Ten Things One Thing Lyrics – Hamilton

Song Overview

Song Credits

• Primary Artist: Lin-Manuel Miranda
• Featuring: Leslie Odom Jr.
• Writer / Composer: Lin-Manuel Miranda
• Producer: Lin-Manuel Miranda
• Album: Hamilton: An American Musical (2014 Workshop)
• Release Date: February 17, 2015
• Genre: Hip-hop storytelling, musical theatre
• Length: 4 min 37 sec
• Label: Atlantic (workshop demo)
• Mood: Tense rewind, bullet-time confession
• Language: English
• Copyright: © 2015 Broadway Productions

Song Meaning and Annotations

Roger’s earlier version of their final exchange rewinds us to both Burr and Hamilton’s thoughts, counting down as the reality of the duel closes in—two men, tangled by pride and regret.

Burr pauses—the line “He’s always hated dueling” echoes from the “Ten Duel Commandments,” reminding us of Burr’s complicity in past duels and his repeated appeal to Hamilton’s moral compass: “Can we agree duels are dumb and immature?” But actions speak louder than memories.

Burr’s reflection in this version is brutal and honest: they have so much left to do—plans unfinished, legacies still unwritten. To die over pride is a tragedy that both men recognize in the silence.

The moment Burr puts on his glasses—“I put on my glasses to see if Burr is softening”—this is when he’s truly human again, looking for hesitation, mercy, a crack in the façade. Hamilton, across that gap, mirrors the same doubt.

Hamilton’s own regret is quiet but fierce. He planned it all: his first shot would go wide, even his second—he wrote it in his Statement on Impending Duel, wanting Burr to pause, reflect… then never pulled. He keeps his word: “not only throw away his shot, but give up his future.”

Both men prepared letters. Hamilton writes to Eliza—{"I could’ve written it better"}—and to Burr, a manifest of peace: “I am conscious of no ill-will…” Yet neither is enough to stop the bullet.

Burr remembers Hamilton’s legacy—how he built New York's financial foundations—and laments the cost of his ambition. He once admired Hamilton’s relentless drive—and damned it for leading to Weehawken.

Despite the artistic liberties—like calling Burr a poor shot when he was highly skilled—what matters is the emotional truth: two brilliant men undone by fear and pride. In Burr’s reflection (“It’s him or me, the world will never be the same”), we feel his shock: he’s killed not just a rival, but the other half of this nation-building duo.

Counting backward—from nine to one—isn't just dramatic. It’s a heartrending reversal, pulling us back through choices, consequences, and regrets, before the fatal shot.

This version** shows both sides in that frozen moment—the shame, the sorrow, the finality. When their rifles lock eyes, their thoughts collide, and only one can fall.

Picture “The World Was Wide Enough,” but someone yanks the record backward like a DJ scratching vinyl at sunrise. “Ten Things One Thing (2014 Workshop)” rewinds the Burr–Hamilton duel, letting both men narrate the ten-count from opposite mirrors. The track still leans on the familiar Ten Duel Commandments motif, yet the beat slows to a heartbeat thud, each number punctuating dread.

Burr starts: clipped, clinical, almost pleading. Hamilton rewinds the reel and answers—same count, different conscience. Where the later Broadway version opts for almost eerie silence, this workshop draft floods the moment with rap-fire internal monologue. We hear Burr’s self-doubt (“confession time, I’m a terrible shot”) collide with Hamilton’s fatal logic (“I’ve got to throw away my shot”). It’s an audible standoff between survival instinct and martyr complex, framed as dueling podcasts sharing one microphone.

Bullet-Pointed Breakdown

Most disputes die and no one shoots!

I know this puts me in a difficult spot / But I’ve got to throw away my shot

The dual perspectives underline Hamilton’s obsession with legacy and Burr’s terror of failure, making the later, quieter Broadway rewrite land like a ghost of this frenetic brainstorm.

Similar Songs

1. “The World Was Wide Enough” – Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton
   The polished descendant of this workshop cut. Where “Ten Things One Thing” chatters, “World” breathes—Miranda traded rap density for theatrical silence, proving less can wound more.
2. “Satisfied” – Renée Elise Goldsberry
   Another Hamilton rewind. Angelica rewinds a wedding toast to expose hidden longing. Both songs use reverse chronology and layered counts to reveal buried intention.
3. “Stan” – Eminem ft. Dido
   Burr’s confessional verses mirror Stan’s letter structure: escalating obsession, muddled empathy, inevitable tragedy. Hip-hop storytelling framing mortality through first-person POV.

Questions and Answers

Why was this version cut from the final show?

Miranda felt the climax needed stillness after three hours of musical fireworks. Replacing rap-overload with near silence allowed Burr’s single gunshot to echo far louder.

What stayed in the Broadway rewrite?

The counted ensemble, Burr’s disbelief at Hamilton’s raised pistol, and the “orphan of my daughter” worry—though trimmed to a sharper political line.

How does the rewind device compare with “Satisfied”?

Both spin the audience 180º, but “Satisfied” rewinds joy while “Ten Things” rewinds dread. Same mechanism, opposite emotional altitude.

Is the workshop recording officially released?

Yes—Miranda shared it on SoundCloud in 2015; fans circulate the mp3 like a Broadway bootleg holy grail.

Are the Lyrics canon?

They’re developmental canon—insight into Miranda’s process but not the final narrative. Think of them as a deleted scene in lyric form.

Awards and Chart Positions

This workshop track never charted, but its DNA lives inside the Tony-, Grammy- and Pulitzer-winning Hamilton. Think of it as the prototype circuitry beneath a gold-plated iPhone—the public never sees it, yet the finished product can’t exist without it.

Fan and Media Reactions

“Hearing Burr admit he’s a bad shot? Whole new sympathy unlocked.” – Tumblr user @DualityDuelist

“The rewind gimmick feels like a hip-hop ‘Rashomon’—wish it made the final cut.” – Vulture podcast review

“Lines hit harder here than on Broadway; you can hear the workshop sweat.” – Reddit thread r/HamiltonMusical

“When Miranda says ‘the sun is in my eyes,’ I get goosebumps—tiny detail, massive doom.” – YouTube commenter, 2024

“Proof LMM edits like a samurai—kills darlings even when they’re gorgeous.” – Playbill columnist

“Ten Things One Thing (2014 Workshop)” remains a cult favorite: a lyrical x-ray of Hamilton’s beating heart, preserved on grainy rehearsal tape but pulsing with the same restless ambition that rocketed the finished musical into history.