'Say No to This' from HAMILTON

"Say No to This" from the musical HAMILTON
Performed by Alex Lacamoire, Jasmine Cephas-Jones, Leslie Odom Jr., Lin-Manuel Miranda, Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton, Sydney James Harcourt
Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda

[BURR]
There’s nothing like summer in the city
Someone under stress meets someone looking pretty
There’s trouble in the air, you can smell it
And Alexander’s by himself. I’ll let him tell it

[HAMILTON]
I hadn’t slept in a week
I was weak, I was awake
You never seen a bastard orphan
More in need of a break
Longing for Angelica
Missing my wife
That’s when Miss Maria Reynolds walked into my life, she said:

[MARIA]
I know you are a man of honor
I’m so sorry to bother you at home
But I don’t know where to go, and I came here all alone…

[HAMILTON]
She said:

[MARIA]
My husband’s doin’ me wrong
Beatin’ me, cheatin’ me, mistreatin’ me...
Suddenly he’s up and gone
I don’t have the means to go on

[HAMILTON]
So I offered her a loan, I offered to walk her home, she said

[MARIA]
You’re too kind, sir

[HAMILTON]
I gave her thirty bucks that I had socked away
She lived a block away, she said:

[MARIA]
This one’s mine, sir

[HAMILTON]
Then I said, “well, I should head back home,”
She turned red, she led me to her bed
Let her legs spread and said:

[MARIA]
Stay?

[HAMILTON]
Hey…

[MARIA]
Hey…

[HAMILTON]
That’s when I began to pray:
Lord, show me how to
Say no to this
I don’t know how to
Say no to this

But my God, she looks so helpless
And her body’s saying, “hell, yes”

[MARIA]
Whoa...

[HAMILTON]
Nooo, show me how to

[HAMILTON/ENSEMBLE]
Say no to this

[HAMILTON]
I don’t know how to

[HAMILTON/ENSEMBLE]
Say no to this

[HAMILTON]
In my mind, I’m tryin’ to go

[ENSEMBLE]
Go! Go! Go!

[HAMILTON]
Then her mouth is on mine, and I don’t say…

[ENSEMBLE]
No! No!
Say no to this!
No! No!
Say no to this!
No! No!
Say no to this!
No! No!
Say no to this!

[HAMILTON]
I wish I could say that was the last time
I said that last time. It became a pastime
A month into this endeavor I received a letter
From a Mr. James Reynolds, even better, it said:

[JAMES]
Dear Sir, I hope this letter finds you in good health
And in a prosperous enough position to put wealth
In the pockets of people like me: down on their luck
You see, that was my wife who you decided to

[HAMILTON]
Fuuuu—

[JAMES]
Uh-oh! You made the wrong sucker a cuckold
So time to pay the piper for the pants you unbuckled
And hey, you can keep seein’ my whore wife
If the price is right: if not I’m telling your wife

[HAMILTON]
I hid the letter and I raced to her place
Screamed “How could you?!” in her face
She said:

[MARIA]
No, sir!

[HAMILTON]
Half dressed, apologetic. A mess, she looked
Pathetic, she cried:

[MARIA]
Please don’t go, sir!

[HAMILTON]
So was your whole story a setup?

[MARIA]
I don’t know about any letter!

[HAMILTON]
Stop crying
Goddamnit, get up!

[MARIA]
I didn’t know any better

[HAMILTON]
I am ruined...

[MARIA & HAMILTON]
Please don’t leave me with him helpless (I am helpless—how could I do this?)
Just give him what he wants and you can have me
I don’t want you
Whatever you want (I don’t want you)

[MARIA, HAMILTON, & ENSEMBLE]
If you pay (I don’t…)
You can stay
Lord, show me how to
Say no to this (Say no to this!)
Tonight (I don’t know how to)
(Say no to this!)
Say no to this
'Cause the situation’s helpless (Helpless)
And her body’s screaming, “Hell, yes” (Whoa!)
How can you (No, show me how to)
(Say no to this!)
Say no to this? (Say no to this)
(Say no to this!)
How can I say no to this?
There is nowhere I can go (Go! Go! Go!)
When her body’s on mine I do not say… (No!)

[HAMILTON, MARIA, & ENSEMBLE]
Yes (Yes!)
Say no to this!
No!
Yes (Yes!)
Say no to this!
No!
Yes (Yes!)
Say no to this!
No!
Yes (Yes!)
Say no to this!
Say no to this…
I don’t say no to this (Don’t say no to this)
There is nowhere I can go
Go go go...

[JAMES]
So?

[HAMILTON]
Nobody needs to know

[campbellsoup]

When Mariah hits that perfect "No Sir~"





















Get's me every time.

[nathanaelhsu]

Can we appreciate Jazzy's at 3:02? Such a hard belt and she nails it.

[hanad]

This song makes me mad at Alex... but I mean... THE VOCALS ARE ON POINT-

[thatoneconangrayvideo]

everytime i hear this song i HAVE to dramatically perform(lipsync alone in my room) ALL the characters and it does get really intense i get really into it. especially the last part with the letter

[niyaniya]

2:29 “if not I’m telling yo wife” UGH I LOVE THAT PART

[ReedDaOG]

Hamilton: "How do I say no to this?"

Odysseus: "Easy. NO!"

[ladycatsinger]

I call this one "...And Peggy's Revenge"

[cresaliasyumbato]

The fact that Hamilton used "Helpless" and Mariah "Stay" from That Would Be Enough, and that Eliza never say any of this words after in the musical is...

[tyleremery]

Eliza: "I relish being your wife."
Reynolds: "I'm telling your wife."
Oof.

[dogwithheadphones]

Ever since I first watched Hamilton on the Disney+ release, I’ve had this conspiracy theory/interpretation that the Schuyler Sisters’ dresses are intentionally colored the way they are. Eliza wears green as a way to say “go” and that Hamilton should pursue her. Angelica has sort of a muted red color to symbolize how Hamilton (for the most part) resists his temptation towards her, and Peggy wears yellow to symbolize how Hamilton should “slow down” and wait because eventually the actress comes back as Mariah, who is wearing a bright red dress as if to scream “STOP”

[LousSketchbook]

"Im no pet, im a married man!" thats ALL you had to do Hamilton!!!!

[.Elliott.Draws.]

Somewhere there's a video called "Odysseus teaches Hamilton how to say no to this"

[stocktonlevelgoblin]

Alexander: look, i hadent seen my wife in a week and was sleep deprived.
Odysseus: a week? I HADENT SEEN MY WIFE IN 20 YEARS!

[notme]

I love how Alexander is yelling at Maria but it was his fault ;-(

[cozygamergirlie]

I am confused about these uploads that are 5 years late? But like, I ain’t mad.

[alyssapanelo]

I kind of smile slyly whenever I hear this. Such a smooth song.

[erika]

I spy with my little eye a woman telling Hamilton to stay!

What, _Eliza?_ No, you’re behind the times. That’s been forgotten.

[DamianaCamiloaga]

I LOVE HOW IN SOME COMMENTS THEY MENTION ODYSSEY GIVING ALEXANDER A LESSON LOL

[JadeAleman]

When Velma offers Shaggy and Scooby a Scooby Snack to investigate.

[zar]

Eliza and Angelica: take a break
Alexander: I sleep
Mariah Reynolds: exists
Alexander: R E A L S H I T