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.
Mine Mine Mine
Alan Menken Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The jewels of Pizarro
Will seem like mere trinkets
By this time tomorrow
The gold we find here
Will dwarf them by far
Oh, with all ya got in ya, boys
Mine, boys, mine every mountain
And dig, boys, dig 'til ya drop
Grab a pick, boys
Quick, boys
Shove in a shovel
Uncover those lovely
Pebbles that sparkle and shine
It's gold and it's mine, mine, mine
Dig and dig and dig and diggety
Dig and dig and dig and diggety
Hey, nonny nonny
Ho, nonny nonny
Oh, how I love it
Hey, nonny nonny
Ho, nonny nonny
Riches for cheap
Hey, nonny nonny
Ho, nonny nonny
There'll be heaps of it
And I'll be on top of the heap
My rivals back home
It's not that I'm bitter
But think how they'll squirm
When they see how I glitter!
The ladies at court
Will be all a-twitter
The king will reward me
He'll knight me, no, lord me!
It's mine, mine, mind
For the taking
It's mine, boys
Mine me that gold!
With those nuggets dug
It's glory they'll gimme
My dear friend, King Jimmy
Will probably build me a shrine
When all of the gold is mine
Dig and dig and dig and diggety
Dig and dig and dig and diggety-dig!
All of my life, I have searched
For a land like this one
A wilder, more challenging country
I couldn't design
Hundreds of dangers await
And I don't plan to miss one
In a land I can claim, a land I can tame
The greatest adventure is mine!
Keep on working, lands
Don't be shirking, lands
Mine, boys, mind
Mine me that gold
Beautiful gold
Make this island, my land
Make the mounds big, boys
I'd help you to dig, boys
But I've got this crick in me spine
This land we behold
This beauty untold
A man can be bold!
It all can be sold!
So go for the gold
We know which is here
All the riches here
From this minute
This land and what's in it is mine!
Dig and dig and diggety-dig!
Hey, nonny, nonny, nonny, it's mine!
The lyrics to Mine Mine Mine, composed by Alan Menken, are the epitome of greed and selfishness. The song is sung by the settlers of the New World, who are convinced that they have discovered untold wealth in the form of gold and precious jewels. The first stanza sets the stage: the valuable treasures of the conquistadors will pale in comparison to the riches they expect to find. The settlers work tirelessly to extract every ounce of gold from the land, driving themselves and each other to delirium with the promise of untold wealth. They view themselves as daring adventurers, seeking to conquer and tame the wild frontiers of the New World. They hope to return to Europe one day with all their riches, eager to flaunt their newfound wealth and prestige.
The lyrics also reveal the arrogance of the settlers, who believe that they are entitled to the land and its bounty. They have no qualms about exploiting the resources of the New World, even though countless indigenous peoples were already living there. The settlers are willing to risk life and limb to extract the maximum amount of gold from the earth, without regard for the ecological damage and human suffering they cause. Their rapaciousness is all-consuming, driving them deeper and deeper into the earth like frenzied animals. In the end, the song reveals the settlers' true colors: they are driven by greed, vanity, and the desire to amass as much wealth as possible, even at the expense of their fellow man.
Line by Line Meaning
The gold of Cortas
The gold belonging to Cortas
The jewels of Pizarro
The jewels belonging to Pizarro
Will seem like mere trinkets
Will appear insignificant
By this time tomorrow
In the near future
The gold we find here
The gold we discover in this land
Will dwarf them by far
Will make them seem tiny in comparison
Oh, with all ya got in ya, boys
With all of your energy, boys
Dig up Virginia, boys
Dig up this area, boys
Mine, boys, mine every mountain
Mine every mountain, boys
And dig, boys, dig 'til ya drop
Dig until you cannot dig anymore, boys
Grab a pick, boys
Take a pickaxe, boys
Quick, boys
Hurry up, boys
Shove in a shovel
Put your shovel in the ground
Uncover those lovely
Unearth those beautiful
Pebbles that sparkle and shine
Stones that glitter and gleam
It's gold and it's mine, mine, mine
It's gold and it belongs to me
Dig and dig and dig and diggety
Continuously excavate
Hey, nonny nonny
An exclamation of joy
Ho, nonny nonny
An exclamation of joy
Oh, how I love it
I am fond of it
Riches for cheap
Affordable wealth
There'll be heaps of it
There will be an abundance of it
And I'll be on top of the heap
I will be the most successful
My rivals back home
My competitors in my hometown
It's not that I'm bitter
I'm not resentful
But think how they'll squirm
Consider how they'll feel uncomfortable
When they see how I glitter!
When they see how successful I am
The ladies at court
The women in the royal court
Will be all a-twitter
Will be excited and talking
The king will reward me
The king will give me a reward
He'll knight me, no, lord me!
He will give me a noble title
For the taking
Available to be taken
Mine me that gold!
Get that gold for me!
With those nuggets dug
With the gold pieces excavated
It's glory they'll gimme
They will give me glory
My dear friend, King Jimmy
My close friend, King Jimmy
Will probably build me a shrine
Will likely construct a monument in my honor
When all of the gold is mine
When I own all the gold
All of my life, I have searched
I have searched all my life
For a land like this one
For a place like this
A wilder, more challenging country
A more rugged, difficult place
I couldn't design
I couldn't create myself
Hundreds of dangers await
There are numerous hazards ahead
And I don't plan to miss one
I do not intend to avoid any of them
In a land I can claim, a land I can tame
In a place I can own and control
The greatest adventure is mine!
The most exciting experience is mine!
Keep on working, lands
Keep on working, everyone
Don't be shirking, lands
Do not avoid your responsibilities
Beautiful gold
Amazing gold
Make this island, my land
Make this island belong to me
Make the mounds big, boys
Make the piles of dirt larger, boys
I'd help you to dig, boys
I'd help you to excavate, boys
But I've got this crick in me spine
But my back hurts
This land we behold
This land we observe
This beauty untold
This hidden, unknown beauty
A man can be bold!
A man can be courageous!
It all can be sold!
Everything can be sold!
So go for the gold
So strive for the gold
We know which is here
We are aware that there is gold here
All the riches here
All the wealth here
From this minute
In this exact moment
This land and what's in it is mine!
I own this land and its contents!
Dig and dig and diggety-dig!
Continuously excavate!
Hey, nonny, nonny, nonny, it's mine!
An exclamation of joy about owning the gold!
Contributed by Muhammad N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Elliott
on God Bless us Everyone
"Til now once he comes how happy!" is wrong. The correct lyrics are "Til the world becomes a family."
Elliott
on God Bless us Everyone
"Let us LOVE til we die." Not "Let us HAVE til we die."