My Shot

Template:InfoboxSong

"My Shot" is the third song of Act One of the Broadway musical Hamilton. It is the third song of the musical overall.

The main characters' ambitions are further established, particularly Hamilton's. Hamilton's verbal dexterity is also showcased here. This is the first time we learn of his way with words.

Lyrics

[HAMILTON]
I am not throwing away my shot!
I am not throwing away my shot!
Heyo, 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 gettin' dark so let me spell out my name
I am the

[HAMILTON, LAURENS, LAFAYETTE, & MULLIGAN]
A-L-, E-X-, A-N-D-
E-R, we are, meant to be

[HAMILTON]
A colony that runs independently
Meanwhile, Britain keeps shittin' on us endlessly
Essentially, they tax us relentlessly
Then King George turns around and runs a spendin' spree
He ain't never gonna set his descendants free
So there will be a revolution in this century
"Enter me,"

[LAURENS, LAFAYETTE & MULLIGAN]
(He says in parentheses)

[HAMILTON]
Don't be shocked when your history book mentions me
I will lay down my life if it sets us free
Eventually, you'll see my ascendancy

[HAMILTON] (LAURENS)
And I am not throwing away my shot! (My shot!)
I am not throwing away my shot! (My shot!)
Heyo, I'm just like my country,
I'm young, scrappy, and hungry

[HAMILTON + LAURENS]
And I am not throwing away my shot!

[HAMILTON, LAURENS, LAFAYETTE, & MULLIGAN]
I am not throwing away my shot!
I am not throwing away my shot!
Heyo, 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!

[LAFAYETTE]
I dream of life without the monarchy
The unrest in France will lead to 'onarchy
'Onarchy? How you say? How you...?
Oh, anarchy
When I fight, I make the other side panicky with my--

[LAFAYETTE, HAMILTON, LAURENS, & MULLIGAN]
Shot!

[MULLIGAN]
Yo, I'm a tailor's apprentice
And I got y'all knuckleheads in loco parentis
I'm joinin' the rebellion 'cause I know it's my chance to socially advance
Instead of sewin' some pants

[LAURENS]
But we'll never be truly free
Unless those in bondage have the same rights as you and me
You and I, do or die, wait until I sally in on a stallion,
With the first black battalion
Have another

[LAFAYETTE, HAMILTON, LAURENS, & MULLIGAN]
Shot!

[BURR]
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!

[HAMILTON]
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' in 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 talking to loud?
Sometimes I get overexcited, shoot off at the mouth
I never had a group of friends before,
I promise that I'll make y'all proud.

[LAURENS]
Let's get this guy in front of a crowd!

[LAFAYETTE, HAMILTON, LAURENS, MULLIGAN, & ENSEMBLE]
I am not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot
Heyo, I'm just like my country,
I'm young, scrappy, and hungry,
And I am not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot
Heyo, I'm just like my country,
I'm young, scrappy, and hungry,
And I am not throwing away my shot!

Trivia

• "My Shot" was the longest song in the musical for Lin-Manuel Miranda to write, spanning a year until the song was at the lyrical state and level it is now. Presumably this is because the song contains the most intricate language and internal rhyming, conveying as much meaning as possible through a single song.

Gallery