Chicken Little Was Right
The Turtles Lyrics


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Did ya hear what happened to the world today?
Somebody came anβ€² they took it away
Wrapped it up in a wire net
Took it away an' it ainβ€²t back yet

We were waitin'
We were watchin'
Yes, we knew it all along
You were wrong

Put it in a place where dead worlds lie
Underneath a tombstone, ten miles high
Weβ€²re so safe, so secure
Heaven knows weβ€²re absolutely sure
Never grew up but now it's dead
Whatβ€²d you suppose the epitaph read?
'Weβ€²re so young, we're so good
Heaven knows we surely must endureβ€²

We were waitin'
We were watchin'
Yes, we knew it all along
You were wrong
Now, itβ€²s gone

And we saw the little squirrels
And we watched their thrifty deeds
Who prepared for winterβ€²s needs
And we planted
Planted lemon seeds!

If that there world comes back again
We'll be there, so letβ€²s be friends

We'll be waitinβ€²
We'll be watchinβ€²
Yes, we've been here all along
Oh so long, so so long

Ehhh, ehhh, ehhh





Lemons growin' on our tree
Lemonade for you and me

Overall Meaning

The Turtles's song "Chicken Litter Was Right" is a song about environmental consciousness, with some apocalyptic undertones. The lyrics describe the tragedy of someone taking away the world and wrapping it up in a wire net, without returning it. The imagery is of a dead world that has been buried under a tombstone. The chorus is almost accusatory, with the singer suggesting that they knew all along that this would happen, and that the person who took the world away was wrong. However, the tone changes towards the end of the song, as the singer talks about the little squirrels, and how they prepared for winter's needs. The singer then talks about planting lemon seeds, and how they will be waiting and watching for the world to return.


Despite its catchy beat, the song is a warning about the damage that humans have done to the environment. It was written in the 1960s, a time when environmental degradation was beginning to emerge as a serious issue. Interestingly, the song seems to suggest that nature will prevail, that even if humans destroy the world, nature will still find a way to thrive. The song is a call to action, a reminder that we must take care of the earth if we want it to take care of us.


Line by Line Meaning

Did ya hear what happened to the world today?
Have you heard what happened to the world today?


Somebody came anβ€² they took it away
Someone came and took away the world


Wrapped it up in a wire net
They used a wire net to contain the world


Took it away an' it ainβ€²t back yet
They took it away and it hasn't returned yet


We were waitin'
We were waiting


We were watchin'
We were watching


Yes, we knew it all along
We were aware of what was happening


You were wrong
You were incorrect


Put it in a place where dead worlds lie
They placed the world in a location where other dead worlds are


Underneath a tombstone, ten miles high
The location they placed the world is beneath a ten-mile high tombstone


Weβ€²re so safe, so secure
We feel very safe and secure


Heaven knows weβ€²re absolutely sure
We are completely certain


Never grew up but now it's dead
We never matured but now the world is dead


Whatβ€²d you suppose the epitaph read?
What do you think the epitaph says?


'Weβ€²re so young, we're so good
The epitaph reads 'We were young and we were good'


Heaven knows we surely must endureβ€²
We must endure the loss of the world


And we saw the little squirrels
We saw the small squirrels


And we watched their thrifty deeds
We observed their resourcefulness


Who prepared for winterβ€²s needs
They prepared for the necessities of winter


And we planted
We planted


Planted lemon seeds!
We planted lemon seeds


If that there world comes back again
If the world returns again


We'll be there, so letβ€²s be friends
We'll be there, so let's be friends


We'll be waitinβ€²
We'll be waiting


We'll be watchinβ€²
We'll be watching


Yes, we've been here all along
We've been here all along


Oh so long, so so long
For a very long time


Ehhh, ehhh, ehhh
Sound effect


Lemons growin' on our tree
Lemons are growing on our tree


Lemonade for you and me
We can make lemonade with them




Writer(s): The Turtles

Contributed by David F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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