The Work Song (Cinderella) Lyrics — Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

• 1950 animated-film work-chant that turns sewing into choreography: snips, tugs, stitches, all on beat.
• Written by Mack David, Jerry Livingston, and Al Hoffman, voiced by Jimmy MacDonald with a team of squeaky helpers.
• Diegetic scene fuel: the mice sing while they build Cinderella's dress, so the rhythm is literally the labor.
• Later reimagined by outside artists, most famously Take 6 on a 1995 Disney tribute release.

Cinderella (1950) - film soundtrack cue - diegetic. The mice stage a miniature garment factory in the attic, hauling thread, pinning cloth, and improvising teamwork while Cinderella is offscreen. Approx placement: early in the film, before the ball preparations crest into magic. Why it matters: it sells community as a machine, with the melody acting like a conveyor belt that never jams.

This is one of those Disney numbers that looks simple until you watch how much it has to do. It is not just background cheer, it is a timing system for animation. Every repeated phrase lands like a hammer tap, giving the scene permission to cut fast: spool, stitch, knot, pull, grin, repeat. I have always liked how the writing keeps the tune compact. No grand melodic detours, no extra decoration. The song knows its job is to keep hands moving.

There is a sly character angle too. Cinderella is not singing here, yet the film makes her feel present through the mice. Their chorus becomes her support network in sound, and the number turns kindness into something you can hear with your eyes closed.

Creation History

According to IMDb soundtrack credits, the piece was finished in 1949 and credited to Mack David, Jerry Livingston, and Al Hoffman, with performance attributed to Jimmy MacDonald and several mice. The trio wrote the film's core song set in a Tin Pan Alley style that could glide between lullaby, comic patter, and ballroom glow, and this track is their briskest bit of craft: melody as practical tool.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

A group of mice decide Cinderella deserves a break, then organize themselves into an impromptu workshop. The song narrates the process in real time: the leader calls the plan, the crew answers, and the visual gag is that these tiny bodies run a full production line. The scene builds momentum until the dress is nearly complete, setting up the later conflict when it gets wrecked.

Song Meaning

The meaning is teamwork without speeches. The lyrics are basically a to-do list, but the deeper message is about dignity in helping. Nobody is doing this for applause. They do it because they can, because it is right, and because it is more fun when everyone pulls in the same direction. The mood stays bright, yet there is grit underneath: work is hard, so they turn it into play and move anyway.

Annotations

"Cinderelly, Cinderelly"

A nickname that functions like a drum hit. It keeps the chorus tight and reminds you who the whole operation is for, without dragging Cinderella into the scene.

"We can do it"

This is the engine. Short, repeatable, and built for call-and-response. It is less a pep talk than a switch that flips the room from chaos to order.

"Time to start"

The line sounds like stage direction, which is exactly what it is. The song is half narration, half workflow chart, and the animation follows it like a metronome.

Genre and rhythm

It plays like a children’s march filtered through swing-era studio songwriting: steady pulse, compact phrases, and a chorus that can be chanted by a crowd. The rhythm never shows off, it just keeps pushing the scene forward, one stitch at a time.

Symbols and subtext

Needle and thread become symbols of care. The mice are literally weaving a different future for Cinderella, and the song frames that labor as communal pride rather than sacrifice. It is one of Disney’s smartest tricks: making support feel active, not sentimental.

Technical Information

• Artist: Mice Chorus (Cinderella cast recording credits vary by release)
• Featured: Jimmy MacDonald (lead voice) with ensemble mouse voices
• Composer: Jerry Livingston
• Producer: Walt Disney Productions (film production credit context)
• Release Date: February 15, 1950 (album-release metadata for later catalog editions)
• Genre: Film soundtrack; ensemble work chant
• Instruments: Vocal ensemble; studio orchestra (light, rhythmic scoring)
• Label: Walt Disney Records (later soundtrack editions)
• Mood: Brisk, playful, industrious
• Length: Track timings vary by edition (often appears inside a longer suite)
• Track #: Often packaged within a suite on legacy soundtrack issues
• Language: English
• Album (if any): Cinderella (Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Walt Disney Records legacy editions
• Music style: Call-and-response chorus with tight rhythmic phrasing
• Poetic meter: Accentual, chant-driven phrasing designed for clear cutoffs

Questions and Answers

Who wrote the song?

It is credited to Mack David, Jerry Livingston, and Al Hoffman in the film’s documented soundtrack credits.

Who leads the vocal in the scene?

Soundtrack credits commonly identify Jimmy MacDonald as the lead voice, backed by an ensemble of mice.

Is the singing diegetic?

Yes, it is staged as part of the scene: the mice sing while they work, and the action is timed to the phrasing.

Why does the chorus repeat so much?

Because repetition is the motor. The hook is built to loop while the animation cuts rapidly across tiny tasks.

What is the song really saying?

It is a celebration of helping without bargaining. The lyrics talk about work, but the message is shared care made practical.

Why does it feel like a production line?

The melody is segmented into short commands and responses, which maps neatly onto a visual assembly process.

Did it get notable cover versions?

Yes. Take 6 recorded a prominent version for a 1995 Disney tribute release, and cover databases list additional choral, orchestral, and lullaby-style interpretations.

How is it used in modern vocal training?

ABRSM includes it in musical theatre syllabi as a manageable, character-forward selection, with published guidance on key and range.

What makes it tricky to perform well?

Keeping the diction crisp while staying light. If you push the sound too hard, the number loses its quick-footed charm.

Awards and Chart Positions

The track itself was not pushed as a pop single in the way later Disney songs would be, but the film’s recorded music had real commercial life in the early 1950s and in later catalog releases.

As an awards footnote, the 1950 film earned Oscar nominations for other songs in its lineup, which tells you the broader songwriting team was taken seriously, even if this particular cue was valued more as scene craft than awards bait.

How to Sing The Work Song

Vocal profile

• Common audition key: G major (syllabus listing)
• Suggested range: D4-E5 (syllabus listing)
• Tempo: Brisk and even, like a light march; suite recordings are often indexed around the low-120 BPM zone, but edition matters.
• Style note: Prioritize clarity and ensemble blend over volume. This is character rhythm, not belting.

Step-by-step HowTo

1. Tempo: Set a steady pulse and practice speaking the chorus in time. If the consonants do not line up, the groove collapses.
2. Diction: Keep "t", "k", and "d" crisp. Aim for percussive clarity without biting the vowels.
3. Breathing: Use quick, quiet sips of air between short phrases. Do not wait for a "big" breath that never arrives.
4. Flow and rhythm: Treat each line like a small tool stroke. Consistency sells the scene.
5. Accents: Lean gently into the first beat of each phrase, then lighten. Too much weight makes it plod.
6. Ensemble and doubles: Match vowels on sustained syllables and cut off together. Group precision is the sparkle.
7. Mic and staging: If amplified, keep distance consistent during repeated hooks. Repetition exposes level swings fast.
8. Pitfalls: Rushing, mumbling, or pushing past E5 with strain. Keep it nimble and playful.

Additional Info

The fun surprise in the afterlife of this song is how flexible it turned out to be. You can dress it up as choral pop (Take 6 did), arrange it for orchestra, or sand it down into lullaby form, and the core still reads: a simple hook built to keep hands moving. Cover databases list a spread of versions, which is a quiet compliment to the underlying structure.

There is also a collector’s-story angle. Cinderella did not ship with a modern soundtrack album in 1950 the way later Disney titles would. The music circulated through story-and-song records and later reissues, then came back in a more archival way through Walt Disney Records editions that organized cues, demos, and suites for the deep listeners.

Key Contributors

Sources: IMDb soundtrack credits page for Cinderella (1950), Music of Cinderella (1950 film) reference article, ABRSM Singing for Musical Theatre syllabus PDFs, SecondHandSongs cover listing for The Work Song, Walt Disney Records catalog listings (Spotify and Apple Music), Cartoon Research feature on Cinderella soundtrack on records, Deseret News review of the 1995 Cinderella tribute release, YouTube uploads of the film sequence and the Take 6 cover