Back in March of last year, the cast and creators of Hamilton visited the White House for what they dubbed #Bam4Ham, a full day of workshops with students and performances from the musical. Much of it was and still is available to watch on YouTube, but there was one number they decided to save for the perfect, most painful moment.
As we prepare ourselves to see the Obama administration leave office (and on what just so happens to be Alexander Hamilton’s birthday), they’ve released the White House performance of the heartbreaking “One Last Time,” in which George Washington asks Hamilton for his help in stepping down and saying goodbye.
A lot of us sure aren’t ready to say goodbye to our current president, but I guess if anyone’s going to convince us it’s necessary, it would be George Washington by way of Lin-Manuel Miranda:
If I say goodbye, the nation learns to move on.
It outlives me when I’m gone.
Like the scripture says,
Everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree,
And no one shall make them afraid.
They’ll be safe in the nation we’ve made.
I wanna sit under my own vine and fig tree,
A moment alone in the shade,
At home in this nation we’ve made,
One last time.
(image via screengrab)
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