diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index f601ecb48b..e69de29bb2 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-[submodule "meson"]
-	path = meson
-	url = https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson.git
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 66bf858dc8..a43bca2653 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -16,15 +16,12 @@ PROJECTNAME = "GStreamer 'all'"
 ROOTDIR = os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(__file__))
 
 
-def get_meson(update_meson):
+def get_meson():
     meson = os.path.join(ROOTDIR, 'meson', 'meson.py')
-    if update_meson or not os.path.exists(meson):
-        print("Updating meson submodule... ", end='')
-        sys.stdout.flush()
-        git('submodule', 'update', '--init', repository_path=ROOTDIR)
-        print("DONE")
+    if os.path.exists(meson):
+        return meson
 
-    return meson
+    return accept_command(["meson.py", "meson"])
 
 
 def accept_command(commands):
@@ -45,7 +42,7 @@ def get_configs(meson):
 
 def configure_meson(args, options):
     """Configures meson and generate the Makefile."""
-    meson = get_meson(options.update_meson)
+    meson = get_meson()
     if not meson:
         print("Install mesonbuild to build %s: http://mesonbuild.com/\n"
               "You can simply install it with:\n"
@@ -76,8 +73,6 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
     parser.add_argument("--no-reconfigure", action='store_true',
                         default=False, help='Avoid removing the build dir'
                        ' if not necessary.')
-    parser.add_argument("-u", "--update-meson", action='store_true',
-                        default=False, help='Do not update meson')
     options, args = parser.parse_known_args()
     if options.no_reconfigure:
         if os.path.exists(
diff --git a/meson b/meson
deleted file mode 160000
index d72a5c14f8..0000000000
--- a/meson
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-Subproject commit d72a5c14f83253bafaf6b2531442d981ea1df2ed