Context

This line was sung by Timon and Pumbaa (voiced by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella) in the song "Hakuna Matata", written by Elton John and Tim Rice for the film The Lion King (1994).

"Hakuna Matata" is most definitely a wonderful phrase and literally means "no worries" in Swahili. Our young lion hero/Hamlet-stand-in, Simba, hears it at an extremely vital time in his life. And he literally transitions from childhood to adulthood during the song as he and his new friends, the hyper meerkat Timon and the flatulent warthog Pumbaa, strut through the savanna.

This song is a welcome comedic break after the tragedy of the previous scene, in which Simba's father Mufasa is killed in a wildebeest stampede orchestrated by Simba's evil uncle Scar. Lost, alone, and believing himself responsible for the stampede, little Simba is near death when he meets Timon and Pumbaa. The two unlikely friends show Simba how to survive on his own, and along the way, they teach him their life philosophy: no worries, mate.

It's not always a responsible way to behave, but the here-and-now happiness of Timon and Pumbaa's attitude is just what Simba needs to keep going at that moment.

Where you've heard it

You might hear this when you're about to do something hard, and your friends don't want you to worry about it. Just think "Hakuna Matata," and don't worry about that tense job interview, final exam, or first date.

Additional Notable References:

• The song "Hakuna Matata" has been covered many times by a variety of artists, including the one-hit-wonder Baha Men of "Who Let the Dogs Out" fame, Alvin and the Chipmunks, reggae artist Bunny Wailer, Dannii Minogue, and Mannheim Steamroller.
• "Hakuna Matata" found its way into another Disney hit film, Toy Story (1995), where it's playing in the background of Andy's car as Woody hangs onto a moving truck right behind him. It's a neat bit of self-referential humor from the ever-so-clever writers at Pixar.
• Elaine got caught singing it in the "The Merv Griffin Show" episode of Seinfeld from 1997. Nothing is more 90s than a Lion King reference being made in Seinfeld.
• And if you want to see more of Timon and Pumbaa, you can check out the 2004 film Lion King 1 ½ (which was known as Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata outside the United States). It's basically Lion King from this humorous duo's perspective, just like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is Hamlet from that hapless duo's POV.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

This quote is super laid-back and comforting, and should really replace "Hi" or "Goodbye" as a general greeting. Use it at will, okay? No worries.