Miranda wrote the music and lyrics for the musical In the Heights, which opened on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in March 2008. Miranda's written work for the show earned him numerous accolades, including the 2008 Tony Award for Best Original Score and the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Further, Miranda's performance in the show's lead role of Usnavi earned him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
From August 6th 2015 to July 9th 2016, Miranda performed on Broadway in the lead role as Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton, a musical for which he wrote the book, music and lyrics—and which earned the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
Miranda played his last performance in Hamilton on July 9, 2016, and the role of Alexander Hamilton was taken over by previous alternate Javier Muñoz. Miranda vowed to return to the show in the near future. In fact, he recently reprised his role as Alexander Hamilton in a special 23 performance three-week run in Puerto Rico January 11-27, 2019.
Lin-Manuel was born in New York City of Puerto Rican descent. He attended Hunter College High School and Wesleyan University. He founded a hip-hop theatre troupe called "Freestyle Love Supreme". Miranda also wrote, directed, and acted in an independent film called Clayton's Friends (1996). In 2007, Miranda made an appearance on an episode of television series The Sopranos. Lin-Manuel has also worked as an English teacher at his old high school, written for the Manhattan Times as a columnist and restaurant reviewer, and composed for commercials. In 2008, Lin-Manuel was invited by composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz to contribute two new songs to a revised version of Schwartz and Nina Faso's 1978 musical "Working" which opened in May at the Asolo Repertory Theater in Sarasota, FL.
Miranda received his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame November 30th 2018.
His awards include 3 Tony Awards, 5 Grammy Awards, 2 Laurence Olivier Awards, 2 Primetime Emmy Awards. an Annie Award, a MacArthur Fellowship Award, a Kennedy Centre Honor and a Pulitzer Prize
We Know
Lin-Manuel Miranda Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mister Madison
Senator Burr
What is this?
We have the check stubs, from separate accounts
Almost a thousand dollars, paid in different amounts
Seventeen ninety-one
Is that what you have, are you done?
You are uniquely situated by virtue of your position
Though 'virtue' is not a word I'd apply to this situation
To seek financial gain, to stray from your sacred mission
And the evidence suggests you've engaged in speculation
An immigrant embezzling our government funds
I can almost see the headline, your career is done
I hope you saved some money for your daughter and sons
Ya best g'wan run back where ya come from
Ha you don't even know what you're asking me to confess
Confess
You have nothing, I don't have to tell you anything at all
Unless
Unless
If I can prove that I never broke the law
Do you promise not to tell another soul what you saw?
No one else was in the room where it happened
Is that a yes?
Um, yes
Dear Sir, I hope this letter finds you in good health
And in a prosperous enough position to put wealth
In the pockets of people like me, down on their luck
You see, that was my wife who you decided to
What
She courted me
Escorted me to bed and when she had me in a corner
That's when Reynolds extorted me
For a sordid fee
I paid him quarterly
I may have mortally wounded my prospects
But my papers are orderly
As you can see I kept a record of every check in my checkered history
Check it again against your list n' see consistency
I never spent a cent that wasn't mine
You sent the dogs after my scent, that's fine
Yes, I have reasons for shame
But I have not committed treason and sullied my good name
As you can see I have done nothing to provoke legal action
Are my answers to your satisfaction?
My God
Gentlemen, let's go
So?
The people won't know what we know
Burr
How do I know you won't use this against me
The next time we go toe to toe?
Alexander, rumors only grow
And we both know what we know
The lyrics for the song "We Know" by Lin-Manuel Miranda feature a conversation between Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Aaron Burr about Alexander Hamilton's affair with Maria Reynolds. The song takes place after Hamilton admits to the affair, and Jefferson and Madison use the opportunity to gain leverage over Hamilton. The song begins with Burr, Madison, and Jefferson discussing the documents they have obtained that show Hamilton has been diverting government funds to pay hush money to Reynolds. They confront Hamilton with the information, and Hamilton tries to deflect by attacking their motives.
The second part of the song consists of Hamilton's admission that he had an affair with Maria Reynolds and paid her husband hush money, but he insists that he did nothing illegal. However, Jefferson and Madison tell Hamilton that they will keep this information secret only until they need to use it to gain an advantage over him. Hamilton tries to get Burr to promise not to use the information against him in the future, but Burr refuses to make any promises.
The lyrics in "We Know" suggest that Hamilton was caught in a difficult situation, where he had to choose between his personal life and professional reputation. Despite his efforts to deny any wrongdoing, it's clear that Hamilton has been engaging in illegal activities, and he's now at the mercy of his political rivals. The song also highlights the tensions between Hamilton and Burr, who are both ambitious men and fierce competitors.
Line by Line Meaning
Mister Vice President
Greetings, Aaron Burr, Vice President of the United States.
Mister Madison
Greetings, James Madison, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Senator Burr
Greetings, Aaron Burr, formerly a United States Senator from New York.
What is this?
What is the purpose of this meeting and what situation are we discussing?
We have the check stubs, from separate accounts
We have collected evidence showing that you and your associates have paid a large sum of money, through different accounts.
Almost a thousand dollars, paid in different amounts
The payment was almost a thousand dollars, but the payment amounts varied.
To a Mister James Reynolds way back in Seventeen ninety-one
These payments were made to James Reynolds, back in the year 1791.
Is that what you have, are you done?
Is that all the evidence you have, or do you have anything else?
You are uniquely situated by virtue of your position
You have a unique advantage due to your high position in the government.
Though 'virtue' is not a word I'd apply to this situation
However, the word 'virtue' cannot be used in this particular context.
To seek financial gain, to stray from your sacred mission
It appears that you have intentionally sought financial gain at the expense of your sacred duties.
And the evidence suggests you've engaged in speculation
The evidence indicates that you have been involved in speculative behavior, trying to profit illegally from government affairs.
An immigrant embezzling our government funds
It is concerning to find that an immigrant has been embezzling government funds.
I can almost see the headline, your career is done
This is a headline that could end your career.
I hope you saved some money for your daughter and sons
I hope you saved some money for your family's future financial security.
Ya best g'wan run back where ya come from
You should go back to where you came from.
Ha you don't even know what you're asking me to confess
You do not even comprehend the magnitude of what you are requesting me to confess.
Confess
Admit to doing something wrong or illegal.
You have nothing, I don't have to tell you anything at all
You have no evidence to prove your accusations, and I do not have to answer any of your questions.
Unless
However,
If I can prove that I never broke the law
If I can provide evidence that I did not break any laws,
Do you promise not to tell another soul what you saw?
Will you commit to not sharing any of the information you have?
No one else was in the room where it happened
This conversation is confidential and no one else knows about it.
Is that a yes?
Can I take that as a commitment to confidentiality?
Um, yes
Yes.
Dear Sir, I hope this letter finds you in good health
Greetings, esteemed recipient of this letter.
And in a prosperous enough position to put wealth
I hope you are financially comfortable enough to be generous with your wealth.
In the pockets of people like me, down on their luck
I am among the people who are poor and underprivileged and could use some financial help.
You see, that was my wife who you decided to
You see, this is about an inappropriate relationship that your associate James Reynolds had with my wife.
What
Excuse me?
She courted me
She tried to seduce me.
Escorted me to bed and when she had me in a corner
She persuaded me to sleep with her, and once I was in bed with her, she pressured me to do even more.
That's when Reynolds extorted me
That is the time when James Reynolds blackmailed me.
For a sordid fee
To satisfy his own greed and immoral desires.
I paid him quarterly
I paid him a sum of money every three months.
I may have mortally wounded my prospects
This scandal has ruined my reputation and greatly impacted my future prospects.
But my papers are orderly
However, the documents and records I have kept are well-organized and clear.
As you can see I kept a record of every check in my checkered history
You can see that I have kept a record of every check I wrote, even when I was doing something illegal.
Check it again against your list n' see consistency
Please compare it to your records to confirm its accuracy and legitimacy.
I never spent a cent that wasn't mine
I have only spent my own money and have never stolen anyone else's money.
You sent the dogs after my scent, that's fine
You have been investigating me relentlessly, but that is expected and does not bother me.
Yes, I have reasons for shame
Yes, there are things about this situation that I am ashamed of.
But I have not committed treason and sullied my good name
However, I have not committed treason and ruined my reputation entirely.
As you can see I have done nothing to provoke legal action
From the evidence you have, it is clear that I have not done anything that requires legal action to be taken against me.
Are my answers to your satisfaction?
Have I satisfactorily answered all of your questions?
My God
Oh my goodness.
Gentlemen, let's go
This meeting is over and I am leaving.
So?
What happens now?
The people won't know what we know
We don't need to tell anyone else what we have uncovered.
Burr
My name is Aaron Burr.
How do I know you won't use this against me
How can I trust that you won't use this information to harm me in the future?
The next time we go toe to toe?
The next time we are in conflict with each other?
Alexander, rumors only grow
Alexander, rumors tend to spread and become more exaggerated over time.
And we both know what we know
And we both know what we have learned here today.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind