Under the Sea – English Lyrics
Lyrics & Translation
[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 |
|---|---|
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world /wɜːrld/ A2 |
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sea /siː/ A2 |
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fish /fɪʃ/ A2 |
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ocean /ˈoʊʃən/ B1 |
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music /ˈmjuːzɪk/ A2 |
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harmony /ˈhɑːrməni/ B2 |
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shell /ʃɛl/ A2 |
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dance /dæns/ A2 |
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play /pleɪ/ A1 |
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sing /sɪŋ/ A1 |
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Key Grammar Structures
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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.
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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".
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
