Stephen Flaherty
The People Versus Horton The Elephant
[Bird Girl 1]
This is the case of the people versus Horton the Elephant

[ENSEMBLE]
(Horton the Elephant)

[Bird Girl 1]
Judge Yertle the Turtle presiding, everyone rise!

[YERTLE THE TURTLE]
Order, order, order in the court

[ENSEMBLE]
Order, order, order, order in the court

[Bird Girl 1]
The defendant is charged with talking to a speck, disturbing the peace, and loitering on an egg!

[HORTON]
(spoken)
Your honor, this clover is Exhibit A

(sung)
They're Whos here, there are Whos here
Smaller than the eye can see
[ENSEMBLE]
Biggest blame fool in the Jungle of Nool!

[HORTON]
It's true, sir, here's who's Who, sir
He's a Who and so is she!

[ENSEMBLE]
Biggest blame fool in the Jungle of Nool!

[YERTLE THE TURTLE]
Order, order, order in the court!

[Bird Girl 1]
Call to the stand the star witness versus Horton the Elephant
Raise your right hand and swear!

[SOUR KANGAROO]
I swear...
That he's the biggest blame fool in the Jungle of Nool
As I testified long ago
Biggest blame fool
Just a fool, fool, fool
And a mother like me should know
Judgin' him trunk to toe
You better think!
[BIRD GIRLS]
Think!

[SOUR KANGAROO]
Think!

[BIRD GIRLS]
Think!

[SOUR KANGAROO]
Oh, please, throw him in the clink!

[BIRD GIRLS]
Talkin' to a speck
Talkin' to a speck
To a speck of dust

[GERTRUDE]
Objection!

[ENSEMBLE]
Overruled!

[ENSEMBLE]
Sittin' on an egg
Sittin' on an egg
Sittin' on an egg
[GERTRUDE]
Objection!

[ENSEMBLE]
Overruled!

[HORTON]
(Roaring)
I meant what I said and I said what I meant
An elephant's faithful one hundred percent
You can throw me in jail, lock me up in a zoo
But I won't desert my egg and I will not abandon Who!

These Whos, sir, win or lose, sir
Whether you believe or not
They're here, they live in fear
And I'm the only friend they've got

(spoken)
You can do what you want with me, your Honor, and I won't question why

(sung)
But please save Who, the tiniest planet in the sky

[YERTLE THE TURTLE]
Based on the evidence, I have no choice but to order the defendant
Horton the Elephant
Remanded to Nool Asylum for the Criminally Insane

And as for the dust speck!

[BIRD GIRLS]
Ooh, that dust speck

[YERTLE THE TURTLE]
And as for the dust speck!

[BIRD GIRLS]
Ooh, that speck

[ENSEMBLE]
And as for your dust speck
That we will boil, boil, boil, boil, boil
In a hot steaming kettle of beezlenut oil!

[HORTON]
Boil it?! No, that you can't do! It's all full of persons, they'll prove it to you! Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor, please, Mr. Mayor, you've gotta prove now that you really there, so ring every doorbell and send out the word! Make every Who holler, make every Who heard!

[ENSEMBLE]
Boil, boil, boil, boil, boil!

[MAYOR & MRS. MAYOR]
Attention all Whos, attention all Whos!
We've got to be heard, there's no time to lose!

[MRS. MAYOR]
So send up a shout!

[MAYOR]
Make it loud! Make it clear!

[WHOS]
We are here, we are here, we are here, we are here!

[ENSEMBLE]
Boil it! Boil it!
Boil it! Boil it!
Boil it! Boil it!
Boil it! Boil it!

[HORTON]
Don't give up, I believe in you all! A person's a person, no matter how small! And you very small persons will not have to die if you make yourselves heard, so please, try!

[ENSEMBLE]
Boil it! Boil it!
Boil it! Boil it! (We are here! We are here!)
Boil it! Boil it! (We are here! We are here!)
Boil it! Boil! (We are here! We are here!)

[HORTON, MAYOR, & MRS. MAYOR]
Jojo, think of something!

[CAT]
Now just for a moment, young Jojo looked grim
The fate of the Whos rested squarely on him
But then came a think
A peculiar new word no one ever had heard

[ENSEMBLE]
Boil it! (We are here!)
Boil it! (We are here!)
Boil it! (We are here!)
(We are here!)

[JOJO]
Yooooopp!

(JOJO'S voice reverberates loudly through the universe
And the WHOS are heard at last. The ANIMALS gasp in amazement
The WHOS gasp in relief!)