Was will ich hier / What I Want Lyrics — Artus Excalibur

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

• What it is: A three-way confrontation song in Artus - Excalibur where Morgana stops being a rumor and becomes a claimant.
• Who drives the scene: Morgana, with Arthur and Merlin pushed into defense mode.
• Where it appears: Act I, after Camelot is rebuilt and the Round Table is founded, right when hope starts to feel real.
• How it plays: Tight, argumentative, and forward-leaning - less aria, more power play.
• Why it matters: It flips the story from building a kingdom to defending it from the inside.

Artus - Excalibur (2014) - stage musical - non-diegetic. Camelot arrival and demand scene. Morgana shows up at the newly restored court and insists the throne is hers. Arthur tries to welcome her, Merlin clocks the danger, and the room turns cold. The placement matters because the show deliberately waits until Camelot looks like a success before it introduces the family fracture that can ruin it.

This number is a classic Wildhorn trapdoor: the audience thinks the first act is about legitimacy, then the lyric shifts the argument to entitlement. Morgana does not ask for justice, she demands repayment. The writing makes her persuasive in the first minute - resentment often is - then exposes the ugly mechanics underneath: power as compensation, rule as a personal refund. Merlin functions like the adult in the room, but Arthur is the one who has to learn the hard lesson: mercy has limits when the other person is recruiting chaos.

• Key takeaway: The song defines Morgana by motive, not magic.
• Key takeaway: Arthur is forced into leadership by refusing an unjust claim, not by accepting applause.
• Key takeaway: Merlin becomes less mentor and more guardian, because he sees what is coming.

Creation History

Artus - Excalibur premiered at Theater St. Gallen on March 15, 2014, with music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Robin Lerner, and a book by Ivan Menchell. The German translation is credited to Nina Schneider. The cast recording documentation places "Was will ich hier" as an Act I trio assigned to Arthur, Merlin, and Morgana, and that assignment matches the scene design: three agendas colliding in one room, with no comfortable compromise.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Camelot has just been rebuilt. The Round Table has been founded. Arthur finally has something that resembles a future. Then Morgana arrives. Arthur welcomes her as family, while Merlin recognizes the threat in her energy and her history. Morgana rejects the warmth, states that she has been denied what is hers, and demands the throne. Arthur refuses to validate the demand. Morgana storms out, furious, and the act pivots from optimism to warning sirens.

Song Meaning

The title sounds like a simple question, but it is a strategy. Morgana uses it to control the conversation: she frames her presence as destiny, not choice, and her demand as correction, not attack. The meaning lands in two layers. First, it is about inheritance: the harm done by fathers, kings, and courts that decide who counts and who is disposable. Second, it is about what people do with that harm. Morgana turns pain into permission. Arthur tries to turn pain into duty. Merlin tries to prevent pain from becoming policy.

Annotations

No official, creator-published annotation set for this individual track was located in the consulted sources. The most reliable anchors are the documented song assignment (Arthur, Merlin, Morgana) and the plot beat: Morgana demands the throne and is refused.

"What I want" is not a wish list here - it is a claim of ownership.

That shift is the spine of the scene. Morgana is not negotiating. She is testing whether Camelot will bend the knee to her grievance.

The trio structure turns the number into courtroom music: accusation, defense, verdict.

Arthur is forced into a ruling stance on the spot, and Merlin is forced to stop being vague. The song tightens their relationship because both men realize the same thing at the same time: family can be the most dangerous battlefield.

Driving rhythm and dramatic feel

The pulse is built for confrontation. Lines land like steps forward, then stop short, like someone pacing while making demands. Instead of big romance swells, the writing favors momentum and clarity: who wants what, who refuses, who escalates.

Cultural touchpoints

Arthur stories often soften Morgana into a symbol. This musical gives her a job: disrupt the myth with a grievance that feels personal. That is why the scene hits. Viewers have met this kind of argument in real life - the idea that suffering entitles someone to control others. The song makes that logic sound tempting, then dangerous.

Technical Information (Quick Facts)

• Song: Was will ich hier (What I Want)
• Artist: Original St. Gallen cast (trio: Arthur, Merlin, Morgana)
• Featured: Arthur; Merlin; Morgana
• Composer: Frank Wildhorn
• Producer: Not reliably confirmed in the consulted sources
• Release Date: April 4, 2014
• Genre: Musical theatre
• Instruments: Theater orchestration (arrangements and orchestrations credited to Koen Schoots for the production)
• Label: HitSquad Records
• Mood: Confrontational; urgent; bitterly triumphant
• Length: 2:52
• Track #: 8
• Language: German
• Album (if any): Artus - Excalibur (2014 cast recording)
• Music style: Narrative theater-pop built for conflict and pacing
• Poetic meter: Mixed accentual (speech-led phrasing shaped for stage diction)

Frequently Asked Questions

Who sings this song in the show?

It is written as a trio for Arthur, Merlin, and Morgana.

What is happening during the number?

Morgana arrives in Camelot, rejects Arthur's welcome, and demands the throne. Arthur refuses.

Is this a villain song?

It is closer to a claim song. Morgana positions herself as the wronged heir, which makes the threat feel political, not just mystical.

Why does the scene land right after Camelot is rebuilt?

To raise the stakes. The audience has just seen a kingdom take shape, so the demand threatens something tangible, not an idea.

Does Merlin control the argument?

Not fully. Merlin sees the danger, but Arthur has to deliver the refusal. The song makes that division clear.

How long is the track on common editions?

Many physical-release tracklists list it at 2:52.

Is there a well-documented chart history for the track itself?

Track-level chart peaks are not widely documented for this individual number in the catalog sources used here.

Did the recording project around the premiere have a notable milestone?

Yes. According to Playbill, the concept recording tied to the St. Gallen production entered the No. 1 slot on Amazon and iTunes in Germany on April 3, 2014.

Additional Info

There is a sly piece of storytelling in how the trio is balanced. Arthur represents the future he is trying to build, Merlin represents the protective plan behind it, and Morgana represents the past that refuses to stay buried. Put them in one song and you get a miniature political thriller: a claimant walks in, calls the system illegitimate, and dares the new king to prove his authority without turning into a tyrant.

According to Playbill, the concept recording tied to the St. Gallen production hit No. 1 on German Amazon and iTunes on April 3, 2014. That kind of early traction helps explain why scenes like this remain easy to find in fan circulation: listeners latch onto the moment where the show stops feeling like a legend recap and starts feeling like a fight for the future.

Key Contributors

Sources

Sources: Playbill, Wikipedia, Discogs, YouTube