“We’re gonna teach ’em how to say goodbye!”
Hamilton‘s second-act words of prudence felt especially momentous last night amidst flurry of news that surrounded President Obama’s excellent farewell address and the unsubstantiated chaos that surrounded the incoming administration. So, with a dash of his somehow impenetrable optimism, Lin-Manuel Miranda shared his performance of “One Last Time” on Hamilton‘s YouTube channel last night to remind us that change is inevitable, and to not be frightened by it.
The performance was originally part of a student workshop that Miranda and the cast of Hamilton held at the White House, but he saw last night as a golden opportunity to release this recording in full. Along with Christopher Jackson as George Washington, Miranda sings about George Washington’s decision to step down from the first presidency to allow Thomas Jefferson the opportunity to run. As the two trade quips in song, you can see the President and Vice President thoroughly enjoy the history of their offices illustrated right before their eyes, even if the message is bittersweet.
At the end of the performance President Obama simply says what we all know to be true about Miranda and Hamilton: “That’s magic.” And then after a quick thank you to the cast, he adds “And with that, we know how to say goodbye.” For many who watched his farewell speech last night, I hope we can agree that was true.
John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation/Creative Commons
Matt Grosinger is the music editor of Nerdist and is still pretty nervous even though he appreciates Lin-Manuel Miranda’s sentiment. You can follow him on Twitter if that is your thing.
