We’ve done it. We’ve made the long trek from those days of March fraught with uncertainty and loss to today, where we still have much uncertainty but we gain the game of baseball yet again, at least for a time. Cardinal baseball begins the 2020 season tonight against the Pirates.
So, with baseball right on the horizon, our topic today is the musical Hamilton. Of course.
Obviously Lin-Manuel Miranda’s epic work (which perhaps only pales to his Star Wars contribution) has been in the popular culture for quite some time. I can’t say that I have a huge familiarity with it all, because–and I know this is shocking–I’m not quite up with the latest fashions and popular items. However, given that my daughter, like most girls her age, seems to have somehow come in contact with and fully absorbed the soundtrack, when it showed up on Disney+ at the beginning of the month, we sat down and watched it.
For the most part, I found it quite entertaining. I knew the language was rough in spots–though I was NOT aware of the song that discussed, in no uncertain terms, Hamilton’s lack of fidelity to his wife–but overall it was a fun, engaging look at early American history. I’ve always been a little bit of a history buff and it inspired me to pick up some biographies on Amazon and start working through them. The music was quite entertaining, but there was limited songs that a old white guy like me felt really comfortable with.
Ah, but this play thinks of everything, even old white guys. Enter King George III.
There were a number of people in my circle of friends and acquaintances that were watching this for the first time and almost all of them named HRH as their favorite character. His foppish, over-the-top approach brought some humor into a play that at times needed that breather. It didn’t hurt that his songs were so infectious and repeatable.
So, with that in mind and baseball returning, there seemed to be a natural mixture here. I mean, “You’ll Be Back” just was begging for a baseball version. (OK, begging perhaps is overstating things.) And given my history, it was an opportunity not to be missed. Thankfully for you, though, I had help this time. My Gateway to Baseball Heaven cohost Tara Wellman, who is much more talented in all things musical than I am (and you could probably just take musical out of that sentence entirely), gave my rough draft a polish and made it work much better with the music. So anything you like below is probably from her, anything you don’t, that’s mine.
Tara actually will be releasing a video of this later on today, so be sure to look for that. (EDIT: It’s embedded below.) Until then…….
“I Am Back”
Today
The game that you love is returning to fields of play
We’ll try
To have fun while your presence we shun… there’s no ticket to buy
You were sad
We argued about our arrangement while we were away
It made you mad
Remember, despite our estrangement, you’re our fans…
I am back, great to see
You remember the old M L B
I am back, time will tell
If we can keep all of the players well
New rules rise, traditions fall
And Joe West’s still gonna blow some calls
But when push comes to shove
I will send a fully senseless TV blackout to remind you of your love
Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da
Da da dat dat da ya da!
Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da
Da da dat dat da
You say the virus spiking means we can’t go on
You’ll be the one complaining if we are gone
And no don’t change the subject
‘Cause I’m your favorite subject
There is no other subject
No viral, testing subject
For baseball. Just baseball. Just baseball and baseball and baseball.
I am back like before
Hey, does anybody know the score?
Bring your love, bring your praise
We can get you through these crazy days
60 games, playoff run
Won’t the chaos be a lot of fun?
And when push comes to shove
I will kill your favorite mascot in the minors to remind you of your love
Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da
Da da dat dat da ya da!
Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da
Da da dat—
Everybody!
Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da
Da da dat dat da ya da!
Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da da da da
Dat dat da ya da!
