This is the opening song for "The Little Mermaid" and as with most other animated movie opening songs, is sets the
tone of the movie. Sung by the sailors aboard Eric's ship as they venture the seas, and it's nice way to
contrast the cynicism/superstition of the human world with the mystique of the merworld. The middle verse of the following
lyrics cannot be heard in the movie, but is present in the soundtrack.
I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
Look out, lad, a mermaid be waiting for you
In mysterious fathoms below
Fathoms below, below
From whence wayward westerlies blow
Where Triton is king and his merpeople sing
In mysterious fathoms below
Heave-ho, heave-ho
Heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho
In mysterious fathoms below
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This is an early demo version of "Fathoms Below", as can be found in "The Music Behind the Magic" album,
which features more verses than the final, compact version. Thanks to Mariah for sending this info!
Sailors: Heave-ho, heave-ho
I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
Brave sailor beware, for a big 'un's a-brewin'
Mysterious fathoms below
Heave-ho, heave-ho
I'll sing you a song of the king of the sea
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
The ruler of all of the oceans is he
In mysterious fathoms below
Fathoms below, below
From whence wayward westerlies blow
Where Triton is king and his merpeople sing
In mysterious fathoms below
Eric: Isn't this great?
Grimsby: Yes, delightful
Eric: The salty sea air, the wind blowing in your face, I love it!
Grimsby: You love it? I'm about to heave-ho myself!
Sailors: Heave-ho, heave-ho
I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
Look out, lad, a mermaid be waiting for you
In mysterious fathoms below
Grimsby: Eric, please! Get your royal keister down from there!
Eric: Oh, Grim, nothing's going to... Woah!
Grimsby: Eric, Eric! It is not at all princely... Oh, I loathe storms!
Sailor: Ha! This ain't no storm. That's a storm! Way out there...
The king of the ocean is angry
So trouble's a-brewin' out there
I'm tellin' you, lad, when King Triton is mad
How the waves'll buck, rock to and fro
Sailors: Hold on, good luck, as down you go
For Triton is king of the bottomless blue
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
Beware of the magic his merpeople do
In mysterious fathoms below
Heave-ho, heave-ho
Eric: Who are they singing about, sailor? Who is King Triton?
Sailor: Why, ruler of the merpeople, lad! And a powerful lord is he!
Eric: The merpeople?
Sailor: Aye, and they's lives down there, with the bodies of fish and the rest of 'em human.
Grimsby: Yes, this is what fifty years at sea will do to you.
Sailor: Make fun of yer like! But I seen 'em! Blast!
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This is another early version of "Fathoms Below", included as an extra in the 2006 Platinum Edition
DVD. In this version there's more exposition from the sailors, who know quite a bit about Triton. This
version also keeps the detail that Ursula is Triton's sister, which didn't end up in the final film.
Sailors:
I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
Look out, lad, a mermaid be waitin' for you
In mysterious fathoms below
Eric:
Ah, isn't this great? The salty sea air, the wind blowing in your face. Perfect day to be at sea.
Grimsby:
Yeah, delightful.
Sailor 1:
A fine, strong wind and a following sea! King Triton must be in a friendly-type mood.
Eric:
King Triton?
Sailor 2:
Why, ruler of the merpeople, lad. Thought every good sailor knew all about him.
Sailors:
I'll sing you a song of the king of the sea
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
The ruler of all of the oceans is he
In mysterious fathoms below
Grimsby:
Merpeople. Eric, pay no attention to this nautical nonsense.
Sailor 2:
But it ain't nonsense, it's the truth. There's a whole world of merpeople under the sea.
Sailor 3:
King Triton's their ruler.
Sailor 1:
He's got seven fair daughters.
Sailor 4:
And a witch of a sister named Ursula.
Eric:
Ursula?
Sailor 4:
Evil and ugly and hungry for power. King Triton, he banished her off into exile, and there she
lives now, just biding her time.
Fathoms below in the ocean
Lives Ursula, witch of the sea
She plots and she schemes and she wickedly dreams
Of the day when she'll return once more
Sailors: Return to rule the ocean floor
She wants to be queen of the bottomless blue
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
So Triton, beware there's a big 'un a-brewin'
Mysterious fathoms below
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This early work tape version of "Fathoms Below" was featured in the "Legacy
Collection" album. It's similar to the deleted scene version above, but features the
vocals of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. I love the energy of this version, especially
towards the end.
Sailors:
I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
Look out, lad, a mermaid be waiting for you
In mysterious fathoms below
Eric:
Isn't this great? The salty sea air, the wind blowing in your face. A perfect day to be at sea.
Sailor:
Aye, that it is, lad.
Grimsby:
Mmm yes, delightful.
Sailor:
A fine, strong wind and a good, clear sky! King Triton must be in a friendly-type mood.
Eric:
King Triton?
Sailor 2:
Why, ruler of the merpeople, lad. Thought every good sailor knew all about him.
Sailors:
I'll sing you a song of the king of the sea
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
The ruler of all of the oceans is he
In mysterious fathoms below
Grimsby:
Merpeople. Eric, pay no attention to this nautical nonsense.
Sailor:
But it isn't nonsense, it's the truth. There's a whole world of merpeople under the sea.
Sailor:
King Triton's their ruler.
Sailor:
He's got seven fair daughters.
Sailor:
And a witch of a sister named Ursula.
Eric:
Ursula?
Sailor:
Evil and ugly and hungry for power. King Triton, he banished her off into exile, and there she
lives now, just biding her time.
Fathoms below in the ocean
Lives Ursula, witch of the sea
She plots and she schemes and she wickedly dreams
Of the day when she'll return once more
Sailors: Return to rule the ocean floor
She wants to be queen of the bottomless blue
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
So Triton, beware there's a big 'un a-brewin'
Mysterious fathoms below
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The Broadway version of "Fathoms Below" is longer and more theatrical than the movie version, with Eric
and Grismby adding their own vocals to the mix, along with a little bit of exposition to the world of the
stage version.
Sailor:
I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue
Sailors:
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
Sailor:
Brave sailor, beware, 'cause a big 'uns a-brewin'
Sailors:
Mysterious fathoms below
Heave-ho
Sailor:
I'll sing you a song of the king of the sea
Sailors:
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
Sailor:
The ruler of all of the oceans is he
Sailors:
In mysterious fathoms below
Fathoms below, below
From whence wayward westerlies blow
Where Triton is king
And his merpeople sing
In mysterious fathoms below
Eric:
Isn't this perfection, Grimsby? Out on the open sea, surrounded by nothing but water.
Grimsby:
Oh, yes, it's simply... delightful.
Eric:
The salt on your skin
And the wind in your hair
And the waves as they ebb and they flow
We're miles from the shore
And guess what? I don't care
Grimsby:
As for me, I'm about to heave-ho
Sailor:
Back to work!
Sailors:
I'll sing you a song of the king of the sea
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
The ruler of all of the oceans is he
In mysterious fathoms below
Grimsby:
King of the sea? Why, that's nautical nonsense. Nothing but a superstition.
Sailor:
The king of the ocean gets angry
And when he gets angry, beware
I'm tellin' ya, lad, when King Triton is mad
How the waves'll buck, rock to and fro
Sailors:
Hold on, good luck, as down you go
Eric:
What is that? Do you hear something?
Grimsby:
Milord, please. Enough sea-faring. You've got to get back to court to honor your father's dying wish and
take up his crown.
Eric:
That's not the life for me, Grimsby. There it is again!
Sailor:
We ought to head back to shore, your majesty.
Grimsby:
Indeed, we should!
Eric:
Not while I'm captain. Now follow that voice! To the ends of the earth if we have to!
Sailor:
Aye-aye, Captain!
Sailors:
There's mermaids out there in the bottomless blue
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
Watch out for 'em, lad, or you'll go to your ruin
Mysterious fathoms below
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In the ABC Live! concert presentation, Graham Phillips (as Eric) and company kick off the show with an energetic
rendition of "Fathoms Below". This extended version of the song features some lyrics ported over from the
Broadway version, plus some completely brand new lyrics.
Sailors:
I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
Brave sailor, beware, 'cause a big 'uns a-brewin'
Mysterious fathoms below
Heave-ho
I'll sing you a song of the king of the sea
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho
The ruler of all of the oceans is he
In mysterious fathoms below
Fathoms below, below
From whence wayward westerlies blow
Where Triton is king
And his merpeople sing
In mysterious fathoms below
Eric:
The salt on your skin
And the wind in your hair
And the waves as they ebb and they flow
Sailors:
We're miles from the shore
Eric:
And guess what? I don't care
Grimsby:
As for me, I'm about to heave-ho
Sailors:
Heave-ho, heave-ho
Eric:
One day I'll be crowned and they'll force me to wed
But 'til then I've got places to go
It feels like my destiny's calling instead
From mysterious fathoms below
Sailors:
Heave-ho, heave-ho
There's mermaids out there in the bottomless blue
Eric:
What I'd give if just one said hello
Sailors:
Watch out for 'em, lad, or you'll go to your ruin
Mysterious fathoms below
All:
Fathoms below, below
From whence charming melodies flow
Where Triton is king
And his merpeople sing
In mysterious fathoms below
Fathoms below, below
Where heroes and legends still grow
And maybe I'll see what life's waiting for me
In mysterious fathoms below
Heave-ho, heave-ho
Heave-ho
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In the live-action movie adaptation, "Fathoms Below" is no longer the opening of the movie, but has become an even
shorter interlude
later in the movie, in place of the jig celebration on Eric's ship, and with Ariel as a spectator.
Mulligan:
I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue
Sailors:
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho, heave-ho
Hawkins:
Look out, lad, a mermaid be waiting for you
Sailors:
In mysterious fathoms below
Eric:
I'll sing you a song of the king of the sea
Sailors:
And it's, hey, to the starboard, heave-ho, heave-ho
Eric:
The ruler of all of the oceans is he
Sailors:
In mysterious fathoms below
Heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho
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