Lin-Manuel Miranda spent a whole year writing My Shot Hamilton. A year. For one song. Think about that for a second. Most pop stars churn out an entire album in that time, but Miranda was stuck on these five minutes of music like his life depended on it.
Honestly, it kinda did.
This track isn't just a catchy hip-hop number; it’s the "I Want" song for Alexander Hamilton, the moment the audience decides if they’re going to follow this "bastard, orphan, son of a whore" for the next three hours. If this song fails, the whole musical collapses. Miranda knew he had to prove Hamilton’s intellect through his "flow." He didn't just want the lyrics to be good; he wanted them to be "un-f—kwithable."
Why My Shot Hamilton Still Matters
You've probably heard the refrain a thousand times. "I am not throwing away my shot." It’s become a gym anthem, a graduation quote, and a mantra for anyone feeling like an underdog. But the brilliance of My Shot Hamilton lies in its layers.
It’s a triple threat of meaning.
First, the literal. Young Hamilton is at a bar with his new friends—Laurens, Lafayette, and Mulligan—and he’s literally taking shots of booze.
Second, the metaphorical. He’s talking about his "shot" at a scholarship, at a revolution, at becoming someone in a world that wants him to stay a "shiny piece of coal."
Then there’s the tragic irony. If you know the ending—and since it’s been over 200 years, I'm not worried about spoilers—Hamilton literally throws away his shot in the duel with Aaron Burr. He fires his pistol into the air. He chooses not to kill.
The song sets up a promise that the man himself eventually breaks. That’s some heavy-duty foreshadowing.
The Hip-Hop Ancestry
Miranda didn't just pull these verses out of thin air. He was "calling on the ancestors." He’s been very open about the fact that My Shot Hamilton is a giant love letter to the 90s hip-hop he grew up on.
When Hamilton says, "I'm only nineteen but my mind is older," that’s a direct nod to Prodigy from Mobb Deep. The "Whoa" section? That’s not just a random chant. Miranda actually based that interval on the AOL startup dial-up sound. He wanted to capture the feeling of words connecting with the world, reverberating out like the early internet.
It’s weirdly genius.
He also pulled from Biggie Smalls and Jay-Z to build Hamilton’s verbal dexterity. The goal was to show that Hamilton’s mind moved faster than everyone else’s. While Laurens and Lafayette are rhyming "chance" with "pants," Hamilton is dropping "revolutionary manumission abolitionists."
The rhythm is dense. It's fast. It's meant to leave you a little bit breathless.
What Really Happened in the Tavern?
In the musical, this meeting happens in 1776 at a tavern. It’s the ultimate "squad goals" moment. But if we’re being real, the history is a bit more tangled.
History is messy.
Lin-Manuel Miranda took some massive "creative liberties" here, and he’s the first to admit it. In reality, Hamilton didn't meet John Laurens or the Marquis de Lafayette until 1777. By then, he was already an aide-de-camp to George Washington.
Hercules Mulligan, though? He was the real deal. He was one of the first people Hamilton met when he arrived in New York. Mulligan was a tailor who actually did spy on the British by taking their measurements and eavesdropping on their conversations.
The song portrays them as a band of brothers ready to die for a cause, which they were, just not all at the same time in a bar in 1776.
The Scholarship to King's College
Hamilton raps about getting a scholarship to King’s College (now Columbia University). In the real world, Hamilton actually tried to get an "accelerated course of study" at Princeton first. He wanted to do four years of work in two.
Princeton said no.
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So he went to King’s College instead. By the time 1776 rolled around, the school was actually closed and being used as a military hospital. Hamilton was already a captain of an artillery company. The song blends his student years with his soldier years to create a cleaner narrative arc.
It works because it captures the vibe of a man who was always "running out of time."
The Technical Wizardry of the Lyrics
The reason My Shot Hamilton took a year to write is the internal rhyming.
Look at the first verse.
"The problem is I got a lot of brains but no polish / I gotta holler just to be heard / With every word I drop knowledge."
He’s rhyming "polish" with "knowledge" and "holler." He’s weaving "heard" and "word" into the middle of the lines. It’s not just AABB rhyme schemes. It’s a complex web.
Miranda says he stayed in his childhood bedroom to finish some of these lyrics because he needed to get back into the mindset of that hungry, younger version of himself. He had to be "scrappy" again.
What People Get Wrong About the Message
A lot of people think the song is just about ambition. "Go get what's yours!"
But look closer at the middle section.
Hamilton starts worrying. He asks, "If we win our independence, is that a guarantee of freedom for our descendants? Or will the blood we shed begin an endless cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants?"
That’s a heavy question for a "hype" song.
It shows that even at his most confident, Hamilton was terrified of what comes after the revolution. He wasn't just a hothead; he was a policy wonk. He was already thinking about the "financial situation" and the "state of our nation."
Actionable Insights for Your Own "Shot"
So, what do you actually do with all this? If you’re a fan or a writer or just someone trying to make a mark, there are a few real-world takeaways from the creation of My Shot Hamilton.
First, embrace the "Diamond in the Rough" phase. Hamilton wasn't "polished" when he arrived. He was loud and annoying. But he had the "power of speech." Use your raw talent even if you haven't mastered the etiquette yet.
Second, do the work. If a genius like Miranda takes a year to write one song, you shouldn't feel bad if your project isn't perfect in a week. Quality takes time. Editing is where the magic happens.
Third, find your "Mulligan." Hamilton didn't do it alone. He had a group of friends who challenged him and "synthesized" his ideas. Surround yourself with people who are just as "scrappy and hungry" as you are.
Fourth, watch for the "AOL dial-up" moments. Look for weird, modern inspirations for your old-school problems. Sometimes the best solution is a reference no one else would think to use.
Alexander Hamilton was a man who wrote his way out of poverty and into the history books. He didn't just take a shot; he made sure everyone heard it. Whether you're a student at a college or just someone with a "spark into a flame," the lesson is the same.
Don't wait for the perfect moment. Create it.
Action Steps:
- Identify your "un-f—kwithable" skill—the thing you do better than anyone else.
- Spend time "reading and writing" to handle the boring but necessary parts of your goals (like Hamilton’s "financial situation").
- Don't be afraid to be "overexcited" and "shoot off at the mouth" when you're passionate.