"A Girl Worth Fighting For"

**"A Girl Worth Fighting For"** is a song written by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel for the 1998 film Mulan and its 2004 sequel Mulan II. It was performed by Harvey Fierstein, Matthew Wilder, Jerry Tondo, James Hong and Lea Salonga.

## Plot

In the original version of the song (see lyrics below), the soldiers do their best to keep their minds off the pains of marching by "talking" about their dream girls as fitting to what the society of the time believes women should be, much to the distaste of Mulan, as "Ping", who is momentarily outcasted for his/her taste for the kind of girl who is smart and speaks her mind openly. Of course, being one-of-the-guys at the time, Ling, Chien Po, and Yao cannot stop fooling around for "Ping's" amusement (only Yao manages to make Ping/Mulan smile, by secretly calling Chi-Fu a "mama's boy"). The song stops just as Ling, Chien Po, and Yao are about to start a snowball fight with Ping/Mulan but stop at the sight of a destroyed village which darkens the mood and depresses everyone, especially when they see Captain Li Shang's father, the General, and all of his troops massacred by the Huns.

The refrain to the song in *Mulan II* is sung after the war is over, and the trio find an enemy they cannot beat: the Matchmaker, who throws them out and calls them a lost cause for love, before slamming the door on them (and throwing the teapot at Ling), telling them not to come back until they "get personalities". All Yao wanted was a girl who worships the dirt he walks on (which is saying a lot on account of his ape-like structure and permanent black eye). Ling asked for a girl who loves to laugh but "tells it to him straight" in thinking him a god. Chien Po wants the kind of girl who would cook for him morning, noon, and night, and not mind if he picks off of her plate. Figuring they do not need the "snooty dragon lady" and that they could find soul mates for themselves, the trio sing the new version of the song in their first attempt to win a woman's heart, only for Ling to get beaten up when a lady is disgusted by his chopstick-nose-trick, and while mourning their failure over lunch, they end up kicked out of a restaurant for (accidentally) starting a bar-fight. The song ends there, just before Mulan and Shang give those three the assignment of being bodyguards for three princesses (who eventually become the girls of the trio's dreams).

## Lyrics

For a long time we've been marching off to battle

In a thundering herd we feel a lot like cattle

Like the pounding beat,

Our aching feet aren't easy to ignore,

Hey! Think of instead, a girl worth fighting for!

Huh?

That's what I said, a girl worth fighting for!

I want her paler than the moon,

With eyes that shine like stars

My girl will marvel at my strength,

Adore my battle scars

I couldn't care less what she'll wear,

Or what she looks like,

It all depends on what she cooks like:

Beef,

Pork,

Chicken,

Mmmm

'Bet the local girls thought you are quite the charmer

And I'll bet the ladies love a man in armour

You can guess what we have missed the most,

Since we've been off to war

What do we want?

A girl worth fighting for!

My girl will think I have no faults,

And I'm a major find

Uh,

How about a girl who's got a brain,

Who always speaks her mind?

Nah!

My manly ways and turn of phrase,

Are sure to thrill her!

He thinks he's such a lady killer

I've got a girl at home,

Who's not like any other

Yeah, the only girl who loves him,

Is his mother!

But when we come home in victory,

They'll line up at the door

What do we want? A girl worth fighting for!

Wish that I had... a girl worth fighting for!

A girl worth fighting... for!

**Music:** Mulan (Soundtrack) | Mulan II (Soundtrack) | Mulan (2020 Soundtrack)
**Video Games:** Disney's Mulan | Animated StoryBook: Mulan
**Books:** The Art of Mulan | Reflection (A Twisted Tale)