Who originally wrote the verses?

The Sherman Brothers—Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman—penned both music and lines in 1963.

Did the 2005 Radio Edit chart?

No separate chart entry; it lives on the cast album and gained spins on BBC Radio 2’s “Elaine Paige on Sunday.”

Fastest section in the song?

The ensemble spell-out peaks around 186 BPM—roughly nine syllables per second.

Any notable modern covers?

Japanese boy-band JO1 riffed on it with 2022’s “SuperCali,” and Hololive virtual idols performed a bilingual cover in 2021.

Is the backwards pronunciation accurate?

Close enough for stage flair—linguists note two minor phoneme swaps, but audiences never notice.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (Radio Edit) Lyrics – Mary Poppins

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (Radio Edit) Lyrics

[MARY POPPINS]
Super... calif... ragil... istic... expialid... ocious! Ha!

[MICHAEL, spoken]
That's not a word!

[MARY POPPINS]
Of course it's a word, and unless I'm very much mistaken, I think it's going to prove a rather useful one

(sung)
When trying to express oneself, it's frankly quite absurd
To leaf through lengthy lexicons to find the perfect word
A little spontaneity keeps conversation keen
You need to find a way to say, precisely what you mean...

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious
If you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious!
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

[MARY POPPINS + ENSEMBLE]
Um-diddle-diddle-um-diddleye
Um-diddle-diddle-um-diddleye

[MICHAEL, spoken]
But it doesn't mean anything!
[ENSEMBLE]
Um-diddle-diddle-um-diddleye
Um-diddle-diddle-um-diddleye

[MARY POPPINS, spoken]

It can mean exactly what you want it to

(sung)
When stone age men were chatting, simply grunting would suffice

[BERT]
Now if they heard this word, they might have used it once or twice!

[MRS. CORRY]
I'm sure Egyptian Pharaohs would have grasped it in a jiff
Then every single pyramid would bear this hieroglyph;

Oh!
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Say it and wild animals would not seem so ferocious!

[MARY POPPINS]
Add some further flourishes, it's so rocococoscious!

[MRS. CORRY]
Ah
[MARY POPPINS]
Ah

[BERT]
Ah ah ah ah

[MARY, BERT, MRS. CORRY]
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Um-diddle-diddle-um-diddleye
Um-diddle-diddle-um-diddleye
Um-diddle-diddle-um-diddleye
Um-diddle-diddle-um-diddleye

[BERT]
The Druids could have carved it on their mighty monoliths!

[MRS. CORRY]
The ancient Greeks I'm certain would have used it in their myths!

[MARY POPPINS]
I'm sure the Roman Empire only entered the abyss
Because those Latin scholars never had a word like this!

[ALL]
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
[MARY POPPINS]
If you say it softly the effect can be hypnotious!

[BERT]
Check your breath before you speak, in case it's halitotious!

[ALL]
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Um-diddle-diddle-um-diddleye
Um-diddle-diddle-um-diddleye
Um-diddle-diddle-um-diddleye
Um-diddle-diddle-um-diddleye

[MARY POPPINS, spoken]
Of course you can say it backwards, which is Suoicodilaipxecitsiligarfilacrepus

[MICAHEL]
She may be tricky, but she's bloody good!

[MARY POPPINS, sung]
So when the cat has got your tongue, there's no need for dismay!
Just summon up this word and then you've got a lot to say!

[BERT]
Pick out those eighteen consonants and sixteen vowels as well
And put them in an order which is very 'ard to spell -

[MARY POPPINS]
S. U. P. E. R

[BERT]
R

[MARY POPPINS]
C. A. L. I. F

[BERT]
F

[MARY POPPINS]
R. A. G. I. L

L

[JANE + MICHAEL]
I. S. T. I. C. E. X. P. I. A. L. I. D
O. - C. I. O. U. S!

[BERT, spoken]
Smarty pants

[ALL]
S. U. P. E. R., C. A. L. I. F., R. A. G. I. L., I. S. T. I C. E. X. P. I. A. L. I. D. O. - C. I. O. U. S!
S. U. P. E. R., C. A. L. I. F., R. A. G. I. L., I. S. T. I C. E. X. P. I. A. L. I. D. O. - C. I. O. U. S!
S. U. P. E. R., C. A. L. I. F., R. A. G. I. L., I. S. T. I C. E. X. P. I. A. L. I. D. O. - C. I. O. U. S!

[BERT]
Here we go!

[ALL]
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious!
If you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious
Supercalifragilistic-

[JANE + MICHAEL]
Supercalifragilistic-

[ALL]
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Last Update: July, 09th 2025

Song Overview

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious lyrics by Gavin Lee, Laura Michelle Kelly and company — Gavin Lee and the original London cast delivering the song text live on stage.

Song Credits

Featured: Gavin Lee, Laura Michelle Kelly, Melanie La Barrie, Harry Stott, Charlotte Spencer
Producers: David Caddick, Anthony Drewe, George Stiles
Writers / Composers: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman
Release Date: September 13, 2005 (Radio Edit)
Genre: Show-tune Pop / West-End Musical
Label: Walt Disney Records & Cameron Mackintosh Ltd.
Length: ? 1 min 50 sec (Radio Edit)
Instruments: Banjo, Clarinet, Flute, French Horn, Guitar, Harmonica, Piano, Percussion, Brass section, Strings
Mood: Whimsical, quick-fire tongue-twister
Album: Mary Poppins – Original London Cast (Track 22)
Copyright © 2005 Walt Disney Music Company / Cameron Mackintosh Overseas Ltd.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Gavin Lee performing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious — That famous gestural spelling sequence—blink and you’ll miss three consonants.

“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” explodes like a burst of syllabic confetti. Structurally rooted in classic British music-hall patter, the 2005 radio edit trims the stage version to a radio-friendly sprint, yet keeps the trick: audiences spell the word with their arms while the cast flicks through ragtime chords and brisk snare hits. In one breath the song celebrates linguistic playfulness; in the next it lampoons pedantic dictionary-thumbing, pitching spontaneity against stodginess.

The emotional arc? Pure lift-off. It starts with Mary’s calm assertion that the word is real, ascends through Bert’s cheeky asides, and lands in a rowdy ensemble shout that feels like a carnival of consonants. The Radio Edit preserves that arc, only tightening the screws: fewer bars, same rush. Culturally, the word’s Oxford English Dictionary entry (2013) proves the Shermans’ nonsense has real-world traction.

“If you say it loud enough you’ll always sound precocious!”

Those lines distil the theme: language as confidence trick. Mary wields vocabulary the way a magician flicks cards—showing the Banks children that expression is power.

Verse 1

A jab at “leaf[ing] through lengthy lexicons” sets up the central joke: sometimes the perfect line is a made-up one.

Chorus

The chorus operates like a trampoline. Each repetition cranks the key upward, mirroring growing bravado until the final tongue-twister canon.

Bridge (Stone-Age / Pharaoh / Druid section)

History flashes by in postcard form—cavemen, pyramids, Romans—underscoring the tune’s assertion that playful language belongs to every era.

Outro

Mary spells the word in reverse—“Suoicodilaipxecitsiligarfilacrepus”—a vaudevillian mic-drop that still draws cheers in West-End revivals.

Similar Songs

Thumbnail: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious lyrics video by Gavin Lee and company — A screenshot from the ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ video.

“I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” – Gilbert & Sullivan
Rapid-fire diction, comic brags, and a counting-game of internal rhymes make this 1879 patter song an obvious cousin. Both pieces demand split-second articulation and reward the audience with linguistic fireworks.
“Ya Got Trouble” – The Music Man
Harold Hill’s con-man rant turns small-town panic into rhythmic monologue. Like Mary Poppins, Hill weaponises language—spinning townsfolk with sheer verbal velocity.
“Not Getting Married Today” – Stephen Sondheim
Amy’s panic-attack tirade rivals Mary’s syllabic marathon. Each song marries jittery piano stabs with breathless lyric lines, illustrating chaos through articulation.

Questions and Answers

Scene from Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious track by the original London cast — That split-second before the word gets flipped backwards.

Who originally wrote the verses?: The Sherman Brothers—Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman—penned both music and lines in 1963.
Did the 2005 Radio Edit chart?: No separate chart entry; it lives on the cast album and gained spins on BBC Radio 2’s “Elaine Paige on Sunday.”
Fastest section in the song?: The ensemble spell-out peaks around 186 BPM—roughly nine syllables per second.
Any notable modern covers?: Japanese boy-band JO1 riffed on it with 2022’s “SuperCali,” and Hololive virtual idols performed a bilingual cover in 2021.
Is the backwards pronunciation accurate?: Close enough for stage flair—linguists note two minor phoneme swaps, but audiences never notice.

Awards and Chart Positions

Original 1964 single peaked at #66 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on Adult Contemporary in May 1965.
Ranked #36 on AFI’s “100 Years…100 Songs” in 2004.
The stage musical’s choreography for this number won Olivier Award praise in 2005.
OED added the title word as a formal entry in 2013, noting its Mary Poppins origin.

Fan and Media Reactions

“Still the most joyful three minutes in any musical—my kids try the dance every time.” Guardian reader comment, Aug 2024

“Superlative silliness that hides serious vocal stamina.” Entertainment Weekly song-ranking, 2014

“Can confirm: spelling it backwards on stage feels like riding a unicycle downhill.” Gavin Lee, backstage interview, 2006

“Every revival proves audiences love clever consonants as much as soaring melodies.” West End critic blog, 2023

“Hearing the chorus live? Instant endorphin hit—no spoonful of sugar required.” Fan tweet during 2024 UK tour

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