"A Whale of a Tale" is the only song featured in Disney's 1954 film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It was sung by Ned Land (Kirk Douglas). It was included in Disney Sing Along Songs: Under the Sea.
Plot[]
The song is first heard near the start of the film. It starts immediately after a conversation between Ned, Conseil, and Pierre Aronnax aboard the ship. Ned takes a guitar and steps onto the deck. It attracts the attention of several of the crewmen, who listen excitedly. It is immediately after Ned finishes it that the Nautilus is finally encountered.
While the full song is only performed once, it is frequently referenced throughout the film. After improvising a guitar out of a turtle shell, Ned is seen twice performing portions of it: the first he sings part of the chorus in an effort to hide the fact that he had been stealing treasure, in the second, he is heard singing the end of it, which he had been playing with Esmeralda. There is also an instrumental version that is played as background music in some scenes.
Lyrics[]
Got a whale of a tale to tell ya, lads
A whale of a tale or two
'Bout the flappin' fish and the girls I've loved
On nights like this with the moon above
A whale of a tale, and it's all true
I swear by my tattoo
There was Mermaid Minnie
Met her down in Madagascar
She would kiss me
Any time that I would ask her
Then one evening, her flame of love blew out
Blow me down and pick me up!
She swapped me for a trout
Got a whale of a tale to tell ya, lads
A whale of a tale or two
'Bout the flappin' fish and the girls I've loved
On nights like this with the moon above
A whale of a tale, and it's all true
I swear by my tattoo
There was Typhoon Tessie
Met her on the coast of Java
When we kissed, I... Bubbled up like molten lava
Then she gave me the scare of my young life
Blow me down and pick me up!
She was the captain's wife
Got a whale of a tale to tell ya, lads
A whale of a tale or two
'Bout the flappin' fish and the girls I've loved
On nights like this with the moon above
A whale of a tale, and it's all true
I swear by my tattoo
There was Harpoon Hannah
Had a face that made you shudder, lips like fish hooks...
And a nose just like a rudder
If I kissed her and held her tenderly
Crew member with deep voice:
Held her tenderly-y-y-y
There's no sea monster big enough
To ever frighten me
Got a whale of a tale to tell ya, lads
A whale of a tale or two
'Bout the flappin' fish and the girls I've loved
On nights like this with the moon above
A whale of a tale, and it's all true
I swear by my tattoo
While playing with Esmeralda, Ned creates an additional verse which describes his feelings towards Captain Nemo:
There was Old Man Nemo
Fed his crew on worms and fishes
Eels for breakfast, slimy cold on seaweed dishes
When they ate it, they knew it wasn't beef
But eat they did the brisket squid
A smellin' like a reef
The soundtrack has an alternate third verse regarding Harpoon Hannah:
Then there was Harpoon Hannah
Had a look that spelled out danger
My heart quivered when she whispered "Hi there, stranger"
Bought her trinkets that sailors can't afford
Crew member with deep voice:
Sailors can't affo-o-o-ord
And when I spent my last red cent
She tossed me over board
Trivia[]
- The song is briefly referenced by the school of Moonfish in Disney/Pixar's 2003 film Finding Nemo during the part where they form a pirate ship. There, one of the Moonfish sings "Oh, it's a whale of a tale I'll tell ya lads; a whale of a tale or..." to which Marlin tells the Moonfish to give them directions to find Nemo.
- Furthermore, it was also referenced in the title of the pilot episode of The Little Mermaid cartoon series.
- Art director Harper Goff, who played banjo with the Firehouse Five Plus Two, taught Douglas how to play tenor guitar for this song.
- The Sing-Along Songs variation deleted the third verse, due to adult sex. That way, the song could be enjoyed more child-friendly.
- The voice of the deep-voiced sailor that sings the lyric "held her tenderly" was performed by Thurl Ravenscroft.
References[]
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