The Room Where It Happens

Burr addresses Hamilton formally in deference to his position as Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. Burr is always very conscious of status, and obviously we see that a lot in his interactions with the shooting star that was Hamilton’s Washington-era career. At almost every other instance in the show, when they are more equal in rank, he addresses Hamilton familiarly by his first name. Hamilton, less concerned with social niceties (or, perhaps, simply less concerned with Burr) never returns the favor.

This is the only time in the show when Burr acknowledges Hamilton’s superior status. While Hamilton always refers to Burr as sir out of respect, Hamilton is always “Alexander” to Burr.

This respect from Hamilton is reserved only for Burr and Washington throughout the show.

Also significantly, this is the last time the two speak as friends in the show, as the snubbed Burr sets himself on a course for political power hereafter.

Continues the tradition of Hamilton referring to Aaron Burr as sir, and the musical’s theme of using sir to make compound rhymes.

I questioned: was there Mercer street in 1780? So I looked it up, and saw that it used to be Claremont Street.

So then who was Mercer named after? It was some general who died two years into the war.

What’s funny is how the two of them were obsessed with their legacies. So that’s one of those things where the line actually led me to a really cool historical story and away into the tune. So sometimes you’re working the rhyme to fit the circumstances, but sometimes the line leads you somewhere you don’t expect.

Lin Manuel dug deep to find a historical reference to rhyme with “Burr sir,” a running gag by this point in the show.

A veteran of the French and Indian War, Hugh Mercer was a brigadier general in the Continental Army and a friend of George Washington’s. He followed Washington in the retreat from New York City into New Jersey, played major roles in the Crossing of the Delaware and subsequent Battle of Trenton, fought at the Second Battle of Trenton, then was wounded in the Battle of Princeton and died. His funeral was attended by a crowd of 30,000.

Here we can see how Miranda purposely creates a tense atmosphere in the discourse through Hamilton’s responses. He does this by purposefully flouting Grice’s cooperative principle (Grice, 1986), replying to Burr’s questioning with only, “No”, “Yeah”, “Hah”, etc.

Through flouting the Maxim of Quantity (speaking less or more than is required of the discourse), Hamilton is shown to disregard Burr’s attempts at a cooperative conversation. Through the repeated use of this rule-breaking, Hamilton is presented to be more than resilient at Burr’s advances to his friendship. Ergo, this implies a tense atmosphere and distrust between the two.

Mercer Street (map) still exists and retains this name. Laid out prior to 1797, it was originally called First Street, then Clermont, and was renamed for Mercer in 1799.

Hugh Mercer was a Scottish soldier and physician. He initially served with the Jacobite forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie, and with the British forces during the Seven Years' War (Known today as the French and Indian War), but later became a brigadier general in the Continental Army and a close friend to George Washington.

General Hugh Mercer was born in Scotland. At the age of 15 he attended the University of Aberdeen where he became a doctor. He served as an assistant surgeon and army doctor for the army of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1746 and 1747.

Mercer moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia where he again set up practice as a physician. In this capacity, he treated members of George Washington’s family. As his own family grew, Dr. Mercer arranged to purchase George Washington’s boyhood-home, Ferry Farm.

Mercer led a raid on Richmondtown, Staten Island on October 15, 1776, temporarily securing the town and taking as prisoners those inside the makeshift hospital of St. Andrew’s Church, only to be later repelled back to New Jersey, releasing the prisoners and causing numerous British casualties in the process.

There are rumors that Mercer exclusively originated Washington’s plan to cross the Delaware River and surprise the Hessians at the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776, and he was certainly a major contributor to its execution. Due to the victory at Trenton (and a small monetary bonus), Washington’s men agreed to a ten-day extension to their enlistment. When Washington decided to face off with Cornwallis during the Second Battle of Trenton on January 2, 1777, Mercer was given a major role in the defense of the city.

The next day, January 3, Washington’s army was en route to Princeton, New Jersey. While leading a vanguard of 350 soldiers, Mercer’s brigade encountered two British regiments and a mounted unit. A fight broke out at an orchard grove and Mercer’s horse was shot from under him. Getting to his feet, he was quickly surrounded by British troops who mistook him for George Washington and ordered him to surrender. Outnumbered, he drew his saber and began an unequal contest. He was finally beaten to the ground, then bayoneted repeatedly—seven times—and left for dead.

When he learned of the British attack and saw some of Mercer’s men in retreat, Washington himself entered the fray. Washington rallied Mercer’s men and pushed back the British regiments, but Mercer had been left on the field to die with multiple bayonet wounds to his body and blows to his head. Legend has it that a beaten Mercer, with a bayonet still impaled in him, did not want to leave his men and the battle and was given a place to rest on a white oak tree’s trunk, while those who remained with him stood their ground. The tree became known as “the Mercer Oak” and is the key element of the seal of Mercer County, New Jersey.

When he was discovered, Mercer was carried to the field hospital in the Thomas Clarke House (now a museum) at the eastern end of the battlefield. In spite of medical efforts by Benjamin Rush and left in the care of two Quaker women, Mercer was mortally wounded and died nine days later on January 12, 1777. In 1840 he was re-buried at Philadelphia’s Laurel Hill Cemetery.

Hamilton and Burr’s back and forth shows both irony and humour. On the ironic side, they both clearly realize that they are in the same position as General Mercer, however, Hamilton and Burr both have their eyes set on something greater than a street being named after them. They are fully aware of how fragile their legacies are, yet they joke that much of what they do may have little impact on who tells their story.

This line reiterates many themes from throughout the play. The idea “dying is easy, living is harder” is prominent in this exchange, as Hamilton is witness to the preservation of Mercer after his death, although we as an audience have no idea of his legacy while living.

Another underlying theme is the idea of “who lives, who dies, who tells your stories”. In Mercer’s case, his story is told on a street sign. Yet for Hamilton and Burr, they aim to ensure that their legacy has a greater impact.

An obvious reference to the duel, made ironic by the actual, very complicated and insecure legacies of both Hamilton and Burr.

Hamilton’s responses up until this point have been uncharacteristically brief. Having come straight out of “Say No To This,” it’s likely that he’s a bit distracted—but it’s also a demonstration of his resolution to “talk less; smile more” which he reveals a few lines later.

Hamilton has always had a habit of doing his own thing (or at least considering it as referenced towards the end of the first cabinet battle), so for Hamilton to listen to Burr of all people shows what looks to be the beginnings of a character shift.

As we see later, unfortunately, the death of his son does really change his character…

Advice that Burr has been trying to get Hamilton to follow since the first act.

Hamilton’s sleazy, digging-deep impression of him here is e v e r y t h i n g.

Notice that since the beginning of this song, Burr has been doing all the talking, while Hamilton gives predominantly one-word replies. Here, he finally admits the reason—he has decided to take Burr’s advice.

As Hamilton recites Burr’s old slogan, the bass and piano enter with a distinctly sinister vamp; the bass part hangs on the notoriously “evil”-sounding diminished fifth (also a hallmark of blues and jazz music), creating an unsettling tension in the harmony. This contributes to his cynical rendition of Burr’s words and, particularly after “Say No to This,” we get the impression that as the musical enters its second act, the Hamilton who once questioned what Burr would “fall for” is himself losing his hold upon his strong ideals.

Burr responds with the same one-word response that Hamilton gave when Burr first offered him this advice.

In the score during this song, there is a tune played on the piano that sounds very similar to a tune from Netflix’s show “House of Cards.”

If intentional, it makes a lot of sense to put it in this song because it marks the beginning of Aaron Burr’s hunger for power and desire to become the president—much like the series' main character, Frank Underwood’s, hunger for power and ability to climb the political ladder.

Stealth wordplay, as “merciless” sounds like “Mercer-less.”

This also highlights that (unlike Mercer), Madison and Jefferson haven’t secured their own legacy, and are hungry for the power to make their mark on history.

An 18th century way of saying, “don’t hate the player, hate the game.”

Also a quote from St. Augustine, a famous Christian theologian who died in 430 A.D., that is commonly misattributed to Jesus.

The idea here is that Madison and Jefferson are sinning in their lack of understanding towards Hamilton’s ideas. Which sin, exactly, is where Hamilton leaves it ambiguous, but there are several deadly options that may apply—wrath, pride, envy… The irony being that many of these sins also apply to Hamilton himself, as he just demonstrated in “Say No to This”.

This line also could refer back to Burr’s “Wait for It,” where Burr set up the dichotomy of sinners versus saints, as well as Hamilton versus himself. Hamilton’s line here underhandedly refers to Burr’s constant waiting, as Hamilton is seizing the moment to work directly with Madison and Jefferson, whether or not he may sin to do so.

It could even be part of Hamilton’s extended Burr impression; as seen in other songs, Burr loves Biblical and Christian allusions.

This line reflects how Hamilton and Burr’s relationship has changed throughout their lives and the musical. In Aaron Burr, Sir Burr gave Hamilton the advice to “Talk less, Smile more”, to which Hamilton had no response. Their role reversal has progressed throughout the course of the musical, as evidenced by this line in Wait For It. It is now Hamilton that has a legacy to protect, and everything to lose, meaning he can’t afford to mouth off, so he chooses to emulate Burr.

This all comes to a peak in this line, when Hamilton cuts Burr off, showing that he has the upper hand and the higher status.

If, as Thomas claims, he set the meeting, it makes sense that he would choose to have it over dinner, since Jefferson was a foodie.

The way Hamilton delivers the line is rather dismissive of Burr, as if to imply “I’d love to stay and chat, but the big boys need to make decisions over here.”

In contrast to Burr’s earlier deference in this song (“Mister Secretary”), when Hamilton is ascending higher than Burr he is only “an immigrant.” He is contrasted to the ‘native’ Virginians, highlighting his supposedly lesser status. It is also noteworthy that Burr reverts to calling Hamilton ‘immigrant’ the second that Hamilton leaves.

It is also an allusion to Lafayette and Hamiltion’s earlier line “Immigrants/We get the job done.” Hamilton is literally getting the job of compromise done at dinner.

Lin-Manuel Miranda has made multiple allusions to the politics of immigration in relation to his work on Hamilton.

‘Two (x) and a (y) walk into a room’ is a pretty standard joke setup, usually contrasting the different people – here implying that Virginians cannot be expected to get along with an immigrant.

Hamilton: The Revolution (p. 202) reveals that an early draft from Lin’s notebook had this line as “[…] walk into a bar,” rather than “room.” Lin adds, “I wanted this song to start as simply as a joke: ‘Three guys walk into a bar…’ It will ease us into the complexity that follows.” Still, the change from “bar” to “room” is fitting, considering the song’s title.

Ironically, in jokes with this setup, the punchline usually tells us what happened next in said bar. Here, the next lines pointedly do not give you specifics on what happens during dinner.

3 Men in a Room is a phrase that is often used to describe New York state politics, and speculation that no law in New York gets passed without a deal involving at least two of three men: the Governor, the Senate Majority Leader and the Assembly speaker. This is possibly a little political in-joke. Miranda’s father is a political consultant and has worked on State, city and national political campaigns. Hamilton’s father-in-law, Philip Schuyler served both in the New York State Senate and Assembly.

An example of semicolon rap.

The contrast of “foes” and “bros” also provides an example of Miranda’s integration of modern slang alongside more archaic language throughout the show. As the man himself puts it: “This is a story about America then, told by America now.”

The Ensemble is referencing the unlikely agreement made here despite their differences, but may also be foreshadowing Hamilton’s later support of Jefferson over Burr.

The emphasis on closed and open doors situates the idea of “the room” where the compromise happened as a black box the audience and Burr can’t see into. The characters with power are the ones who control the relative openness of this actual physical (and metaphorical) room.

Also makes lyrical reference to Sondheim’s “Opening Doors” from Merrily We Roll Along.

An example of semicolon rap.

The contrast of “foes” and “bros” also provides an example of Miranda’s integration of modern slang alongside more archaic language throughout the show. As the man himself puts it: “This is a story about America then, told by America now.”

Even in a system that Hamilton has fought and worked for, he is relegated to the role of an outsider. Hamilton loves America because anyone can become anything (the American Dream) as sung in “The World Was Wide Enough”:

America, you great unfinished symphony, you sent for me
You let me make a difference
A place where even orphan immigrants
Can leave their fingerprints and rise up"

But, to many, his legacy wouldn’t be more than that of an immigrant who broke into the ranks of the Founding Fathers.

Hamilton, Jefferson, and Madison participated in one of the first documented occasions of “log rolling”, where votes are exchanged in Congress between two legislators – or the quid pro quo (“something for something” in Latin) that Madison mentions later in the song.

Specifically, the Dinner Compromise of 1790 negotiations lead to Madison lending support to pass the Funding Act of 1790 and Hamilton lending support to move the capital to somewhere along the Potomac to the current location, Washington D.C..

The Funding Act of 1790 essentially allowed the national government to take in and manage state debts. Northern states, which were in a considerable amount of debt, favored the plan because it would alleviate their debts. Southern states were not in as much debt due to their profitable agrarian industry and felt outrage towards the act because they, in short, would be paying for the Northern states debts if the act was to pass.

It wasn’t quite handing all the reins to Hamilton, but the Compromise approved the most important aspect of his financial plan.

Dinner table wordplay between the two meanings of pièce de résistance as “the main dish of a meal” and “an outstanding item or event, a showpiece.”

FURTHER meta-level wordplay, because “Room Where It Happens” is a showstopper number—a pièce de résistance in its own right—and this is where the hook comes in. ‘Pièce de résistance’ is French (another reference to Francophile Jefferson’s influence), literally meaning ‘piece of resistance/opposition,’ and this is Burr’s big moment when he decides to break away from Hamilton and the Federalists and strike out on his own. Also, “la pièce” in French means “the room”.

In other words, Lin-Manuel Miranda is both a genius and wordplay master.

Miranda tells the hosts of Buzzfeed’s podcast Another Round about how he absorbed truths about politics thanks to the fact that his dad Luis Miranda, Jr., was a political consultant. “[NY] Gov. Cuomo came to see the show, and he said, ‘I can tell you learned politics at, like, a kitchen table.’”

A very apt observation here on Burr’s part: at this point in American history, the entire American system of government was very, very new. It’s not a stretch to think that not even Madison, Jefferson, and Hamilton fully comprehend how political bargaining will work in this new nation of theirs, what with a Constitution, a House, a Senate, a President…

Laws, like sausages, cease to inspire respect in proportion as we know how they are made.

The originator of this famous comparison between making sausages and statutes is neither Leo McGarry (fictional White House Chief of Staff on The West Wing) nor Otto von Bismarck (first Chancellor of Germany), but American poet John Godfrey Saxe, in 1869.

But also, it’s another food pun for our dinner party number.

Burr is a politician himself, someone with far more insight into political dealings than most, but in this line, he associates himself with “we” the ordinary citizens. This almost seems to remove him slightly from the direct events occurring and fits well with his role as narrator through much of the show.

The only surviving account we have of what occurred at the Dinner Table Bargain is Thomas Jefferson’s own, from a letter he wrote on the subject.

In Thomas Jefferson’s actual words, Hamilton looked “sombre, haggard, and dejected beyond comparison.”

LMM’s word choice “claims” highlights another example of how our history depends on “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story.” Burr realizes in this song that he needs a hand in determining how he himself will be remembered. Eliza, by contrast and like almost all women in history, is not yet “a part of the narrative.”

Coming so soon after “Say No to This,” the parallels between Hamilton’s description here and Maria’s description there—pathetic appearance, claims of being in dire straits and having nowhere else to go, ulterior motive—are unmistakable. Instead of trading sex for money, they’re trading political favors, but the setup and the moral grubbiness are the same.

From “Jefferson’s Account of the Bargain on the Assumption and Residence Bills”:

That as to his own part, if [Hamilton] had not credit enough to carry such a measure as that, he could be of no use, and was determined to resign. He observed at the same time, that tho’ our particular business laid in separate departments, yet the administration and it’s [sic] success was a common concern, and that we should make common cause in supporting one another. He added his wish that I would interest my friends from the South, who were those most opposed to it.

Jefferson:

On considering the situation of things I thought the first step towards some conciliation of views would be to bring Mr. Madison and Colo. Hamilton to a friendly discussion of the subject. I immediately wrote to each to come and dine with me the next day, mentioning that we should be alone, that the object was to find some temperament for the present fever, and that I was persuaded that men of sound heads and honest views needed nothing more than explanation and mutual understanding to enable them to unite in some measures which might enable us to get along. They came.

The fact that this is Jefferson’s version of events, manipulated to suit his own vision and to make him look better, is also reinforced when he acts as though it was only Madison who hated Hamilton and that Jefferson was the reasonable one who was willing to put aside petty differences. However, in Washington On Your Side, it’s almost all Jefferson talking about how he hates Hamilton, often in a pretty, uh, passionate way – “I’ll pull the trigger on him / someone load the gun and cock it!”. This might also be viewed as evidence of Jefferson’s general arrogance

This is a subtle reminder that “you have no control: who lives, who dies, who tells your story.” Thomas Jefferson’s version is how history remembers the dinner room bargain, but it’s important to note that this is from Jefferson’s biased point of view.

This line fits in with Jefferson’s general air of flamboyancy, as he gives much more attention to the seemingly irrelevant details of the dinner (who sits where, what they eat) than the important details of exactly what happened and how they made decisions. (It’s even more ridiculous when you consider that he’s bragging about arranging the seating … for a dinner with only three people.)

It was only right that Jefferson arranged the menu and seating, because the venue was his newly rented home at 57 Maiden Lane in New York City. Here’s the plaque that was installed on the house in the 1920s, via BroadwayDirect.com:

Historically, Jefferson was well-known for being a foodie who hosted great dinners.

Another dinner party metaphor, here between the members of these mysterious “dinner parties” where things happen, and Jefferson and Hamilton’s two “political parties.”

Also, the extra ss’s on the end of this couplet are from the official liner notes, and they are extremely Villain Origin Story. Very Lucifer appearing as the serpent, if you want to get biblical about it. It also recalls the outro of the previous song, in which Hamilton and Maria Reynolds can certainly be said to have come to an agreement.

“Getting to Yes” is the title of a 1981 book by Roger Fisher and William Ury of the Harvard Program on Negotiation that presents the Harvard method of Principled Negotiation. A key part is finding what’s most important to each party in order to find a compromise in which everybody gets what they care more about in exchange for giving up what they care less about. And that’s exactly what happens here. Through this trade, Jefferson and Hamilton get something they value by giving up something they don’t.

Previous chess references (“knight takes rook” in “Right Hand Man” and “stalemate” in “Stay Alive”) were analogies for war. Now the same people are matching wits over battles for money and power.

Madison struggled with true democracy, as he worried that if everyone truly has an equal say “the majority may trespass on the rights of the minority.”

He was right to be fearful, of course, as tyranny of the majority, as the concept has come to be known, continues to plague modern politics.

Deciding on the permanent location of capital of the United States wasn’t easy.

The Framers had many debates over it.

Northerners wanted the capital “closer to home”, specifically eyeing states like Pennsylvania and New York, which had both previously served as capitals—Philadelphia (1790-1800) and New York City (1785-1790).

Southerners, meanwhile, including James Madison, argued for a location along the Potomac River, situated between Virginia and Maryland.

Eventually, the Framers agreed the capital should be located in a “Federal City”, not controlled by any state, to prevent any one state from gaining too much power/influence over the others or the federal government.

In 1790, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison agreed to the “Compromise of 1790”. This included two acts: the Residence Act and the Funding Act.

The Residence Act, signed on July 16, 1790, marked a southern victory by establishing the national capital along the Potomac and allowing President George Washington the authority to choose its exact location.

Washington announced his decision on January 24, 1791, and development began the very same day.

The new Federal district was named the District of Columbia, after “Columbia,” a commonly used poetic name for the United States at the time. While the Federal city was named “Washington” after the President himself.

The land came from both Virginia and Maryland, forming a perfect diamond/rhombus shape.

However on July 9, 1846, Congress passed the Retrocession Act, which approved the retrocession or “returning” of Alexandria County (now Arlington County and the City of Alexandria) to Virginia. The Virginia General Assembly formally accepted the retrocession on March 13, 1847.

Washington, D.C. before (pink) and after (green) the Retrocession Act.

This line and the next were broken down by game designer Mike Selinker:

The cleverness comes when Lin-Manuel Miranda rhymes syllables in a way I can only describe as “off-expectation,” causing matches when you don’t know they’re coming. Look at this couplet from “The Room Where It Happens” and see how many syllables match.

“Then Jefferson approaches with a dinner and invite
And Madison responds with Virginian insight”

THEN, -SON, WITH, IN, AND, IN-, and -VITE are all matched. Seven hits. That’s astounding.

“Virginian insight” is another line in this song that sets up the differences between Madison and Jefferson (the Virginians) and Hamilton (the immigrant). As told by Burr, anyway, being from Virginia gives you a special kind of shrewdness, cleverness and insight—although from a more impartial point of view, Hamilton has plenty of insight himself.

It could also be a subtle dig at the Virginians' shallowness. The Virginians are concerned with an essentially meaningless aesthetic question: the location of the capital. Meanwhile, the immigrant Hamilton shrewdly bargains for real power in the form of his new financial system, which the aristocratic planter Virginians don’t even pretend to fully understand.

Even so, it may not be as"essentially meaningless" as all that:

Philadelphia was anxious to get the national capital back, but the city was a center of abolitionism, and most of the American population either supported slavery, or were willing to tolerate it. Slave-holders wanted the capital in an area that was not hostile to slavery, and Virginia, the largest state in area (it included West Virginia) was home to Washington, Jefferson, and many other early leaders.

Literally “something for something” in Latin. Quid Pro Quo is the legal standard for corruption and bribery right now. The courts only consider something corruption if there is a clear 1-for-1 exchange, which is why donations buying ‘access’ to candidates and politicians are legal. The use of the phrase here emphasizes the suspect nature of this deal.

The phrase is also used in a famous line by Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, adding to the sinister dinner party theme: Lecter murdered people, then cannibalized them in fancy dishes he served to unknowing guests.

Both Jefferson and Madison were from Virginia, but so was George Washington. The Residence Act only stated that the site of the capital had to be placed on the Potomac, leaving the final decision of where it would be placed in the hands of Washington himself.

This is the river that separates Virginia and Maryland. Washington D.C. was built on the shores of this river. The Washington D.C. History website states in one description that:

The choice of Washington’s site along the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers resulted from a compromise between Alexander Hamilton and northern states who wanted the new federal government to assume Revolutionary War debts, and Thomas Jefferson and southern states who wanted the capital placed in a location friendly to slave-holding agricultural interests.

Madison’s noncommittal response here is apropos, and historically accurate. Thomas claims:

It ended in Mr. Madison’s acquiescence… that tho’ he would not vote for it, nor entirely withdraw his opposition, yet he should not be strenuous, but leave it to its fate.

In fact, he went ahead and voted against it.

“Let’s go” is featured prominently in three songs, Lafayette says “let’s go” as he and Hamilton head off to fight in “Yorktown,” Hamilton says it to Washington when he accepts the position of Treasury Secretary in “Non-Stop,” and here Jefferson repeats it again.

On each occasion, it means “now that we agree, let’s work.” But the subtext behind it is different each time. In “Yorktown,” it’s determined and righteous; in “Non-Stop,” it’s giddy and proud. These Act I instances show Hamilton pursuing his ideals with clear purpose.

However, as with most things from Act I that reappear in Act II, Jefferson (who, we’ll remember, is played by the same actor as Lafayette) twists the line with the complications and moral greyness of political compromise.

Burr is upset that the location of the capital is being put on the table at this closed doors meeting, without any other representatives (like him) in the discussion to defend the city’s position, and that Hamilton is going to sell out New York just to get what he wants, AND probably a lot because how the heck does Hamilton just keep winning?

It’s also something of a callback to the ensemble’s “No! No! No!” in Say No To This. In fact, there are several moments that hark back to Say No To This in The Room Where It Happens (most notably this “No!” and Jefferson commenting on Hamilton’s distress much the same way Hamilton comments on Maria Reynolds'). The two songs ARE both about secretive, somewhat illicit activities, though of different sorts.

No one else was in the room but Maria, Hamilton and Reynolds either. And the details of their dirty “compromise” (in which Hamilton is morally and personally compromised) are really all hinge on Hamilton’s claims (cause, sing it with me kids, no one else was in the room…). In these two songs we see Hamilton become more sinister in both personal and political matters. In “Say No” and “Room” his amazing gifts are turned against his family, then his countrymen, and finally (and most viciously) himself.

Despite Burr’s protest, the verse goes on, similar to how politics is moving on without him.

This phrase is the official motto of the United States of America, and is written on all U.S. currency, so the lyric is winking at Hamilton’s economic victory here while also commenting on people’s desire to trust their leaders to make good decisions about their (country’s) future without wanting to know the gory details of the process. In that way, it’s also a part of the overarching metaphor of politician as God-like figure, as with Burr’s “at the right hand of the Father” reference in “A Winter’s Ball.”

This is another instance of anachronistic wordplay, as the phrase itself originated during the War of 1812, after the capitol had been established in DC. It didn’t appear on American currency until 1864, and wasn’t adopted as an official motto until 1956.

The National Mint, which supervises the distribution and circulation of currency, is part of the Treasury Department. It was created in 1792 as a direct result of this compromise and the victory for his financial system Hamilton here secured. However, it was originally established under the State Department, so in real time Jefferson got himself a little win here, too.

This can have a double meaning—what “got discussed”, or, “what got disgust”—which is to say, the topics (or even the foods) that received negative reactions from the other parties present.

This is the second time in Hamilton that “trust” and “discussed” are rhymed; the first being in “The Schuyler Sisters”, when Burr corrects Angelica’s “disgust” insult by telling her that she “discussed” him and that he has “trust.”

Yet another reference to the infamous duel. Here it’s used to describe the ease and speed at which the decision seems to happen. Just as a gunshot occurs in the brief space between a click and a boom, so do these legislative coups burst upon the greater political landscape—though behind closed doors it took quite a lot of secretive work to hash it out beforehand.

Burr has already begun to internalize this—he uses a click-boom for himself at the end of this song.

We’ll later see in “The World Was Wide Enough” both support and opposition for this usage—from the click to the boom is long enough for Hamilton to deliver an eloquent meditation upon his life, but also too short for Burr to realize that Hamilton has turned his pistol toward the sky. Poor Burr is still not in the room where it happens; he can’t see what’s going on until it’s already over.

The chorus sings this to the same tune as they do in the opening number, connecting it to the overall musical despite Burr’s Dixieland jazz performance.

The result of the compromise, the Residence Act of 1790, literally established that the nation’s capital would be moved to a site on the Potomac River.

Idiomatically, “selling someone down the river” is to betray or sell somebody out. The origin of the term is even more sinister: slaves (and sometimes free black people) would literally be shipped down the Mississippi or Ohio rivers to be sold to plantations further “down” south. Given that Hamilton was an ardent abolitionist and had just “sold out” New York to these two Southerners—and the slave-owning interests they represent—this accusation is particularly biting.

The repetition of his name in the following lines evokes a press conference—politicians being hounded by the press (or in this case Hamilton hounded by Burr and the ensemble) to try and get some information on the political machinations that have happened behind closed doors…

A reference to the conversation at the end of “Cabinet Battle #1”: Washington commands Hamilton to “figure it out,” putting pressure on Hamilton to make this compromise work. But Washington also tells him, “I am from Virginia.” As Jefferson and Madison are only referred collectively as “Virginians” in this song, this may be suggesting that Washington supported both items on the table at this dinner.

The repetition of his name in the following lines evokes a press conference—politicians being hounded by the press (or in this case Hamilton hounded by Burr and the ensemble) to try and get some information on the political machinations that have happened behind closed doors…

The First Bank of the United States was actually physically located in Philadelphia. However, Hamilton was right in that the financial capital of America would remain in New York City, on Wall Street, as it does to this day.

Hamilton creates a slight play on words in reply to Burr. Sure, the nation’s “Capital,” big C, is in the South, but the economic “capital,” little c, meaning money, is still in New York City in the banks.

Cuz we’ll have the banks. We’re in the same spot… you’ve got to be carefully taught. This is one of the many instances in this song where we see Hamilton and Burr take on each other’s roles. Hamilton is now the one teaching Burr how the game is played, rather than the other way around (like Burr’s advice to Hamilton to “talk less, smile more” in Aaron Burr, Sir).

The First Bank of the United States was actually physically located in Philadelphia. However, Hamilton was right in that the financial capital of America would remain in New York City, on Wall Street, as it does to this day.

Hamilton creates a slight play on words in reply to Burr. Sure, the nation’s “Capital,” big C, is in the South, but the economic “capital,” little c, meaning money, is still in New York City in the banks.

Burr is criticizing Hamilton’s manipulative tactics he uses for achieving his goals, but Hamilton’s response is pretty much just “Yeah? Well, tough. I get what I want.”

The tone Burr has when saying his line is very derisive and disdainful, showing his disapproval of Hamilton’s strategy. Later on, Hamilton will call Burr amoral, but really, right now Alexander himself sounds like a good fit for that description.

Hamilton obviously doesn’t care about playing fairly anymore, and he’ll do whatever it takes to reach the top. Notice that he doesn’t try to correct Burr’s accusation, instead he strikes back with a “screw morals, look how far ahead I am in the game, especially compared to you” attitude. He doesn’t even try to justify his actions, he simply says “I got what I want, and I don’t give a fuck about your or anyone else’s opinion” in a rather sinister and arrogant tone, condescending even. Alexander has become manipulative, calculating, and cunning. For the first time in his life, he’s hiding his intentions and beliefs, and he has secret ulterior motives. Burr calls Madison and Jefferson merciless earlier in the song, although at this point the most merciless character would be Hamilton.

Of course, we need to keep in mind that this is all told from Burr’s viewpoint, so we have no real idea of just how antagonistic Hamilton was acting.

Wordplay as “skin in the game” is a game metaphor relating to the fact that you must take some risks with yourself (“skin” can be your money in a card game, or your body in a sport). You can’t play to win unless you make a commitment, and the more risk you take, the more likely you are to follow through, which increases your chances of winning.

The betting/card game aspect of this is particularly apt, as Hamilton has financial aims in this compromise. In another layer of meaning, one of the main motives for Hamilton to suggest assumption of debts was that he wanted the country’s wealthiest people to have “skin in the game” in the success of the fledgling national government—if the government owed them money, they’d support it.

This line also draws a line in the sand between Hamilton and Burr, as Hamilton has been taking chances and doing whatever it takes to get things done (skin in the game) and now is getting to shape an entire Financial Institution the way he wanted (stay in the game). Burr now realizes, in the next part of the song that HE too wants to get in on these metaphorical poker nights, but he can’t do that unless he gets in “the room where it happens.”

It’s also interesting to note Hamilton’s delivery and tone here as it contrasts heavily with the tone of the song. Hamilton is still rapping in contrast to the melodic, Dixieland style that Burr is using. This adds to the suggestion that Hamilton’s ideas and beliefs are more revolutionary, as rap music is characterized throughout the show, and Burr’s are more traditional, with his ideals perhaps being corrupted or at least influenced by the South.

Here, Hamilton is saying that no matter what other people think of your decisions (Burr’s outrage at Hamilton’s seemingly flippant attitude when trading away the capital), it’s worth it as long as you come away with something. Burr, not yet accustomed to the underhanded and in the dark customs of politics, is waiting for the golden opportunity to make his move and leave his legacy. Hamilton simply works with whatever he can get and twists it to his advantage, which often gives him the edge over Burr.

Even as Hamilton is taking Burr’s advice, he’s scorning Burr’s general policy to always wait rather than act, musically using his own refrain from “Wait For It” against him. Hamilton and the company are also reciting this phrase as if something meaningful is about to occur.

See Hamilton’s line, above: “hate the sin, love the sinner.” Hamilton seems to have adopted the philosophy that it’s ‘better to ask forgiveness than permission,’ placing him pretty firmly in opposition against Burr.

This verse as a whole foreshadows Hamilton’s actions later on in the musical. When he is accused of “improper speculation,” something that would have destroyed his political career and ruined the legacy he’s so obsessed with building, he chooses to instead ruin his personal reputation by revealing his affair with Maria Reynolds in “The Reynolds Pamphlet.” Saying “God help and forgive me” here can thus be seen in two ways:

Firstly, it can be seen as asking forgiveness for all of the things he is prepared to do for his legacy. Hamilton was notoriously hardheaded and reckless, going toe to toe with every other Founding Father to get his system through. In addition, his legendary work ethic and drive to keep working hurt and confused his wife, Eliza, who keeps asking “Isn’t this enough?” in the song “Non-Stop” at the end of Act I.

Secondly, it can be seen as a preemptive foreshadowing of when he will need to ask forgiveness after releasing the Reynolds Pamphlet. Adultery was considered a crime both in a court of law and in the eyes of the Church. Hamilton was not a particularly religious man, but Christianity was very important to the early American nation. In order to somewhat redeem himself in the eyes of the country, asking forgiveness from God would be necessary.

Hamilton states for the record that his heart’s true desire and his morality’s top priority is the legacy he is hoping to build. His intentions are good, but as much as he wants God to help and forgive him, the road to hell….

This is also another occurrence of the “out____” motif.

Hamilton’s not the only one with this wish, either. Washington says pretty much the same later.

The chorus gets very aggressive at this point. It feels reflective of Burr’s thoughts—everyone else has been busy contributing and pushing their ideals into law, but what’s he been doing? The echoing of this line, repeated and emphasized by the other founding fathers, could represent them echoing in Burr’s own mind, lifting into a crescendo to mirror the increasing pressure Burr feels to take a stand.

Hamilton was able to negotiate with Jefferson and Madison because each of them knew what they wanted most and what they were willing to give up to get it. If Burr is to emulate them, then he also has to figure out what he wants.

This is another callback to Burr’s early directive, “Talk less, smile more. Don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for.” Hamilton always challenges Burr on this point, calling on him to articulate what he believes. If this is a lead-in to Burr realizing what he wants (to be in on the deals and workings of the government), then we can almost infer that Burr has held back in saying what he wants because he didn’t, and perhaps still doesn’t, really know.

Hamilton asked him this back in “Aaron Burr, Sir,” a belated response to his “talk less, smile more” advice.

Just as before, this is a brilliant play on “stand/fall,” but here the undertones really get wild. “Fall for” in that context meant “be fooled by,” implying that Burr would be taken for and/or proven a fool with his wishy-washy behavior. This context brings out the other meanings. “Fall for” could mean “experience want or love”, which would be in line with the question “What do you want, Burr?” And “fall” could also mean “die,” meaning Ham is asking what Burr would die for—foreshadowing their duel in which Burr risks his life.

Fall could also mean a “fall from grace” – this is the moment where Burr begins to become the antagonist of the story. Burr’s desire to be in the room where it happens is his own tragic flaw; it poisons his relationship with Hamilton, and the mistake of shooting him later taints his entire legacy.

The chorus gets very aggressive at this point. It feels reflective of Burr’s thoughts—everyone else has been busy contributing and pushing their ideals into law, but what’s he been doing? The echoing of this line, repeated and emphasized by the other founding fathers, could represent them echoing in Burr’s own mind, lifting into a crescendo to mirror the increasing pressure Burr feels to take a stand.

Hamilton was able to negotiate with Jefferson and Madison because each of them knew what they wanted most and what they were willing to give up to get it. If Burr is to emulate them, then he also has to figure out what he wants.

This is another callback to Burr’s early directive, “Talk less, smile more. Don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for.” Hamilton always challenges Burr on this point, calling on him to articulate what he believes. If this is a lead-in to Burr realizing what he wants (to be in on the deals and workings of the government), then we can almost infer that Burr has held back in saying what he wants because he didn’t, and perhaps still doesn’t, really know.

Hamilton asked him this back in “Aaron Burr, Sir,” a belated response to his “talk less, smile more” advice.

Just as before, this is a brilliant play on “stand/fall,” but here the undertones really get wild. “Fall for” in that context meant “be fooled by,” implying that Burr would be taken for and/or proven a fool with his wishy-washy behavior. This context brings out the other meanings. “Fall for” could mean “experience want or love”, which would be in line with the question “What do you want, Burr?” And “fall” could also mean “die,” meaning Ham is asking what Burr would die for—foreshadowing their duel in which Burr risks his life.

Fall could also mean a “fall from grace” – this is the moment where Burr begins to become the antagonist of the story. Burr’s desire to be in the room where it happens is his own tragic flaw; it poisons his relationship with Hamilton, and the mistake of shooting him later taints his entire legacy.

The chorus gets very aggressive at this point. It feels reflective of Burr’s thoughts—everyone else has been busy contributing and pushing their ideals into law, but what’s he been doing? The echoing of this line, repeated and emphasized by the other founding fathers, could represent them echoing in Burr’s own mind, lifting into a crescendo to mirror the increasing pressure Burr feels to take a stand.

Hamilton was able to negotiate with Jefferson and Madison because each of them knew what they wanted most and what they were willing to give up to get it. If Burr is to emulate them, then he also has to figure out what he wants.

This is another callback to Burr’s early directive, “Talk less, smile more. Don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for.” Hamilton always challenges Burr on this point, calling on him to articulate what he believes. If this is a lead-in to Burr realizing what he wants (to be in on the deals and workings of the government), then we can almost infer that Burr has held back in saying what he wants because he didn’t, and perhaps still doesn’t, really know.

This is the first Burr song that has the “My Shot” chord progression (i III iv VI V), which appeared throughout Act I. Usually, this chord progression represents ambition and, well, Hamilton-ness.

That means that Burr is becoming more like Hamilton in a sense of going after what he wants. He’s won’t wait for it any longer.

We finally get Burr’s “I Want” song, when the play is already well into Act II, perfectly encapsulating his slithering sense of diplomatic evasion in musical form.

Burr reveals that what he really wants is to ascend into the upper echelons of politics, to get the glory and consequence of being a person “in the room where it happens”, i.e. that has the power to make decisions that have global/historical impact. However, unlike Hamilton, he expresses no strong beliefs or motivating factors that propel him in this ambition. This glorification of blind ambition cements Burr pretty firmly into his “antagonist” role, and indeed, narratively, this is the song that starts him on the path to direct confrontation with Hamilton, and to his own downfall.

Historically, this song gives us the moment when Burr decides to seek a Senate seat, run for president, and even foreshadows the conspiracy he would eventually lead in an attempt to form his own American nation.

Because Burr’s countermelody is sung at a slower tempo, you can read this as yet another example of his ‘wait for it’ philosophy. Even in his decision to do something, he’s keeping his roll nice and slow.

In the live show, his acting in this passage makes clear that his desire (his “wanna be”) is agonizing for him, and the slow speed helps emphasize that.

Notice, also, all the blues notes in this passage: Burr slides between pitches in a way that is very different from the vocal style he has used up to this point, which has been much more controlled and punctuated. This mirrors Burr’s increasing comfort with the grey areas and moral compromises required to succeed in politics. And where have we recently heard unctuous glissandos like this? Why, in the mouth of another sly character!

Another dinner party pun. Jefferson’s account of the dinner also uses similar wording:

“They came. I opened the subject to them, acknoleged [sic] that my situation had not permitted me to understand it fully but encouraged them to consider the thing together. They did so. It ended in Mr. Madison’s acquiescence in a proposition that the question [of state debts] should be again brought before the House…. It was observed, I forget by which of them, that as the pill would be a bitter one to the southern states, something should be done to soothe them; and the removal of the seat of government to the Patowmac was a just measure.”

When you’ve got a bitter pill like compromise to swallow, it goes down better if you hold your nose and close your eyes.

This could also be related to what he says next about “dreaming in the dark.” The people who were not in the room where it happens (American citizens) are forced to blindly (close your eyes) swallow this deal. This secret compromise also leads Burr himself to compromise of his own political opinions/morals to gain political power, bringing yet more layers to this talk of compromise and its consequences.

Holding your nose and closing your eyes is also something you do when you go under water. When you are about to dive in to something you aren’t quite certain of, especially under pressure, like over a cliff into a waterfall, you “hold your nose and close your eyes” and hope for the best!

This suggests that Burr is motivated by more than a desire for fame and power. He would like a say in what actually happens, not just a seat in the room.

The use of the word “trade” here is also a reference to the fact that Hamilton was willing to let the issue of Southern slavery lie in order to get his financial plan through, despite his staunch position on abolition and his friendship with Laurens.

A reference to the “American Dream,” and America’s innovative, immigrant roots.

Hamilton: The Revolution (p. 202) includes a glimpse of an early draft of this number from Lin’s notebook, which reads:

We dream of brighter days but we dream in the dark while we’re lying in the dark
The price somebody pays while they try to make a mark
Just to get a rec
Just to get a vote
Just to get a check
Just to stay afloat

Lin adds:

This is all good stuff, and it occurs to me that the last four lines (which didn’t make the show) are a riff on ‘Just To Get A Rep’ by Gang Starr.

References a concept exemplified by this T. E. Lawrence quote:

All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.

Within the show, this makes for a sly reversal of Angelica telling Hamilton “Close your eyes and dream/ When the night gets dark” in “Take a Break.” She was encouraging him to take time away from doing and make time for dreaming. Burr observes that dreaming without being able to do is no better than doing without being able to dream.

“Dark as a tomb where it happens” might be another reference to the Hamilton as Jesus and Burr as Judas parallels that have been covered. The tomb is where Jesus was buried and later rose from the dead, the sacred mystery which powers Christianity. Hamilton pulls off a similar against-the-odds feat, the mechanics of which are also a mystery, because nobody else was there ‘when it happened.’

Furthermore, Burr has started a little saunter down toward the diabolical in this song, so this line foreshadows his murder of Hamilton.

Right before this line, there is a piano riff of Alexander Hamilton’s musical motif. Burr also metaphorically decides to “pull the trigger” and finally go after what he wants in the next song, “Schuyler Defeated.” The end of this song has some pretty heavy foreshadowing for events later in the musical…

The “click-boom” line is also a general tribute to the use of saying “click boom” or making a click noise and saying “boom” in rap and hip hop songs by DMX, LL Cool J, Royce Da 5'9", Juicy J, Ab-Soul, etc. etc. And, perhaps, the line could be regarded as a small tribute to tick, tick … BOOM!, a musical play by Jonathan Larson—the aspiring young composer who died on the day his most celebrated work, RENT, opened. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr. starred in a production of the show in 2014.