Right Hand Man
Christopher Jackson Lin-Manuel Miranda & Original Broadway Cast of "Hamilton" Lyrics

British Admiral Howe's got troops on the water
There are British troops stationed on the water under Admiral Howe's command.

Thirty-two thousand troops in New York harbor
There are thirty-two thousand troops stationed in New York harbor.

When they surround our troops
When the enemy surrounds our troops

As a kid in the Caribbean I wished for a war
When I was a child in the Caribbean, I yearned for a war

I knew that I was poor
I was aware of my poverty

I knew it was the only way to
I knew that war was the only way to

Rise up
To fight for freedom and rise against oppression

If they tell my story
If my story is ever told

I am either gonna die on the battlefield in glory or
I will either die gloriously on the battlefield or

Rise up
To fight for freedom and rise against oppression

We will fight for this land
We will battle for this land

But there's only one man
However, there is only one man

Who can give us a command so we can
Who can give us orders so that we can

Understand? It's the only way to
Do you understand? It is the only way to

Rise up
To fight for freedom and rise against oppression

Here he comes
He is approaching

Here comes the general
The general is arriving

Ladies and gentlemen
Attention, everyone

Here comes the general
The general is arriving

The moment you've been waiting for
The moment you have been anticipating

Here comes the general
The general is arriving

The pride of Mount Vernon
The source of pride from Mount Vernon

Here comes the general
The general is arriving

George Washington
It is George Washington

We are outgunned (what?)
We are at a disadvantage in terms of firepower

Outmanned (what?)
We are outnumbered

Outnumbered
Our forces are outnumbered

Outplanned (buck, buck, buck, buck, buck)
Our plans have been outmaneuvered

We gotta make an all out stand
We must make a determined stand

Ayo, I'm gonna need a right-hand man (buck, buck, buck, buck, buck)
Hey, I will need a trusted assistant

Can I be real a second?
Can I be honest for a moment?

For just a millisecond?
Even if only for a brief moment?

Let down my guard and tell the people how I feel a second?
Allow myself to be vulnerable and express my true feelings?

Now I'm the model of a modern major general
Now I exemplify the ideal qualities of a modern major general

The venerated Virginian veteran whose men are all
The respected veteran from Virginia whose soldiers are all

Lining up, to put me up on a pedestal
Supporting and admiring me

Writin' letters to relatives
Writing letters to family members

Embellishin' my elegance and eloquence
Exaggerating my elegance and ability to speak eloquently

But the elephant is in the room
However, the obvious problem is being ignored

The truth is in ya face when ya hear the British cannons go
The reality becomes clear when you hear the sound of British cannons firing

Any hope of success is fleeting
Our chances of success are quickly disappearing

How can I keep leading when the people I'm
How can I continue to lead when the people I

Leading keep retreating?
Am leading keep backing away?

We put a stop to the bleeding as the British take Brooklyn
We halted the losses as the British captured Brooklyn

Knight takes rook, but look
We may have made a tactical move, but look

Incoming
They are approaching

They're battering down the Battery check the damages
They are attacking our fortifications at the Battery, assess the damage

We gotta stop 'em and rob 'em of their advantages
We need to prevent them and take away their advantages

Let's take a stand with the stamina God has granted us
Let's make a bold stance with the endurance that God has given us

Hamilton won't abandon ship
Hamilton will not desert

Yo, let's steal their cannons
Hey, let's capture their cannons

Goes the cannon, watch the blood and the shit spray and
Hear the sound of cannons, witness the blood and destruction

There's another ship and
Another ship has arrived and

We just lost the southern tip and
We have just lost control of the southern tip and

We gotta run to Harlem quick, we can't afford another slip
We must retreat to Harlem quickly, we cannot afford another mistake

Guns and horses giddyup
Prepare the guns and horses quickly

I decide to divvy up
I choose to divide

My forces, they're skittish as the British cut the city up
My soldiers are nervous as the British divide and conquer the city

This close to giving up, facing mad scrutiny
We are on the verge of giving up, facing intense scrutiny

I scream in the face of this mass mutiny
I shout defiantly in the face of this rebellion

Are these the men with which I am to defend America?
Are these the men I am supposed to protect America with?

We ride at midnight, Manhattan in the distance
We depart at midnight, Manhattan is in the distance

I cannot be everywhere at once, people
I am only one person and cannot be in multiple places at the same time

I'm in dire need of assistance
I desperately need help

Who are you?
May I know your identity?

Aaron Burr, Sir?
I am Aaron Burr, Sir

Permission to state my case?
May I have permission to present my argument?

As you were
Continue as you were

I was a captain under General Montgomery
I served as a captain under General Montgomery

Until he caught a bullet in the neck in Quebec
Until he was shot in the neck in Quebec

And well, in summary
To summarize

I think that I could be of some assistance
I believe that I could be helpful

I admire how you keep firing on the British
I commend you for continuing to fight against the British

From a distance
While maintaining a safe distance

I have some questions, a couple of suggestions on how to fight instead of fleeing west
I have some inquiries and a few ideas on how to strategize instead of retreating westward

Your excellency, sir
Your esteemed position, sir

Why're you upset?
Why are you agitated?

It's alright, you want to fight, you've got a hunger
Don't worry, your desire to fight is understandable

I was just like you when I was younger
I felt the same way when I was younger

Head full of fantasies of dyin' like a martyr?
Filled with fantasies of dying as a martyr?

Dying is easy, young man
Dying is a simple thing, young man

Living is harder
Living is more challenging

Why are you telling me this?
Why are you sharing this with me?

I'm being honest
I am speaking truthfully

I'm working with a third of what our Congress has promised
I have only a third of the resources that our Congress has promised

We are a powder keg about to explode
Our situation is highly volatile and ready to erupt

I need someone like you to lighten the load
I need someone like you to alleviate the burden

So?
So, what do you say?

I am not throwin' away my shot
I refuse to waste this opportunity

Ayo, I'm just like my country, I'm young Scrappy and hungry
Hey, just like my country, I am young, determined, and ambitious

We are outgunned, outmanned
We are at a disadvantage in both weaponry and manpower

You need all the help you can get
You require as much assistance as possible

I have some friends, Laurens, Mulligan Marquis de Lafayette, okay, what else?
I have some friends, Laurens, Mulligan, Marquis de Lafayette. What other resources do you have?

Outnumbered, outplanned
Our forces are outnumbered and our plans have been outmaneuvered

We'll need some spies on the inside
We will require some undercover agents

Some King's men who might let some things slide
Some individuals who are loyal to the King and willing to overlook certain actions

I'll write to Congress and tell 'em we need supplies
I will write to Congress and inform them of our need for resources

You rally the guys, master the element of surprise
You gather the troops and become proficient at surprising the enemy

I'll rise above my station, organize your information
I will exceed my current rank and arrange your intelligence

'Til we rise to the occasion of our new nation, sir
Until we fulfill the expectations of our newly-formed nation, sir

And his right hand man
And his trusted assistant