“Your Obedient Servant” by Lin-Manuel Miranda
“Your Obedient Servant” is based on a real-life beef, and it can be said one of the most renowned in American history, that between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. But due to the fact that both of these men were such important figures, historians also know enough about their 18th century lives to recognize all that’s taken place in these lyrics is not historically accurate.
Instead, Lin-Manuel Miranda strove to put together a musical biography of Hamilton that was appealing to even modern audiences, those who otherwise would not be interested in a history lesson, so to speak.
As such, as to be expected, he took creative liberties in terms of making the story more readable. Or put differently, if you really want to understand more factually as to what transpired between Hamilton and Burr, you’d be better off resorting to a history book than to this song.
Or perhaps rather we can say that the beauty behind the success of Hamilton is that it doesn’t really require foreknowledge of advanced historical facts on the part of the listener/viewer to enjoy. For instance, we all generally know that Thomas Jefferson, who is namedropped in the first verse, was a very-important figure himself. And what is easily being implied in the passage is that Jefferson is a rival of Burr. Furthermore, the latter believes Hamilton supported the former just to prevent him from winning. The further implication is that because of this, now Aaron really, really reviles Hamilton.
Very Bitter Enemies
Letting the cat out of the bag early for those of you who may not know, Burr eventually proceeds to kill Hamilton (an event not depicted in this song). So in a story where Alexander is the protagonist, then Aaron would logically be the antagonist.
Within the context of the play this song is derived from, the lyrics are meant to represent the point in history where the two of them really become enemies. Simply put, Burr’s hatred for Hamilton became something he could no longer keep in check. And that idea really comes through leading into and through the second verse. Or put into more precise terms, Aaron feels that Alexander is continuously disrespecting him in a way that he can no longer tolerate.
“Your Obedient Servant”
Eventually Hamilton gets around to responding, putting forth that his attacks on Burr are not personal, but instead he is doing what he feels is “best for our republic”. It is also via such a sentiment that we eventually get the titular term of the song, “your obedient servant”, which is how Alexander is signing himself off in in defense. It should be noted that the lyrics of this song actually being based on letters exchanged between the two of them.
Of course making such statements is more or less diss towards Aaron in and of itself or a roundabout way way of saying, in the grand scheme of things, that Hamilton doesn’t feel Burr is fit for an influential government position.
Keep it Real, Hamilton!
Aaron apparently picks up on that sentiment also, as he continues to threaten Hamilton or more specifically is forcing him to answer directly against the charge of trying to sabotage his career. In other words, he wants Hamilton to keep it real instead of skirting around the accusation.
And Hamilton does basically responds that he is indeed keeping it real. That is to say that he’s willing to admit to Burr’s face that he doesn’t believe in him as a politician. But at the same time, he also puts forth that said belief and the statement of such is not intended to cause any type of friction between the two of them. But that said, he “can’t apologize” to Aaron. And why? Because he truly believes and meant what he said about him.
But Aaron is not accepting it like that. So he decides to challenge Alexander to a duel, which he accepts. And thus the scene is set for , as alluded to earlier, what will be Hamilton’s final battle.
Who wrote “Your Obedient Servant”?
This song was written exclusively by Lin-Manuel Miranda. He also co-produced it with the following:
- Alex Lacamoire
- Bill Sherman
- ?uestlove (The Roots)
- Black Thought (The Roots)
When was “Your Obedient Servant” released?
This piece is from Hamilton. Hamilton is a successful play based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, a Founding Father of the U.S.. The incredible success of the play turned Miranda into a household name.
“Your Obedient Servant” was officially released as such on 25 September 2015.
Atlantic Records was the label behind the Hamilton soundtrack project.
Something worth noting:
Aaron Burr (1756-1836) did eventually slay Hamilton. Hamilton officially passed away on 12 July 1804 (the day after their duel). At the time he was believed to be 47 or 49 years old.
Events leading up to the Burr-Hamilton duel
The Burr-Hamilton duel is certainly one of the most famous in American history. This duel involved Vice President Aaron Burr and his long-time political rival Alexander Hamilton.
Hamilton served as an aide to General George Washington after joining the Continental Army in 1776. He would later serve as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. He was later appointed as the first secretary of treasury to President Washington in 1789.
The intellectually gifted Aaron Burr joined the Continental Army in 1775. In 1784, Burr was elected to the New York State Assembly. He later worked as a state attorney.
Hamilton detested Burr and often disparaged him. He went to the extent of publicly attacking Burr. According to him, he felt it was his duty to oppose the latter’s career. This was after Burr had become Vice President to Thomas Jefferson in 1796.
After Burr lost the second term election and Federalist nomination in 1804 courtesy of Hamilton’s public attacks, Burr decided to reclaim his reputation by challenging Hamilton to a duel. On July 11, 1804, the two met at the Weehawken dueling grounds. Burr shot Hamilton, leading to the latter’s death the following day.
