What Comes Next? Lyrics – Hamilton

Song Overview

Song Credits

• Featured Vocal: Jonathan Groff (as King George III)
• Producers: ?uestlove, Black Thought, Alex Lacamoire, Bill Sherman, Lin-Manuel Miranda
• Composer / Writer: Lin-Manuel Miranda
• Release Date: September 25, 2015
• Album: Hamilton: An American Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• Genre: Pop-tinged Show Tune with Royal Sass
• Instrumentation: Keyboards, Harp, Banjo, Guitar, Bass, Violin, Viola, Cello, Synthesizer, Drums, Percussion
• Label: Atlantic Records & Hamilton Uptown LLC
• Mood: Sardonic, smug, faintly wounded
• Recording Studio: Avatar Studios, New York City
• Mastering Engineer: Tom Coyne
• Copyrights © ?: 2015 Hamilton Uptown LLC / Atlantic Recording Corporation

Song Meaning and Annotations

What Comes Next? strolls onstage like a powdered-wigged mic-drop. King George III—played with delicious glower by Jonathan Groff—picks up exactly where “You’ll Be Back” left off, same harpsichord shimmer, same rubber-band bounce, but now the colonies have ghosted him and he is not taking it well. Imagine a jilted lover leafing through breakup letters while his orchestra cheerfully saws away behind him. That’s the vibe.

The composition leans on a jaunty 6/8 swing and a glistening pop arrangement—almost a Beatles-esque nursery rhyme—underscoring the monarch’s petulance. Every line drips sarcasm: “Do you know how hard it is to lead?” he sighs, as if offering fatherly advice while secretly hoping the children choke on their newfound freedom.

There’s historical subtext, too. By 1781 Britain’s public coffers were bleeding from simultaneous conflicts with France, Spain, and the Dutch. Parliament was done footing the bill. The track’s breezy clockwork masks real political panic—oceans really do rise, empires really do fall, and kings really do lose profitable colonies.

Opening Couplet

“They say / The price of my war’s not a price that they’re willing to pay…”

With that rhymed ledger sheet, George both acknowledges defeat and deflects blame. The crown’s treasury is his broken heart, and Parliament’s thriftiness is his two-timing ex.

Middle Quip

“Oceans rise / Empires fall / It’s much harder when it’s all your call.”

A taut little proverb delivered like a taunt: good luck steering your own ship, kids. He’s basically subtweeting George Washington.

Final Sting

“When your people say they hate you / Don’t come crawling back to me.”

The breakup turns toxic. George’s falsetto twinkle can’t hide the vinegar—this is a royal door slam in three-part harmony.

Annotations

“What comes next?”.

Washington’s guerrilla raids and spycraft finally made British ministers admit the war was too costly to grind on. Parliament flipped, and with other wars raging against France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic, London dropped the fight.

Plenty of Britons had sympathized with the colonies all along, so when loyalist MPs lost power the end arrived swiftly.

Onstage, King George stamps and the lights wash blue after

“I’m so blue.”.

The shade nods to reports of his blue-tinged urine — a classic sign of porphyria or medicine-stained fluids — one reason historians tag him “mad.”

The break-up gag continues: France — Britain’s arch-rival — armed the rebels, turning the lyric

“When you’re gone, I’ll go mad”

into a snarky reminder that foreign help tipped the scales.

France joined the shooting in 1778, Spain in 1779, dragging Britain through decades of coalition wars. Surrendering America was only one costly defeat, and the setbacks dented public faith in George III.

He grumbles that the colonists wrecked their “arrangement.” Britain expected settlers to mine New-World riches and funnel tribute home; rebellion feels like outright betrayal.

“Estrangement.”.

The term doubles as polite separation and pre-divorce distance — perfect for George’s breakup motif.

His passive jab

“You’ve been freed.”

withholds agency, echoing slaveholders who claimed the enslaved could never fend for themselves. Washington will later echo the warning: winning is easy — governing is harder.

George mocks with a teenager’s accent:

“Awesome, wow.”.

Ironically, late-1700s upper-class English sounded closer to modern American than to today’s Received Pronunciation, so the Valley-Girl taunt may resemble his real speech after all.

He paints America as a runaway child. New nations juggle taxes, wars, and debt alone; many, like modern Egypt, have stumbled after their revolutions. George bets the colonies will crawl back.

“Oceans rise, empires fall.”.

Sea level was stable in the 1700s, yet the warning lands: the British Empire will still last another century, but waves — and fortunes — do shift.

This is the one royal solo where no ensemble voices answer. Symbolically, America stands alone now — and so, in a way, does Britain.

The song ends on the mediant, not the tonic; the unresolved note leaves listeners literally asking, what comes next? Onstage, George shrugs, spins, and marches off, closing the royal ledger on his lost colonies.

Similar Songs

1. “You’ll Be Back” – Jonathan Groff
   The obvious sibling: identical melodic DNA, but in the earlier tune the king still thinks he holds the reins. “What Comes Next?” is that same anthem after a reality check, making the pair a before-and-after diptych in royal denial.
2. “Send in the Clowns” – Stephen Sondheim
   Both songs are wry soliloquies delivered by characters grappling with loss and irony. Musically understated, lyrically barbed, each number weaponizes politeness to mask bruised ego.
3. “When I’m Sixty-Four” – The Beatles
   McCartney’s vintage-music-box swing echoes here. Swap doting retirement plans for imperial sarcasm and you get King George lounging on a velvet settee, humming about failed colonies instead of grandchildren.

Questions and Answers

Is the melody entirely new?

No—the tune intentionally mirrors “You’ll Be Back,” reinforcing the king’s refusal to evolve.

Why the upbeat feel for such bitter lyrics?

The sugary arrangement heightens the comedic contrast, making the barbs land sharper.

Does King George ever appear again?

Yes—he pops back in “I Know Him,” still convinced the colonies will regret their independence.

What vocal tricks does Jonathan Groff use?

Crystal diction, clipped consonants, and that famously weaponized lisp, turning every “s” into confetti-coated shade.

Historical accuracy level?

While George never sang pop ballads, the sentiment reflects his letters: bewildered, wounded, and dismissive of American self-rule.

Fan and Media Reactions

The comment sections glow with GIFs of Groff’s regal spit-spray and playful crown tilts—proof that stagecraft plus cheeky pop is internet catnip.

“He serves more side-eye per syllable than an entire season of reality TV.” —CrownWatcher22

“Somehow polite, petty, and catchy—my toddler marches to it while clutching a plastic tiara.” —DadKingGeorge

“Best breakup anthem for every freelance client that ghosted me.” —InvoiceRebel

“Groff’s micro-pause before ‘Awesome. Wow.’ deserves its own Tony.” —StageWhisperer

“Three minutes of concentrated shade—can we bottle this and spray it on Twitter?” —RoyalTeaSpiller