"Chim Chim Cher-ee" is a song from the 1964 film Mary Poppins. It was sung by Bert, Mary Poppins, Jane, and Michael. It is also featured prominently in the award-winning Cameron Mackintosh/Disney stage musical of the same name which premiered in London at the Prince Edward Theatre in 2004 and on Broadway on November 16, 2006 with additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. It was heard in the Mary Poppins scene of The Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios and during the Mary Poppins segment of Magical: Disney's New Nighttime Spectacular of Magical Celebrations at Disneyland.
The song won the 1964 Academy Award for Best Original Song. In 2005, Julie Andrews included it as part of "Julie Andrews Selects Her Favorite Disney Songs". It was included in Disney Sing Along Songs: Be Our Guest.
Songwriters[]
The song was written by the Sherman Brothers, who also won an Oscar and a Grammy Award for the film's song score.
Inspiration[]
The song was inspired by one of the drawings of a chimney sweep created by the film's screenwriter, Don DaGradi. When asked about the drawing by the Sherman Brothers, DaGradi explained the ancient British folklore attributed to "sweeps" and how shaking hands with one could bring a person good luck. In their 1961 treatment, the Sherman Brothers had already amalgamated many of the P.L. Travers characters in the creation of "Bert". His theme music became the song.
In addition to the "standard" version of the song which Bert sings to Jane and Michael, he sings short snippets of it to himself at various times, with different verses specific to an unfolding plot element.
Lyrics[]
Movie Version[]
(spoken)
All right, ladies and gents.
Comical poems suitable for the occasion,
extemporized and thought up before your very eyes.
All right, here we go.
(sung)
Room here for everyone
Gathered around
(spoken)
The constable's responstable.
Now, how does that sound?
(instrumental)
(sung)
Hello, Miss Lark, I got one for you
(spoken)
Miss Lark likes to walk in the park...
With Andrew.
Hello, Andrew.
(sung)
Ah, Mrs. Corey, a story for you
(spoken)
Your daughters were shorter than you,
but they grew.
(sung)
Dear Miss Persimmon...
Wind's in the East
Mist comin' in
Like something is brewin'
About to begin
Can't put me finger on what lies in store
(spoken)
But I feel what's to happen,
All happened before.
Pavement Artist scene:
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-oo
I does what I likes and I likes what I do
(spoken)
Hello, art lovers!
Today I'm a screever and as you can see
A screever's an artist of highest degree
And it's all me own work
From me own memory
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-oo
I draws what I likes and I likes what I drew
No remuneration do I ask of you
But me cap would be glad of a copper or two
Me cap would be glad of a copper or two
Pavement Artist scene (Reprise) as Bert cleans up the art:
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-oo
Duh dum, duh-duh-dum, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, dum
Hmm, mmm...
Bert:
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-ee!
A sweep is as lucky
As lucky can be
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-oo!
Good luck will rub off
When I shakes hands with you
Or blow me a kiss
And that's lucky too
Now as the ladder
Of life has been strung
You may think a sweep's
On the bottommost rung
Though I spends me time
In the ashes and smoke
In this whole wide world
There's no happier bloke
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-ee!
A sweep is as lucky
As lucky can be
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-oo!
Good luck will rub off
When I shakes hands with you
Bert, Jane, and Michael:
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-ee!
A sweep is as lucky
As lucky can be
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-oo!
Good luck will rub off
When I shakes hands with you
Bert:
I choose me bristles
With pride, yes, I do
A broom for the shaft
And a brush for the flue
Up where the smoke
Is all billered and curled
'Tween pavement and stars
Is the chimney sweep world
When there's hardly no day
Nor hardly no night
There's things half in shadow
And halfway in light
On the rooftops of London
Coo! What a sight!
Mary Poppins:
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-ee!
When you're with a sweep
You're in glad company
Bert:
Nowhere is there
A more happier crew
Mary Poppins and Bert:
Than them what sings
"Chim chim cher-ee
Chim cher-oo!
Chim chiminey chim chim
Cher-ee chim cher-oo!"
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-ee!
A sweep is as lucky
As lucky can be
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-oo!
Good luck will rub off
When he shakes hands with you
Good luck will rub off
When he shakes hands with you
Now as the ladder
Of life has been strung
You may think a sweep's
On the bottommost rung
Though he spends me time
In the ashes and smoke
In this whole wide world
There's no happier bloke
In this whole wide world
There's no happier bloke
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-ee!
A sweep is as lucky
As lucky can be
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-oo!
Good luck will rub off
When I shakes hands with you
Good luck will rub off
When I shakes hands with you
I choose me bristles
With pride, yes, I do
A broom for the shaft
And a brush for the flue
Though he's covered with soot
From his head to his toes
A sweep knows he's welcome wherever he goes
A sweep knows he's welcome wherever he goes
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-ee!
A sweep is as lucky
As lucky can be
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-oo!
Good luck will rub off
When he shakes hands with you
In my profession, there's many a time
When I embark on a dangerous climb
So when he's up at a perilous height
For luck, with his left, he shakes hands with his right
For luck, with his left, he shakes hands with his right
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-ee!
A sweep is as lucky
As lucky can be
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-oo!
Good luck will rub off
When he shakes hands with you
And You
And You
And You
And You
Musical Version[]
Winds in the east, there's a mist comin' in
Like somethin' is brewin' and 'bout to begin.
Can't put me finger on what lies in store,
But I feel what's to happen all happened before.
A father, a mother, a daughter a son -
The threads of their lives unraveling undone -
Somethin' is needed to twist 'em as tight,
like string you might use when you're flyin' a kite -
Chim chiminey chim chim,
Che-ree chim cheroo
[...]
Of all London's by-ways where I doff my cap
This one's the hardest to find on a map
Cherry Tree Lane, as sweet as a song
But the nannies who come here don't stay for long
Chim chiminey chim chim,
Che-ree chim cheroo
Bert: Winds do change, tides can turn
Sink or swim, see what you learn
Me, I was told when I was small
Just learn a trade, so I learned 'em all
Chim chiminey chim chim--
Bert: The wind may blow, but who's to know
Exactly what it's bringing
Good news or bad, happy or sad
The pendulum keeps swinging
[...]
A game is played, a change is made
But still the road is long
And though they might yet fly a kite
Sometimes with winds too strong
[...]
Twists and turns, ups and downs
One moment smiles, next moment frowns
But bad tempered faces had better change quick
'Cos if the wind changes, the face might just stick
Chim chiminey chim chim,
Che-ree chim cheroo
Bert: Up where the smoke is all billowed and curled
Pavement and stars is the chimney sweeps world
When it's hardly no day nor hardly no night
There's things off in shadows and upways in light
On the Rooftops of London...
(Spoken)
Ooo what a sight
Mary: Oh you're a sweep now, are you?
Bert: Best view in the world aye?
And who gets to see it?! The birds, the stars, and the chimney sweeps.
Nothing can beat it, aye?
(Sung)
Now as the ladder
Of life has been strung
You may think a sweep's
On the bottommost rung
Though I spends me time
In the ashes and smoke
In this whole wide world
There's no happier bloke
'Both: Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-ee!
A sweep is as lucky
As lucky can be
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-oo!
Good luck will rub off
Mary: Good luck will rub off when he shakes hands with you
Bert: Or blow me a kiss
Mary: Bert!
Bert: And that's lucky too
(Spoken)
Does this mean you're going?
Mary: The wind has changed.
Bert: But they're good kids, Mary!
Mary: But I'd be bothering with them if they weren't!
But I can't help them if they won't let me and no one is as hard to teach as a child he knows everything.
Bert: So
Mary: So they've got to do the next bit on their own.
(Sung)
Both: Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-ee!
Mary: When you're with a sweep
You're in glad company...
(Spoken)
Goodbye, Bert.
(Sung)
Bert: Chim...chim
Chim chim cher-ee
When you're with a sweep, you're in glad company
Now where is there a more happier crew
Than them's what sings
"Chim chim cher-ee
Chim cher-oo!
Chim chiminey chim chim
Cher-ee chim-"
(Spoken)
Mary: Cheerio Bert! Keep an eye on them for me.
A chimney swept, a secret kept
Up here above the gables
Another world to be unfurled
It ain't just myths and fables
A chimney stack looks cold and black
Against a twilit sky
But never fear, there's warmth up here
Perhaps you'll find out why
[...]
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-ee!
Now guardian angels you don't often see
They're not high fallutin', not grand nor aloof
Nah, they're covered in soot and they're up on your roof
Jane. Michael: Chim chiminey chim chim cher-ee
Bert: See it's true
(Transitions into "Step in Time")
Covers[]
- Plastic Tree in Japanese on the 2011 album V-Rock Disney
- On 2013 album Disney - Koe no Oujisama Vol.3, which features various seiyus covering Disney songs, the song was covered by Takuma Terashima
Trivia[]
- According to Richard M. Sherman, the film originally planned to have a march score for the rooftop scene.[1]
Videos[]
References[]
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This page uses content from the English Wikipedia page Chim Chim Cher-ee. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. Text from Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. |
