Why Hamilton the Musical is Relevant Right Now

Part 1

By: Mallory Johnson

I’ve been listening to the Hamilton soundtrack non-stop recently. If you are unfamiliar with the Tony-award winning Broadway musical, it is based on America’s founding fathers, more specifically Alexander Hamilton. The musical was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and came out in January 2015. As I’ve been listening to the soundtrack, I have realized that it is quite relevant in our current times, despite being set in the late 1700s-early 1800s. Before I continue, I need to mention that this contains spoilers for the musical. I will be discussing the similarities between several lines within the musical and the circumstances that echo them today.

Starting off, the line in the song “My Shot”, “This is not a moment, it’s the movement” reminds me of the Black Lives Matter movement. When I went to two protests, I made a sign that said “History has its eyes on you” which was referencing Hamilton. The lines “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” reminds me of what happened to George Floyd and the protesting it caused; the line, “His enemies destroy his rep” is relevant because I have seen some people saying that George Floyd was a bad person in his past. Throughout the musical, there are discussions of a revolution, which is what the Black Lives Matter movement feels like and should be. The line “Fools who run their mouths off wind up dead” reminds me of the peaceful protestors getting killed for speaking their mind, and “Cuz I will pop-chicka-pop these cops till I’m free” is also relevant to the protesting against police brutality. “I gotta holler just to be heard” is relevant because there are people struggling to have their voices heard.

The line “Don’t be shocked when your history book mentions me” reminds me of the whole year of 2020 so far -- Australian wildfires, global pandemic, killer bees, and protestations -- we are definitely living a history book moment. “We’ll never be truly free, until those in bondage have the same rights as you and me” makes me think of the peaceful protesters getting wrongfully arrested. The line “I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory. When’s it gonna get in me? In my sleep?” hauntingly reminds me of how Breonna Taylor was wrongfully shot while she was asleep in her own home. “See, I never thought I’d live past 20, where I come from some get half as many” makes me think of Tamir Rice, who was killed by police at age 12 for playing with a toy gun. “Foes oppose us, we take an honest stand” is another line that relates to the protesting. The emotional line ‘I may not live to see our glory, but I will gladly join the fight” relates to two things: people dying at protests, and how this fight will take a long time and many will die of natural causes before it is over as well as unnatural or forced causes. “Raise a glass to the four of us, tomorrow there’ll be more of us” reminds me of the four Nashville teenagers who organized a protest that had a PACKED turn out.

“Look around, look around the revolutions happening in New York” also reminds me of the protests, although they are happening in more than just New York. “People shouting in the square” is reminiscent of when I went to the protest in Regina, and I was shocked at how loud everyone was. The line “Chaos and bloodshed are not the solution” followed by “chaos and bloodshed already haunt us” I would argue, encapsulates the protesting and people’s negative opinions of it. “I’d rather be divisive than indecisive” complies with the notion that people are making sure they have their voices heard. The lines “Let’s take a stand with the stamina God has granted us” and “Dying is easy young man, living is harder” both remind me of how we are protesting during a global pandemic.

“Local merchants deny us equipment, assistance” makes me think of when the protests started in Minneapolis, the local Target denied protestors milk and water after they were tear gassed by police. “The war’s not done”, this fight for basic human rights is far from over. The phrase “The world turned upside down” makes me think of 2020 as a whole, because it unexpectedly turned the world upside down after just a few months and we have had to make a lot of changes and adaptations.

Continuing with the protest theme, the line “Tens of thousands of people flood the streets” is very relevant and has been seen all over the world in various protests and parades. “We’ll bleed and fight for you, we’ll make it right for you” makes me think of the children I’m seeing at the protests and the need to make things better for future generations. “Why do you always say what you believe” reminds me of the hard conversations that have been going on regarding racism. The lines “We studied and we fought and we[re] killed for the notion of a nation we now get to build” and “for once in your life, take a stand with pride, I don’t understand how you stand to the side” make me think of how important it is to take a stand and take action and recognize the wrongdoings that have occurred over centuries. “France is following us to revolution” relates to how many other countries besides the United States are protesting. “I wish I could say that was the last time”, is making me think of the black people being continuously murdered even after all the protesting and media attention. The line “There is nowhere I can go” reminds me of quarantine in general. “We want our leaders to save the day” also relates to both the global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement and the election that has just occurred within the USA. We trust our country's leaders to save the day, but it doesn’t always happen; we can hope for better though. “We dream of a brand new start” relates to both quarantine and the Black Lives Matter movement because we are dreaming of major change and a new start after quarantine is safely lifted.

“Revolution is messy, but now is the time to take a stand” is relevant to the Black Lives Matter movement -- this will be messy, but we need to take a stand if we want change. “The people are rioting”: I was pretty surprised when I heard this line - history repeats itself! “Total strangers, moved to kindness” makes me think of everyone protesting, dropping off supplies, donating, signing petitions, contacting politicians, and doing whatever they can to help those in need during this time. “I won’t apologize for doing what’s right” relates to the fact that people are standing up unapologetically for what’s right. “What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden that you never get to see” -- George Floyd’s young daughter said that her dad changed the world. The emotional line, “My mother’s on the other side” reminds me of George Floyd calling out for his mother as he was being murdered, but his mother had passed away two years ago. The line “I raise funds in DC” reminds me of how there are lots of fundraisers going around social media for those in need. The lyric “And when my time is up, have I done enough?” makes me think of the worrying feeling that I’m doing enough to help. Finally, the line, “It’s only a matter of time” makes me hopeful that we will eventually have change.

In conclusion, it is clear that history is repeating itself! We appear to have learned very little from these situations, which occurred centuries ago.

“Hamilton” can be streamed right now on Disney+.