Lyrics Original Translation Bilingual
How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore 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? The ten-dollar founding father without a father Got a lot farther by workin' a lot harder By bein' a lot smarter, by bein' a self-starter By 14, they placed him in charge of a trading charter And every day while slaves were bein' slaughtered and carted Away across the waves, he struggled and kept his guard up Inside, he was longin' for something to be a part of The brother was ready to beg, steal, borrow, or barter Then a hurricane came, and devastation reigned Our man saw his future drip, drippin' 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 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's gonna know your name" What's your name, man? Alexander Hamilton My name is Alexander Hamilton And there's a million things I haven't done But just you wait, just you wait When he was ten, his father skipped full of it, debt-ridden Two years later, see Alex and his mother bed-ridden Half-dead, sittin' in their own sick, the scent's thick And Alex got better, but his mother went quick Moved in with a cousin, the cousin committed suicide Left him with nothin' but ruined pride, self-fulfillin' side A voice sayin', "Alex, you gotta think for yourself" He started retreatin' and readin' every treatise on the shelf There would've been nothin' left to do for someone less astute He would've been dead or destitute without a cent of restitution Started workin', workin' for his late mother's landlord Tradin' sugar cane and rum and all the things he can't afford Scammin' for every book he can get his hands on Plannin' for the future, see him now with his hands on The bow of a ship, headed for a new land In New York, you can be a new man New York, you can be a new man (just you wait) New York, you can be a new man (just you wait) New York, you can be a new man New York, New York (just you wait) Alexander Hamilton (Alexander Hamilton) They're waiting in the wings for you (waiting in the wings) 'Cause you never back down You never learned to take your time Oh, Alexander Hamilton (Alexander Hamilton) America sings for you (sings for you) Will they know what you overcame? Will they know you rewrote the game? The world will never be the same, oh His ship is in the harbor now, see if you can spot him (just you wait) Another immigrant comin' up from the bottom (just you wait) His enemies destroyed his rep, America forgot him (just you wait) We fought with him Me? I died for him Me? I trusted him Me? I loved him And me? I'm the damn fool that shot him (shoot, shoot) There's a million things I haven't done But just you wait What's your name, man? Alexander Hamilton ย