"O! What are you doing" is the first line of a song sung by the Elves as Bilbo, Gandalf, and the Dwarves enter Rivendell, on their journey to the Lonely Mountain.[1]
First stanza[]
O! What are you doing,
And where are you going?
Your ponies need shoeing!
The river is flowing!
O! tra-la-la-lally
here down in the valley!
Bilbo hears the Elves singing a different version of the song as he re-enters Rivendell, on his journey back to the Shire.[2]
The dragon is withered,
His bones are now crumbled;
His armour is shivered,
His splendour is humbled!
Though sword shall be rusted,
And throne and crown perish
With strength that men trusted
And wealth that they cherish,
Here grass is still growing,
And leaves are yet swinging,
The white water flowing,
And elves are yet singing
Come! Tra-la-la-lally!
Come back to the valley!
In adaptations[]
In Rankin/Bass The Hobbit[]
The animated adaptation of The Hobbit (1977) has a version of the poem as a song called In the Valley, Ha! Ha! that appears on the first side of the third disc (sometimes called side 5) of The Hobbit: Original Soundtrack Songs featuring Glenn Yarbrough.
References[]
- ↑ The Hobbit, Chapter III: "A Short Rest"
- ↑ The Hobbit, Chapter XIX: "The Last Stage"