Under the Sea – English Lyrics

• By: Samuel E. Wright
• Album: The Little Mermaid

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the delightful world of 'Under the Sea' and explore the language of joy and contentment! This song from *The Little Mermaid*, performed by Samuel E. Wright, uses vivid imagery and lively rhythms to celebrate the wonders of marine life and teach valuable lessons about appreciating your own environment . Learn English through music and discover why life is truly 'the bubbles' under the sea!

[English]

Ariel, listen to me

The human world, it's a mess

Life under the sea is better than anyting they got up there

The seaweed is always greener

In somebody else's lake

You dream about going up there

But that is a big mistake

Just look at the world around you

Right here on the ocean floor

Such wonderful things surround you

What more is you looking for?

Under the sea

Under the sea

Darlin' it's better

Down where it's wetter

Take it from me

Up on the shore, they work all day

Out in the sun, they slave away

While we devotin'

Full time to floatin'

Under the sea

...

Down here all the fish is happy

As off through the waves they roll

The fish on the land ain't happy

They're sad 'cause they're in the bowl

But fish in the bowl is lucky

They in for a worser fate

One day when the boss gets hungry

Guess who's gon' be on the plate (Oh no!)

Under the sea

Under the sea

Nobody beat us

Fry us and eat us

In fricassee

We what the land folks loves to cook

Under the sea, we off the hook

We got no troubles

Life is the bubbles

Under the sea (under the sea)

Under the sea (under the sea)

Since life is sweet here

We got the beat here naturally (naturally)

Even the sturgeon an' the ray

They get the urge an' start to play

We got the spirit

You got to hear it

Under the sea

The newt play the flute

The carp play the harp

The plaice play the bass

And they're soundin' sharp

The bass play the brass

The chub play the tub

The fluke is the duke of soul (yeah)

The ray, he can play

The ling on the strings

The trout rockin' out

The blackfish, she sings

The smelt and the sprat

They know where it's at

An' oh that blowfish blow!

...

Yeah, under the sea (under the sea)

Under the sea (under the sea)

When the sardine

Begin the beguine

It's music to me

What do they got? A lot of sand

We got a hot crustacean band

Each little clam here

Know how to jam here

Under the sea

Each little slug here

Cuttin' a rug here

Under the sea

Each little snail here

Know how to wail here

That's why it's hotter

Under the water

Yeah, we in luck here

Down in the muck here

Under the sea

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
world /wɜːrld/ A2	noun - the earth, including all the countries and people
sea /siː/ A2	noun - a large body of salt water, smaller than an ocean
fish /fɪʃ/ A2	noun - a creature that lives in water and breathes with gills
ocean /ˈoʊʃən/ B1	noun - a very large body of salt water that covers most of the Earth's surface
music /ˈmjuːzɪk/ A2	noun - art of arranging sounds in a pleasing way
harmony /ˈhɑːrməni/ B2	noun - pleasing combination of sounds, notes, or colors
shell /ʃɛl/ A2	noun - hard outer covering of some animals such as mollusks
dance /dæns/ A2	verb - to move the body to music
play /pleɪ/ A1	verb - to engage in activity for enjoyment
sing /sɪŋ/ A1	verb - to produce musical sounds with your voice

Key Grammar Structures

• Life under the sea is better than anyting they got up there

  ➔ Comparative Adjective: "better than"

  ➔ Using the comparative adjective "better" to compare life under the sea to life on land. "Anything they got up there" refers to things that the humans possess.

• The seaweed is always greener In somebody else's lake

  ➔ Present Simple Tense + Idiom/Proverb: "The grass is always greener on the other side."

  ➔ This line uses the present simple tense to express a general truth. It also references the idiom "The grass is always greener on the other side," meaning people are never satisfied with what they have and always think others have it better. The seaweed in someone else's lake is metaphorical.

• Down where it's wetter

  ➔ Comparative Adjective + Ellipsis (omission)

  ➔ "Wetter" is the comparative form of "wet." The phrase is an ellipsis, omitting the implied subject and verb, such as "it is wetter".

• Up on the shore, they work all day

  ➔ Present Simple Tense: Describing a general habit or routine

  ➔ The present simple tense ("work") is used to describe the general habit of people on the shore working all day. It indicates a routine activity.

• While we devotin' Full time to floatin'

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense (Progressive) - Non-standard spelling & pronunciation

  ➔ "Devotin'" and "floatin'" are colloquial contractions of "devoting" and "floating." The present continuous tense indicates an action happening now, or in this case, at this time of life.

• As off through the waves they roll

  ➔ Subject-Verb Inversion (Poetic License)

  ➔ The standard word order would be "They roll off through the waves." The inversion of the subject ("they") and verb ("roll") is used here for emphasis and rhythm, which is common in poetry and song lyrics.

• They're sad 'cause they're in the bowl

  ➔ Contraction "they're" = "they are" + Casual "'cause" = "because"

  ➔ This line uses contractions common in informal speech. "They're" is a contraction of "they are," and "'cause" is a shortened, casual way to say "because."

• Guess who's gon' be on the plate

  ➔ Future tense with "gon'" (going to) - Non-standard pronunciation

  ➔ "Gon'" is a colloquial pronunciation of "going to," used to express the future tense. This is a very informal way of speaking.