Stay Alive
lin manuel miranda Lyrics

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Stay alive

Stay alive

I have never seen the General so despondent
I have taken over writing all his correspondence
Congress writes, George, attack the British forces
I shoot back, we have resorted to eating our horses

Local merchants deny us equipment, assistance
They only take British money, so sing a song of sixpence

The cavalry’s not coming

Sir

Alex, listen
There’s only one way for us to win this
Provoke outrage, outright

That’s right

Don’t engage, strike by night
Remain relentless ‘til their troops take flight

Make it impossible to justify the cost of the fight

Outrun

Outrun

Outlast

Outlast

Hit ‘em quick, get out fast

Chick-a-plao

Stay alive ‘til this horror show is past
We’re gonna fly a lot of flags half-mast

Raise a glass

I go back to New York and my apprenticeship

I ask for French aid, I pray that France has sent a ship

I stay at work with Hamilton
We write essays against slavery
And every day’s a test of our camaraderie
And bravery

We cut supply lines, we steal contraband
We pick and choose our battles and places to take a stand
And ev’ry day
Sir, entrust me with a command
And ev’ry day

No

He dismisses me out of hand

Instead of me
He promotes
Charles Lee
Makes him second-in-command

I’m a general
Whee

Yeah
He’s not the choice I would have gone with

He shits the bed at the Battle of Monmouth

Ev’ryone attack

Retreat

Attack

Retreat

What are you doing, Lee?
Get back on your feet

But there’s so many of them

I’m sorry, is this not your speed?
Hamilton

Ready, sir
Have Lafayette take the lead

Yes, sir

A thousand soldiers die in a hundred degree heat

As we snatch a stalemate from the jaws of defeat

Charles Lee was left behind
Without a pot to piss in
He started sayin’ this to anybody who would listen

Washington cannot be left alone to his devices
Indecisive, from crisis to crisis
The best thing he can do for the revolution
Is turn n’ go back to plantin’ tobacco in Mount Vernon

Oo

Don’t do a thing
History will prove him wrong

But, sir

We have a war to fight, let’s move along

Strong words from Lee, someone oughta hold him to it

I can’t disobey direct orders

Then I’ll do it
Alexander, you’re the closest friend I’ve got

Laurens, do not throw away your shot

Overall Meaning

In the song "Stay Alive" from the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, the phrase "stay alive" is a constant and repeated motif that reflects the struggle and sacrifice of the founding fathers of America during the Revolutionary War. In the first verse, we hear about the General being despondent, and the difficulties the American forces are facing in securing equipment and support for their cause. These difficulties are emphasized through the description of the troops resorting to eating their own horses. However, in the face of these daunting challenges, Hamilton is urged to act with outrage and strike by night, relentlessly persevering until the British forces flee, making it impossible to justify the cost of the fight. The lines “outrun, outlast, hit ‘em quick, get out fast” suggest that these actions are necessary to survive the horrors of war.

In the second verse, Hamilton talks about his work with Lafayette and their efforts to end slavery. He also talks about the friendship and bravery of the founding fathers in the face of death and destruction. When Charles Lee is promoted to second-in-command, Hamilton is not happy with the choice as Lee is not the best soldier. The Battle of Monmouth is described as a struggle, with Lee being taken prisoner by the British while most soldiers run in retreat. The lyrics "retreat, attack" suggest the chaos of the battle.

Finally, the song ends with Laurens and Hamilton discussing the importance of obedience and friendship. Laurens, who is Hamilton's closest friend, vows not to throw away his shot and disobey orders, foreshadowing his own death later in the musical.

Line by Line Meaning

Stay alive
Continue living and existing

I have never seen the General so despondent
I have noticed that the General is extremely discouraged and hopeless

I have taken over writing all his correspondence
I am currently in charge of writing all of his letters

Congress writes, George, attack the British forces
Congress wrote a letter telling George Washington to attack the British soldiers

I shoot back, we have resorted to eating our horses
I replied stating that we have to resort eating our own horses to survive

Local merchants deny us equipment, assistance
Merchants nearby are refusing to help or give us supplies

They only take British money, so sing a song of sixpence
They only accept British currency, therefore we cannot get the equipment and assistance we need. Thus, we're unable to complete our objectives.

The cavalry’s not coming
We cannot expect help from the cavalry troops

Sir
Addressing someone respectfully

Alex, listen
I’m directing this to Alexander specifically

There’s only one way for us to win this
There is only one method for our success

Provoke outrage, outright
We can provoke the enemy to create a scandal, outright

That’s right
Affirming agreement/belief in the previous statement

Don’t engage, strike by night
Don't fight them face-to-face. Attack secretly at night instead.

Remain relentless ‘til their troops take flight
Continue the fight until the enemy's troops flee

Make it impossible to justify the cost of the fight
Create a situation in which it's impossible to pay for the war

Outrun
Move faster than the enemy

Outlast
Endure longer than the enemy

Hit ‘em quick, get out fast
Attack them quickly and retreat even faster

Chick-a-plao
The sound of gunfire

Stay alive ‘til this horror show is past
Survive until these bad times are over

We’re gonna fly a lot of flags half-mast
We will have flags at half-mast because of deaths in war.

Raise a glass
Let's drink to the memories of those who gave their lives by raising a glass.

I go back to New York and my apprenticeship
I return to New York to learn a specific trade/skill.

I ask for French aid, I pray that France has sent a ship
I asked for help from the French, praying that they had dispatched a ship.

I stay at work with Hamilton
I continue working with Hamilton

We write essays against slavery
We're working on essays against slavery

And every day’s a test of our camaraderie
Each day brings a challenge to our close-knit friendship/brotherhood

And bravery
And requires us to be brave

We cut supply lines, we steal contraband
We sabotage our opponents by cutting off their supply lines and stealing their goods/belongings

We pick and choose our battles and places to take a stand
We select which battles to fight and how to go about fighting them with care

And ev’ry day
Each and every day

Sir, entrust me with a command
Sir, please give me a command/unofficial order

And ev’ry day
Each and every day

No
Responding negatively to the previous request/wish

He dismisses me out of hand
He disregards my request immediately

Instead of me He promotes Charles Lee
Rather than me, he chooses to promote Charles Lee

Makes him second-in-command
Making Charles Lee the second-most important in command

I’m a general Whee Yeah
I'm a general in the army!

He’s not the choice I would have gone with
Charles Lee isn't the choice I would have made

He shits the bed at the Battle of Monmouth
Charles Lee makes a huge mistake during the Battle of Monmouth and loses the fight because of it

Ev’ryone attack Retreat Attack Retreat
Attack, retreat, then attack, then retreat again

What are you doing, Lee? Get back on your feet
Asking Charles Lee what he thinks he's doing and telling him to stand up again

But there’s so many of them
There are too many enemies

I’m sorry, is this not your speed?
Do you have a problem with this battle strategy?

Hamilton
Addressing Hamilton specifically

Ready, sir
Affirming readiness to the previous statement

Have Lafayette take the lead
Lafayette should be the one to take the charge/lead

Yes, sir
Agreeing with the previous statement

A thousand soldiers die in a hundred degree heat
One thousand soldiers die in a hundred-degree heat.

As we snatch a stalemate from the jaws of defeat
We manage to get a stalemate despite nearly losing the battle

Charles Lee was left behind Without a pot to piss in
Charles Lee was left behind with nothing and nowhere to go

He started sayin’ this to anybody who would listen
He began speaking these specific words out loud to anyone who would hear

Washington cannot be left alone to his devices Indecisive, from crisis to crisis
Washington cannot be trusted to make decisions, as he is indecisive and reactionary

The best thing he can do for the revolution Is turn n’ go back to plantin’ tobacco in Mount Vernon
The best thing for the revolution is for Washington to quit, retire, and focus on farming tobacco in his home at Mount Vernon.

Oo
An interjection or expression of surprise

Don’t do a thing History will prove him wrong
Don't take action now; later, people will judge him negatively

But, sir
Introducing a perceived obstacle or problem to the previous statement

We have a war to fight, let’s move along
We have to fight in this war - let's keep going/move forward

Strong words from Lee, someone oughta hold him to it
Charles Lee makes a big claim and someone needs to hold him accountable for it

I can’t disobey direct orders
I cannot go against direct/official orders

Then I’ll do it
I'll do it instead, as it's important

Alexander, you’re the closest friend I’ve got
Alexander, you're my best friend and the person closest to me

Laurens, do not throw away your shot
Laurens, don't waste this opportunity/chance you have.

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