A few years ago, I wrote a blog post called “Did Shadowland Have A Secret Meaning?” One of my favorite songs from Broadway’s Lion King is “Shadowland,” and I was intrigued by how the chorus line is used as a musical motif in Disney’s animated film The Lion King. What I didn’t know at the time was that “Shadowland” came from a song Lebo M wrote for The Lion King called “Lea Halalela,” translated from Zulu as “Holy Land.” While it isn’t in Walt Disney’s The Lion King soundtrack, it does make an appearance on an album called “Rhythm of the Pride Lands.”
So I’m taking another look at this musical motif to reexamine its underlying meaning. And by finding that meaning, I hope to uncover how it contributes to the story of The Lion King.
A Little Background
Here’s a summary of The Lion King for anyone who may not have seen the movie yet. And since I am going to look at every moment the Lea Halalela motif appears, there will be spoilers ahead. Don’t say I never warned you.
The movie takes place in the African Sahara, following a lion prince named Simba and his journey from lion cub to king of the Pride Lands. His uncle, Scar, is angry because he was supposed to be next in line for the throne. So he decides to overthrow his brother, Mufasa, and young Simba in order to become king. He succeeds in killing Mufasa, manipulates Simba into thinking it was his fault, and convinces him to run away. While Simba leaves the Pride Lands, Scar becomes king and brings the lands to ruin. Simba finds a new home in an oasis and a new family in sidekicks Timon and Pumbaa. And when adult Simba is confronted with his responsibility, he must journey back to the Pride Lands to claim the title and restore balance.
Now that we’ve talked about the movie, let’s look at the lyrics to Lea Halalela. The song is performed in Zulu by Khululiwe Sithole, and when translated to English reads thus:
“Our land
Is holy.
You must rule this land
The land of the people
Soil of the people
Handle it with care
This land of ours
This land of ours
(Chorus)
You will rule
This land
Rule it with care
You will rule
This land
This land
Our land
Is holy
(Repeated)
You must rule this land
The land of the people
Soil of the people
Keep it in order
This land of ours
This land of ours
(Chorus Repeated)
Our land
Is holy”
(Repeated)
(Repeat Chorus Twice)
Looking at the lyrics, it’s clear what the song is about: the responsibility of a leader and the sanctity of the land we live on. Regardless of any title government leaders have (king, president, prime minister, etc.), their duty is not just to the people they serve. Their duty is also to the land they live on. To tend to it, to care for it, to maintain or restore balance to it.
So now that we’ve covered the contents of the song, let’s take another look at every time the motif appears in Disney’s animated version of The Lion King.
The Recurring Motif
The first time we hear the motif in the movie is about five minutes in (give or take), when Mufasa is showing Simba the Pride Lands. This scene not only establishes the setting of the story, but also zeroes in on Simba’s expected destiny: to become king and maintain the balance of the Pride Lands.
Later on, we briefly hear the motif again when Mufasa arrives in the elephant graveyard to defend Simba and Nala from a hyena ambush. The king has come to save the day and keep balance. The verse and chorus play less than five minutes later, when Mufasa talks to Simba about courage and tells him to find guidance in the stars, where the past kings dwell. Now, this scene is interesting in terms of what’s happening here. The scene not only reasserts the close bond between Simba and Mufasa, but it also foreshadows Mufasa’s coming death. He knows he won’t be around forever, but that day is much sooner than he realizes.
Later, we hear the chorus line after the stampede, when Simba realizes that his father is dead. The king has died, and another must take his place. Interestingly, the song immediately changes to something else when Scar comes onto the scene to manipulate Simba and take the throne for himself.
(Quick side note: I know there are other musical motifs in relation to Scar and the two heirs wrestling for power, but this is an appreciation post for Lea Halalela. And I’ve yet to find anyone with a degree in music theory who has done a full analysis of the movie’s score. Internet, do your thing!)
The song doesn’t come up again until the second half, when we cut to Timon, Pumbaa, and adult Simba looking up at the stars. Of course, there’s the humor of each having a different interpretation of what stars are. And we also see Simba being confronted with the destiny he has yet to fulfill. In the Broadway musical, we cut to a song called “Endless Night” where Simba laments about how he can’t hear his father’s voice or connect with his spirit to ask for guidance. But in the movie, Simba doesn’t say anything. He gets up to leave and be alone, and then collapses and sends magic dust to Rafiki’s hideout. The lack of dialogue from him leaves his thoughts up to interpretation. With the “Lea Halalela” motif playing here, it’s kind of interesting when you consider what’s happened and what may be going on in his mind. He doesn’t know that Scar is a terrible king, he has not been to the Pride Lands since Mufasa’s death. For all he knows, the Pride Lands are doing just fine without him, and his return would upset the balance. In any case, he and the audience know the same thing: Simba is not doing what he was taught to do.
We get another glimpse of the motif when Simba and Nala reunite after years of her thinking he was dead. Nala’s theme plays in the background too in some moments (I think, again no degree in music theory), so it’s really interesting to see what’s happening here musically. The Lea Halalela motif plays briefly when Nala first mentions the pride, and then the music changes. The theme for the Pride Lands appears, and then the music changes again. What’s happening here is that Simba is wrestling with himself. He’s thrilled to see Nala again after so long (even developing feelings for her, if the next musical number indicates), and yet her return is a reminder that he’s in line for the throne. A reminder of the duty he’s been neglecting. And when Nala outright tells him he’s the king, he rejects this. He still believes he’s responsible for his father’s death, and thus he has no business being king.
We hear the motif again in the famous scene where Mufasa’s ghost appears and says “Remember who you are.” He’s reminding Simba of who he is and who he must become. We hear a condensed version of the chorus line as Simba and his three friends stand on a cliff, preparing to take back the Pride Lands. The motif is played off and on during the confrontation, as Simba returns to stake his claim on the throne and Scar attempts to manipulate the entire pride. And then we hear the verse and chorus lines one last time right after Scar dies, right before Simba takes his place as king of the Pride Lands.
What Does It All Mean?
The most recent discourse surrounding The Lion King zeroes in on the fact that the hierarchy in the story automatically puts many at a disadvantage. You are what you’re born, and you’re evil if you try to change this. Some have even wondered if Scar was right all along. And his first line—the first spoken line of the movie—is this: “Life’s not fair, is it?”
And…it’s hard to disagree with all this. But I’d also argue that this isn’t the point of The Lion King, especially with “Lea Halalela” in the picture. Scar himself never offers a substantial solution to the problem. What he does is put himself on top and let the balance crumble. That’s exactly why “Lea Halalela” never plays in relation to Scar, because he would never understand what it means to be a good leader.
So let’s go back to the first time Lea Halalela plays, when Mufasa is telling Simba what it means to be king. Pay attention to Mufasa’s dialogue in the scene, particularly after Simba admits his belief that the king can do whatever he wants:
“There’s more to being king than getting your way all the time. Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance and respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope. When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so, we are all connected in the great circle of life.”
The theme of the story, and the meaning of Lea Halalela, is understanding how your actions—even the act of doing nothing—affect the people around you. It means the more power and resources you have at your disposal, the greater your responsibility is to appreciate and be of service to the world around you. If even one piece of the circle of life is missing or broken, the balance will crumble and the world around us comes to ruin. So if you have any form of power at your disposal—from wealth, politics, or privilege—your duty is to use it wisely.
