You know the tune. You can probably hum the melody to "Over the Rainbow" without even trying. Honestly, the lyrics of the Wizard of Oz are basically part of our collective DNA at this point. But if you actually sit down and look at the words Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg put on paper back in 1938, there’s a lot more going on than just Kansas farm girls and ruby slippers.
It’s weird. Most movie musicals from the 1930s feel like dusty museum pieces. They’re stiff. They’re "of their time." Yet, for some reason, we still sing about "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" like it’s a modern chart-topper.
The Secret Genius of Yip Harburg’s Wordplay
Yip Harburg wasn't just a songwriter. He was a socialist, a dreamer, and a guy who obsessed over how words sounded when they hit the roof of your mouth. He didn't just want Dorothy to sing about wanting to go somewhere else; he wanted her to sing about the impossibility of it.
Take a second to actually read the lyrics of the Wizard of Oz specifically in "Over the Rainbow." It’s not a happy song. It’s a song about a kid who feels trapped in a grayscale world. The line "Where troubles melt like lemon drops" sounds sweet, right? But the context is someone who is literally praying for a way out of her reality.
Harburg was a master of the "list song" too. When the Scarecrow sings "If I Only Had a Brain," the rhyme scheme is actually pretty sophisticated for a family flick. He rhymes "thinkology" with "biology." He plays with the idea of "reason" and "treason." It’s clever stuff that doesn't talk down to children.
That One Song Everyone Forgets Was Cut
Did you know there was a massive dance number called "The Jitterbug"? It cost a fortune to film. The lyrics of the Wizard of Oz were supposed to include this whole sequence where a literal bug bites the crew and makes them dance uncontrollably.
It’s a bizarre piece of trivia. They cut it because they thought the movie was too long, and they worried the "jitterbug" reference would date the film too quickly. If you listen to the soundtrack now, you can still hear the Wicked Witch mention it right before she sends the Winged Monkeys out. "I've sent a little insect on ahead to take the fight out of them," she says. Without the song, that line makes zero sense.
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Munchkinland: A Masterclass in Narrative Rhyming
The whole "Munchkinland" sequence is basically a mini-operetta. It’s a ten-minute chunk of film where the story is told entirely through song. This was revolutionary for 1939. Most movies back then would stop the plot, have someone sing a song, and then start the plot again.
In the lyrics of the Wizard of Oz during this sequence, Harburg uses very specific, staccato rhythms to establish the "otherness" of the Munchkins.
- "As Mayor of the Munchkin City..."
- "We represent the Lullaby League..."
- "And the Lollipop Guild..."
It’s rhythmic. It’s catchy. It stays with you because it’s repetitive without being annoying. Sorta. Unless you really hate high-pitched voices. Then it’s a nightmare.
The Political Undercurrents You Might Have Missed
There’s a long-standing theory that L. Frank Baum’s original book was a populist allegory about the gold standard. While the movie steers away from that, Harburg—who was famously political—snuck some of his worldview into the lyrics of the Wizard of Oz.
When the trio gets to the Emerald City and sings "The Merry Old Land of Oz," they talk about how they "gild the refined gold." It’s a jab at the vanity and the facade of the city. The lyrics celebrate a place that is literally built on a green-tinted illusion. The Wizard is a fraud, and the songs subtly hint at that long before the curtain is pulled back.
Why "Over the Rainbow" Almost Didn't Exist
This is the most insane fact in Hollywood history. The studio heads at MGM wanted to cut "Over the Rainbow." They thought it slowed down the beginning of the movie. They thought it was "too sad" for a little girl to be singing in a barnyard.
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If they had their way, the most famous lyrics of the Wizard of Oz would have ended up in a trash can in Culver City. It took the producers threatening to quit to keep the song in.
The song works because it uses "low" notes for the "somewhere" and leaps up an entire octave for the "over." It’s a musical representation of reaching for something you can’t quite touch. That’s why it hits so hard. It’s not just about a rainbow; it’s about the physical sensation of longing.
The Munchkins and the "Death" Rumor
We have to talk about it because people always search for it when they look up the lyrics. There is a persistent, totally fake urban legend that a Munchkin actor "ended it all" on set and you can see it in the background during "We’re Off to See the Wizard."
It’s a bird. It’s a giant crane (the bird, not the machinery) that the studio rented from the Los Angeles Zoo to make the set look more "outdoorsy." The lyrics of the Wizard of Oz are upbeat in that scene, and the "hanging man" is just a bird flapping its wings. Let's put that one to rest.
How the Lyrics Changed the Way We Speak
Think about how many phrases from these songs are in our daily vocabulary.
- "Follow the Yellow Brick Road."
- "We're not in Kansas anymore" (okay, that’s a line, but it’s rhythmic enough to be a lyric).
- "Off to see the Wizard."
The lyrics of the Wizard of Oz didn't just stay on the screen. They became idioms. When someone says they’re looking for a heart or a brain, you know exactly what they’re referencing. That is the mark of incredible songwriting—when the words become more famous than the context they were written for.
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Technical Brilliance in the Rhyme Schemes
If you look at the "If I Only Had..." songs, Harburg uses internal rhyme like a rapper. "I would finally conclude / That I wasn't just a dude / Who was born without a heart."
Wait, that's not the line. It's: "I'd be friends with the sparrows / And the boy who shoots the arrows / If I only had a heart."
He links "sparrows" and "arrows" to create a sense of pastoral innocence. Then he contrasts it with the Tin Man’s metallic, clanking existence. The lyrics of the Wizard of Oz are constantly playing with these contrasts—nature versus machinery, dream versus reality, gray Kansas versus technicolor Oz.
What to Do Next with Your Oz Obsession
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of Arlen and Harburg, don't just stop at the movie soundtrack. There are some genuine gems in the vault that show how these lyrics evolved.
- Listen to the "Jitterbug" outtake: You can find the original rehearsal recordings online. It’s a wild, high-energy swing track that feels totally different from the rest of the movie.
- Check out the "Alternative" Lyrics: Harburg wrote several "verses" for the songs that were shortened for time. The Scarecrow originally had a much longer list of things he’d do with a brain, including some pretty heavy philosophical ponderings.
- Read "The Making of The Wizard of Oz" by Aljean Harmetz: This is basically the Bible for Oz fans. It goes into grueling detail about the songwriting process and the tension between the composers and the studio.
The lyrics of the Wizard of Oz aren't just for kids. They are a masterclass in American songwriting, blending Depression-era longing with a sense of wonder that somehow hasn't curdled into cynicism yet. Next time you're humming along to Dorothy, pay attention to the actual words. They’re a lot smarter than the movie lets on.