I’m thrilled to say that composer Norman Berman and I have released a new song from our epic musical “The Burning of the White House”!

“The Burning of the White House” is the true story of Paul Jennings, a young slave to President and Mrs. Madison, and his growth from boy to man while living through the British invasion of the nation’s capital and the subsequent burning of the White House in the War of 1812 – a seminal even in the nation’s history (and now quite topical).

In this song (the final musical number), young Paul, James and Dolley Madison, and various other servants and politicians have returned to the smoking hull of the White House after the British leave the city and now face the enormous task of rebuilding the structure that served for so many people as a symbol of the nation.

The song traces the emotional highs and lows of all present as they cope with the enormity of the task before them – first with pessimism, then with hope, then with humble reality.