Right Hand Man Songtext
von Lin‐Manuel Miranda

British Admiral Howe′s got troops on the water
Thirty-two thousand troops in New York Harbor
Thirty-two thousand troops in New York Harbor
When they surround our troops
They surround our troops
When they surround our troops

As a kid in the Caribbean I wished for a war
I knew that I was poor; I knew it was the only way to
Rise up
If they tell my story
I am either gonna die on the battlefield in glory or
Rise up
I will fight for this land, but there's only one man
Who can give us a command, so we can
Rise up
Understand, it′s the only way to
Rise up
Rise up
Here he comes


Here comes the general!
Ladies and gentlemen!
Here comes the general!
The moment you've been waiting for!
Here comes the general!
The Pride of Mount Vernon!
Here comes the general!
George Washington!

We are out-gunned
(What!)
Out-manned
(What!)
Out-numbered, out-planned
(Boom, boom, boom; boom, boom!)
We gotta make an all-out stand
Hey yo, I'm gonna need a right-hand man
(Boom, boom, boom; boom, boom!)


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
(What!)
Out-manned
(What!)
Out-numbered, out-planned!
(Boom, boom, boom; boom, boom)
We gotta make an all-out stand
Hey yo, I'm gonna need a right-hand man
(Boom, boom, boom; boom, boom)
Incoming!

They′re battering down the Battery, check the damages
(Brrah!)
We gotta stop 'em and rob ′em of their advantages
(Brrah!)
Let's take a stand with the stamina God has granted us
Hamilton won′t abandon ship; yo, let's steal their cannons!

(Sh-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 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 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

Your Excellency, sir

Who are you?

Aaron Burr, sir
Permission to state my case?

As you were

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

Huh

I have some questions, a couple of suggestions

On how to fight instead of fleeing west

Yes?

Well —

Your Excellency? You wanted to see me?

Hamilton, come in. Have you met Burr?

Yes, sir!
We keep meeting...

As I was saying, sir
I look forward to seeing your strategy play out —

Burr?

Sir?

Close the door on your way out

Have I done something wrong, sir?

On the contrary
I called you here because our odds are beyond scary
Your reputation precedes you, but I have to laugh —

Sir?

Hamilton, how come no one can get you on their staff?

Sir!

Don't get me wrong; you′re a young man of great renown
I know you stole British cannons when we were still downtown
Nathanael Greene and Henry Knox wanted to hire you —

Yeah, to be their secretary! I don't think so.

Now why are you upset?

I′m not?

It's all right 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

Yes

Dying is easy, young man; living is harder

Why are you telling me this?

I′m being honest
I′m working with a third of what our Congress has promised
We are a powder keg about to explode
I need someone like you to lighten the load

So?

I am not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot
Hey yo, I'm just like my country
I′m young, scrappy, and hungry
I am not throwing away my shot
Son, we are out-gunned, out-manned!
You need all the help you can get, I have some friends:
Laurens, Mulligan, Marquis de Lafayette! Okay, what else?
Outnumbered, outplanned!
We'll need some spies on the inside
Some king′s men who might let some things slide
Boom!
I'll write to Congress and tell them we need supplies
You rally the guys, master the element of surprise
Chick-a-boom!
I′ll rise above my station, organize your information
'Til we rise to the occasion of our new nation, sir!
Here comes the general!
Rise up!
What!
Here comes the general!
Rise up!
What!
Here comes the general!
Rise up!
What!
Here comes the general!
What!
And his right-hand man!
Boom!