Leslie Odom Jr - Alexander Hamilton (Off-Broadway) lyrics

[BURR] How does a ba*tard, orphan, son of a who*e and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a Forgotten spot in the Caribbean by providence Impoverished, in squalor Grow up to be a hero and a scholar? [LAURENS] The ten-dollar founding father without a father Got a lot farther by working a lot harder By being a lot smarter By being a self-starter By fourteen, they placed him in charge of a Trading charter [JEFFERSON] And every day while slaves were being slaughtered and carted Away across the waves, our Hamilton kept his guard up Inside, he was longing for something to be a part of The brother was ready to beg, steal, borrow, or barter [MADISON] Then a hurricane came, and devastation reigned Our man saw his future drip, dripping down the drain Put a pencil to his temple, connected it to his brain And he wrote his first refrain, a testament to his pain [BURR] Well, the word got around, they said, “This kid is insane, man” Took up a collection just to send him to the mainland “Get your education, don't forget from whence you came, and The world is gonna know your name. What's your name man?” [HAMILTON] Alexander Hamilton My name is Alexander Hamilton And there's a million things I haven't done But just you wait, just you wait... [ELIZA] When he was ten his father split, full of sh**, debt-ridden Two years later, see Alex and his mother bed-ridden Half-dead, sittin' in their own sick, the scent thick [COMPANY] And Alex got better but his mother went quick [WASHINGTON] Moved in with a cousin, the cousin committed suicide Left him with nothing but ruined pride, something new inside A voice saying [COMPANY] "Alex, you gotta fend for yourself." [WASHINGTON] He started retreatin' and readin' every treatise on the shelf [BURR] There would have been nothin' left to do For someone less astute He woulda been dead or destitute Without a cent of restitution Started workin', clerkin' for his late mother's landlord Tradin' sugar cane and rum and all the things he can't afford [BURR] [COMPANY] Scammin' for every book he could get his hands on Plannin' for the future see him now as he stands on Scammin' Plannin' [BURR] The bow of a ship headed for a new land In New York you can be a new man [COMPANY] [HAMILTON] In New York you can Be a new man— Just you wait! In New York you can Be a new man— Just you wait! [COMPANY] In New York you can be a new man— [WOMEN] In New York— [MEN] In New York— [HAMILTON] Just you wait! [COMPANY] [COMPANY] Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton We are waiting in the wings for you Waiting in the wings for you You could never back down You never learned to take your time! You never learned to take your time! Oh, Alexander Hamilton Oh, Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton [COMPANY] When America sings for you Will they know what you overcame? Will they know you rewrote the game? The world will never be the same, oh [BURR] The ship is in the harbor now See if you can spot him [MEN] Just you wait [BURR] Another immigrant Comin' up from the bottom [COMPANY] Just you wait [BURR] His enemies destroyed his rep America forgot him And me? I'm the damn fool that shot him [COMPANY] Wait! Gunshot [COMPANY] Alexander Hamilton!