This song is only two minutes and eight seconds long, yet the hype it fills me with after every listen lasts much much longer. In my once a month Hamilton post journey as we head towards the musicals 10th anniversary, I decided today to touch on the song "Guns And Ships" the moment where Layfette gets to shine, and is a great prelude to "History Has Its Eyes On You", so much like the two instances in this song of amazing speed rapping lets waste now time and jump right in, or in the case of the show jumping on and off the table which just adds even more to the hype.
The song is introduced by Burr, rapped by Layfette as we are caught up to what he has been doing, and then he convinces Washington to bring Hamilton back on to the front lines. This is a moment that is in-between pivotal emotional moments, which was "That Will Be Enough" and "History Has Its Eyes On You", the song even ends on the piano that leads into the latter. The song is meant just to transition back to the war, and yet it is so exciting and so much fun. The lyrics are great as is the instrumentation, and the mid song tone shift to Washington happens so naturally and also works super well. The use of the opening song also shows is a great use of theming at the beginning and the second half of the song.
Seeing three actors play Hamilton's friends, in Act One and then play his son and Enemies in Act Two shows the range of the actors but also the scope of the story. Using the opening song to show the line "We fought with him" and "Me, I died for him", in two different lights and meanings yet being the same words is still mind blowing to me. In this case the fought with him happens to be on the same side. The song is just super fun and the energy in this song is absolutely amazing.
The song is so fast paced that I dare not sing along with the lyrics lest I make a fool of myself, but I still love listening to this song. The lyrics are great and and I just have so much fun with it. The speed of the raps really making this song stand out, as I said where in other shows this would be a short song to get us from point A to B or even not a song at all. The fact that every song in Hamilton is the entire framework of the show with little to no speaking at all, means every song has to push the plot along while also being entertaining, driving the plot along, and even connecting to the one listening to it. The lyrics to this song pack quite a punch, being super memorable and working as a musical song that has to convey emotions and not halt the story.
This is a great song to listen to as you go through the show, or even on its own, as it does not take up a bunch of time, which is another level of why this works so well. The song does not overstay its welcome and moves the plot of the show along without throwing off the pacing of the narrative. The song has to work as a song while still keeping the plot going, and this works with super entertaining speed rapping.
After the first batch of lyrics which are great, the listen is treated to a second round that hits just as hard as the first set. The moment it slows down, the song begins to work its way into the next, and even though the tone and mood change, it happens so quickly and naturally that the song ends on a slower note. It ends on the note of preparing for something big, asking Alexander to come and be a part of what he has dreamed of, as history is about to be made. "The world will never be the same.." close out the song, changing from fun and upbeat to having a piano score to add the weight of the moment.
This song may be over in the blink of an eye but it is worth a couple listen, picking up the great lyrics, the balance of comedy, drama, and moving the plot along, all while not overstaying the welcome, makes this song great. Either as you listen to the whole show, or just on its own with other music, this song is just great, and pure fun from start to finish, all while keeping the momentum going. They may finally got the guns and ships they needed, but they also got them in the most entertaining way possible with great lyrics that pack a punch.
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