clear a path for someone
Make way for Prince AliAladdin · 2019 — Chapter 10 of 24 · 3'41" · B2
Prince Ali's Grand Parade, Explained: weak in the knees
The streets of Agrabah become a stage as a lavish parade rolls out to announce Prince Ali. Heralds shout "Make way for Prince Ali," drums bang, and the crowd is told to bow and stare. It is pure showmanship, and the joke is how hard everyone sells a man nobody has met.
What happens
A parade rolls through Agrabah to announce Prince Ali. Heralds clear the way, drums bang, and a caravan of bears, lions and monkeys fills the bazaar. The crowd is told to bow and stare at a wealthy prince nobody has actually met, turning his arrival into a full-blown spectacle.
Listen for
weak in the kneesMake way forworld-classdropped by
00:00 / 03:41Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
weak in the knees
腿都软了；心动或紧张到站不稳
游行队伍里的女性看到阿里的身材后唱出这句，用夸张的说法表现被迷住的状态。
The way she smiled at him left him weak in the knees.
Also in this scene
- Make way for
clear a path for someone
- world-class
among the best in the world
- dropped by
visited casually without planning
Everything marked in this scene
22 notes across 57 lines
imperative
Make way for Prince Aliliaison
Make way for Prince AliHey, clear the way In the old bazaarHey, you, let us through It's a brand new starHey, you, let us through It's a brand new starflap
Hey, you, let us through It's a brand new starOh, come Be the first On your block To meet his eyeShow some respect Boy, genuflect Down on one kneeNow, try your best To stay calmBrush up Your Friday salaamas ... as
Strong as ten regular men DefinitelyA hundred bad guys With swords Who sent those goons To their lords?when it comes to
When it comes To exotic-type mammals Everybody, help me out!parenthetical
He's got a zoo I'm telling youamong the best in the world
It's a world-class Menagerie!Weak in my kneesAnd to view them He charges no feeBow to his whim Love serving him They're just lousy With loyaltyvisited casually without planning
He got all cute And dropped by-For real? -With his bears and lionsliaison
-For real? -With his bears and lionsPrince Ali's Grand Parade, explained
What's really going on
Under all the noise, the song is a sales pitch. "Make way for Prince Ali" is less an announcement than an instruction, and the next verse piles on: "Make way, here he comes Ring bells, bang the drums You're gonna love this guy." Every doubt is answered with volume, a brass band, and the boast "It's a world-class Menagerie!" The flattery is the joke, since the whole display exists to make one stranger look inevitable. When the lyric turns to the princess, asking "Heard your princess was hot Where is she?", it shows how the number treats people as prizes. It is spectacle as persuasion, and the audience is in on it.
Theme
PowerA parade is used to manufacture authority, making a stranger look like a prince through sheer spectacle.
IdentityThe whole act is a persona built to be believed, sold to a city that never questions the show.
Listen for
- Make way — liaison
- let us through — flap
- For real — liaison
Make way for Prince AliA command dressed as fanfare: everyone is told to step aside and clear a path for the arriving prince.
It's a world-class Menagerie!A boast about the animals on show, one of many lines meant to inflate the prince's wealth and taste.
Make way, here he comes Ring bells, bang the drums You're gonna love this guyThe chorus of hype, ordering celebration and promising the crowd they will adore him.
When it comes To exotic-type mammals Everybody, help me out!A call-and-response bit where the crowd is invited to join in listing the prince's exotic animals.
Questions about this scene
Who is Prince Ali?
He is the grand persona announced by the parade, a fabulously rich prince from Ababwa. The whole song exists to sell him to Agrabah, and the crowd is meant to take the act at face value.
Why does the crowd have to bow and genuflect?
Because the parade is staging his importance. The commands to bow, clear the way and stay calm are all part of making an unknown man feel like royalty.
What does "Make way for Prince Ali" mean?
It means clear a path: everyone is told to step aside so the prince and his caravan can pass through the bazaar.
Is the parade really that impressive?
Mostly it is marketing. The brass band, the monkeys and the menagerie are all part of a show designed to overwhelm the senses and make the prince seem world-class.
Aladdin · 24 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 11out of the gamePrince Ali's Awkward First Impression
Chapter 1The diamond in the roughThe Mariner Tells Aladdin's Story
Chapter 2one jump aheadAladdin's One Jump Ahead Chase
Chapter 3Come and go as we pleaseAladdin Shares His Rooftop Home
Chapter 4Remember your placeJafar Manipulates the Sultan
Chapter 5like you own the placeAladdin Sneaks into the Palace
Chapter 6nothing comes for freeJafar Offers Aladdin a Deal
Chapter 7see the light of dayAladdin Enters the Cave of Wonders
Chapter 8ring a bellGenie Explains the Three Wishes
Chapter 9the cherry on topAladdin Becomes Prince Ali
Watching · Chapter 10weak in the kneesPrince Ali's Grand Parade
Chapter 11out of the gamePrince Ali's Awkward First Impression
Chapter 12see right through someoneAladdin Panics as Prince Ali
Chapter 13in a charming sort of a wayA Prince Calls on the Princess
Chapter 14crystal clearAladdin's Magic Carpet Ride
Chapter 15shine throughJafar Unveils Aladdin's Lie
Chapter 16in the neighborhoodGenie Backdates a Wish to Save Aladdin
Chapter 17under a spellJasmine Exposes Jafar
Chapter 18live a lieGenie Confronts Aladdin's Lie
Chapter 19seen and not heardJafar Seizes the Sultan's Throne
Chapter 20written in stoneJasmine Turns Hakim Against Jafar
Chapter 21the ends of the earthJafar Exposes Aladdin
Chapter 22nothing withoutJasmine Grabs the Lamp
Chapter 23mark my wordsJafar Wishes to Be the Most Powerful
Chapter 24owe you everythingAladdin's Last Wish Frees the GenieChapter 10 of 24 · about 53 min to go