"Step In Time" is a song and dance number from

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

film '' Mary Poppins'' which was composed by the

Sherman Brothers The Sherman Brothers were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) and Richard M. Sherman (born June 12, 1928). Together they received various accolades inc ...

. The choreography for this song was provided by

Marc Breaux Marc Breaux (November 3, 1924 – November 19, 2013) was an American choreographer and occasional film director best known for his work on musical films of the 1960s and 1970s. Most of his well-known work was in collaboration with Dee Dee Wood to ...

and Dee Dee Wood. It is sung by Bert, the

chimney sweep A chimney sweep is a person who clears soot and creosote from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimneys ...

( Dick Van Dyke) and the other chimney sweeps on the rooftops of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. It is similar to the old British music hall song '' Knees Up Mother Brown''.

In the 1964 film ''Mary Poppins''

In the 1964 film '' Mary Poppins'', during the first part of the song, the lines he says in the verses are "Kick your knees up", "'Round the

chimney A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are t ...

", "Flap like a birdie", "Up on the railing", "Over the rooftops" and "Link your elbows" followed by an interlude. The interlude continues with Bert, Mary Poppins, Michael, Jane and all the chimney sweepers dancing around the rooftops and as Admiral Boom, the Banks' next-door neighbor, looks at them with the

telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to obse ...

, he thinks that they're Hottentot robbers, so he orders his assistant, Mr. Binnacle, to make them scram with colorful

fireworks Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices ...

. In the second part, as all the chimney sweepers get in the house of George Banks, Mrs. Brill walks into the living room looking at them and screams, "They're at it again!" and she runs away trying to strike one of the chimney sweepers with a

frying pan A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab ha ...

. As Jane, Michael, Mary Poppins and Bert get in the same place, Ellen runs around the dining room with an "OW!!!" and the chimney sweepers flip her. The other phrases in the rest of the musical number are "Votes for women," "It's the master," and "What's all this?"

Later versions

"Step In Time" appears in the 2004 Mary Poppins stage musical, with a similar purpose. The main difference, however, is that (thanks to the possibilities of sophisticated theatrical staging) Bert walks upside down on the proscenium arch over the stage. In addition, this version of the song is sung to show Jane and Michael that chimney sweeps are also guardian angels. A shortened version is also present on the ''

Disney's Sing Along Songs ''Disney Sing-Along Songs'' is a series of videos on VHS, betamax, laserdisc, and DVD with musical moments from various Disney films, TV shows, and attractions. Lyrics for the songs are sometimes displayed on-screen with the Mickey Mouse i ...

'' video, "Disneyland Fun". A rendition also appears on the 1982 exercise album ''

Mousercise ''Mousercise'' is the title of several Disney productions: * A 1982 exercise album for children released by Disneyland Records, featuring various Disney songs. * A TV series, inspired by the above album, that debuted on The Disney Channel on April ...

'', but with mostly different lyrics ("Kick Your Knees Up" and "Flap Like A Birdie" are kept in this version). This version was also seen as an episode of D-TV on the Disney Channel.

Main lyrics

Blank spaces indicate sections where any short phrase can be added. However, the second and third blank spaces must be the same phrase as the first one in each verse. _________________________, step in time
_________________________, step in time
Never need a reason, never need a rhyme
_________________________, step in time

Lines in the film

# Kick your knees up # 'Round the chimney # Flap like a birdie # Up on the railing # Over the rooftops # Link your elbows # Mary Poppins # (Ah!) They're at it again # OW! # Votes for women # It's the master # What's all this? The first seven phrases were sung on the rooftops of London, while the last five were sung in the Banks residence. Additionally, the final phrase, "What's all this?", is not appended with "Step in time." Instead, the sweeps simply sing several times "What's all this?" Also, the phrase "Mary Poppins" was only said with "Step in time" once instead of three times with "Never need a reason, Never need a rhyme."

Similar songs

The song "

Me Ol' Bamboo "Me Ol' Bamboo" is a song written by the Sherman Brothers for the motion picture ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang''. It was originally written to be choreographed as a morris dance (although the dance has much more in common with the Căluşari ) for ...

" from the 1968 film ''

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' is a 1968 musical-fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes with a screenplay co-written by Roald Dahl and Hughes, loosely based on Ian Fleming's novel '' Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car'' (1964). The film sta ...

'', also written by the Sherman brothers and performed by Van Dyke, is very similar to Step in Time. Both songs are loosely based on the repetitive physical action song " Knees Up Mother Brown", popular in British music halls and Cockney pubs, especially during World War II.

References