I Will Prevail Lyrics
I Will Prevail
A child believes the best in you,And that belief
Always makes the darkest lies
Seem almost true.
With slight of hand,
This almost truth
Can beguile the purest youth
To Wonderland.
Now every piece is in place
And all that’s left to erase
Before I take over all the power,
Is every trace of dear Alice
Then the Queen,
She’s been a thorn in my side
And she can run but can’t hide
We’re fast approaching
The witching hour
And settling scores
Is my routine.
Oh well, all’s well ends well,
Farewell Alice!
Too late,
Checkmate is your fate -
It’s over!
I come alive
When you’re afraid!
I’ll write the ending
Of your tragic Fairytale,
I will survive,
And you will fade.
A withered flower small and frail,
While I prevail.
This time it’s gonna be me
The last thing you’ll ever see,
An Armageddon of my devising,
There’s no way you can escape
From what I do.
So leave your half-hearted souls
For me to bully and rule,
The sly magician
Of compromising,
To conjure all that is false
Until it’s true.
Poor Jack, black Jack
Sad sack, fallen Hero,
Bad news, you lose,
Light the fuse,
It’s over!
You die, I thrive
And so it goes.
I am the ending
Of your tragic Fairytale,
I will survive,
And Heaven knows
There is no way that I can fail,
I will prevail!
Song Overview
Review and Highlights
I Will Prevail lands like a calling card - the Mad Hatter’s slick manifesto set to Wildhorn’s pop-rock sheen. It’s compact, theatrical, and shamelessly hooky. Shindle rides a prowling verse into a chesty belt on the title line, turning menace into momentum. Even if you’ve never seen Wonderland, the track tells you exactly who runs the room.
- Highlights: chessboard wordplay, rhythmic taunts, and that last climactic belt.
- Key takeaways: fear is leverage, swagger is strategy, and the Hatter writes the ending.
Creation History
Composed by Frank Wildhorn with lyrics by Jack Murphy, the number appears on the Wonderland: A New Alice Original Broadway Cast Recording released by Masterworks Broadway in 2011. Onstage, Shindle’s Hatter carries the show’s darker voltage, and this track crystallizes the character’s coup - a villain song with pop-radio muscle.
Song Meaning and Annotations
Plot
Midway through the story, the Hatter has leverage - Alice’s daughter Chloe. With allies scattered, the Hatter steps forward and declares checkmate. She mocks the heroes, promises a rewrite of the tale, and savors the fear she’s created. The lyric sketches a coup in real time: pieces are set, the fuse is lit, the ending belongs to her.
Song Meaning
The track is about control - not just winning, but savoring the swing of power. The Hatter reframes Wonderland as a stage for manipulation, where “almost truth” can bend anyone. The message: spin it long enough and it hardens into fact. Mood-wise it starts conspiratorial, grows swaggering, then detonates in triumph. Contextually, it plays as Act Two’s engine in some productions, a jolt that resets the stakes and raises the temperature for the back half.
Annotations
A child believes / The best in you... This “almost truth” / Can beguile the purest youth / To Wonderland
The staging often doubles the Hatter’s line with whispering voices - a creepy chorus that sells the idea of suggestion and “almost truth” taking root.
Now every piece is in place
The chessboard image anchors the song’s strategy talk - this Wonderland thinks in ranks and files.
Checkmate is your fate
The Hatter doesn’t just taunt; she claims finality. No more moves left for Alice.
I come alive when you’re afraid
A clean bit of foreshadowing. Fear isn’t a byproduct here - it’s fuel.
Style and production
Groove-forward pop-rock with bright guitars and a tight drum pocket supports a theatrical belt. Orchestrations leave space for barbed consonants - the taunts land clean - then stack backing voices for the final surge.
Language and imagery
Chess, sleight-of-hand, and “tragic fairy tale” frame the Hatter as both magician and editor. She will rewrite your story, then cut to the end.
Key Facts
- Artist: Kate Shindle
- Composer: Frank Wildhorn
- Lyricist: Jack Murphy
- Album: Wonderland: A New Alice (Original Broadway Cast) (2011)
- Release Date: May 3, 2011
- Label: Masterworks Broadway
- Length: 3:39
- Track #: 15
- Genre: Musical theatre, pop-rock
- Mood: defiant, razor-edged, triumphant
- Notable stage interpreters: Kate Shindle (Broadway), Natalie McQueen (UK tour)
- Context: villain-anthem centerpiece for the Mad Hatter
Questions and Answers
- When did Frank Wildhorn release “I Will Prevail”?
- The track appears on the Original Broadway Cast Recording released May 3, 2011.
- Who wrote “I Will Prevail”?
- Music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Jack Murphy.
- Who first recorded it for the cast album?
- Kate Shindle, as the Mad Hatter, with the Wonderland ensemble.
- Is there a notable later stage version?
- Yes - Natalie McQueen’s UK tour performance became a fan-favorite clip and press highlight.
- Where does the number sit in the story’s arc?
- It marks the Hatter’s power grab - the moment the villain declares authorship of the ending.
Awards and Chart Positions
The show that birthed the song - Wonderland - received a 2011 Astaire Award nomination for choreography. No official single release or chart entry is documented for this track, though the album rollout and later UK tour kept the number in circulation.
How to Sing I Will Prevail
Vocal range: roughly F#3 to E5, sitting in a mezzo-belter pocket. Original key: F# minor. Feel: mid-tempo pop-rock around the high 80s bpm. Treat the verses like a tight coil - clipped consonants, forward placement - then open into a clean, supported belt on “prevail.” Keep the sneer without chewing vowels. Plan breaths before the “You die - I thrive” run. That last E5 wants core support and a no-spread vowel; think focus, not volume. If your mix flips under pressure, lower the key a half or whole step rather than muscling it.
Additional Info
- Album producers: Frank Wildhorn, Jason Howland, David Lai.
- UK tour notices singled out the Hatter’s number as a showstopper, with Natalie McQueen’s rendition praised for sheer firepower.
- Contemporary reviews of the Broadway run noted Shindle’s venom-with-style approach on this song.