The Mad Hatter Lyrics
The Mad Hatter
Hatter:Well, hello there, it's me
With how it's gonna be.
Settle down, and listen up good.
The old hatter is gone,
But the hat must go on
Worn by me. Is that understood?
So shut up and tow the line
While I redefine
How this all will be mine.
I have a dream.
It's got a full head of steam.
What is true, what is not
Can both change in a shot.
People, me, I couldn't care less.
Cause in two seconds flat
Living under my hat
Is the strategy for success.
I will look the other way
When you want to play
Something more than croquet.
You catch my drift?
A little personal gift.
I'm the mad hatter.
Come and follow me, this is it.
The mad hatter!
All you've gotta do is submit,
And if you don't, my friend,
Well, then in the end
There'll be nothing left to defend.
Know what I mean?
When you are facing the queen.
Upper cased, double spaced,
Everyone gets a taste
And a brand new leather hat band,
But to participate,
Let me reiterate,
You must first put me in command.
I'm the wonder, understand,
Under Wonderland.
Put the reins in my hand.
I'll do the rest,
As soon as you've acquiesced.
I'm the mad hatter!
Offerin' a little bit more.
The mad hatter,
Givin' you what you're looking for.
I am your best worst case
For the choice you face.
I'm the fastest rat in the race.
It's me or the queen
And her serene guillotine.
There is nothing I won't do.
There is nothing too taboo.
I will lie. I will cheat.
I will track you down and then hit delete, tout suite.
So, sweet, let me repeat
I'm the mad hatter!
Pledge allegiance while you still can!
The mad hatter,
More than just a hat with a plan.
I am where you belong,
The right kind of wrong,
And I'll still be going real strong.
The bottom line
Is everything will be fine.
As all the planets align,
It's gonna be so devine
When all of this will be mine!
Song Overview
Review and Highlights
This one struts. In three minutes the Hatter sells a coup as customer service: “All you gotta do is submit.” The groove clicks like a metronome on caffeine, the orchestra flashes chrome, and Shindle rides the line between threat and flirt. It’s Broadway pop with a villain’s wink - showbiz varnish over a very sharp blade.
Highlights - Key takeaways:
- Waltz with edge - triple meter keeps it elegant while the lyric makes it menacing.
- Character reveal through rhythm - clipped phrases, hard rhymes, sudden crescendos; power as stagecraft.
- World-building - Wonderland’s logic becomes corporate: rules are branding, ruthlessness is policy.
Creation History
Written by composer Frank Wildhorn with lyricist Jack Murphy, the number entered the show’s Broadway incarnation in 2011 after the Florida and Houston development runs. Kate Shindle originated the Broadway Hatter. The Original Broadway Cast album dropped in early May 2011 on Masterworks Broadway with Frank Wildhorn, David Lai, and Jason Howland producing.
Song Meaning and Annotations
Plot
Act I. Tea party scene. The Hatter steps up and announces a regime change. She reframes Wonderland as an opportunity: install her, enjoy perks, look away from the methods. The Queen’s guillotine hangs in the subtext like a chandelier. By the button, she’s claimed the narrative and, for now, the room.
Song Meaning
It’s a villain’s origin story sung like a sales pitch. The message is ruthless pragmatism: rules bend to will, optics beat ethics, fear is leverage. Mood starts arch and playful, hardens as the chorus repeats, then lands on possession - “When all of this will be mine” - not as dream, but forecast.
Annotations
“Settle down and listen up good”
Classic Wonderland inversion - down and up in the same breath. The Hatter bends language before she bends the room.
“Toe the line”
The idiom is military - bodies literally on the line. She’s not asking for compliance; she’s measuring it.
“And the fastest rat in the race!”
She knows the world is a maze of pointlessness - being best at it is the point. In Wonderland terms, that’s practically virtue.
“The Queen - and her serene guillotine”
A neat internal rhyme that makes state violence sound tidy. The Hatter’s offer looks friendlier by comparison. That’s deliberate.
“Tout suite!”
French for “right away.” Speed is part of the threat - act now or be deleted.
Style, production, and touchpoints
A swaggering theatre waltz - pop sheen over pit-orchestra punch. The brass pops, strings slice, percussion stamps the downbeat like a gavel. You hear cousins: Kander-esque bite in the patter, a hint of rock cabaret, and the modern Wildhorn hook machine doing its job. The Hatter’s other anchor piece, “I Will Prevail,” deepens the arc later; together they sketch a villain with a resume.
Key Facts
- Artist: Kate Shindle with the Original Broadway Cast
- Composer: Frank Wildhorn
- Lyricist: Jack Murphy
- Producers (cast album): Frank Wildhorn, David Lai, Jason Howland
- Release Date: May 3, 2011
- Album: Wonderland: A New Alice (Original Broadway Cast)
- Label: Masterworks Broadway - Sony Music Entertainment
- Length: 3:02
- Language: English
- Genre: Musical theatre, orchestral pop
- Instruments: voices, strings, brass, woodwinds, rhythm section
- Track #: 10
- Music style: triple-time waltz with pop-rock accents
- Poetic meter: brisk patter against legato chorus lines
- Broadway context: Act I tea party showpiece for the Hatter
- Orchestrations: Kim Scharnberg
Questions and Answers
- When was “The Mad Hatter” released on record?
- May 3, 2011, on the Masterworks Broadway Original Broadway Cast album.
- Who wrote “The Mad Hatter”?
- Music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Jack Murphy.
- Who performs it on the Broadway cast album?
- Kate Shindle as the Mad Hatter, with the company.
- Where does it fall in the show?
- Act I, following the “Mad Tea Party” sequence - the Hatter’s power pitch.
- Is there an official streaming upload?
- Yes - an official audio upload of the cast-album track is available on YouTube via Masterworks Broadway.
Awards and Chart Positions
- Astaire Awards 2011: Marguerite Derricks nominated for Outstanding Choreographer for Wonderland.
Additional Info
- Broadway run: Opened April 17, 2011 at the Marquis Theatre; closed May 15, 2011.
- Album release notes: Recorded March 6, 2011; released by Masterworks Broadway - producers Frank Wildhorn, David Lai, Jason Howland.
- Other versions in the world: A Japanese cast recording arrived in 2013; a UK tour in 2017 featured Natalie McQueen as the Hatter and added material.
- Related recording: Linda Eder cut a companion-styled piece, “The Mad Hatter Attacks,” on her 2010 album Now.