Context: The song is sung by Aaron Burr, who talks about the secret meeting between James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton in which they chose the new location for the nation’s capital. This  dinner helped create the Compromise of 1790.

Additional Information of the Statesmen Circa 1790:

Aaron Burr - He was the appointed New York State Attorney General at the time. Burr was an American politician and lawyer.

James Madison - He helped draft the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Madison was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and created the Democratic-Republican Party with Thomas Jefferson to oppose Hamilton.

Thomas Jefferson - At the time, he was the Secretary of State for George Washington. He wrote the Declaration of Independence.

Alexander Hamilton - During this time, Hamilton was the Secretary of the Treasury for George Washington. The position had just recently been created and he was the first to fill the position. He helped promote the Constitution and started the Federalist Party.

Consider this: With only three individuals in the room, who holds the decision-making power, the three individuals or the people?

Lyrics

No one else was in

The room where it happened

The room where it happened

The room where it happened

No one else was in

The room where it happened

The room where it happened

The room where it happened

No one really knows how the game is played

The art of the trade

How the sausage gets made

We just assume that it happens

But no one else is in

The room where it happens

1806 portrait of Alexander Hamilton by John Trumbull, photo from commons.wikimedia.org

Clip from the Hamilton musical song "The Room Where It Happens" written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, 2015