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The Story Of Tonight: The History Behind The Lyrics

Know the facts behind Hamilton!

Alexander Hamilton, my name is Alexander Hamilton… you know the rest. We think it’s fairly safe to say that the soundtrack to the eleven-time Tony-winning musical has been on repeat for any Hamilton fan. From the first line of Alexander Hamilton to the last line of Who Lives Who Dies Who Tells Your Story, you know it all, every rap, every harmony you’ve got each word cemented into your brain. But what do these lyrics actually mean? Well, some of our favorite lines are actually steeped in historical fact, so belt-up history fans it’s time to delve into the meaning behind the lyrics…

1. Helpless

Eliza

'Laughin’ at my sister, cuz she wants to form a harem.'

Angelica

'I'm just sayin' if you really loved me who would share him.'

Eliza

'HA!'

Did you know the Angelica, Eliza and Hamilton love triangle is actually real? The attraction between Angelica and Hamilton was so palpable that people assumed they were actually lovers. This line in Helpless refers to a letter that Angelica sent to Eliza where she said that she loved Hamilton ‘very much and, if you were as generous as the old Romans, you would lend him to me for a little while’.



2. Best Of Wives And Best Of Women

Eliza

'Alexander, come back to sleep'

Hamilton

'I have an early meeting out of town...

I just need to write something down'

It is believed that this was the point where Hamilton was writing his Statement on Impending Duel with Aaron Burr in which he states his reluctance to duel Burr on a moral and religious grounds.

This lyric is also in reference to a letter Hamilton wrote to Eliza before the duel, 'This letter, my very dear Eliza, will not be delivered to you, unless I shall first have terminated my earthly career.' The letter ended with, 'Adieu best of wives and best of Women. Embrace all my darling Children for me. Ever yours’.


3. Who Lives You Dies, Who Tells Your Story

Eliza

'I stop wasting time on tears. I love another fifty years.

...

I establish the first private orphanage in New York City.

...

I help to raise hundreds of children.

I get to see them growing up.

In their eyes I see you, Alexander.

Though he created our national bank, Hamilton was not great with money. After his death in 1804, Eliza wasn't left with much to live on. It was only with the help of supporters, and the small inheritance which she got from her father who passed the same year, that she was able to survive.

But her little to no funds didn't stop Eliza, she took in homeless children and helped to create orphanages in Washington, D.C. and New York City, and they still exist to this day.

When Eliza passed in 1854, at the age of 97, she was laid to rest near Hamilton and her sister Angelica.



Well there we have it, the history behind the famou lyrics! Now go and impress your fellow Hamilton fans with your new found genius!