Lyrics Guns and Ships - Leslie Odom, Jr., Daveed Diggs, Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton

Guns and Ships

How does a ragtag volunteer army in need of a shower
Somehow defeat a global superpower?
How do we emerge victorious from the quagmire?
Leave the battlefield waving Betsy Ross’ flag higher?
Yo.
Turns out we have a secret weapon!
An immigrant you know and love who’s unafraid to step in!
He’s constantly confusin’, confoundin’ the British henchmen
Ev’ryone give it up for America’s favorite fighting Frenchman!
Lafayette!
I’m takin this horse by the reins makin’
Redcoats redder with bloodstains
Lafayette!
And I’m never gonna stop until I make ‘em
Drop and burn ‘em up and scatter their remains, I’m
Lafayette!
Watch me engagin’ em!
Escapin’ em!
Enragin’ em!
I’m—
Lafayette!
I go to France for more funds
Lafayette!
I come back with more
Guns
And ships
And so the balance shifts
We rendezvous with Rochambeau, consolidate their gifts
We can end this war at Yorktown, cut them off at sea, but
For this to succeed, there is someone else we need:
I know
Hamilton!
Sir, he knows what to do in a trench
Ingenuitive and fluent in French, I mean—
Hamilton!
Sir, you’re gonna have to use him eventually
What’s he gonna do on the bench?
I mean—
Hamilton!
No one has more resilience
Or matches my practical tactical brilliance—
Hamilton!
You wanna fight for your land back?
I need my right hand man back!
Ah!
Uh, get ya right hand man back
You know you gotta get ya right hand man back
I mean you gotta put some thought into the letter but the sooner the better
To get your right hand man back!
Hamilton!
Hamilton!
Hamilton!
Hamilton, Hamilton!
Ha— ha—!
Get your right hand man back!
Your right hand man back!
Hamilton!
Ha—
Ha—
Hamilton, Hamilton!
Ha— ha—!
Alexander Hamilton
Troops are waiting in the field for you
If you join us right now, together we can turn the tide
Oh, Alexander Hamilton
I have soldiers that will yield for you
If we manage to get this right
They’ll surrender by early light
The world will never be the same, Alexander…