"Just Say, 'Yes I Can'" is a song from the Welcome to Pooh Corner

Welcome to Pooh Corner

Welcome to Pooh Corner is a live-action/puppet television series that aired on Disney Channel, featuring the characters from the Winnie the Pooh universe portrayed by actors in human-sized puppet suits, except Roo, who was originally a traditional puppet...

Cable TV series which premiered in 1983

1983 in television

The year 1983 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1983.For the American TV schedule, see: 1983-84 United States network television schedule.-Events:...

 on the Disney Channel (which was also that channel's inaugural season). The song was written by the Academy Award winning songwriting duo of Richard M. Sherman

Richard M. Sherman

Richard Morton Sherman is an American songwriter who specializes in musical film with his brother Robert Bernard Sherman....

 and Robert B. Sherman

Robert B. Sherman

Robert Bernard Sherman is an American songwriter who specializes in musical films with his brother Richard Morton Sherman...

. The Sherman Brothers

Sherman Brothers

The Sherman Brothers are an American songwriting duo that specialize in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman ....

 also wrote the majority of famous Winnie the Pooh songs including songs like, "The Wonderful Thing about Tiggers" and "Heffalumps and Woozles

Heffalumps and Woozles

"Heffalumps and Woozles" is a song from the 1968 Walt Disney musical film featurette Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. It was written by the Sherman Brothers....

" from the 1960s. In 2000, the Sherman Brothers also famously wrote the score to The Tigger Movie

The Tigger Movie

The Tigger Movie is a 2000 animated comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Jun Falkenstein. Part of the Winnie-the-Pooh series, this film features Pooh's friend Tigger in his search for his family tree and other Tiggers like himself...

.

Song Placement

New episodes played from 1983-1986 in the first run. Reruns continued to air until 1997. The Sherman Brothers wrote five songs, one for each of the major characters to sing, repeatedly each week. A storyline would "belong" to one character and at the end of an episode, the appropriate character would sing his "lesson song".

About the song

"Just Say, 'Yes I Can'" is sung by Eeyore

Eeyore

Eeyore is a character in the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. He is generally characterized as a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, anhedonic, old grey stuffed donkey who is a friend of the title character, Winnie-the-Pooh....

as his personal "theme song" specifically for this show. In it Eeyore explains his philosophy of life: No matter what the obstacle may be, it's important to have a positive attitude toward the task at hand.

Lyrics

When there's a hill

I have to climb

Although it seems to high

I hide my doubt

And start right out

And here's the reason why

I won't say no

I won't say can't

I won't say I won't try

I just say yes I can

And I get there by and by

I just say yes I can

And I get there by and by

When something new

Looks hard to do

I'm not afraid to start

I just begin

And lose or win

I try with all my heart

I won't say no

I won't say can't

I won't say I won't try

I just say yes I can

And I do it by and by

I just say yes I can

And I do it by and by

I won't say maybe

I won't say no not I

I maybe be slow

But this I know

I'm not afraid to

Give it a try, give it a try

Give it a great, big try

So everytime

Ya seek a prize

That seems to hard to win

If the hardest part is

How to start, stop worrin′

Just begin

And don't say no

And don't say can't

And don't say I won't try

Just say yes I can

And ya just might win that prize

Just say yes I can

Cause a winner always tries