Character: George Washington

[Washington]
All right, you want to fight, you crave it.
I was the same as you when I was young.
Head is full of dreams to die like a Martyr?
[Hamilton]
Yes.
[Washington]
Easy to die, young man, to survive difficult.
[Washington]
It's alright you want to fight, you've got a hunger
I was just like you when I was younger
Head full of fantasies of dying like a martyr.
[Hamilton]
Yes.
[Washington]
Dying is easy, young man; living is harder.

[Burr] Your Excellency, sir!
[Washington] Who are you?
[Burr] Aaron Burr, sir.
Allow me to state my case?
[Washington] Continue...
[Burr] Sir, I was a captain under the command of General Montgomery,
Until he caught a bullet in the neck in Quebec, and, in short,
I think that could be useful for you.
I admire how you keep the British
Shot at a distance.
[Washington] Ha!
[Burr] I Have a couple of questions, a few suggestions:
You have to fight instead of flee to the West.
[Washington] Yes?
[Burr] Well...
[Hamilton] Your Excellency? You wanted to see me?
[Washington] Come In, Hamilton. Are you familiar with Burr?
[Hamilton] Yes, sir.
[Hamilton and Burr] We constantly face somewhere...
[Burr] As I said, sir,
Your strategy has exhausted itself.
[Washington] Burr?
[Burr] Sir?
[Washington] Close the door from the other side.
[Burr] Your Excellency, sir
[Washington] Who are you?
[Burr] Aaron Burr, sir
Permission to state my case?
[Washington] As you were...
[Burr] Sir, I was a captain under General Montgomery
Until he caught a bullet in the neck in Quebec, and well, in summary
I think that I could be of some assistance
I admire how you keep firing on the British
From a distance
[Washington] Huh
[Burr] I have some questions, a couple of suggestions
On how to fight instead of fleeing west
[Washington] Yes?
[Burr] Well -
[Hamilton] Your Excellency? You wanted to see me?
[Washington] Hamilton, come in. Have you met Burr?
[Hamilton] Yes, sir
[Hamilton & Burr] We keep meeting...
[Burr] As I was saying, sir
I look forward to seeing your strategy play out
[Washington] Burr?
[Burr] Sir?
[Washington] Close the door on your way out

[Hamilton]
They fell upon our divisions, count losses,
We must stop them and capture the advantage
Let us take the position the Lord has given us a lot of exposure,
Hamilton will not leave the ship, let's take their guns!
(BOOM!)
[Washington]
(BOOM!) Gun shots, blood, and mud splashes...
(BOOM!) ...gun shots, we leave the Kips Bay...
(BOOM!) ...another ship, and...
(BOOM!) ...we just lost the southern tip...
(BOOM!) ...we need to quickly get to Harlem
We can't afford another mistake,
Arms and horses, come on!
I decided to disperse my troops,
They're too stubborn ever since the British captured the city,
They are willing to give up in the face of challenges.
I scream in the face of this mob of rebels:
"And these are people with whom I will defend America?"
We go to midnight, Manhattan is far.
I can't be everywhere at once, people
I really need help.
[Hamilton]
They're battering down the Battery, check the damages
We gotta stop ‘em and rob ‘em of their advantages
Let's take a stand with the stamina God has granted us
Hamilton won't abandon ship, yo, let's steal their cannons!
(Shh-BOOM!)
[Washington]
(BOOM) goes the cannon, watch the blood and the shit spray, and
(BOOM) goes the cannon, we're abandoning Kips Bay, and
(BOOM) there's another ship, and
(BOOM) we just lost the southern tip and
(BOOM) we've gotta run to Harlem quick,
We can't afford another slip
Guns and horses giddy up,
I decide to divvy up my forces,
They're skittish as the British cut the city up
This close to giving up, facing the mad scrutiny
I scream in the face of this mass mutiny:
"Are these the men with which I am to defend America?"
We ride at midnight, Manhattan in the distance
I cannot be everywhere at once, people
I'm in dire need of assistance.

[Hamilton]
And here it is!
[The troupe]
Here General!
[Burr]
Ladies and gentlemen!
The moment you've all been waiting for!
The Pride Of Mount Vernon -
George Washington!
[Washington]
We are inferior to them in arms,
Inferior in manpower,
Inferior in numbers
And organization!
We must do everything possible to survive,
Hey, I need the right hand!
Look
Can I just take a minute to be honest.
Even a fraction of a second?
Can I relax and tell people how I feel.
Now I am the model of a modern major-General,
Honorary veteran of Virginia, whose soldiers
Paved me the way to the podium.
In letters to their loved ones
Describe my elegance and my eloquence.
But there is a problem that is ignored
The truth that is written on your face
When you hear the thunder of the British guns (BOOM!).
Any hope of success is fleeting,
How can I lead the army
If the people whom I command, retreat?
We put an end to the bloodshed,
When the British seized Brooklyn,
The knight took the rook, but look:
We are inferior to them in arms,
Inferior in manpower,
Inferior in numbers
And organization!
We must do everything possible to survive,
Hey, I need the right hand!
Get down!
[Hamilton]
Here he comes!
[Company]
Here comes the general!
[Burr]
Ladies and gentlemen!
The moment you've been waiting for!
The Pride of Mount Vernon!
George Washington!
[Washington]
We are out-gunned!
Out-manned!
Out-numbered,
Out-planned!
We gotta make an all-out stand
Hey yo I'm gonna need a right-hand man
Check it -
Can I be real a second?
For just a millisecond?
Let down my guard and tell the people how I feel a second?
Now I'm the model of a modern major general
The venerated Virginian veteran whose men are all
Lining up to put me up on a pedestal
Writing letters to relatives
Embellishing my elegance and eloquence
But the elephant is in the room
The truth is in your face
When you hear the British cannons go (BOOM!)
Any hope of success is fleeting
How can I keep leading
When the people I'm leading keep retreating?
We put a stop to the bleeding
As the British take Brooklyn
Knight takes rook, but look
We are out-gunned!
Out-manned!
Out-numbered,
Out-planned!
We gotta make an all-out stand
Ayo, I'm gonna need a right-hand man
Incoming!

[Burr],
Enemies destroyed his reputation
America has forgotten it.
[Mulligan/Madison, Lafayette/Jefferson]
We fought with him.
[Lawrence/Philip]
I? I died for him.
[Washington]
I? I trusted him.
[Eliza/Angelica/Maria]
I? I loved it.
[Burr]
And I? I'm a freakin ' idiot who shot him.
[Burr]
His enemies destroyed his rep,
America forgot him
[Mulligan/Madison / Lafayette/Jefferson]
We fought with him.
[Laurens/Philip]
Me? I died for him.
[Washington]
Me? I trusted him.
[Eliza/Angelica/Maria]
Me? I loved him.
[Burr]
And me? I'm the damn fool that shot him.

[Eliza]
When he was ten, his father left the family mired in debt.
Two years later Alex and his mother became ill from the disease.
Barely alive, they fought the disease
Alex recovered, and the mother went to another world.
[Washington]
He moved to her uncle, but uncle soon found herself
Leaving nothing but shattered hopes.
But a new inner voice told him:
"Alex, you'll have to fight for myself."
He began to study and read every treatise on the bookshelf.
[Eliza]
When he was ten his father split full of it, debt-ridden,
Two years later, see Alex and his mother who are bed-ridden,
Half-dead sittin in their own sick the scent thick,
And Alex got better but his mother went quick.
[Washington]
Moved in with a cousin, the cousin committed suicide.
Left him with nothin’ but ruined pride,
Something new inside, a voice saying,
"Alex, you gotta fend for yourself"
He started retreatin’ and readin’ every treatise on the shelf.