"If I Were King of the Forest" is a song featured in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz with music composed by Harold Arlen and lyrics written by E.Y. Harburg. The comic number is sung by the Cowardly Lion played by Bert Lahr during the scene at the Emerald City, when the Lion, Dorothy (with Toto), Tin Man, and Scarecrow are waiting to learn whether or not the Wizard will grant them an audience.
Lyrics[]
Cowardly Lion:
If I were King of the Forest
Not queen, not duke, not prince
My regal robes of the forest
Would be satin, not cotton, not chintz
I'd command each thing, be it fish or fowl
With a ruff and a ruff and a royal growl - woof
As I'd click my heel
All the trees would kneel!
And the mountains bow
and the bulls kowtow!
And the sparrow would take wing
If I, if I, were King!
Each rabbit would show respect to me
The chipmunks genuflect to me
Though my tail would lash,
I would show compash
For every underling!
If I, If I, were King!
Just King!
Dorothy, Tin Man, & Scarecrow:
Each rabbit would show respect to him
The chipmunks genuflect to him
Scarecrow:
And his wife would be queen of the mane
Lion:
And I'll be monarch
Of all I survey
Monarch
Of all I survey
Mo--na-a-a--a-arch
Ah, shucks
Monarch
Of all I survey!
Dorothy:
Your Majesty, If you were King, you wouldn't be afraid of anything?
Cowardly Lion:
Not nobody, not nohow!
Tin Man:
Not even a rhinocerous?
Cowardly Lion:
Imposserous!
Dorothy:
How about a hippopotamus?
Cowardly Lion:
Why, I'd trash him from top to bottomamus!
Dorothy:
Supposin' you met an elephant?
Cowardly Lion:
I'd wrap him up in cellophant!
Scarecrow:
What if it were a brontosaurus?
Cowardly Lion:
I'd show him who was King of the Forest!
Dorothy, Tin Man, & Scarecrow:
How?
Cowardly Lion:
How?
Courage! What makes a King out of a slave?
Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave?
Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk,
In the misty mist or the dusky dusk?
What makes the muskrat guard his musk?
Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder?
Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder?
Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot?
What puts the "ape" in apricot?
What have they got that I ain't got?
Dorothy, Tin Man, & Scarecrow:
Courage!
Cowardly Lion:
You can say that again!
Courage is the king of kings
With courage I'd be king of kings
I'd be hailed and crowned by every living thing
If, if I, If I, were K-
King!