What This Article Contains?

Part 1: Lyrics

Part 2: Exercises 

Theodosia writes me a letter every day
I’m keeping her bed warm while her husband is away
He’s on the British side in Georgia
He’s trying to keep the colonies in line
But he can keep all of Georgia
Theodosia, she’s mine

Love doesn’t discriminate
Between the sinners
And the saints
It takes and it takes and it takes
And we keep loving anyway
We laugh and we cry
And we break
And we make our mistakes
And if there’s a reason I’m by her side
When so many have tried
Then I’m willing to wait for it
I’m willing to wait for it

[Burr:]
My grandfather was a fire and brimstone preacher
([Men:] Preacher, preacher, preacher)
But there are things that the
Homilies and hymns won’t teach ya
([Men:] Teach ya, teach ya, teach ya)
My mother was a genius
([Women:] Genius)
My father commanded respect
([Men:] Respect, respect)
When they died they left no instructions
Just a legacy to protect

[Burr/Ensemble:]
Death doesn’t discriminate
Between the sinners and the saints
It takes and it takes and it takes
And we keep living anyway
We rise and we fall
And we break
And we make our mistakes
And if there’s a reason I’m still alive
When everyone who loves me has died
I’m willing to wait for it (wait for it)
I’m willing to wait for it

Wait for it
[Ensemble:]
Wait for it
Wait for it
Wait for it
[Burr:]
I am the one thing in life I can control
[Ensemble:]
Wait for it
Wait for it
Wait for it
Wait for it
[Burr:]
I am inimitable
I am an original
[Ensemble:]
Wait for it
Wait for it
Wait for it
Wait for it
[Burr:]
I’m not falling behind or running late
[Ensemble:]
Wait for it
Wait for it
Wait for it
Wait for it
[Burr:]
I’m not standing still
I am lying in wait
[Ensemble:]
Wait
Wait
Wait
[Burr:]
Hamilton faces an endless uphill climb
[Ensemble:]
Climb
Climb
Climb
[Burr:]
He has something to prove
He has nothing to lose
[Ensemble:]
Lose
Lose
Lose
Lose
[Burr:]
Hamilton’s pace is relentless
He wastes no time
[Ensemble:]
Time
Time
Time
[Burr:]
What is it like in his shoes?

Hamilton doesn’t hesitate
He exhibits no restraint
He takes and he takes and he takes
And he keeps winning anyway
He changes the game
He plays and he raises the stakes
And if there’s a reason
He seems to thrive when so few survive, then Goddamnit

[Burr and Company:]
I’m willing to wait for it (wait for it, wait for…)
I’m willing to wait for it…

Life doesn’t discriminate
Between the sinners and the saints
It takes and it takes and it takes
And we keep living anyway
We rise and we fall and we break
And we make our mistakes
And if there’s a reason I’m still alive
When so many have died
Then I’m willin’ to
[Burr:]
Wait for it…
[Women:]
Wait for it…
[Men:]
Wait for it…
[Burr:]
Wait for it…
[Women:]
Wait for it…
[Men:]
Wait for it…
[Women:]
Wait for it…
[Men:]
Wait for it…
[Women:]
Wait for it…
[Men:]
Wait for it…
[Women:]
Wait for it…
[Men:]
Wait…

Part 2: Exercises

This hit written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and performed by Leslie Odom Jr. is not easy, but in the end not that hard either. In the end mastering, this song comes down to rhythm and hitting the few high notes.

Hitting the Hight Notes

One of the best exercises for increasing your vocal range and for practicing a new song is the siNG exercise. Doing the siNG exercise you stretch out the -ng sound at the end of the word sing, which causes the vocal cords to close together in a smooth controlled fashion. This way of training the vocal cords allows you to go up and down in pitch slowly in a controlled way.

When done correctly this is like doing bicep curls for your voice

The sing exercise allows you to expand your vocal range without forcing or shouting. One of the best features of this exercise is that when done correctly it demonstrates the singers’ actual range. If your voice cracks in the middle of it, meaning while going higher the vocal cords aren’t able to maintain a solid hold to each other causing air to slip through causing the -ng sound to stop, then that’s an indicator of you pushing your voice too high too fast.

Sing Exercise Done Correctly

The most important thing to remember and what most people get wrong is overdoing this.

You don’t need a lot of pressure. The less pressure the better.

The goal here is to achieve minimal vocal cord contact needed in order to create an ongoing smooth -ng sound, which allows you to move up and down in pitch.

Moving up and down in pitch in a controlled way when your vocal cords are vibrating together makes this the perfect exercise for increasing vocal range.

The higher you go the harder that vocal cord contact is to maintain.

That’s because the frequency of the vibration is increasing creating more tension.

Doing this exercise on an on going basis will help you to increase your vocal range dramatically. As long as you don’t overtrain and let your body recover.

Practicing Specific Notes

The same exercise can and should be used for the difficult notes in the song you are practicing. Because singing high notes depend largely on the flexibility of your vocal cords, the sing exercise is a perfect fit.

In ‘Wait For It’ Leslie Odom Junior goes as high as F4.

This can be easy for some and quite difficult for others, depending on their genetics and amount of previous singing experience.

When practicing any song, not just this one example I would recommend

Start without the lyrics.

Use the sing exercise and go through each and every note in the song until the melody gets instilled into your muscle memory. This is HUGE for learning songs fast.

Once you know you can hit the notes because you’ve practiced each one individually using the -ng sound, the rest is easy.

After all, when you are singing you’re not supposed to be thinking about hitting the right notes. You should be concentrating on the emotional expression of the song.

That’s why doing these exercises is so important, because when you are singing that’s not a time to be thinking about technique, but the emotions and the story you want to convey.

Technique is huge. It should and has been practiced by everyone serious about singing in one way or the other.

So if you found this article helpful and would like to get better at singing fast learn more here.