- “When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do?”
- ―Dory
"Just Keep Swimming" is a song from the 2003 Disney/Pixar animated film, Finding Nemo and its 2016 sequel. It is Dory's signature song, which she uses as a mantra to calm herself, and give herself the strength to never give up. It was taught to her by her parents. The song was included in neither the film's soundtrack nor in that of the sequel.
Appearances
Finding Nemo
The song is first sung when Dory and Marlin swim towards the Abyssopelagic Zone to find the mask while Marlin constantly gets bothered. It is briefly sung by Dory again during the end of the film when Marlin tells a group of groupers caught in a fishing net to swim downwards as the groupers break the giant fishing net.
Finding Dory
In one of the flashbacks, Dory's parents Charlie and Jenny taught their daughter the song when she was a baby fish. Later in the present in the touch pool area at the Kid Zone, Dory tells Hank to keep swimming, just like what her parents taught her in which Hank tells her it is too dangerous to move because of the children touching the animals. Suddenly after Dory sings while guiding Hank to escape, dozens of worms warn Dory and Hank about Poker's Cove, the part in the touch pool where animals usually get touched by humans.
Lyrics
Just keep swimming
Just keep swimming
Just keep swimming
Swimming, swimming
What do we do?
We swim, swim, swim
Oh, ho, ho, ho!
How I love to swim!
When you want to swim
You want to swim!
Dory:
Hey, Mr. Grumpy Gills
Life's full of little spills
Don't throw your fins up in disgust
Oh what's the use of floatin' there
Not going anywhere?
Swish your tail
And dive on in
And trust...
That...if...you
Just keep swimming
Just keep swimming
Life isn't all that grim!
Marlin:
Ugh...
Dory:
Just keep swimming
Just keep swimming
What do we do?
Marlin:
We swim?
Dory:
Right!
La la la la la la la la
Marlin:
Don't sing!
Dory:
La la la la la la la la
Marlin:
No singing, please!
Dory:
La la la la la la la!
Marlin:
Ugh! Now that song is going to be stuck in my head!
Dory:
Look there's a shiny thing!
Hey that looks interesting
Marlin:
Please, Dory! Try to stay on task
Dory:
It says "P Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney"
Hmm, I guess it's nothing
Marlin:
No, Dory! That's the mask!
Dory:
Yay! We did it!
Marlin:
Yeah, but now what?
We don't know how to get there
Dory:
So we follow our gut!
Marlin:
But...
Dory:
Just keep swimming
Just keep swimming
Everything will be okay
See?
Just keep swimming
Move your tail
And sure enough we'll find our way
Oh sometimes things look bad
Then poof! The moment is gone
And what do we do?
Both:
We just keep swimming on
Dory:
To P Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney!
Marlin:
Hello there! Yeah! Excuse me!
Dory:
P Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney
Marlin:
I'm looking for my son...
Dory:
P Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney
Marlin:
Wait a minute! I'm trying to talk to you! Please!
Dory:
P SHERMAN 42 WALLABY WAY, SYDNEY!
Marlin:
Stop!
Look, you've been really great
And I appreciate
All of the little things you've done
Dory:
Well, thanks!
Marlin:
But, perhaps I think it's best
If you and I gave this a rest
Dory:
Huh?
Marlin:
How 'bout you stay here while I go and find my son?
Dory:
Wait!
Come back!
Don't leave my on my own!
Marlin:
Sorry, but I really want to carry on alone!
Dory:
(cries)
Moonfish:
Hey, lady. Is this guy bothering you?
Dory:
I don't remember. Were you?
Marlin:
No, no, no, no. Do you guys know how I can get to P Sherman-
Moonfish:
Look, pal. We're talking to the lady.
Marlin:
Fine!
Dory:
Go easy on him, fellas. He lost his son, Fabio.
Marlin:
Nemo!
Dory:
Any of you heard of P Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney?
Moonfish:
Sydney?
(vocalizing)
(spoken)
What you want to do is follow the E.A.C. that's, uh, the East Australian Current!
(singing)
Just keep swimming (Swimming, swimming...)
(spoken)
Big current...can't miss it. It's in that direction.
(singing)
Just keep swimming (Swimming, swimming...)
(spoken)
And that little baby's gonna put you right past Sydney!
(singing)
It's a big blue world out there
That can make a fish feel small
Dory:
They're good
Moonfish:
But when friends point the way
It's not so big at all
Marlin:
To Sydney!
Moonfish:
(vocalizing again)
Oh, hey, ma'am, one more thing. When you come to this trench, swim through it, not over it.
Dory:
Through it, not over it. Got it!
Marlin:
I don't like this trench one bit
We're swimming over it
Dory:
Something's telling me we should swim through
Marlin:
Why do I waste my breath?
That way leads to certain death
Dory:
Come on, partner! Trust me on this! It's what friends do!
Marlin:
Okay, I guess. If you say so
Hey look! Something shiny!
Dory:
Where?
Marlin:
Over the trench!
Dory:
Let's go!
La la la la la
Marlin:
La la la
Dory:
La la la la la
Marlin:
La la la
Dory:
La la la
Ow ow ow ow
Owwwww!!!!
Marlin:
Dory! That's a jellyfish! You'll be okay. Let's be thankful it was just a little one. (gasp!) Uh-oh.
Dory:
Hey! Watch this! Boing! Boing! Boing!
Marlin:
Dory, I have an idea. A game.
Dory:
Ooh a game! Pick me! Pick me!
Marlin:
First one out of the jellyfish without touching the tentacles wins. Ready set go!
Dory:
Better move fast if you wanna win!
Marlin:
Just keep swimming
Dory:
Just keep swimming
Both:
Life isn't always grim
Marlin:
Just keep swimming
Dory:
Just keep swimming
Both:
What do we do?
We swim
Marlin:
Just keep swimming
Dory:
Just keep swimming
Marlin:
Just keep swimming
Dory:
This fish was built for speed
Marlin:
Ha ha!
Just keep swimming
Dory:
Just keep swimming
Marlin:
Just keep swimming
And the clownfish takes the lead!
(zap)
Dory!
Dory!
Oh no!
Dory:
Am I disqualified?
Marlin:
No. You're actually winning. But you have to listen to me.
Just keep swimming
Stay awake, now
Everything will be okay.
Just stay with me
'Till we get to
Dory:
42 Wallaby Way
Marlin:
Right.
Sometimes things look bad
Then poof, the moment is gone
And what do we do?
Dory:
We just...keep...swimming...
Just keep swimming
Just keep swimming... (screams)
My mom wrote this song for me
It's gonna get us out of here...
(speaking) Sing with me, Hank! Come on!
Trivia
- In the widescreen disc of the 2003 Finding Nemo, Dory (offscreen) constantly chants "Just keep watching" (still the same tune of her signature song) repeatedly while Marlin (also offscreen) tells the viewer to remove the disc from the DVD player so that the viewer can stop hearing Marlin and Dory talking.
- In the attraction "Finding Nemo: The Musical", the song is played during the part where Marlin and Dory encounter a school of Moonfish who tell him swim past a trench and then a jellyfish forest so that they can arrive at the EAC.
- The application, Finding Dory: Just Keep Swimming, is named after Dory's signature song.
