My Shot
[Hamilton:]
I am not throwing away my shot!
I am not throwing away my shot!
Hey yo, I'm just like my country
I'm young, scrappy and hungry
And I'm not throwing away my shot!
I'm 'a get a scholarship to King's College
I probably shouldn't brag, but dag, I amaze and astonish
The problem is I got a lot of brains but no polish
I gotta holler just to be heard
With every word, I drop knowledge!
I'm a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal
Tryin' to reach my goal. My power of speech: unimpeachable
Only nineteen but my mind is older
These New York City streets get colder, I shoulder
Every burden, every disadvantage
I have learned to manage, I don't have a gun to brandish
I walk these streets famished
[Laurens:]
Ooh!
[Hamilton:]
The plan is to fan this spark into a flame
But damn, it's getting dark, so let me spell out the name
I am the
[Hamilton/Lafayette/Mulligan/Laurens:]
A-L-E-X-A-N-D
E-R—we are meant to be…
[Hamilton:]
A colony that runs independently
Meanwhile, Britain keeps shittin' on us endlessly
Essentially, they tax us relentlessly
Then King George turns around, runs a spending spree
He ain't ever gonna set his descendants free
So there will be a revolution in this century
Enter me!
[Lafayette/Mulligan/Laurens:]
(He says in parentheses)
[Hamilton:]
Don't be shocked when your history book mentions me
I will lay down my life if it sets us free
Eventually, you'll see my ascendancy
[Hamilton (Laurens):]
And I am not throwing away
My shot (My shot)
I am not throwing away
My shot (My shot)