This article is about the song. For the That's So Raven episode, see Be Prepared (That's So Raven).
"Be Prepared" is one of the five songs written for The Lion King. It was written by lyricist Tim Rice and composer Elton John. The song is performed by Jeremy Irons and Jim Cummings as Scar and Ed as well as the voice actors for Shenzi and Banzai: Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin.
Plot[]
In the film, Scar meets with his hyena henchmen and scolds them for failing to kill Simba, as part of one of Scar's earlier plots. Shenzi and Banzai note that they would have succeeded had Mufasa not interfered, and sarcastically ask whether they should have killed Mufasa. Scar sinisterly answers, "Precisely."
As the song opens, Scar takes note of the hyenas' stupidity, but notes that if they ally themselves with him, they might be useful. Scar explains that his plan is to kill both Simba and Mufasa, and then take the throne for himself as the only eligible heir. Scar makes the hyenas an offer: they help him usurp the throne, and he will allow them into the Pride Lands where they will never go hungry again. The hyenas readily accept, and quickly reveal that they number in the hundreds. The rest of the song talks about the power and the benefits that both parties will have under Scar's reign.
The song features diverse imagery, with the background colors becoming more intense throughout the song. One section features the entire clan of hyenas marching in goose-step, modeled after Nazi propaganda, turning their noses sharply to look at Scar sitting upon a high balcony, very similar to Adolf Hitler: it was semi-controversial due to these themes.
Part of the song is featured in the sequel The Lion King 1½. The opening is played as Timon and Pumbaa unknowingly wander through sections of the elephant graveyard to see if it would make a good home, but stumble in even as the clan of hyenas begins their famous 'goose-step' routine. Silently, they tip-toe out of the number.
The song is also featured in the live musical version of the original film. It reprises briefly at Mufasa's funeral as Scar becomes king.
The 2019 film has an altered version where it only has a variation of the second verse of the song.
Lyrics[]
Scar: I know that your powers of retention
Are as wet as a warthog's backside
But thick as you are, pay attention!
My words are a matter of pride
It's clear from your vacant expressions
The lights are not all on upstairs
But we're talking kings and successions
Even you can't be caught unawares!
So, prepare for the chance of a lifetime
Be prepared for sensational news
A shining, new era
Is tiptoeing nearer
Shenzi: And where do we feature?
Scar: Just listen to teacher
I know it sounds sordid
But you'll be rewarded
When at last, I am given my dues
And injustice deliciously squared
Scar/Hyena Clan: Be prepared!
[Speech]
Banzai: Yeah, be prepared! We'll be prepared! For what?
Scar: For the death of the king!
Banzai: Why? Is he sick?
Scar: No, fool, we're gonna kill him. And Simba, too.
Shenzi: Great idea! Who needs a king?
Shenzi and Banzai: No king! No king! La-la-la-la-la-la!
Scar: Idiots! There will be a king!
Banzai: Hey, but you said, uh...
Scar: I will be king! Stick with me, and you'll never go hungry again!
Shenzi: Yay! All right! Long live the king!
Hyena Clan: Long live the king! Long live the king!
Hyena Clan: King, king, king, king, king, king!
It's great that we'll soon be connected
With a king who'll be all time adored
Scar: Of course, quid pro quo, you're expected
To take certain duties on board
The future is littered with prizes
And though I'm the main addressee
The point that I must emphasize is
YOU WON'T GET A SNIFF WITHOUT ME!!!
Scar: So prepare for the coup of the century
Be prepared for the murkiest scam (Hyena Clan: Oooh... la, la, la!)
Meticulous planning (Hyena Clan: We'll have food!)
Tenacity spanning (Hyena Clan: Lots of food!)
Decades of denial (Hyena Clan: We repeat!)
Is simply why I'll (Hyena Clan: Endless meat!)
Be king undisputed
Respected, saluted
And seen for the wonder I am
Yes, my teeth and ambitions are bared
Scar/Hyena Clan: Be prepared!
Shenzi/Banzai/Ed/Hyena Clan: Yes, our teeth and ambitions are bared
Scar/Shenzi/Banzai/Ed/Hyena Clan: Be prepared!
Scar: (spoken) I never thought hyenas essential
They're crude and unspeakably plain
But maybe they've a glimmer of potential
If allied to my vision and brain
I know that your powers of retention
Are as wet as a warthog's backside
But thick as you are, pay attention!
My words are a matter of pride
It's clear from your vacant expressions
The lights are not all on upstairs
But we're talking kings and successions
Even you can't be caught unawares!
So, prepare for the chance of a lifetime
Be prepared for sensational news
A shining, new era
Is tiptoeing nearer
Shenzi: And where do we feature?
Scar: Just listen to teacher
I know it sounds sordid
But you'll be rewarded
When at last, I am given my dues
And injustice deliciously squared
Scar/Hyena Clan: Be prepared!
[Speech]
Banzai: Yeah, be prepared! We'll be prepared! For what?
Scar: For the death of the king!
Banzai: Why? Is he sick?
Scar: No, fool, we're gonna kill him. And Simba, too.
Shenzi: Great idea! Who needs a king?
Shenzi and Banzai: No king! No king! La-la-la-la-la-la!
Scar: Idiots! There will be a king!
Banzai: Hey, but you said, uh...
Scar: I will be king! Stick with me, and you'll never go hungry again!
Shenzi: Yay! All right! Long live the king!
Hyena Clan: Long live the king! Long live the king!
Hyena Clan: King, king, king, king, king, king!
It's great that we'll soon be connected
With a king who'll be all-time adored
Scar: Of course, quid pro quo, you're expected
To take certain duties on board
The future is littered with prizes
And though I'm the main addressee
The point that I must emphasize is
You won't get a sniff without me!!!
Scar: So prepare for the coup of the century
Be prepared for the murkiest scam (Hyena Clan: Oooh... la, la, la!)
Meticulous planning (Hyena Clan: We'll have food!)
Tenacity spanning (Hyena Clan: Lots of food!)
Decades of denial (Hyena Clan: We repeat!)
Is simply why I'll (Hyena Clan: Endless meat!)
Be king undisputed
Respected, saluted
And seen for the wonder I am
Yes, my teeth and ambitions are bared
Scar/Hyena Clan: Be prepared!
Shenzi/Banzai/Ed: Yes, our teeth and ambitions are bared
Be prepared!
Scar: It's time you were all introduced to
Your ruler's executive staff
Perhaps not the kind you've been used to
But certainly gamed for a laugh
Hyenas: We like to assure you no fooling
Red meat is no longer our scene
And if now or then we're seen drooling
It's only an ancestor's gene
Scar: So, be prepared for a glorious future
Be prepared for the pride's golden age
Banzai: And like any other
Who'd murder a broth-...
Shenzi: If we don't spread rumors
He'll feed us and groom us
Hyenas: With friends in high places
We own all the aces
Scar: So, don't try and rattle my cage
Hyenas: Oh, imagine if anyone dared
All: Be prepared
Hyenas: Oh, imagine if anyone dared
Scar: Be prepared
Scar: (spoken) Mufasa has always shown too much restraint when it comes to hunting. When I'm king, the mighty will be free to take whatever they want, because a hyena's belly is never full.
Shenzi: (spoken) Mufasa's far too powerful to challenge...
Scar: Mufasa is yesterday's message
A clapped-out, distracted regime
Whose failings undoubtedly presage
The need for a different dream
Yes, leonine times are a-changing
Which means that hyenas must too
My vision is clear and wide-ranging
And even encompasses you
So, prepare for the coup of the century
Prepare for the murkiest scam
Meticulous planning
Tenacity spanning
Decades of denial
Is simply why I'll
Be king, undisputed
Respected, saluted
And seen for the wonder I am
Yes, my teeth and ambitions are bared
Be prepared!
(Hyena Clan: Be prepared, be prepared, be prepared, be prepared)
Be prepared, be prepared
(Be prepared, be prepared, be prepared, be prepared)
Be prepared
(Be prepared, be prepared, be prepared, be prepared)
Be prepared
(Be prepared, be prepared, be prepared, be prepared)
Scar/Hyena Clan: Yes, our teeth and ambitions are bared
Be prepared!
Trivia[]
- For a number of years it was commonly accepted that Jeremy Irons sings "Be Prepared" until Scar says the line "You won't get a sniff without me!", whereupon his voice allegedly gave out and the rest of the song is performed by Jim Cummings. However, while there does appear to be a noticeable change in the timbre of Scar's voice that would suggest a change in voice actors, at face value this claim is somewhat questionable: music producing never records a single take of a song, meaning even if there was a take where Irons' voice gave out, one could reasonably find another take where it did not, or he could have recorded the final part of the song at a different juncture. Additionally, Jim Cummings has claimed on a number of occasions that he, in fact, sings the entire song, as he was hired to be Irons' singing double: however, there is behind the scenes footage of Jeremy Irons recording "Be Prepared". The most likely explanation is that both Irons and Cummings individually performed a full version of the song, hence Cummings' memory of having done so, but the film edit combines the two.
- Irons sang the entire song, including the verse performed by Cummings, at The Lion King 30th Anniversary concert at the Hollywood Bowl in May 2024.
- In the musical and the official soundtrack, the song starts with a spoken verse of Scar pondering whether to use the hyenas in his plan to kill Mufasa. This was cut after a change in story where Scar has already informed them of his plans.
- "I never thought hyenas essential
- They're crude and unspeakably plain
- But maybe they've a glimmer of potential
- If allied to my vision and brain..."
- A reprise was originally written for this song, but was eventually cut because it seemed inappropriate following the death of Mufasa in the stampede. There were two versions of this reprise in early drafts.
- The first version had Scar singing a short reprise to an adult Nala in an attempt to seduce her to become his Queen and mother his cubs (a concept that was scrapped from the film due to the sexual undertones of the scene). But when Nala refuses the proposal, a revolt begins against Scar, leading him to finally allow the hyenas into the Pride Lands. He sings a dark reprise in which he introduces the hyenas as his executive staff.
- The second version of the reprise had Scar singing to the lionesses directly after Simba's exile, during which the hyenas are allowed into the Pride Lands.
- One version of the script had Scar sing "Thanks to Me!" which featured Scar gloating to the hyenas about murdering Mufasa and exiling Simba, but ultimately the writers felt that a song building up to Scar's murder would be more fitting.
- In the soundtrack's lyric booklet, the line "You won't get a sniff without me!" was accidentally written as "You won't get a sniff out of me!"[1]
- The sequence showing the hyenas goosestepping was modeled after actual footage of Nazi troops marching in Berlin with Hitler watching them.
- Originally, this song was not going to appear in the CGI remake, but on February 3, 2019, it was announced that the song would be in the remake. It was also confirmed that the remake would feature a reworked version of the song by Elton John himself that will be suitable for the new movie as well as Chiwetel Ejiofor's vocals.
- In the Lion King video game, when hyenas are defeated, they make a "military salute" gesture, as Ed does in the first verses of this song, complete with the sticking-out tongue.
- Judging by the horns, the skeletons rattled by the hyenas appear to be those of antelope.
- Scar's heartless form in Kingdom Hearts II is called Groundshaker, referencing how in this song an earthquake reshapes all the terrain.
- When Scar yells, "You won't get a sniff without me!", he forces a hyena into a crack in the ground. The hyena falls in the crack screaming, and is presumably burned to death.
- Because it is about Scar's evil plot to become king, this song could be viewed as a dark counterpart to "I Just Can't Wait to Be King", which is about Simba's joy and excitement over being king one day.
- The start of the song can be heard during The Lion King 1 ½, though it differs from the original because the graveyard has lit up and the hyenas are goosestepping at the start rather than the middle.
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ Hill, Jim (September 19, 2011). "Has Disney Been ‘Lion’ about Jeremy Irons’ Singing Voice?" (Blog). HuffPost.
External links[]
|
This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from the The Lion King Wiki. The list of authors can be seen in the page revision history (view authors). As with Disney Wiki, the text of The Lion King Wiki is available under the CC-by-SA Free Documentation License. |
