Amy Holbrook sings to characters Mulligan , Laurens , and Lafayette in the tavern setting they sing how ‘ it ’ s time to take a shot ’ – and proceed to take shots of alcohol – but at all times the second meaning is underlying . These characters are about to become crucial parts of the great American story , and they are going to take a metaphorical ‘ shot ’ or a chance at freedom . Lafayette nods to making their enemies panicky with his ‘ shot ’, Burr warns them if they keep raising their voices they are going to get shot , the word shot is flying around the song at a speedy pace . However , it is when the song reaches Hamilton ’ s next lengthy verse that there is a nuance to the word shot , while still referring to the conceptual metaphor suggested . Hamilton sings ,
A bunch of revolutionary manumission abolitionists ? Give me a position , show me where the ammunition is ! Oh , am I talkin ’ too loud ? Sometimes I get over excited , shoot off at the mouth .
‘ My Shot ’ Hamilton
The metaphorical expression of shooting off at the mouth alongside him looking for the ammunition intensifies the conceptual metaphor of HAMILTON ’ S SHOT IS HIS LIFE even further . In this instance the use of ‘ ammunition ’ could be an invisible metaphor for Hamilton ’ s next opportunity ; show me what is next , show me what needs to be done to start this revolution . The metaphor of ‘ shoot off ’ at the mouth provides a glimmer of foreboding in the musical when it is Hamilton ’ s mouth – mouth being used here to represent his words and his opinions –
46 that inevitably brings about his final duel and death at the hands of Aaron Burr . He shoots off at the mouth and is eventually shot . The song concludes with a group of verses that come across in a soliloquy fashion from Hamilton , personifying death as something that is always coming for him and his shot ; “ When ’ s it ’ s gonna get me ? / In my sleep ? Seven feet ahead of me ? / If I see it coming , do I run or do I let it be ?”. The verses contribute to the emphasis on war metaphors , discussing ‘ will the blood we shed begin an endless / Cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants ?” using blood to represent the deaths of those they fight against , or even more broadly to suggest will what they do be worth the sacrifice . Lexical choices such as ‘ bleedin ’’, ‘ fightin ’’, ‘ smashin ’’, and ‘ casualties ’ also contribute toward the semantic tone and conceptual metaphor when used in contexts such as ‘ smashin ’ every expectation ’, and ‘ I ’ m laughin ’ in the faces of casualties ’ – something one would like to hope Hamilton is not doing literally , but instead figuratively using as a metaphor to say he will strive away from those that do not support him and take every opportunity .
Another example of a character being experienced in terms of something else is in ‘ Guns and Ships ’ where Lafayette is introduced as a weapon with several metaphorical expressions and a semantic field of war and weapon imagery used to achieve this . One of the potential reasons for comparing Lafayette in this way is to understand the strength and power of his involvement in the war in the