Naughty Lyrics – Matilda
Naughty Lyrics
Jack and Jill, went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water, so they say
Their subsequent fall was inevitable
They never stood a chance, they were written that way
Innocent victims of their story!
Like Romeo and Juliet
T' was written in the stars before they even met
That love and fate, and a touch of stupidity
Would rob them of their hope of living happily
The endings are often a little bit gory
I wonder why they didn't just change their story?
We're told we have to do as we're told but surely
Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty.
Just because you find that life's not fair it
Doesn't mean that you just have to grin and bear it
If you always take it on the chin and wear it
Nothing will change.
Even if you're little, you can do a lot, you
Mustn't let a little thing like, 'little' stop you
If you sit around and let them get on top, you
Might as well be saying
You think that it's ok
And that's not right!
And if it's not right!
You have to put it right!
(speaking part)
Cinderella, in the cellar
Didn't have to do much as far as I can tell
Her Godmother, was two thirds fairy
Suddenly her lot was a lot less scary
But what if you haven't got a fairy to fix it?
Sometimes you have to make a little bit of mischief.
Just because you find that life's not fair it
Doesn't mean that you just have to grin and bear it
If you always take it on the chin and wear it
Nothing will change.
Even if you're little, you can do a lot, you
Mustn't let a little thing like, 'little' stop you
If you sit around and let them get on top, you
Might as well be saying
You think that it's ok
And that's not right!
And if it's not right!
You have to put it right!
(Spoken)
Platinum blonde hair dye, extra strong.
Keep out of reach of children
Hmmm ....
Oil of violet hair tonic, for men
Yep!
(Sung)
In the slip of a bolt, there's a tiny revolt.
The seeds of a war in the creak of a floorboard.
A storm can begin, with the flap of a wing.
The tiniest mite packs the mightiest sting!
Every day, starts with the tick of a clock.
All escapes, starts with the click of a lock!
If you're stuck in your story and want to get out
You don't have to cry, you don't have to shout!
'Cause if you're little you can do a lot, you
Mustn't let a little thing like, 'little' stop you
If you sit around and let them get on top, you
Won't change a thing!
Just because you find that life's not fair, it
Doesn't mean that you just have to grin and bear it!
If you always take it on the chin and wear it
You might as well be saying
You think that it's ok
And that's not right!
And if it's not right!
You have to put it right!
But nobody else it gonna put it right for me!
Nobody but me is going to change my story!
Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty!
Song Overview

“Naughty” is Matilda Wormwood’s manifesto: a fizzy four-minute TED-Talk on self-determination wrapped in music-hall bounce. Since the Original London Cast Recording dropped in 2011, the track has racked up more than 24.6 million Spotify streams—second only to “When I Grow Up” on Tim Minchin’s songwriter page. A decade later, Alisha Weir’s 2022 Netflix version rocketed the tune back onto UK soundtrack charts, helping the film album peak at #1 on the Official Soundtrack tally and #2 on the Compilation list.
Song Credits

- Lead Vocal (2011): Kerry Ingram / Cleo Demetriou / Eleanor Worthington-Cox / Sophia Kiely
- Composer-Lyricist: Tim Minchin
- Orchestrator & Co-Producer: Chris Nightingale
- Recording Engineer & Mastering: Rupert Coulson
- Release Date: September 13 2011 (cast album)
- Genre: Modern Music-Hall / Pop-Theatre
- Length: 4 min 02 s
- Label: Royal Shakespeare Company Records / Sony
- Instruments: Rhodes, marimba, clarinet, string quartet, drum kit
- Poetic meter: Trochaic quatrain with rapid internal rhymes
- Copyright: © 2011 Max Music & Dennis Kelly Ltd.
Songs Exploring Kid-Powered Rebellion
“Revolting Children” – Matilda (2011): The musical’s Act II riot graduates Matilda’s solo doctrine into a classwide anthem—rock guitar and whistled hook replacing the earlier marimba.
“Do You Hear the People Sing?” – Les Misérables (1985): Both tracks weaponise playground rhythms; Boublil & Schoenberg’s students march in 4/4, where Minchin’s heroine tiptoes in 6/8 subversion.
“Stick It to the Man” – School of Rock (2015): Andrew Lloyd Webber borrows Minchin’s thesis—small voices, huge amplifiers—and swaps marimba for over-driven Stratocaster.
Questions and Answers
- Did “Naughty” ever chart as a stand-alone single?
- No formal single release, but the 2022 Netflix soundtrack sent the track to #1 on the UK Soundtrack Albums list and pushed individual song sales past 25 k downloads.
Music video
Matilda Lyrics: Song List
- Overture
- Miracle
- Naughty
- School Song
- Pathetic
- The Hammer
- The Chokey Chant
- Loud
- This Little Girl
- Bruce
- Telly
- When I Grow up
- I'm Here
- The Smell of Rebellion
- Quiet
- My House
- Chalk Writing
- Revolting Children
- When I Grow Up (Reprise)
- Other Songs
- Story 1: Once Upon a Time?
- Story 2: The Great Day Arrived?
- Story 3: The Trick Started Well?