For Forever (Reprise) Lyrics
Ben Platt & Original Broadway Cast of Dear Evan HansenFor Forever (Reprise)
[FINALE]EVAN: (spoken)
Dear Evan Hansen,
Today is going to be a good day and here's why
because today, no matter what else, today at least, you're you.
No secrets or lying.
Just you
Maybe someday everything that happened,
Maybe it will all feel like a distant memory.
Maybe ten years from now, no-one will even remember about the Connor Project or me.
They'll just come here and pick apples and enjoy their picnics and that'll be it.
EVAN: (sung)
All we see is sky for forever
Let the world pass by for forever
Feels like we could go on for forever this way
This way
EVAN: (spoken)
Maybe some day some other kid is going to be standing out here, staring at the trees.
Feeling so alone,wondering if the world might look different from all the way up there.
Then maybe he'll start climbing one branch at a time
and he'll keep going, even when it seems like he can't find another foothold.
Even when it feels hopeless, like everything is telling him to just let go.
This time, maybe this time he won't let go.
He'll just hold on.
He'll hold on and he'll keep going.
He'll keep going until he sees the sun.
WHOLE CAST:
All we see is light for forever
(all we see is light for forever)
'cause the sun shines bright for forever
(the sun shines bright)
Life will be alright for forever this way
This way
All we see is light
Watch the sun burn bright
We will be alright for forever this way
All we see is sky for forever
EVAN: All I see is sky for forever
Song Overview
Review and Highlights
“Finale” lands a year after the storm. No fireworks, no podium speech - just Evan and Zoe in the orchard, where the myth began. The song folds back to the melody of “For Forever,” but it trims the fantasy. Ensemble voices lift the hook in unison, then Evan steps out alone with a small but decisive switch of pronoun. The writing is compact, the orchestration spare - a last inhale before the lights go out.
Highlights
- Reprise architecture - the earlier idyll returns, stripped of embellishment and shared illusions.
- Pronoun pivot - the final line resolves “we” into “I,” marking the character’s new footing.
- Chamber-pop palette - strings, guitars, piano, and a soft rhythm section keep the focus on text and breath.
Creation History
The cut is the show’s closer on the Dear Evan Hansen (Original Broadway Cast Recording); the album’s creative team shaped a pop-conscious theatre sound with tight band orchestration and clear vocal focus. The recording’s production and arranging team unified motifs across the score so this reprise feels inevitable rather than ornamental.
Song Meaning and Annotations
Plot
Time has passed. Evan meets Zoe at the orchard dedicated to Connor. They talk plainly. No invention, no ghost in the room. Evan writes himself one more letter - not a script to play, but a reminder to keep showing up as he is. The chorus arrives as a memory of “For Forever,” then thins to a solo: he no longer needs a partner to prop up his story.
Song Meaning
The reprise converts wish into acceptance. Where Act 1 chased a perfect day with two boys on a tree, the last scene accepts a single, steadier horizon. The message: self-recognition beats self-invention. Mood-wise it starts communal and resolves inward - a gentle decrescendo from shared mantra to individual truth. Culturally the number closes a score that blends contemporary pop writing with Broadway craft - a 2010s theatre language of acoustic guitars over synth pads, a rhythm section that breathes like a band rather than a pit.
Annotations
“Dear Evan Hansen, Today is going to be a good day. And here’s why:”
We return to the letters - same ritual, different heart. The commentary notes how this mirrors the opening habit but finally removes the dread. Evan writes because he wants to, not because a therapist assigned it.
“Because today, today at least you’re you and”
The analysis points out a reset: the lies have been retired. He stakes the day on authenticity rather than performance. That’s the arc - invention to identity.
“That’s enough.”
The annotation underlines the fulcrum. Early in the show he feels negligible; here he sets a baseline of sufficiency. The line is short, almost prosaic - that’s the point.
“All we see is sky for forever / We let the world pass by for forever …”
The reprise recalls “For Forever,” the invented afternoon that once sold a friendship. Bringing it back now reframes the dream - the image of sky stays, the fantasy falls away.
“All I see is sky for forever.”
That pronoun change carries weight. He no longer needs a phantom “we” to justify his place in the view. The analysis links this moment to the show’s inner bargain with Connor’s memory - letting the specter go and standing alone without it.
Style and instrumentation
Light percussion, acoustic guitars, piano, and a lean string section trace the show’s modern theatre-pop blend. Orchestrations stay uncluttered. Harmonies bloom for a bar or two, then recede so the text can land. The emotional path is measured - from collective reassurance to private resolve.
Metaphors and symbols
- Sky/light - once a screen for wishful thinking, now a workable horizon.
- Letters - originally instruments of avoidance; by the end, a tool for self-keeping.
- Pronouns - the move from “we” to “I” functions as the character’s quiet thesis.
Key Facts
- Artist: Ben Platt & Original Broadway Cast of Dear Evan Hansen
- Composer: Benj Pasek, Justin Paul
- Lyricist: Benj Pasek, Justin Paul
- Producer: Alex Lacamoire; Benj Pasek; Justin Paul; co-producer Stacey Mindich; Atlantic A&R production by Pete Ganbarg
- Release Date: February 3, 2017
- Album: Dear Evan Hansen (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
- Label: Atlantic Records - under exclusive license from Autumn Smile Broadway LLC
- Genre: Musical theatre, contemporary pop-influenced show tune
- Length: 1:35
- Instruments: piano, guitars, bass, drums, strings (violin/concertmaster, viola, cello)
- Language: English
- Mood: reflective, accepting, forward-looking
- Track #: 14
- Music style: chamber-pop band with clean vocal layering
- © Copyrights: © 2017 Autumn Smile Broadway Limited Liability Company; under exclusive license to Atlantic Recording Corporation
Questions and Answers
- Who produced “Finale” on the cast album?
- Alex Lacamoire with Benj Pasek and Justin Paul as album producers, co-produced by Stacey Mindich, with Atlantic’s Pete Ganbarg credited on the label side.
- When was “Finale” released?
- As part of the digital cast album release on February 3, 2017, with CD following later that month.
- Who wrote the music and lyrics?
- Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
- Is “Finale” in the 2021 film adaptation?
- No - the movie reshapes the ending and does not include a distinct track titled “Finale.”
- Are there notable non-English versions?
- Yes - the Brazilian Portuguese staging (Querido Evan Hansen) performs the closer as “Final,” reflecting the localized book and lyrics.
Awards and Chart Positions
- Grammy: Best Musical Theater Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards - awarded to the cast, composers, and album producers.
- Billboard 200 debut: No. 8 - the highest debut for a cast album since 1961.
- Top Broadway Albums: No. 1 on debut week.
- RIAA: Gold certification for the cast album in 2019.
Additional Info
Release formats - digital first, then physical. The album later received a deluxe edition with cut songs and covers. Internationally, the score has traveled widely; the Brazilian staging surfaced with a localized closer titled “Final.”
On-screen adaptation - the film keeps core numbers but reshapes the final stretch and adds new songs for Alana and Connor, altering the emotional landing without a named “Finale.”