The Little Mermaid - A Lyrical Renaissance (Part 2)

Added: 2026-06-04

[00:00:00]My camera isn't working. I'm too lazy to fix it. Disney really doesn't like me using their clips. Uh, we're going to have to find a workound here. Hi, my name is Aster. I know it's been a while since part one. While I was healing from this head/ eye injury, I had to put the project on the back burner and then a lot of other stuff happened. But I'm back in the saddle now. Let's talk lyrics. We understand bad lyrics don't meet certain standards. Missed rhymes, bad meter, clunky metaphors. But what's the difference between meeting the rubric and going above and beyond?

[00:00:27]What's the difference between a cute tune for kids and something brilliant and timeless? We're going to continue our deep dive on the Disney Renaissance and find out. Last we left off, we had finished breaking down the first four songs of The Little Mermaid. From Fathoms Below to the repreeze of Part of Your World. With Ariel's resolve solidified, she finds herself in the layer of Ursula, the sea witch, to make a deal with the devil. Poor Unfortunate Souls mixes the sinister with the playful, an archetype that when done well is nearly impossible not to love.

[00:00:54]While I said in the last video I wouldn't discuss much about composition, I have to point it out here for the sake of setting the mood.

[00:01:01]>> My dear sweet child, >> this low bassy orchestration creates a sense of heaviness. It matches the visuals. First, there's the obvious.

[00:01:10]Ursula is physically larger than Ariel and moves slower. Second, the space they're in is in a cavern with a relatively low ceiling. Compare this to Ariel's grotto of treasure, which is quite tall in comparison. Anyone who's been in a space with a low ceiling knows how it can seem like there's an invisible weight on you, >> child. That's what I do. It's what I live for.

[00:01:30]>> This instrumentation puts us in Ariel's shoes as she anxiously puts herself in such a precarious situation. As is often the case, introductory dialogue sets the stage. The best word I could use to describe Ursula's tone is smarmy.

[00:01:43]Really, really smarmy. When I was little, I used to wonder how Ariel didn't see through Ursula's ruse just on tone. But it is a kids movie, and I did pick up on it as a kid. Baby's first dramatic irony.

[00:01:54]>> To help unfortunate Merolk like yourself.

[00:01:57]>> Check this out. We have a split title drop.

[00:02:00]>> Poor souls with no one else to turn to.

[00:02:04]>> Unfortunate merkol and poor souls. The phrase has been split between two sentences, so it's there, but there's a bit more opportunity to set up and fill the sequence without being incredibly obvious. Ursula puts it into Ariel's head that she is among the unfortunate and then describes the unfortunate as poor souls who only she could help.

[00:02:22]>> I admit that in the past I've been a nasty.

[00:02:25]>> My video on this song's liveaction version was one of my first. And I remember pointing out back then how unnasty is such a funny way for Ursula to refer to herself. It makes it sound like she's been kind of unpleasant and mean as opposed to a vegetable demon who enjoys trapping people's souls forever.

[00:02:39]>> They weren't kidding when they called me well a witch.

[00:02:42]>> Similar to the previous line, Ursula is owning up to 5% of what's wrong with her to make herself seem more approachable.

[00:02:48]In a testament to the thoughtfulness of these lyrics, even the filler word is meaningful. Well isn't just there to fill the needed syllable in the meter.

[00:02:55]It's also softening the blow of the word witch. It creates familiarity through the alliteration. Yes, I'm called this.

[00:03:01]I mean, I do dark magic. That does make me a witch, but it's just an occupational title really.

[00:03:06]>> But you'll find that nowadays I've mended all my ways.

[00:03:10]>> This structure is like a semi limrich. A limrich following the pattern of a a bba uses two shorter lines for the bees.

[00:03:18]They're lightigh-hearted and comedic in nature. Using a structure resembling a limrich here adds even more to the musical representation of Ursula's attempt to come off as safe to Ariel.

[00:03:26]It's in the next line, too. repent and seen the light and made a switch.

[00:03:33]>> This slowdown or retardando is not just a musical device here. It's also rhetorical. When you really want to make sure someone understands you, what do you do? You slow down and enunciate.

[00:03:43]Ursula naturally wants to emphasize her alleged new leaf. At the same time, she doesn't really let it sit. She's validating it herself before Ariel can argue. She really gets in her face, too.

[00:03:54]>> Fortunately, knew a little magic. It's a talent that I always have possessed.

[00:03:59]>> Ursula is framing her magical abilities as a happy accident. It's fortunate and a talent like being born a good singer or athlete. And there's another layer.

[00:04:08]>> Dear lately, please don't laugh. I use it on behalf of >> She happens to be able to do magic, but also frames it as something she can choose to use for good or evil.

[00:04:17]>> Half of the miserable, lonely, and depressed.

[00:04:20]>> Her implicit argument is that she's choosing to use her magic benevolently, shall we say. She's functioning on a lie of a mission. Of course, she chooses to help people just with the caveat that they'll probably end up in the soul dungeon.

[00:04:32]>> Pathetic.

[00:04:34]>> This aside to Ursula's eel friends is less about blatantly establishing Ursula's true feelings and more about preventing an awkward silence. I feel it's also a natural extension of the sentence. Ursula doesn't pity people with these traits. She obviously finds them laughable and right for the picking like a drama YouTuber does when they see somebody mess up on the internet. So to call them pathetic after calling them depressed checks out for Ursula. for unfortunate souls in pain in need.

[00:05:00]>> The structure of the chorus here mirrors the structure of the verse with a key difference. While the verse is in the semi limmerick x a bbba, the chorus is x a xxa >> longing to be thinner. That one wants to get the girl. And do I help them?

[00:05:16]>> Yes indeed.

[00:05:17]>> The middle lines are still shorter and more rushed like the verse, but the rhyme is gone. Those words feel like they're zipping by. So much so that the lack of rhyme doesn't even register on a casual listen. The meter doesn't even line up. The second line actually has one fewer syllable at the end compared to the first. However, it's still punchy enough to carry the melody. The missing syllable at the end of the second line is offset by the next line. Anyway, >> to get the girl and do I help them?

[00:05:41]>> Yes, indeed.

[00:05:42]>> And can be a very useful word in songwriting since it's an easy way to throw in an extra syllable and carry the momentum of a sentence. Here it's providing the missing syllable while allowing the sentence to continue so it doesn't feel abrupt or out of place.

[00:05:56]Back to storytelling. The altered structure of the chorus can represent the facade slipping.

[00:06:00]>> They come flocking to my cold and crying spells please.

[00:06:04]>> The limmerick structure is falling apart. So the guise of familiarity and safety is falling apart too.

[00:06:09]>> And I help them.

[00:06:10]>> Yes, I do.

[00:06:11]>> This is the part of the structure you'll hear the most clearly. All that matters is that Ariel hears that Ursula can, for better or worse, be of help. That's the point that has to be driven home. It's driven even further by this pivot.

[00:06:24]>> Now, it's happened once or twice.

[00:06:26]Someone couldn't pay the price.

[00:06:28]>> Remember earlier when I said that Ursula is admitting to 5% of her evilness? This is like admitting to 15%. She's saying she'll be upfront because that's what trustworthy people do. They don't hide things. Right. Right. That's why the momentum has shifted. Ursula is talking to Ariel like an adult might talk to a small child about a potential timeout.

[00:06:45]>> And I'm afraid I had to cross the glove.

[00:06:49]>> She's being more careful and clear, but also quieter. Phrasing the consequence of her dealings like I'm afraid I had to do this puts blame on those who signed the contracts. Like Ursula was reluctant, but she felt she had no choice. She changes the tone once more in the next lines since she's talking about herself.

[00:07:05]>> I've had complaints, but on the whole I've been a saint. We've gone back to admitting 5% of evilness. Ursula does let that second line linger for a short uncomfortable second. Unlike most of the lines in this song, the jarring cutback to the original rhythm of the song is striking.

[00:07:22]>> To those poor unfortunate souls, >> Coohl's and Souls is a great unique rhyme to integrate the song title. It's an aspect I really appreciate about these lyrics. The captivating word choice that feels natural but not cliche. A word like Kohl's does wonders for imagery. The line it's attached to does wonders for characterization. It's like writing regular dialogue.

[00:07:44]Designating specific language use to each character creates a lively, distinct cast, and the imagery behind Kohl's is apparent. We think of Kohl's, we think of fire, we think of damnation.

[00:07:54]Into the dialogue break. For the most part, it's expository. Ursula sets up the terms of the deal. What I actually find interesting during this break is Ariel's line here.

[00:08:02]>> If I become human, I'll never be with my father or sisters again. For Ariel, this is a very humanizing sentiment. Despite the grief her family has caused her, she still recognizes that they're important and care about her. While going on land means achieving her vague dream of being where she belongs, it also means leaving the relative safety and familiarity of her home. It's easy to see Ariel's predicament as black and white. She doesn't fit in. Her family's mean. She wants to leave. But she's also a teenager. She's so susceptible here because to teenagers, everything feels huge and extreme solutions feel reasonable. Ursula knows how to lean into that. That's right.

[00:08:38]But you'll have your man.

[00:08:42]>> While we got hints of it before, Ursula's aggression is crystal clear.

[00:08:45]Now listen to the urgency in the delivery as we head into verse two.

[00:08:49]>> A body language.

[00:08:52]The men up there don't like a lot of blabber.

[00:08:55]>> Compare that to the start of verse one.

[00:08:57]>> I admit that in the past I've been a nasty.

[00:09:00]>> It's actually one syllable fewer in verse two, but it feels more cramped.

[00:09:04]Maybe it's because of the choice in ending consonants. Sounds a little crazy, I know, but here's a quick audio production lesson. When adjusting a compressor, you have an attack and release. In simple terms, attack is how long it takes for a sound to build to its full volume, and release is how long it takes for it to disengage. I like to think of phone names the same way. Some sounds have an instant release, while others take longer to stop. T, for example, cuts off a sound instantly.

[00:09:29]When enunciated, a gap is formed between that word and the next. Listen to that verse one line again.

[00:09:34]>> I admit that in the past I've been a nasty.

[00:09:38]>> Three of those words end in t. It makes the sounds come off as more spaced out, more organized. There's even a subtle internal rhyme between past and nasty.

[00:09:47]It feels deliberate. However, in verse two, with Ursula's mask slipping, we see a change.

[00:09:52]>> The men up there don't like a lot of flav.

[00:09:54]>> The sounds in this line are more smudged together, even the ones with hard stops.

[00:09:58]Ending possives in the words up and like are touched very lightly and the word don't skips its T entirely, so it blurs into the starting L of like. That's what creates the rushed aggressive effect without cramming syllables.

[00:10:11]>> They think a girl who gossips is a fool.

[00:10:14]>> Here, Ursula is putting the mask back on, if only barely. The enunciation is back. Girl who gossips is said clearly, and the word gossips especially demands it. It starts with a poslosive and ends with a PS. That sharp start combined with a hiss. Knowing Ashman's ear for detail, I'm sure he was very particular about these deliveries to create the micro expressions we hear. Get on land, it's much preferred for ladies not to say a word in >> the semi limrich holds. I noticed Ursula raises her volume for the word ladies. I mentioned Ariel is a teenager and we all know how much teenagers love to be referred to like adults. If Ariel doesn't listen to the word girl, maybe she'll listen to the word lady.

[00:10:52]>> Oh dear, what is idol paddle for? A neat bookend to the stanza with pratt complimenting blabber. They're basically synonymous. Both refer to meaningless rambling talk. Pratt has a connotation of childishness though, which works very well with the emphasis on ladies in the previous line. If you want to be a lady, an adult, then you won't prattle like a child. Ariel's current dismay is being treated like a child by her father. It's a subtle way for Ursula to argue against Ariel's hesitance from earlier. This line also doesn't have the slowdown of its earlier counterparts. Instead, that slowdown buffers this stanza with the next, a fake out to the chorus.

[00:11:28]>> Come on, they're not all that impressed with conversation.

[00:11:32]>> The mask is slipping even more now, and Ursula only pulls it back on for the next line.

[00:11:37]>> Two gentlemen avoid it when they can.

[00:11:40]>> There's particular attention paid to the word avoid here. It's exasperated. It's a key word in this line, too, as a strong verb. If you're going to emphasize any word, that's the one.

[00:11:51]on a lady who's with >> something I've talked about before in flawed lyrics is redundancy. Dot, swoon, and fawn in this context are all referring to giving someone a lot of affection. This isn't a redundancy, though. It's narratively relevant insistence. That's why and is being used between all three words in the list as opposed to just the final two. The meter itself is informing Ursula's demeanor.

[00:12:14]She isn't even allowing for a breath.

[00:12:16]>> It's she who holds a tongue who gets a man. Ursula rephrases her point from the last stanza, but making sure she pushes the narrative of how a lack of a voice may outright help Ariel achieve her goal. In other words, she is helping Ariel achieve her goal should Ariel allow it. Now, as we go into the final chorus, we get that slowdown once more to create a perfect bit of tension.

[00:12:39]>> One of this song's greatest attributes is how its intensity is carried by the singer and not the instrumentation. The intensity is there in the composition, but it's really the lyricism and performance that makes it as intimidating as it is. The instrumentation isn't overbearing or demonic. It's just threatening enough to be the vehicle for the vocals. This is one of the many reasons why every epic cover of this song fails. They don't understand where to hold back. It's not about being loud and growling. It's about the barely controlled manic energy Ursula is using to overwhelm Ariel.

[00:13:09]>> Go ahead, make your choice. If this line had any possives, I'd only be able to describe it as spat. It's not melodic or rhythmic. It's still technically offering a choice, but we know it's a command, like a drill sergeant shouting instructions. Same with the next line.

[00:13:24]>> I'm a very busy woman and I haven't gone all day.

[00:13:27]>> Next is one of those if you have good headphones details.

[00:13:31]>> All day. It won't cost much. Just your voice.

[00:13:34]>> You can hear the slightest reverb when the instruments cut out.

[00:13:37]>> Won't cost much. Just your voice. Not only is that environmentally appropriate since they're in a cavern, but it emphasizes the definition of voice by enhancing its enormity. Echoes are sound, that obvious association is baked into our brain. So, we make the connection.

[00:13:52]>> Poor unfortunate soul. It's sad, but true.

[00:13:57]>> Because of the structure of the previous choruses, our ears have been trained to expect a rhyme with true, especially since the second chorus had so sad, so true. However, we don't get that rhyme.

[00:14:08]It's a strategy I see in Sonheim's work where the lyrical expectation leads on the audience but won't actually fulfill itself. This can be used for a variety of reasons. Here it's being used to wind up tension by subverting structure.

[00:14:20]>> If you want to cross a bridge, my sweet, you've got to pay the toll. Take a gulp and take a breath and go ahead and sign the scroll.

[00:14:26]>> The structure is outright cut off from the previous x axa. Instead, opting for a xxx ax a x a with that back half using an entirely different rhythm. As this plays out, our expectations shift.

[00:14:39]Discomforted by the switch, our ears now have to get used to something else. As we try to find our footing, the lyrics have increased in speed, making it more difficult to grab onto something.

[00:14:48]Naturally, this is excellent for communicating and connecting us to Ariel's emotions in the moment.

[00:14:58]>> This song is such an outstanding piece of lyrical work. To this day, it's considered the template for a villain song. the perfect mix of personality, menace, storytelling, and fun. It's a joy to sing. The lyrics make it so easy to slip into Ursula's demeanor. I think one of the greatest strengths Ashman had as a storyteller was his ability to build a scene without making the song over complicated. On its surface, a song like Poor Unfortunate Souls isn't deep.

[00:15:22]However, when you look under the hood, you see the complex mechanisms that make it extra effective without compromising that readily understood foundation.

[00:15:30]That's what keeps it so accessible and memorable. It's not using highle technique for esoteric detailing. It's using it to enhance the experience for everyone. The next song on the track listing is Leon, a comedic number about a French chef trying to butcher Sebastian. It's short, clocking in at a whopping 96 seconds. On its surface, Le Pson seems to exist to get out the sillies. And yeah, that's definitely partly true. Ashman loved his comedy songs. Still, that doesn't feel like enough of a justification for someone as particular as Ashman. Why throw this minute and a half piece of gratuitous French into the middle of the film?

[00:16:09]>> Well, it's less about the song and more about the scene it's attached to. I'd argue it's not even worth getting into the particulars of the lyrics. It's more about Sebastian. Sebastian, the crab who rolled his eyes at Ariel's dream and had a whole musical number trying to convince her to stay underwater, is literally risking his life to keep watch on Ariel.

[00:16:31]He witnesses Piscide, is thrown around the kitchen in a bombastic slapstick sequence, and still chooses to stay by Ariel's side. This goes back to what I mentioned in part one. These songs do not exist to tell the story in the moment as much as they exist to emphasize the script. The reason I'm not going over the lyrics of this song is because they aren't relevant compared to the visual chaos the song is scoring.

[00:16:52]The lyrics are clever, yes, but there are better ways to spend this video than me going, "That was a fun rhyme."

[00:16:56]Sebastian's arc is actually concluded on the next song, Kiss the Girl.

[00:17:00]>> Percussion, strings, wind.

[00:17:06]>> Compare its setup to Under the Sea. The royal conductor Sebastian is instructing the animals around him to provide a song backing so that he may convince somebody to do something. In Under the Sea, it was to convince Ariel to stay. In Kiss the Girl, it's to convince Eric to help Ariel stay on land as a human forever.

[00:17:21]You see how that works? Even the animal choice was considered. Under the Sea is almost entirely fully aquatic animals, while Kiss the Girl has mostly semi-aquatic or flying ones. The song itself is remarkably simple. It softens a typical calypso sound into a soft ballad with simple lyrics.

[00:17:43]>> When you look at these lyrics and compare them to the rest of the soundtrack, they are remarkably vague.

[00:17:48]Like, wow, you're telling me I see her across the way even? What are you going to tell me next? that she has something about her.

[00:17:59]>> I see. So, why has Mr. Sturgeon and the Ray suddenly changed his style to something so nondescript? There's two reasons. First, spectacle did not pan out for Sebastian the last time he tried. Second, suggestion is a tricky game. One way to win is to make the person feel like they came up with the idea themselves. You say there's something about her and the person starts filling in what that something is on their own. It's the same mechanism a lot of pop songs use to connect with their audience, just taken to a more literal and practical level. Pop songs often focus on feeling over descriptive storytelling. So, over specific lyrics were considered off-putting before the 2010s. But even pop songs aren't usually this vague.

[00:18:41]>> Did you hear?

[00:18:42]>> One of Sonheim's famous big three rules was content dictates form. The actual purpose and context of the song takes precedent in the structure. In this case, the wit and detailing of a typical Broadway song needs to be thrown aside in favor of the style that would actually make sense in the story. It's Sebastian pretending to be Eric's subconscious, something giving him that little hint and subtle push to make a move. The structure of the song makes perfect sense for its purpose in the scene. There's nothing in this song that's on its face lyrically impressive.

[00:19:10]In fact, the second chorus misses a rhyme.

[00:19:14]>> Not a single word.

[00:19:17]It's not a bad thing though because it's just opting for a different technique.

[00:19:21]Repetition, another form of a nudge.

[00:19:23]It's a very gentle rise of stakes. It's a gentle song, except for that little bit of reverse psychology here.

[00:19:34]>> Sebastian is trying to cajol Eric, but in a very understated way. This is a stark contrast to the direct theatricality of Under the Sea, and that's such a fun and clever strategy to show how Sebastian has developed. This is after all the cap of his entire arc.

[00:19:54]>> And that's another reason why this song does not need complex lyrics. It doesn't need to tell us the story. It is showing us the story. Musical theater songs may be the tent poles, but they're still a whole tent. Those poles are meant to hold up.

[00:20:11]>> Kiss the girl is an environmental almost vibe song. one you definitely feel through rather than analyze, and that makes a lot of sense. A romantic moment like this would only get awkward with more explanation. It's perfect in its context. The strength of The Little Mermaid soundtrack is its ability to combine context and resonance. The lyrics don't just exist to be fancy.

[00:20:32]They exist to provide an emotional narrative that enhances the story that's already there through careful placement of details and emotion. I think a lot about the state of modern musicals and why many of them are failing to resonate with the general public the same way as older ones did. It's more than just missed rhymes or awkward phrases or an overly pop lean. I mean, Dear Evan Hansen has very sound technicals. It even won awards, yet it's incredibly offputting to a large contingent.

[00:20:59]Spellbound is an animated musical with songs by the team who did Tangle, yet it's a firecracker compared to the ballistic missile that was K-pop Demon Hunters. When it comes to musical storytelling, you can be fancy, you can be technically perfect, but if you can't execute the actual purpose of the song, you're screwed. If your story is trash, you're screwed. If you cannot have your words resonate with an audience, you're screwed. And The Little Mermaid above all else resonates. We're there with it through every emotion it pulls us through. Ariel's wistfulness, Sebastian's joy, Ursula's malice, Eric's love, we're there. Each word matters.

[00:21:33]So, in 1989, the standard was set. A new era had begun for animation. Thank you for sticking through to the end of this video. By the time this is out, it will have been almost a year since I started this battle with eye strain, dizziness, and vertigo. It took a lot to get back here, and I still have a ways to go. It means so much that you took the time to watch. Thank you again, and have a wonderful day.