Take a Break Lyrics
Take a Break
[ELIZA]Un deux trois quatre
Cinq six sept huit neuf
Good! Un deux trois quatre
Cinq six sept huit neuf
Sept huit neuf—
Sept huit neuf—
[PHILIP]
Un deux trois quatre
Cinq six sept huit neuf
Un deux trois quatre
Cinq six sept huit neuf
Sept huit neuf—
Sept huit neuf—
[ELIZA AND PHILIP]
One two three four five six seven eight nine!
[HAMILTON]
My dearest, Angelica
“Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day”
I trust you’ll understand the reference to
Another Scottish tragedy without my having to name the play
They think me Macbeth, and ambition is my folly
I’m a polymath, a pain in the ass, a massive pain
Madison is Banquo, Jefferson’s Macduff
And Birnam Wood is Congress on its way to Dunsinane
[HAMILTON/ANGELICA]
And there you are, an ocean away
Do you have to live an ocean away?
Thoughts of you subside
Then I get another letter
I cannot put the notion away…
[ELIZA]
Take a break
[HAMILTON]
I am on my way
[ELIZA]
There’s a little surprise before supper
And it cannot wait
[HAMILTON]
I’ll be there in just a minute, save my plate
[ELIZA]
Alexander—
[HAMILTON]
Okay, okay—
[ELIZA]
Your son is nine years old today
Has something he’d like to say
He’s been practicing all day
Philip, take it away—
[PHILIP]
Daddy, daddy, look—
My name is Philip
I am a poet
I wrote this poem just
To show it
And I just turned nine
You can write rhymes
But you can’t write mine
I practice French
And play piano with my mother
I have a sister, but I want a little brother
My daddy’s trying to start America’s bank
Un deux trois quatre cinq!
[HAMILTON]
What!
Uh-huh!
Okay!
Bravo!
[ELIZA]
Take a break
[HAMILTON]
Hey, our kid is pretty great
[ELIZA]
Run away with us for the summer
Let’s go upstate
[HAMILTON]
Eliza, I’ve got so much on my plate
[ELIZA]
We can all go stay with my father
There’s a lake I know…
[HAMILTON]
I know
[ELIZA]
In a nearby park
[HAMILTON]
I’d love to go
[ELIZA]
You and I can go when the night gets dark…
[HAMILTON]
I will try to get away
[ANGELICA]
My dearest Alexander
You must get through to Jefferson
Sit down with him and compromise
Don’t stop ‘til you agree
Your fav’rite older sister
Angelica, reminds you
There’s someone in your corner all the way across the sea
In a letter I received from you two weeks ago
I noticed a comma in the middle of a phrase
It changed the meaning. Did you intend this?
One stroke and you’ve consumed my waking days
It says:
[HAMILTON/ANGELICA]
“My dearest Angelica”
[ANGELICA]
With a comma after “dearest.” You’ve written
[HAMILTON AND ANGELICA]
“My dearest, Angelica.”
[ANGELICA]
Anyway, all this to say
I’m coming home this summer
At my sister’s invitation
I’ll be there with your fam’ly
If you make your way upstate
I know you’re very busy
I know your work’s important
But I’m crossing the ocean and I just can’t wait
[HAMILTON AND ANGELICA]
You won’t be an ocean away
You will only be a moment away…
[ELIZA]
Alexander, come downstairs. Angelica’s arriving today!
[ELIZA]
Angelica!
[ANGELICA]
Eliza!
[HAMILTON]
The Schuyler sisters!
[ANGELICA]
Alexander
[HAMILTON]
Hi
[ANGELICA]
It’s good to see your face
[ELIZA]
Angelica, tell this man John Adams spends the summer with his family
[HAMILTON]
Angelica, tell my wife John Adams doesn’t have a real job anyway
[ANGELICA]
…you’re not joining us? Wait
[HAMILTON]
I’m afraid I cannot join you upstate
[ANGELICA]
Alexander, I came all this way
[ELIZA]
She came all this way—
[ANGELICA]
All this way—
[ELIZA AND ANGELICA]
Take a break
[HAMILTON]
You know I have to get my plan through Congress
[ELIZA AND ANGELICA]
Run away with us for the summer
Let’s go upstate
[HAMILTON]
I lose my job if I don’t get my plan through Congress
[ELIZA AND ANGELICA]
We can all go stay with our father
[ELIZA]
There’s a lake I know
In a nearby park
You and I can go
Take a break and get away—
Let’s go upstate
Where we can stay
Look around, look around
At how lucky we are to be alive right now—
We can go—
When the night gets dark
Take a break.
[ANGELICA]
I know I’ll miss your face—
Screw your courage to the sticking place—
Eliza’s right—
Take a break
Run away with us for the summer—
Let’s go upstate
We can all go stay with our father
If you take your time—
You will make your mark
Close your eyes and dream—
When the night gets dark
Take a break.
[HAMILTON]
I have to get my plan through Congress
I can’t stop until I get this plan through Congress
Song Overview
Song Credits
- Featured: Phillipa Soo, Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Renée Elise Goldsberry
- Producers: Bill Sherman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Alex Lacamoire, Black Thought, ?uestlove
- Writer: Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Release Date: September 25, 2015
- Genre: Broadway, Soundtrack, Rap, Musical
- Label: Atlantic Records
- Album: Hamilton: An American Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
- Length: Approximately 5:26
- Language: English
- Instrumentation: Violin, Viola, Cello, Harp, Keyboards, Bass, Guitar, Drums, Banjo, Synthesizer
- Recorded At: Avatar Studios
- Copyrights © Warner Music Group, New World Music, 5000 Broadway Music, PECF
Song Meaning and Annotations
Between Public Duty and Private Longing
“Take a Break” might be the most ironically titled song in *Hamilton*. It doesn’t breathe — it pleads. It’s a moment where family, romance, politics, and subtle longing tangle into a knot that Alexander Hamilton, predictably, refuses to untie.Philip’s Debut: Innocence Framed in Foreshadowing
[PHILIP & HAMILTON] My name is Philip I am a poet I wrote this poem just To show itWe’re introduced to Philip Hamilton as a precocious nine-year-old, brimming with energy and linguistic flair — French and rhyme rolled into a birthday verse. Yet, the repeated counting to nine — both in English and French — carries dramatic irony. We’ll later revisit this countdown under very different circumstances, tied to a duel rather than a birthday.
Angelica and Alexander: A Comma, a Chasm
[ANGELICA] In a letter I received from you two weeks ago I noticed a comma in the middle of a phrase It changed the meaning. Did you intend this?This comma might be the most dissected punctuation mark in Broadway history. Miranda draws attention to "My dearest, Angelica" — a phrase dripping with suppressed sentiment. That tiny pause suggests emotional separation and longing — not quite adultery, but far beyond formality. It’s a masterclass in writing tension without scandal, attraction without action.
Eliza’s Plea: The Quiet Core
[ELIZA] Take a break Run away with us for the summer Let’s go upstateEliza, portrayed with aching sincerity by Phillipa Soo, wants nothing more than stillness, togetherness, reprieve. But Hamilton, always with one foot in the next policy battle, sees such domestic serenity as a detour, not a destination. Her lines echo throughout the show as emotional ghosts — especially in later tracks where tragedy finds them.
Angelica’s Arrival: Collision Course
[ANGELICA & ELIZA] Take a break Run away with us for the summer Let’s go upstateAngelica’s physical return complicates everything. The emotional triangle of Angelica–Alexander–Eliza isn't consummated, but it hovers uncomfortably close to the flame. Angelica’s disappointment on realizing Hamilton won’t join them is the quiet heartbreak that says everything without saying it.
Final Refrain: Repetition as Resistance
[HAMILTON] I have to get my plan through CongressHis refrain becomes a mantra — a deflection. Hamilton’s obsessive ambition becomes his wall. His inability to prioritize love and leisure, even when his wife and sister-in-law are metaphorically and literally waiting on him, sets the tragic dominoes tumbling.
Similar Songs
- “That Would Be Enough” – Lin-Manuel Miranda & Phillipa Soo: This earlier number also sees Eliza appealing to Hamilton to slow down and be present. Where “Take a Break” is a collective effort between Eliza and Angelica, “That Would Be Enough” is a solo heart cry. The sentiment is the same: love me, not your legacy.
- “Burn” – Phillipa Soo: If “Take a Break” is the quiet before the storm, “Burn” is the wildfire that follows. Eliza reclaims her voice after being silenced by Hamilton’s choices. It’s the haunting echo of every ignored plea in “Take a Break.”
- “Satisfied” – Renée Elise Goldsberry: Angelica’s inner turmoil is put on full display here. Her cerebral sacrifice for her sister is mirrored later in “Take a Break,” where her emotional restraint returns. Both songs are steeped in longing, intelligence, and a love that can’t be fulfilled.
Questions and Answers
- Why is the title “Take a Break” ironic?
- Because Hamilton does the opposite — he refuses to pause, disconnect, or prioritize family. The song pleads for rest but ends in rejection.
- What does the “comma” represent in the song?
- It’s symbolic of suppressed emotion. The comma in "My dearest, Angelica" transforms a platonic greeting into something more intimate — a whisper of what could be.
- What’s the significance of counting to nine?
- It introduces Philip’s innocence and foreshadows his fate. The number nine also threads through the show’s duel motifs, marking the seconds before a shot.
- How does Angelica's role evolve in this song?
- She returns physically, but emotionally remains caught between duty to her sister and unspoken affection for Hamilton. Her disappointment is palpable, yet dignified.
- Why doesn’t Hamilton go upstate?
- He’s consumed by his political agenda — getting his financial plan through Congress. It's both ambition and obsession, and it costs him dearly.
Fan and Media Reactions
“The comma discourse is next level. That’s not just grammar — that’s heartbreak.”– @syntaxandtears
“Angelica sailing across the sea to see Hamilton and he doesn’t even go upstate? Tragedy in real-time.”– @histodramaqueen
“Every time I hear 'Take a break,' I want to scream at Alexander to listen.”– @tiredfoundingwife
“Philip’s poem is so cute... until you remember the duel. Lin really said: here’s joy and pain in 5 minutes.”– @broadwayhurts
“It’s Shakespeare, it’s hip-hop, it’s heartbreak. 'Take a Break' is deceptively devastating.”– @bardofbroadway Miranda created a song that ripples outward — its warmth, wit, and wounding all layered with masterful restraint. This isn’t a break. It’s the moment before everything breaks.