Pink Elephants on Parade
Chorus and Orchestra (Dumbo Soundtrack) Lyrics

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Look out! Look out
Pink elephants on parade
Here they come
Hippety hoppety
They're here and there
Pink elephants everywhere

Look out! Look out!

They're walking around the bed
On their head
Clippety cloppety
Arrayed in braid
Pink elephants on parade

What'll I do
What'll I do
What an unusual view

I can stand the sight of worms
And look at microscopic germs
But technicolor pachyderms is really too much for me

I am not the type to faint
When things are odd or things are quaint
But seeing things you know that ain't
Can certainly give you an awful fright

What a sight!
Chase 'em away! Chase 'em away
I'm afraid, need your aid
Pink elephants on parade
Pink elephants

Pink elephants
Pink elephants

Overall Meaning

The song "Pink Elephants on Parade" is a lively and whimsical tune featured in the classic 1941 animated film Dumbo. The song is sung during a sequence in which the young elephant, Dumbo, accidentally ingests alcohol and begins to hallucinate, seeing pink elephants around him. The song is performed by a chorus and orchestra and features a catchy, syncopated melody with playful lyrics.

The song opens with the warning to "look out" for the pink elephants on parade. The chorus describes the imaginary creatures as "hippety hoppety" and "clippety cloppety," indicating their playful and unpredictable movements. The lyrics describe the pink elephants as being "here and there" and "everywhere," emphasizing the surreal and fantastical nature of Dumbo's hallucination. The second verse describes the pink elephants as walking around on their heads, further emphasizing their inverted and nonsensical appearance.

The final verse of the song features Dumbo's handler, Timothy Q. Mouse, trying to make sense of the strange and unexpected sight. He laments that he can handle ordinary things like worms and germs, but the vivid and colorful pink elephants are too much for him. The chorus encourages him to "chase 'em away" and expresses their fear of the pink elephants. The song ends with a playful repetition of the phrase "pink elephants" as the animals fade away.

Line by Line Meaning

Look out! Look out
Be aware and ready

Pink elephants on parade
Visible and unusual hallucinations

Here they come
They are approaching

Hippety hoppety
Moving quickly and unpredictably

They're here and there
In different places and directions

Pink elephants everywhere
Hallucinations are widespread

They're walking around the bed
Hallucinations are intrusive

On their head
Inverted and nonsensical

Clippety cloppety
Noisy and disorienting

Arrayed in braid
Decorated and ordered

What'll I do
Feeling helpless and confused