Colonel Hathi's March (The Elephant Song)

"Colonel Hathi's March (The Elephant Song)" is a song in the widely popular Walt Disney film, The Jungle Book, from 1967. The song was sung by J. Pat O'Malley, playing the part of "Colonel Hathi". The song was also sung by Thurl Ravenscroft and The Mellomen, originally Terry-Thomas and Disney Chorus. The song was written by Disney staff songwriters, Robert and Richard Sherman. It is written in the spirit of a light commentary on the pointlessness of constant military drilling. In Ooh, it's Captain Esther-sword, Colonel Hathi, his Chorus of Elephants, Esther and her Team are singing it and appears on the soundtrack.^[1]

Composition

The Shermans were brought into the film by Walt Disney due to his feeling that the film was keeping too true to the Rudyard Kipling book. In a deliberate effort to keep the score "light", this song as well as the Sherman Brothers' other contributions to the score generally concern darker subject matter than the accompanying music would suggest.^[2] "Colonel Hathi's March" was the first song written by the siblings. As the elephants were "big clunky animals, crushing everything as they march through", the Shermans thought the best song for them would be a "heavy and ponderous" military march, with feeble lyrics only describing how the platoon tramples what is in its path.^[3]

First Lyrics

All: Hup two three four
Keep it up, two three four
Hup two three four
Keep it up, two three four
[Speech]
Mowgli: A parade!
Bagheera: Oh, no! the dawn patrol again.
Hathi: Company, sound off!

All: Oh, the aim of our patrol.
Slob Elephant: Is a question rather droll.
All: For to march and drill
Over field and hill.
[all trumpet]
Hathi: Is a military goal.
All: Is a military goal.

Hup two three four
Dress it hup, two three four

By the ranks or single file
Over ev'ry jungle mile
Oh, we stamp and crush
Through the underbrush
Hathi, Jr.: [trumpet]
In a military style
All: In a military style

[Speech]
Mowgli: Hello what are you doing.
Hathi Jr: Ssh Drilling
Mowgli: Can I do it too?
Hathi Jr: Sure just do what I do but don't talk in ranks, it's against regulations.

Hathi: Hup two three four.
Keep it up, two three four.

Hathi Jr: The other way turn around.

Hathi: Hup two three four.
Dress it hup, two three four.
Company Halt.
Hathi Jr: That means stop.

Reprise Lyrics

All: Hup, two, three, four Hup, two, three, four Keep it up, two, three, four. Shere Khan: What beastly luck. Confound that ridiculous colonel Hathi. Colonel Hathi Company, sound off! All: Oh we march from here to there Slob Elephant: And it doesn't matter where All: You can hear us push through the deepest bush Hup two three four Hathi: With a military air All: With a military air [trumpet]

Bagheera:

The jungle patrol.

We're a cracker jack brigade. On a pachyderm parade. But we'd rather stroll to a waterhole. Hathi, Jr.: Hup two three four All: For a furlough in the shade. For a furlough in the shade.

References