Let It Go Lyrics — Hamilton

Song Overview

Personal Review

Let It Go lyrics explode like a family quarrel in a foyer. Two minutes of Hamilton fury—Eliza counters with soulful calm, Washington slides in like a parents-night referee. I still remember the first workshop bootleg leak: Hamilton’s “What in the hell was that?” cracked through laptop speakers and the fandom gasped—here was a bridge between “Schuyler Defeated” and the Cabinet fireworks, later excised for pacing.

The key thrill? Watching Eliza and Washington duet over the same “Stay Alive” motif, turning battlefield advice into marital therapy. It’s a cut gem—rough, un-orchestrated, utterly human.

Song Meaning and Annotations

The scene drops just after Burr topples Philip Schuyler’s senate seat. Hamilton, livid, plots a pamphlet war; Eliza sings him down (“Let it go, stay alive for me”). The refrain paraphrases Burr’s own creed—“Talk less, smile more”—but here becomes an anthem of strategic restraint.

Workshop vs. Broadway. In later rewrites, Miranda scrapped the number, folding its counsel into Washington’s “Let’s get this done” energy in Cabinet Battle #2 and the sly shade of “Washington On Your Side.” That deletion tightened Act II’s tempo, but many fans still mourn the missing marital moment.

Musical frame. The track sits in D-minor at roughly 100 BPM, borrowing the loping 6/8 feel from “Stay Alive.” Sparse drum machine, Rhodes-style keys, and a single cello slide keep the quarrel intimate.

“You don’t have to bring a gun to a knife fight… listen to your wife, right?” —Washington

Symbolic threads. Hamilton’s threat—“You swing at my family you better not miss”—previews the scorched-earth prose of the Reynold’s Pamphlet. Eliza’s echo “Let it slide right by” foreshadows the forgiveness arc of “It’s Quiet Uptown.”

Verse Highlights

Hamilton’s Opening Blast

Eight bars, 22 internal rhymes—proof Hamilton wields words like bayonets, even at home.

Eliza’s Soothing Counter-melody

Phillipa Soo hovers on F-major triads, a lullaby pitched against Hamilton’s minor-key rage.

Washington’s Mediator Verse

Isaiah Johnson drops to a baritone B-flat₂, humor cutting tension—“You didn’t kill him, did you?”—before reprising Eliza’s hook an octave down.

Detailed Annotations

Let It Go Lyrics—the workshop tune that once bridged Schuyler Defeated and Meet Me Inside—is a pressure-valve scene the Broadway version ultimately cut. In ninety taut seconds Alexander Hamilton rages, Eliza coaxes, and George Washington materializes like a stern ghost, all urging the title directive: Let it go. Though absent from the final cast album, the song foreshadows later motifs and spotlights Hamilton’s lifelong failure to release a grudge.

Overview

We open with Alexander’s volcanic shout—

“What in the hell was that? What in the hell are you doing downtown?”

“Burr is going to run against your father … to humiliate me.”

“You could let it go / Stay alive for me.”

Musical Techniques

• Call-and-response cadence. Hamilton’s frantic patter mirrors the rap-battle energy of “Cabinet Battle #1,” but Eliza answers in a gentle lyrical line that anticipates “It’s Quiet Uptown.” The sudden appearance of Washington folds in his paternal baritone from “Right Hand Man,” turning the trio into a musical seesaw: tension-release-tension.
• Motif recycling. Burr’s campaign chant—

  “Talk less! … Smile more!”

  —is played here with brassy exuberance. On Broadway that hook resurfaces in “The Election of 1800,” but drained, as Burr admits open campaigning is “kind of draining.” The workshop version lets the line sparkle before history curdles it.
• Verbal lamp-shading. Hamilton protests,

  “No, the President’s not here—”

  just as Washington strides on. Miranda “hangs a lampshade,” acknowledging theatrical contrivance so the audience can enjoy the gag and move on.

Character Dynamics

Alexander Hamilton. His instinct is always the pen-sword:

“I’ll grab a pen and paper, let the whole world know.”

“You swing at my family, you better not miss.”

Eliza Schuyler Hamilton. She counters with patience and perspective:

“People will always be critical … let it slide right by.”

George Washington. Materializing on cue, he repeats the domestic plea in a military register:

“Let everybody know you can take a body blow.”

Thematic Elements

• Pride versus prudence. The song crystallizes Hamilton’s tragic flaw: an inability to ignore slights. Eliza and Washington propose strategic retreat; Hamilton hears capitulation.
• Public image warfare. Eliza’s lyric—

  “They’ll make the personal political … They’ll try to knock you off your pedestal.”

  —previews the weaponization of Hamilton’s private life in the affair scandal. The advice to “let it go” is counsel he will famously ignore when the Reynolds accusations hit.
• Repetition of survival language. “Stay alive for me” becomes a recurring incantation across the musical, underscoring the precariousness of life and reputation in revolutionary America.

Historical References

Schuyler’s Senate seat. Burr’s real-life switch to the Jeffersonian ticket allowed him to unseat Philip Schuyler, slicing at Hamilton’s familial pride and political clout. Hamilton did indeed treat the maneuver as personal betrayal—an animosity that metastasized into the 1804 duel.

The unused number’s place in the score. Off Broadway, Let It Go functioned as a character reset after “Schuyler Defeated.” On Broadway, Miranda trimmed both songs, preserving story coherence while keeping Hamilton’s anger incandescent. The composer joked, “I had a song called ‘Let It Go,’ and then Frozen came out. I had to—well—let it go.”

Weaponized publishing. Hamilton’s threat to “grab a pen” prefigures the Federalist essays, the anti-Adams screed, and the confession that costs him the presidency. Quill as gun is a through-line of his career.

Closing Image

The ensemble trumpets,

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Senator Aaron Burr!”

“Let everybody know you can take a body blow.”

Song Credits

• Featured Vocals: Lin-Manuel Miranda (Alexander), Phillipa Soo (Eliza), Isaiah Johnson (George Washington), Leslie Odom Jr. (Burr cameo)
• Producer & Composer/Lyricist: Lin-Manuel Miranda
• Workshop Premiere: February 17 2015 (New 42nd Street Studios)
• Genre: Domestic Rap Waltz / Show Tune
• Length: 2 min 08 sec (workshop cut)
• Key: D-minor ? F-major modulations
• Label: Independent workshop (song removed before Broadway run)
• Mood: Combustion, then calm
• Instruments: Rhodes keys, drum pad, cello glide, ensemble snaps
• Copyright © 2015 5000 Broadway Music

Songs Exploring Themes of Persistence & Restraint

“Washington On Your Side” – Original Broadway Cast
Where “Let It Go” preaches patience, this later duet shows Jefferson and Burr seething because Hamilton doesn’t let things go. Both songs pivot on political grudge and the wisdom (or danger) of standing down.

“My Shot” – Workshop Version
The earlier anthem celebrates never backing off; “Let It Go” flips that ethos, urging survival over showmanship. Hamilton’s tension between these two philosophies drives Act II’s tragedies.

“Take a Break” – Broadway Score
Eliza again tries to slow Hamilton’s pen. The difference here? In “Let It Go,” Washington backs her up; in “Take a Break,” he’s vanished, and Hamilton barrels ahead alone.

Questions and Answers

Why was “Let It Go” cut from the final score?

Miranda streamlined Act II; Burr’s chant and Washington’s counsel were folded into “Cabinet Battle #2,” keeping dramatic momentum tight.

Does any official recording exist?

Only the May 2014 workshop audio circulating on Archive.org and YouTube; no cast-album version was produced.

Is the melody reused elsewhere?

Yes—the violin figure under Eliza’s hook echoes “Stay Alive,” underlining her plea for Hamilton’s self-preservation.

How fast is Hamilton’s opening verse?

About 4.9 words / second—mid-tempo compared with Lafayette’s 6.3 w/s but still brisk for a family spat.

Any chance it returns in revivals?

Miranda told fans in 2021 he’d “love to sneak it in as an encore someday,” but no production has reinstated it yet.

Awards & Milestones

How to Sing?

Hamilton’s rant sits G₂–E-flat₄; spit consonants but sustain vowels—think rap-recitative. Eliza floats B-flat₃–D₅ with legato eighth-note triplets. Washington drops to A₂–C₄, gravitas over groove. Keep tempo steady at 100 BPM; the tension lives in dynamics, not speed.

Fan and Media Reactions

“The biggest ‘missing track’ energy in the whole show—Eliza deserves this win.” – r/hamiltonmusical thread

“Hearing Washington sing ‘Let it slide right by’ hits harder than any cabinet mic-drop.” – bootleg YouTube comment

“This scene explains why Hamilton’s pamphlet impulse later feels inevitable—once he stops listening, tragedy speeds up.” – theatre blog recap

“Cut or not, I quote Eliza’s ‘Live to fight another day’ before every exam.” – @StudyWithHam Twitter

“Imagine the Disney+ audience hearing Burr’s chant inside this song—chef’s kiss.” – TikTok stitch #HamiltonDeepCuts