“Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba  (Here comes a lion, Father) Sithi uhm ingonyama” (Oh yes, it’s a lion). Yes, that did just happen. The Lion King’s opening song, The Circle of Life, had to be the opening sentence. Complete with translation, because that’s what us Disney buffs do. Disney movies, from the classics to the most recent, packs in punches to every story line they recreate, or originally come up with. If it’s a movie made by them, you are sure to be dazzled, especially by their music. It’s a whole new world with unbelievable sights, indescribable feelings that keeps you soaring, tumbling and weaving through every surprise turn. Okay, that was a lot from the movie Aladdin. In this case though, it is completely accurate to describe all the emotions that Disney movie songs can take you through. Most are easy to recite, but there’s a few that are often misunderstood. Some will even make a man out of you! So let’s get down to business, and defeat these Disney song lyrics!

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There are countless Disney movie songs that are easy to remember, but if we take a closer look at the lyrics, you might find that you have been singing them wrong your whole life! We can’t all be perfectionists when it comes to remembering all of the words, but if you’re a karaoke enthusiast you will want to be prepared before the words flash across the screen and stun you into silence. Nobody wants that. Without further ado, the top five Disney songs that we might all have been hearing wrong. A mondegreen, if you will.

  • Mulan– “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You.” Most hear “with all the force of the great Thai food.” While that is the more delicious option, it is not correct. “With all the force of a great typhoon” is the accurate line. We are just getting started here, are you singing the songs yet?
  • Beauty and The Beast– “Be Our Guest.” Lumiere’s production is so fast paced and inviting that it is hard to make out every word that is sung. What is mistaken as “horse pie course” doesn’t make much sense, but it’s fine dining they suggest! The real lyrics are, “course by course, one by one, until you shout enough I’m done!” Alas, we aren’t done.
  • The Lion King– “The Circle of Life.” Besides the one at the top of this article, there are a few lyrics that are difficult to understand. That is not really your fault if you are an English speaker. They are sung in Zulu, which is spoken by 95% of the people of Africa. The words might be difficult to say once you see what they really are, and the words we think we hear might be a little more entertaining. The lyrics, “ingonyama nengw enmabala,” have translated to our ears as, “pink pajamas penguins on the bottom.” We don’t know about you, but that just seems silly but that’s what it sounds like! It’s better than the other misheard phrase, “penguin llama, penguin, I’m a buy ya.”
  • Aladdin– “Friend Like Me.” You just can’t deny that the Genie is one of the best characters in Aladdin. Robin Williams voices this kooky character, with memorable facial expressions and musical numbers. What is misheard? “You got a genie, for he charged and fell.” What he really says is, “you got a genie for a charge d’affaire”s.” The term is French for “charged with (in charge of) matters.” Did you know that? I feel like we are learning a lot today!
  • The Lion King (again)- “Be Prepared.” So once again we have arrived at this movie, and this time the misunderstanding isn’t caused by a language barrier. The misheard phrase, “A shining new mirror is tiptoeing nearer.” That just sounds terrifying. Why is there a mirror tiptoeing, and why is it coming near us? The actual lyrics, “a shining new era is tiptoeing nearer.” Okay, that’s acceptable. Now we might have nightmares about mirrors though. I am covering mine as a type this.

    • There are more of course, and we encourage you to put this challenge to the test and figure out if you have what it takes to conquer all of the lyrics to these Disney tunes. If not, let it go and join the rest of the masses that will now forever sing about Thai food, and llamas. Are there lyrics that you know of that weren’t mentioned above? Let’s talk about it! Leave your comments below, pull up a chair and be our guest!