overture
Disney Studio Orchestra Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Chim, chimney, chim, chimney
Chim, chim, cherry
A sweep is as lucky
As lucky can be

Chim, chimney, chim, chimney
Chim, chim, cheroo
Good luck will rub off
When he shakes hands with you

Chim, chimney, chim, chim
Cherry, chim, cheroo

Um, diddle, diddle, diddle
Um diddle a




Um, diddle, diddle, diddle
Um, diddle a

Overall Meaning

The lyrics are from the song "Chim Chim Cher-ee" in the Disney movie "Mary Poppins" from 1964. In the movie, the character Bert, played by Dick Van Dyke, is a chimney sweep who sings this song while dancing on London rooftops with Mary Poppins and her charges, Jane and Michael Banks. The song is a cheerful tribute to the chimney sweep profession, with the lyrics talking about how lucky and happy chimney sweeps are. The lines "Good luck will rub off when he shakes hands with you" and "Up where the smoke is all billered and curled" emphasize the positive aspects of the job, despite the soot and grime.


The song's catchy melody, composed by the Sherman brothers, won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1965. The song has been covered by numerous artists over the years, including Julie Andrews, who played Mary Poppins in the movie. The melody has even been used as a ringtone for some cell phone companies. It is said that the inspiration for the song came from the chimneysweeps in the brothers' hometown of Beverly Hills when they were kids.


Line by Line Meaning

Chim, chimney, chim, chimney
The sound of a chimney sweep's productivity


Chim, chim, cherry
The excitement of street cherry vendors


A sweep is as lucky
Chimney sweeps are fortunate people


As lucky can be
Due to their hard work and good fortune, sweeps lead happy lives


Good luck will rub off
The good fortune of chimney sweeps passes on to others


When he shakes hands with you
When a chimney sweep helps you, expect good luck to follow


Um, diddle, diddle, diddle
A catchy tune to fill the gaps between the lyrics


Um diddle a
A nonsense phrase to match the tune


Um, diddle, diddle, diddle
A continuation of the catchy tune


Um, diddle a
A repetition of the previous nonsense phrase




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Walt Disney Music Company, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RICHARD SHERMAN, ROBERT SHERMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Kristine

Wow! This is amazing! 🤩

JM R

Absolutely magical 😍

jasobres

Not every day you see an entire orchestra cosplaying as their favorite Disney characters!

Darío R. Pinus

fabuloso!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More Versions