My Shot

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton, Daveed Diggs, Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos, Leslie Odom, Jr.

About My Shot

"My Shot" is the third song from Act 1 of the musical Hamilton, based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in 2015. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote both the music and lyrics to the song.


Year:
2015
5:33
105,427 
#97

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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
And I’m not throwing away my shot
I’m ‘a get a scholarship to King’s College
I prob’ly shouldn’t brag, but dag, I amaze and astonish
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
I’m a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal
Tryin’ to reach my goal my power of speech, unimpeachable
Only nineteen but my mind is older
These New York City streets get colder, I shoulder
Every burden, every disadvantage
I have learned to manage, I don’t have a gun to brandish
I walk these streets famished
The plan is to fan this spark into a flame
But damn, it’s getting dark, so let me spell out the name
I am the A-L-E-X-A-N-D-E-R we are meant to be

A colony that runs independently
Meanwhile, Britain keeps shittin’ on us endlessly
Essentially, they tax us relentlessly
Then King George turns around, runs a spending spree
He ain’t ever gonna set his descendants free
So there will be a revolution in this century
Enter me, he says in parentheses

Don’t be shocked when your hist’ry book mentions me
I will lay down my life if it sets us free
Eventually, you’ll see my ascendancy

And 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
And I’m not throwing away my shot 

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
And I’m not throwing away my shot
It’s time to take a shot

I dream of life without a monarchy
The unrest in France will lead to onarchy?
Onarchy how you say, how you say, anarchy?
When I fight, I make the other side panicky
With my, shot

Yo, I’m a tailor’s apprentice
And I got y’all knuckleheads in loco parentis
I’m joining the rebellion 'cause I know it’s my chance
To socially advance, instead of sewin’ some pants
I’m gonna take a shot

But we’ll never be truly free
Until those in bondage have the same rights as you and me
You and I. Do or die. Wait till I sally in
On a stallion with the first black battalion
Have another shot

Geniuses, lower your voices
You keep out of trouble and you double your choices
I’m with you, but the situation is fraught
You’ve got to be carefully taught
If you talk, you’re gonna get shot

Burr, check what we got
Mister Lafayette, hard rock like Lancelot
I think your pants look hot
Laurens, I like you a lot
Let’s hatch a plot blacker than the kettle callin’ the pot
What are the odds the gods would put us all in one spot
Poppin’ a squat on conventional wisdom, like it or not
A bunch of revolutionary manumission abolitionists?
Give me a position, show me where the ammunition is

Oh, am I talkin’ too loud?
Sometimes I get over excited, shoot off at the mouth
I never had a group of friends before
I promise that I’ll make y’all proud

Let’s get this guy in front of a crowd

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
And I’m not throwing away my shot

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
And I’m not throwing away my shot

Everybody sing
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa
Ay, let ‘em hear ya

Let’s go

Whoa, whoa, whoa I said shout it to the rooftops
Whoa, whoa, whoa said, to the rooftops
Whoa, whoa, whoa come on

Come on, let’s go 
Rise up
When you’re living on your knees, you rise up
Tell your brother that he’s gotta rise up
Tell your sister that she's gotta rise up

When are these colonies gonna rise up?
When are these colonies gonna rise up?
When are these colonies gonna rise up?
When are these colonies gonna rise up?

Rise up 
I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory
When’s it gonna get me?
In my sleep, seven feet ahead of me?
If I see it comin’, do I run or do I let it be?
Is it like a beat without a melody?
See, I never thought I’d live past twenty
Where I come from some get half as many
Ask anybody why we livin’ fast and we laugh, reach for a flask
We have to make this moment last, that’s plenty

Scratch that this is not a moment, it’s the movement
Where all the hungriest brothers with something to prove went?
Foes oppose us, we take an honest stand
We roll like Moses, claimin’ our promised land
And? If we win our independence?
‘Zat a guarantee of freedom for our descendants?
Or will the blood we shed begin an endless cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants?
I know the action in the street is excitin'
But Jesus, between all the bleedin’ ‘n fightin’
I’ve been readin’ ‘n writin’
We need to handle our financial situation
Are we a nation of states what’s the state of our nation?
I’m past patiently waitin' I’m passionatelymashin’ every expectation
Every action’s an act of creation
I’m laughin' in the face of casualties and sorrow
For the first time, I’m thinkin’ past tomorrow

And 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
And I’m not throwing away my shot

We’re gonna rise up (time to take a shot)
We’re gonna rise up (time to take a shot)
We’re gonna, rise up, rise up

It's time to take a shot
Rise up, rise up, it's time to take a shot
Rise up, it's time to take a shot
Rise up, take a shot, shot, shot
It's time to take a shot, time to take a shot
And I am not throwing away my shot
Not throwing away my shot

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Lin-Manuel Miranda

Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is a Puerto Rican composer, lyricist, playwright, rapper, and actor best known for creating and starring in the Broadway musicals In the Heights and Hamilton. He co-wrote the songs for Walt Disney Animation Studios' Moana soundtrack (2016) and co-starred in the film Mary Poppins Returns. Miranda's awards include a Pulitzer Prize, three Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, a MacArthur Fellowship, three Tony Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Miranda was awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in 2018. Miranda wrote the music and lyrics for the musical In the Heights, which premiered on Broadway in 2008. For this work, he won the 2008 Tony Award for Best Original Score, the show's cast album won the 2009 Grammy Award… more »

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Written by: Bootsy William Collins, Joell Christopher Ortiz, Kejuan Waliek Muchita, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Roger Troutman, Tariq Trotter, Albert J. Johnson

Lyrics © A SIDE MUSIC LLC D/B/A MODERN WORKS MUSIC PUBLISHING, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


14 facts about this song

Song Artist
"My Shot" is composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is not only known for his authentic writing skills but also for his superb acting on-stage.
Album
The song is part of the original Broadway cast recording album "Hamilton: An American Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)", which was released on September 25, 2015.
Theme
The song centers on the theme of youthful ambition and the determination not to waste one's potential. It is inspired by the real-life story of Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the United States.
Critical Acclaim
"My Shot" is one of the most acclaimed songs from the musical and has received praise for its complex rhymes, creative wordplay, and its mix of hip-hop and musical theater genres.
Inspirations
Famous rappers like Mobb Deep, Busta Rhymes, and Notorious B.I.G have influenced the song's composition and melody.
Vocabulary
The song "My Shot" is known for its extensive vocabulary. It contains 779 unique words, which is the highest number of unique words in a song for the entire musical.
Length
The track runs for 5 minutes and 33 seconds, making it one of the longer songs in the musical.
Cultural Impact
The song has become an anthem for younger generations, inspiring them to not "throw away their shot" at success.
Grammy Nominations
The full "Hamilton" album, containing "My Shot", won a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album in 2016.
Educational Use
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History has used "My Shot" and other "Hamilton" songs as a part of their educational curriculum to help students better understand and appreciate American history.
Musical Arrangement
"My Shot" incorporates different musical styles, including hip-hop, R&B, and traditional show tunes, demonstrating Lin-Manuel Miranda's ability to blur genre boundaries in his compositions.
Rap Battles
The song features rap battles which serve as a modern reinterpretation of the intellectual debates that took place during the country's founding period.
Lin-Manuel Miranda's Role
In the original Broadway production of Hamilton, Miranda himself performed the song in the lead role as Alexander Hamilton.
Pop Culture
"My Shot" has become deeply ingrained in American pop culture, being covered and parodied countless times in various forms of media.

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