For the First Time
Producers
Look at the sun and the sky and the sand and
The sea behind me
Look at me, suddenly I am on land, and I'm free
Don't mind me as I
Climb for the first time
Jump for the first time
Trying to stand but this gravity's pulling me down
Look, it's a fire, it's warm and it glows
And it lights this chamber
Let me admire it—, ow, get too close and it bites
I came too close for the first time
Burned for the first time
Everything's clearer and brighter and hotter
But now that I'm here like a fish out of water
I'm trying to stand but this gravity's pulling me down
Are we only food for slaughter
Is this life on land?
Well, you were lonely underwater
Come on, Ariel, time to stand
Squeeze in the shoes and the corset, it's tight
And the seams are bursting
Some women choose this, I guess it's alright
Are my dreams adjusting?
Here for the first time
Now for the first time
He's coming through those doors
Up the stairs
From the shore
From that moment
And he'll smile
Like he knows
When I say—
Realize the price that you paid with your voice
As he turns from you
Those sacrifices you made were a choice
That you can't undo
Lost for the first time
Scared for the first time
Gravity feels like an undertow pulling me down
About
“For the First Time” is one of the four original songs written for the remake of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, set to premiere in May 2023. It was mentioned for the first time by Halle Bailey in an interview with The Face released in February 2023.
I remember standing by Menken’s piano as he taught me the notes to a new song, “For the First Time”, which Ariel sings when she makes it to the human world and learns to walk with. 'What do you call ’em? Feet.‘ I mean, oh my gosh, he’s just a genius. I just remember looking at him like: ‘This is really cool!’
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
It’s about her experiences the moment she hits land, we needed to create a number that could almost work as a montage, so we could take her through that experience – coming onto the land, what it’s like to put on shoes, have legs. Anybody who has a different experience, it’s wondrous and scary at the same time.
— Director Rob Marshall via Empire Magazine
- 8.For the First Time
- 10.The Scuttlebutt
- 11.Eric’s Decision
- 12.Vanessa’s Trick
- 15.Finale
