Pink Elephants on Parade
The Disney Chorus 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 lyrics to The Disney Chorus's song Pink Elephants On Parade describe a surreal and overwhelming experience of seeing pink elephants. The song's opening lines warn the listener to "look out" as the pink elephants come "hippety hoppety, here and there" and are "everywhere". The lyrics then detail how the pink elephants are walking around the bed "on their head" and are "clippety cloppety, arrayed in braid" as they parade through the singer's mind. The chorus repeats the warning to "look out" and to "chase 'em away" because the sight of these pink elephants is far too much for the singer to bear. The final lines repeat the phrase "pink elephants" multiple times as a mantra, emphasizing the impact of the surreal experience.

The song's lyrics can be interpreted in a number of different ways, but one common interpretation is that "pink elephants" represent something that is both surreal and overwhelming, such as the experience of being drunk or under the influence of drugs. This interpretation is perhaps supported by the fact that the song was originally written for the 1941 Disney film Dumbo, in which the title character accidentally becomes intoxicated and sees pink elephants during a surreal sequence. Another possible interpretation is that the pink elephants are a metaphor for something that is difficult to understand or that challenges one's sense of reality.

Line by Line Meaning

Look out! Look out
Be careful and alert

Pink elephants on parade
Hallucinations that are vivid and surreal

Here they come
The hallucinations are approaching

Hippety hoppety
The movement of the hallucinations is bouncy

They're here and there
The hallucinations are scattered all around

Pink elephants everywhere
The hallucinations are numerous and prevalent

They're walking around the bed
The hallucinations are interfering with sleep

On their head
The hallucinations are upside down

Clippety cloppety
The hallucinations sound like walking

Arrayed in braid
The hallucinations are adorned with braids

What'll I do
What action should be taken