Alan Menken (born July 22, 1949 in New Rochelle, New York, United States) i… Read Full Bio ↴Alan Menken (born July 22, 1949 in New Rochelle, New York, United States) is an American musical theatre and film composer, and pianist. Menken has collaborated with several renowned lyricists including Howard Ashman (1950-1991), Tim Rice and Stephen Schwartz. For his work he has won eight Academy Awards as well as ten additional nominations.
His best known work includes the Disney animated movies, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as well as Little Shop of Horrors, Enchanted, Tangled and most recently, Sister Act the Musical.

Happy Ending
Alan Menken Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now we can walk
Now we can run
Now we can stay all day in the sun
Just you and me
And I can be
Part of your world

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Happy Ending" speak to the joy and freedom of being able to fully live one's life with the person they love. The opening lines of "now we can walk, now we can run" emphasize the newfound ability to move and explore the world with confidence, while "now we can stay all day in the sun" connotes leisure and relaxation. The repetition of "just you and me" throughout the song highlights the personal, intimate nature of this newfound freedom, and the final line "and I can be part of your world" speaks to the desire to share one's self completely with another.

In its original context, "Happy Ending" was a duet between the characters Ariel and Prince Eric in the Academy Award-winning 1989 Disney animated film The Little Mermaid. The song was composed by Alan Menken and written by Howard Ashman, who also wrote the lyrics for the other songs in the film. The duet occurs at the end of the movie after Ariel has been transformed into a human by her father, King Triton, and has married Eric with his help. The song serves as a celebratory final number as Ariel and Eric join together to fully embrace their new lives together.

Line by Line Meaning

Now we can walk
Now that we've overcome our struggles, we can move forward with ease.

Now we can run
We've achieved our goals and can now move through life with confidence and speed.

Now we can stay all day in the sun
We have the freedom to enjoy life's pleasures for as long as we want.

Just you and me
Our bond is unbreakable and we will face the future together.

And I can be
I am now able to be the best version of myself.

Part of your world
I am now connected to you in a way that makes me feel complete and fulfilled.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Alan Menken

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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