One Last Time (Hamilton song)
One Last Time is the ninth song from Act 2 of Hamilton, a show tune on the 2015 album Hamilton. It features Christopher Jackson as George Washington and Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton. The song shows Washington deciding not to run for re-election, introducing the idea of a peaceful transfer of power. He asks Hamilton to write his farewell address to the American people, sharing his thoughts on leadership and the importance of knowing how to say goodbye, and explains his wish to retire from public life.
In the second half, Washington’s Farewell Address is sung while Hamilton reads the words on the melody. The track also quotes a Bible verse about everyone living under their own vine and fig tree (Micah 4:4; with echoes of 1 Kings 4:25 and 2 Kings 18:31). Washington often quoted this line in his letters. The scene of Washington singing along as Hamilton reads the Farewell Address was inspired by will.i.am’s "Yes We Can," where people sing along to Barack Obama’s speech.
In December 2018, Lin-Manuel Miranda released a remix of the song featuring Barack Obama reciting extracts from the farewell speech. A fragment of this remix is reprised later in Hamilton, during "The World Was Wide Enough." The song is a shortened version of the off-Broadway predecessor "One Last Ride." The cast performed it for Obama at the White House near the end of his presidency, earning a standing ovation.
Some cast members and critics have noted the timely, reflective nature of the piece. Mashable describes the song as about duty and exiting office gracefully, while the track’s sound ranges from a gospel feel to smooth R&B. The drum beat was described by the Huffington Post as having a "GarageBand-y" character beside Christopher Jackson’s powerful vocals.
On December 21, 2018, the "One Last Time (44 Remix)"—featuring Christopher Jackson, BeBe Winans, and Barack Obama—was released as the final Hamildrop. It reached number 38 on the Digital Song Sales chart and number 22 on the Hot R&B Songs chart.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 13:27 (CET).