Say No To This

   This song is about the affair the Hamilton had with Maria. I personally am someone who thinks that cheating is and awful thing, and that there's no coming back from being a cheater. Once a cheater always a cheater, so this is where I lost respect for Hamilton. 

He says, "I hadn't slept in a week, I was weak, I was awake, never seen a bastard orphan more in need of a break, longing for Angelica, missing my wife, that's when Miss Maria Reynolds walked into my life." 

   First of all, why is he longing for Angelica when he's a married man. That's the first thing in this song that irks me. The second and biggest part though is when he says that's when Maria Reynolds showed up. I think that cheaters are weak minded people, but I also can't believe that he is blaming his background for it. 

   How does he in his right mind think that it's ok to cheat on his wife, and then blame the way he grew up for it? Everyone is in charge of their own destiny, and Maria Reynolds is the quick sand that pulled him in. He saw her multiple times, it wasn't just a once and done. He obviously wasn't missing his wife that much, otherwise he would've thought about her a known that cheating was not the right thing to do. 

   I think that he deserved to be blackmailed by Mr. Reynolds. No man should ever cheat on the woman they are with, and no woman should cheat on the man they are with. I understand that it's a two-way street, and that they were both wrong, but Hamilton has a wife and kids, and on top of that he was also longing for another woman on top of Eliza and Maria. 

   All respect was lost for Hamilton when he made this awful decision and cheated on his wife and his family. 

Dear Theodosia

   This song is one of the softer sweeter songs that is sung. It's about Burr's baby being born. When I think of Aaron Burr, I think of this hard, mean person who only wants good for himself and the people he cares about, but this song shows us a different side.
   In this song, he is singing to his daughter Theodosia. He's telling her that she's the reason that he is fighting this war now, he says, "Domestic life was never quite my style." I think by this he means that if he didn't feel the need to fight in the war, that she would be reason enough for him to stay at home.
   I wonder if in the end when he shoots Hamilton, if he thought of his daughter? I believe that no children should have to grow up thinking that their parents didn't care for them. I think if he had thought of his daughter before pulling the trigger, there might have been a different life for him to live. I also wonder if this is a male thing? Does he feel the need to prove to Hamilton and everyone else that he is better? I think Burr made a rash decision that he had to live with for the rest of his life, and his family also had to live with the mistakes that he made as well.
   If Burr had thought about his family and his daughter, then I don't think he would've made as many bad decisions as he did, especially when it came to Hamilton. You would think as someone who had a family of his own, that he would think about Hamilton and his family, and what shooting him would do to them. He should've put himself in Hamilton's shoes, and I don't think he would've made most of the decisions that he did.

History Has It's Eyes on You

   This is by far one of my favorite songs. I really enjoy the  slower more laid back and peaceful songs, and this one is just that. This song is about Washington's past and what he's gone through as he has fought and how heavily it weighs on his heart.
   I think that this song is Washington's way of telling his story, and explaining why he is the way that he is. He says, "I made every mistake and felt the shame rise in me, and even now I lie awake." I think that Washington knows how bad Hamilton wants to help make history, and compensate for his childhood, and doesn't want him to make the same mistakes that he did. He doesn't want Hamilton to make rash decisions that are going to haunt him for the rest of his life.
   I wish that we had been able to see Hamilton's response to Washington's revelation. I think that if Miranda had given Hamilton a response to this song, it would've been something more open. I feel like he might tell Washington that he supports his decisions and calls, but doesn't want Washington to hold back for fear of Hamilton making a mistake and regretting it in the future.
   We can see from Hamilton's songs that he knows what he's doing, and is a very smart man, but needs slight guidance, and I feel like this song would've been just that. Hamilton really wants Washington to want him, so I think that if he was able to know Washington this way, he would've understood him better.

Guns and Ships

   This song is about a troop that is fighting in the war needing Hamilton's help. In the song they talk about needing to win, but know that they need Hamilton in order to do so. They say he knows what to do in the trenches, and that he is the key to helping them win. 

   I wonder if being on his own as a kid has helped him become such a need in winning the war? Did having to think for himself, and planning head when he was young help him become a necessity in the winning of the war? 

   I think that the more independent someone is the more reliable they are going to be. They are going to be able to think for themselves without needing others opinions, and I think that that is one of Hamilton's strengths. 

   I also think that is is a weakness. He seems like such a hot head, he says and does what he wants, and doesn't think about how that is going to affect anyone else. Though he has things planned in his head, he doesn't really think about the other people that are going to be involved. Take for instance his affair. I'm assuming he was "lonely" and was obviously weak, and he didn't think of how the affair would impact his wife and his children in the future if it got out that he was an adulterer. 

   I think this song represents Hamilton in both his strengths and his weaknesses. It makes you think about why he does what he does and how people view him  and his independency. 

That Would Be Enough

   This song is about Eliza being pregnant with a boy, and how she wanted Hamilton home. She said that she wrote the General, but that she knew that Hamilton would want to continue to fight till the war was over. Hamilton tells her that if she had said something that he would've come home, but she knew that he wanted to be a part of winning the war. 

   I think that the song title "That Would Be Enough," means that she wants Hamilton to be happy and home and safe with the war won, so that they can raise their children together. She tells him that she loves him and that as long as he is safe then she is happy. 

   He questions her love for him because he doesn't have money. I wonder if this insecurity stems from his upbringing and where he came from? I know that his upbringing had an effect on what he wanted to do in life, but I don't know if that is what is making him question here. I think that it has more to do with the way that Eliza was raised, with money, that is effecting the way he thinks she loves him. 

   Eliza then goes on to say that she's happy, but she wishes that he would let her into his heart. I didn't realize that Eliza had an insecurity with how much she thought Hamilton loved her. I wonder if her insecurity stems from her having money growing up and him not? Does she think that he only married her for her money? I think all she wants is to live a happy life with her children and husband, and worries about Hamilton while he is trying to make a name for himself by fighting in the war.