Under the sea - Alan Menken & Howard Ashman

Translated into ASL by David Bar-Tzur

Created 25 May 2006, links updated monthly with the help of LinkAlarm.

EXPLANATION OF THE GLOSSING SYSTEM
(to understand how I describe the signs in this translation).

MAYBE SEA PLANT LOOK MORE GREEN
IN OTHER PERSON HIS/HER PLACE.
YOU LOOK-FORWARD MOVE,
BUT THAT BIG MISTAKE.
SHOULD LOOK-AROUND PLACE (2h)YOU. LIVE.
RIGHT-HERE OUR OCEAN FLOOR.
HAVE WONDERFUL THINGS AROUND (2h)YOU.
SEARCH"over time" FOR-FOR?

SEA DEEP BELOW, SEA DEEP BELOW.
SWEETIE, OUR WET WORLD MUCH BETTER.
BELIEVE ME.
DRY WORLD UP THEREABOUTS, THEY WORK++"sta".
MUST PATIENT, SUNSHINE ALL-DAY.
WHILE WE SWIM AROUND AND PLAY++.
SEA DEEP BELOW.

RIGHT-HERE (2h)#ALL FISH FEEL HAPPY
WHILE ROCK ABOVE WATER CRASH.
BUT FISH LIVE ABOVE HAPPY NOT.
WHY? THEY STUCK IN GLASS BOWL.
BUT FISH IN BOWL STILL LUCKY.
THEIR FUTURE WORSE CAN.
MAYBE LATER++ BOSS BECOME HUNGRY
GUESS WHO SHOW-UP ON DINNER PLATE.

SEA DEEP BELOW, SEA DEEP BELOW.
SWEETIE, OUR WET WORLD MUCH BETTER.
BELIEVE ME.
PEOPLE LIVE LAND PREFER SEE US IN P-A-N FLIP-PAN.
BUT SEA DEEP BELOW HAVE-NO HOOK.
TROUBLE NONE, BUBBLES FUN
WHERE? SEA DEEP BELOW.

(newt) SQUID PLAY-CLARINET, JELLYFISH PLAY-HARP.
(plaice) CRAB, V-PLAY-BASS, THEIR-rt MUSIC COOL.
(bass) WHALE BLOW-HOLE, LOBSTER V-POUND-DRUM.
(fluke) SHARK TOOTHY-SMILE WELCOME (2h)YOU.
(ray) PIANO WHO? OCTOPUS HAVE FOUR.
(trout) DOLPHIN GOOD-AT SING MOUTH-CHATTER.
(smelt) SEAL PLAY HORN HONK++.
(blowfish) PENGUIN CONDUCT WEAR TUXEDO.

SEA DEEP BELOW, SEA DEEP BELOW.
SWEETIE, OUR WET WORLD MUCH BETTER.
BELIEVE ME.
PEOPLE LIVE LAND HAVE "WHAT"? S-A-N-D.
WE HAVE HOT MUSIC BAND.
CLAM WE USE FOR CASTANETS.
SEA DEEP BELOW.
(slug) MAYBE OUR SNAIL LOOK SLOW.
SEA DEEP BELOW.
(snail) BUT WE HAVE FISH CAN FLY JUMP-IN-ARC.
(that's why) THAT* REASON HOTTER UNDER WATER.
(Ya we) WE HAVE LUCK NOT LIVE WHERE SUCK.
BETTER SEA DEEP BELOW.


Notes: LOOK-FORWARD - Same as LOOK-UP-TO.

RIGHT-HERE - (2h)[1^], POs down, FOs away, hands descend 1x or 2x.

(2h)YOU - Underlined words are honorific indices ("indexes"), using the FT of the upturned palm to indicate who is being honored.

BELOW - [1^], PO down, FO away, descends in a curvy patternt to show "way down there".

SWEETIE - SWEET.

[SWIM] AROUND - (2h)[1], POs > signer, circle around each other while both hands move > DS.

(2h)#ALL - (2h)[A], POs ><, FOs up, are held at shoulder height and move away while opening to (2h)[L].

CRASH - NDH [B], PO > DS, FO up, acts as the rocks, and the DH [5], PO > NDS, FO up, crashes against it, wg as it moves up and recedes. Repeat.

FLIP-PAN - Mime holding a pan and flipping a fish that is cooking in it.

HAVE-NO - (2h)[B], POs > signer move upwards past mouth and swing upwards and apart while mouth blows on hands as they pass.

HOOK - Hook [X] into side of mouth.

BUBBLES - (2h)[S], POs up, FOs away, alt. move up like juggling, opening to [5:] and then closing again.

(newt) - It is imposible to capture all the puns and impractical to fingerspell the series of animals, so I used undersea animals that have signs and tried to pick a musical activity that would look humorous if that animal did it. Since this will make it harder to keep one's place, I have included key words in parentheses before the signed line to help.

SQUID - Sign looks like AND signed twice while moving > DS, but not closing completely.

PLAY-CLARINET - For these and other musical insturment, mime how they are played.

JELLYFISH - [5], PO down, FO away, moves up twice, curling and uncurling fingers.

CRAB - (2h)[V], POs ><, FOs away, closes twice to (2h)[U] with a scissors action.

V-PLAY-BASS - (2h)[V]: Imagine NDH high on the frets while DH strokes strings while mouthing "boam boam boam" (to rhyme with "roam").

COOL - FINEwg.

WHALE - (2h)[B], horizontal NDS arm represents the surface of an ocean. The movement of the DH shows a whale diving in and out of the water > NDS. This sign can be done with DH [W]. For a QuickTime movie of this sign, see ASL browser - whale.

BLOW-HOLE - [S] touches dorsal (back) side of hand to top of head and opens to [5^] while rushing upwards and air is blown between lips.

LOBSTER - (2h)[V], POs down, FOs away, closes twice to (2h)[U] with a scissors action.

SHARK - (2h)[B], touch midpoints with DH vertical and behind horizontal NDH, both move forward in a wavy swimming pattern. For a QuickTime movie of this sign, see ASL browser - shark.

TOOTHY-SMILE - (2h)[5:], POs >&l;t, FOs > NDS, with DH on top of NDH. The hands sweep in a semi-circle > DS as if showing the range of teeth.

OCTOPUS - NDH [O^] is placed on top of [5] which wiggles its tentacles. For a QuickTime movie of this sign, see ASL browser - octopus.

DOLPHIN - [R dot], that is, a combination of [L] and [R], PO > signer, FO > NDS, hand moves in a wavy motion > NDS as if riding the waves.

GOOD-AT - [F], PO > signer, Fo > NDS, strikes chin.

MOUTH-CHATTER - [O^], PO away, FO up, opens and closes like the motion in MEETING while lips move like a chattering dolphin.

SEAL - (2h)[B], cross wrists and slap dorsal (back) sides together.

HORN - [C] honks a horn like seals play with their mouths.

HONK++ - [C] holds dorsal (back) side against mouth and moves head while squeezing the horns.

PENGUIN - (2h)[B], POs down, FO > respective sides, are held at waist and body waddles, imitating the walk of a penguin. For a QuickTime movie of this sign, see ASL browser - penguin.

CONDUCT - (2h)[1] move like a conductors baton.

TUXEDO - (2h)[S] cross at wrists under chin and shoot out once to (2h)[H].

BAND - MUSIC GROUP.

CLAM - (2h)[B^], FO away, are held like a closed clam shell, then open twice.

CASTANETS - (2h)[ILY] tap middle and ring fingers against palms with NDH held high and DH held at waist.

SNAIL - [1] inches its way up the dorsal side of the forearm by curling and uncurling.

FLY - Flap arms.

JUMP-IN-ARC - [B], PO down, FO > NDS, jumps in an arc > NDS.

SUCK - [1^], pokes at open mouth.

Lyrics:

The seaweed is always greener
In somebody else's lake.
You dream about going up there,
But that is a big mistake.
Just look at the world around you,
Right here on the ocean floor.
Such wonderful things surround you.
What more is you lookin' for?

Under the sea, under the sea,
Darling it's better down where it's wetter,
Take it from me.
Up on the shore they work all day.
Out in the sun they slave away,
While we devotin' time to go floatin'
Under the sea.

Down here all the fish is happy,
As off through the waves they roll.
The fish on the land ain't happy.
They sad 'cause they in their bowl,
But fish in the bowl is lucky.
They in for a worser fate.
One day when the boss get hungry,
Guess who's gon' be on the plate?

Under the sea, under the sea,
Darling it's better down where it's wetter,
Take it from me.
We what the land folks loves to cook.
Under the sea we off the hook.
We got no troubles; life is the bubbles
Under the sea.

The newt play the flute. The carp play the harp.
The plaice play the bass, And they soundin' sharp.
The bass play the brass. The chub play the tub.
The fluke is the duke of soul. (Yeah)
The ray he can play. The lings on the strings.
The trout rockin' out. The blackfish she sings.
The smelt and the sprat, they know where it's at,
An' oh that blowfish blow.

Under the sea, under the sea,
Darling it's better down where it's wetter,
Take it from me.
What do they got? A lot of sand.
We got a hot crustacean band.
Each little clam here know how to jam here
Under the sea.
Each little slug here cuttin' a rug here
Under the sea.
Each little snail here know how to wail here.
That's why it's hotter under the water.
Ya we in luck here down in the muck here
Under the sea.

treble clef as a symbol for musicTo hear the music (without words), go to Under the sea.

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