Lyrics
Welcome to the Pride Lands
Home to some of the most glorious animals in Africa
I am Rafiki and I am here to tell you the story
Of one special lion who lives here
A lion who holds a very dear place in my heart
Let us begin now
Every morning as the sun peeks over the horizon
A giant rock formation catches the first rays of light
This is Pride Rock, home to my good friend
King Mufasa, and his lovely wife, Queen Sarabi
On this particular morning, animals from all over
The Pride Lands had journeyed to Pride Rock
To honor the birth of their newborn cub, Simba
As part of the celebration, I had a special duty
I cracked open a gourd, dipped my finger inside
And made a mark on Simba's forehead
Then I lifted the future king up high for all to see
The elephants trumpeted with their trunks
The monkeys jumped up and down
And the zebras stamped their hooves with happiness
Not far from the ceremony in a cave at the backside of Pride Rock
A scraggly lion with a dark mane grumbled
"Life's not fair, I shall never be king"
This was Mufasa's brother, Scar
Who was jealous of Simba's position as the next king
Moments later, Mufasa was at the doorway to the cave
Sarabi and I didn't see you at the presentation of Simba
Zazu, Mufasa's trusted advisor, also appeared
You should've been first in line
I was first in line, until the little hairball was born
And with that, Scar stalked out of the cave
Before long, Simba grew into a healthy, playful young cub
Early one morning, he and Mufasa climbed to the top of Pride Rock
As they looked out at the rising sun
Mufasa pointed to the light beams that stretched across the Pride Lands
Look, Simba
"Everything the light touches is our kingdom"
Simba scanned the horizon and noticed a dark spot in the distance
What about that shadowy place?
That's beyond our borders
You must never go there, Simba
But I thought a king can do whatever he wants
Well, there's more to being king than getting your way all the time
Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance
As king, you need to understand that balance
And respect all the creatures
From the crawling ant to the leaping antelope
We are all connected in the great Circle of Life
Later, as Simba headed back down the path, he ran into Scar
Hey, Uncle Scar, guess what?
I'm gonna be king of Pride Rock
My dad just showed me the whole kingdom and I'm gonna rule it all
Scar looked slyly at the young cub
He didn't show you what's beyond that rise at the northern border?
Well, no, he said I can't go there
And he's absolutely right
It's far too dangerous, only the bravest lions go there
Promise me you'll never visit that dreadful place
When Simba returned home, he found his friend Nala
And her mother, Sarafina, visiting with Sarabi
Come on, I just heard about this great place
The mothers gave permission for the youngsters to go
As long as Zazu went with them
Simba and Nala raced across the Pride Lands
In an effort to lose the watchful bird
They led him through many herds of animals
Until they finally lost him
Once the cubs were free of Zazu
Simba pounced on Nala
Then Nala flipped Simba onto his back
They tumbled down a hill and landed in a dark ravine
Littered with elephant skulls and bones
Whoa!
Simba looked around and gasped
This is it, we made it
Before the cubs could explore any farther
Zazu tracked them down
Aw! Man
We're way beyond the boundary of the Pride Lands
And right now, we are all in very real danger
Suddenly, three hyenas slithered out of
The eye sockets of an elephant skull
Frightened, Simba, Zazu, and Nala jumped back
It was Banzai, his partner Shenzi, and the always laughing Ed
Banzai sneered
A trio of trespassers
Zazu tried to lead the cubs to safety
But Banzai grabbed him by the neck and plopped him down
The hyenas Circled their prey, licking their chops
What's the hurry?
We'd love you to stick around for dinner
While the hyenas argued about who was going to eat whom
Simba, Nala, and Zazu quietly slipped away
But the hyenas weren't distracted for long
They gave chase and Simba and Nala had to run as fast as they could
Finally, they tried hiding behind some elephant bones
Just when it looked as if it were all over for the young cubs
Mufasa appeared and sent the hyenas flying
With a swipe of his big paw
If you ever come near my son again
The hyenas slinked away and Mufasa glared at Simba
You deliberately disobeyed me
I am very disappointed in you
Mufasa sent Nala and Zazu home
So he could talk privately to his son
Simba peered up at his father
I was just trying to be brave like you
Being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble
Dad?
Mm?
We're pals, right?
And we'll always be together, right?
Mufasa looked up at the stars
Simba, let me tell you something my father told me
Look at the stars
The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars
So, whenever you feel alone, just remember
That those kings will always be there to guide you and so will I
Meanwhile, the hyenas received another visitor
An angry Scar showed up at their lair
I practically gift-wrapped those cubs for you
And you couldn't even dispose of them
Scar warned the hyenas to be prepared
Banzai laughed
"Yeah, be prepared, we'll be prepared, for what?"
Scar looked at him with danger in his eyes
For the death of the king!
The following day, Scar invited Simba to join him in the gorge
When they arrived, Scar turned to his young nephew
Now, you wait here
Your father has a marvelous surprise for you
Moments after he left, Scar signaled the hyenas
Who chased a herd of wildebeests directly toward Simba
From a distance, Mufasa noticed the rising dust
Scar appeared quickly at his side
Stampede, in the gorge!
Simba's down there!
Without waiting a second, Mufasa took off to save his young son
Mufasa plunged into the gorge
And battled his way through the oncoming wildebeests
He found Simba, grabbed him by the nape of his neck
And put him on a nearby ledge
Suddenly, Mufasa was knocked back into the stampede
Uh! Dad!
Desperately, he tried to climb up another ledge
From which Scar stood looking down on him
Brother, help me!
Scar reached for Mufasa and pulled him close enough to whisper in his ear
Long live the king
Then Scar let go of Mufasa, and he fell to his death
Simba peered over the ridge
Just as his father disappeared beneath the thundering stampede
Later, Scar found Simba hovering over his father's body, sobbing
It was an accident
I, I didn't mean for it to happen
But the king is dead, and if it weren't for you, he'd still be alive
Oh, what will your mother think?
Simba sobbed harderY
What am I gonna do?
Run away, Simba
Run, run away and never return
Simba did as he was told
Unaware that his uncle's hyena friends
Had been ordered to finish him off
Scar returned to Pride Rock to take over the throne
Meanwhile, Simba plodded across the savanna
Without any food or water
It wasn't long before he fainted under the hot sun
As the vultures Circled overhead
A big-hearted warthog named Pumbaa stumbled upon the young lion
He turned to his trusty pal, a fast-talking meerkat named Timon
He's so cute and all alone! Can we keep him?
Pumbaa, are you nuts? Lions eat guys like us
But Pumbaa scooped Simba up anyway, and carried him to safety
When Simba awoke, The first thought that sprang to his mind was his father's death
Timon taught him about hakuna matata
Which means "No responsibilities, no worries."
"You gotta put your past behind you", and that is exactly what Simba did
He stayed in the jungle with Pumbaa and Timon
A long, long time, and grew into a very big lion
But eventually, he got homesick
One night, he looked up at the stars
And recalled the words his father had told him long ago
The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars
So, whenever you feel alone, just remember
That those kings will always be there to guide you and so will I
The next day, Pumbaa was stalked and chased by a lioness
Simba came to his rescue
But after wrestling with the lioness
Who easily flipped him onto his back
He realized that she was his old friend
Nala? What are you doing here?
Why didn't you come back to Pride Rock? You're the king
I'm not the king, Scar is
Simba, he let the hyenas take over the Pride Lands
What?
There's no food, no water
If you don't do something soon, everyone will starve
You're our only hope
I can't go back
Simba yelled at the heavens
You said you'd always be there for me!
But you're not
Because of me
Simba didn't believe he could challenge Scar to the throne
So he stayed in the jungle with Nala and his new friends
But I knew the time had come for Simba to take his place in the Circle of Life
And I headed for the jungle
When Simba saw me, he was surprised
Who are you?
The question is, who are you?
I thought I knew
Now, I'm not so sure
Well, I know who you are
You're Mufasa's boy
He's alive! And I'll show him to you
You follow old Rafiki, he knows the way
I led Simba to a reflecting pool
When he looked into the water, he saw a lion
That's not my father, that's just my reflection
No, look harder
You see? He lives in you
The ghost of Mufasa magically appeared
Look inside yourself, Simba
You are more than what you have become
You must take your place in the Circle of Life
Encouraged by his father's words, Simba returned to Pride Rock
Nala, Pumbaa, and Timon followed
When Simba arrived, he found the land bare and dry
The hyenas were in control, and Scar was shouting at Simba's mother
Sarabi turned to Scar
We must leave Pride Rock
We're not going anywhere
I am the king. I can-
If you were half the king Mufasa was you'd know-
I am ten times the king Mufasa was!
Suddenly, a flash of lightning revealed the edge of Pride Rock
And there stood Simba
Scar jumped back
Simba, I'm a little surprised to see you, alive
Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart
But Scar forced Simba to say in front of all the lions
That he had caused his father's death
Scar smirked, oh, Simba
You're in trouble again
But this time, daddy isn't here to save you
And now everyone knows why
Simba backed up against the ledge
Lightning struck again
Setting fire to the dry brush of the Pride Lands
Simba, knowing the truth, leapt on Scar
Nala and the other lionesses joined the battle
Through the smoke and flames of the brush fire
Simba spotted Scar trying to escape, and he ran after the old lion
Scar pleaded with his nephew
"Simba, I'll make it up to you, I promise"
Um, how can I, uh, prove myself to you?
Run, run away, Scar, and never return
Scar started to slink off, but then he turned
And lunged one last time at Simba
Simba moved quickly and flipped Scar over the ledge
Where a pack of hyenas were waiting hungrily
Limping badly, Simba climbed up to the very top of Pride Rock
He let out a magnificent roar as he looked out over his kingdom
Before long, Pride Rock flourished again
Nala remained by Simba's side
And soon they had their own newborn cub
With all their friends around
Including Zazu, Pumbaa, and Timon
A new celebration of life took place
After making a mark on the forehead of the young cub
I held him up for all the kingdom to see