. And it's just one of DOZENS of examples.
FUCK YOU, LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA. FUCK YOU AND YOUR BRILLIANCE AND YOUR FEELINGS AND EVERYTHING YOU DO. (I'm sorry Lin I love you)