Best of Wives and Best of Women
Producers
Alexander, come back to sleep
[HAMILTON]
I have an early meeting out of town
[ELIZA]
It’s still dark outside
[HAMILTON]
I know. I just need to write something down
[ELIZA]
Why do you write like you’re running out of time?
[HAMILTON]
Shhh
[ELIZA]
Come back to bed. That would be enough
[HAMILTON]
I’ll be back before you know I’m gone
[ELIZA]
Come back to sleep
This meeting’s at dawn
[ELIZA]
Well, I’m going back to sleep
[HAMILTON]
Hey. Best of wives and best of women
About
This interlude is almost entirely set to the same tune as “It’s Quiet Uptown,” acknowledging the repaired relationship between Eliza and Alexander while also foreshadowing that further unimaginable loss is about to take place.
The title—and final line of the song—comes from Hamilton’s closing in one of his last two letters to Eliza:
It’s also worth noting that this is the third time this particular chord progression is repeated in the show. It first appears at the end of “That Would Be Enough”, then during “It’s Quiet Uptown”, and finally in this song. This, musically, shows that they’re on the same page.
Throughout the musical, Alexander and Eliza have a problem with being on the same page, musically. He tries to sing a Schuyler line and sings the wrong melody. She tries to match his pace, and is uncomfortably hurried.
In the three songs where this chord progression is played, it can be interpreted as Alexander and Eliza understanding one another on a fundamental level. In a musical where everything is sung rather than spoken, sharing the same melody is representative of deep connection. Therefore, when this melody is played, Eliza and Alexander’s connection is realized by both the audience and the characters.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Yes, but they reconnected during the events of “It’s Quiet Uptown.” Although together again, she did not rejoin the narrative until “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story,” where she continues Alexander’s legacy.
In Hamilton: The Revolution, Lin-Manuel Miranda said of this song:
This started out as a note trying to explain how my wife really is the ‘best of wives and best of women,’ but I’m trying to get at something more important—this show simply doesn’t exist without Vanessa. It’s a love letter to her."
- 3.My Shot
- 10.Helpless
- 11.Satisfied
- 13.Wait For It
- 14.Stay Alive
- 16.Meet Me Inside
- 18.Guns and Ships
- 21.What Comes Next?
- 22.Dear Theodosia
- 23.Non-Stop
- 24.What’d I Miss
- 26.Take a Break
- 27.Say No to This
- 32.One Last Time
- 33.I Know Him
- 35.We Know
- 36.Hurricane
- 38.Burn
- 39.Blow Us All Away
- 44.Best of Wives and Best of Women