Filibustering the Future

The future is coming down the tracks
With little time for us to relax.
Perhaps what will come can be delayed,
But it will go where the tracks were laid.

Will a mighty wind destroy the rails
Or divert destiny on to sails?
To protest your fate is still your right
Although unlikely you win the fight.

Must we listen to your droning plea
If, in my turn, you listen to me?
What protects your rights is my consent
To respect what we each represent.

To clarify:

To respect does not mean we agree -
It means you allow me to be me.
I may not like what you want to do,
But if so you want, then you be you.

But there are limits to be enforced -
Evil thoughts from actions must be divorced.
I may think and say what I desire,
But I may not set your house on fire.

Stir Crazy After This Past Year

(tune: Still Crazy After All These Years by Paul Simon)

I sat in my old chair
In my house last night
It seemed so much the same old
I just whiled
Away watching the same shows
And threw back a few more snacks
Stir crazy after this past year
Stir crazy after this past year

I’m not the kind of man
Who tends to socialize
But I did go out
In those bygone times
‘Though I did not need to bar-hop,
A movie date was okay
Stir crazy after this past year
Stir crazy after this past year

Still under warnings
Masked up
Hiding
Waiting for my vaccine
Give me patience
Hold on now
It’s all gotta end

Now I sit by my TV
And I watch the news
I wonder if I’ll get loose
One fine day
When I would not be infected
By a crowd of my peers
Stir crazy after this past year
Stir crazy
Stir crazy
Stir crazy after this past year

Wilderness Warnings

I know you want to go camping,
In some forest to be tramping.
But before you go, please pay heed,
And I know some things you may need.

You do not want to chase a skunk,
Even one sleeping on your bunk.
Let this advice deeply sink in
Or else you will come home stinking.

It’s awesome to see a wild moose,
Peacefully munching on a spruce.
He (or she) will not bite on you,
But could dismiss you black and blue.

Bears have an active nose for food,
And your knapsack smells mighty good.
You might hang your food in a tree
But if one gets it, let him be.

You cannot hug a porcupine,
So don’t invite him near to dine,
Bring in footwear at night with you,
Or for your sweat he’ll eat your shoe.

Danger does not depend on size -
Beware swarming gnats and biting flies.
Even plants rooted to the ground
Can make you itch and bring a frown.

So, enjoy yourself while out there -
But I will stay safe in my chair.
The great outdoors may delight you -
I prefer critters in a zoo.

COVID Love Song

(tune: Running Bear by Johnny Preston)

In the deep red Texas lived Billy Bob, young besotted swain,
While in New York, far away, was his beloved Marilou Jane.
From the blue state, she would not travel, nor have him come to her.
During COVID to see each other, they zoomed to confer.

Marilou Jane loved Billy Bob
With a love over the ‘net.
Billy Bob loved Marilou Jane
With needs that were unmet.

He couldn’t fly across the country ‘cause most flights were disallowed.
For his Marilou Jane he would have bravely faced any crowd,
But Marilou Jane would not risk it, ‘though so lonely at home;
During COVID in her blue state, from seclusion she would not roam.

Marilou Jane loved Billy Bob
With a love over the ‘net.
Billy Bob loved Marilou Jane
With needs that were unmet.

Billy Bob drove from Texas, Marilou Jane did not stir;
No lockdowns or regulations would stop him reaching her.
When he got there, he proposed marriage outside her door,
But she said, “Without long distance, I can’t love you anymore.”

Billy Bob loved Marilou Jane
With a love over the ‘net.
Marilou Jane loved Billy Bob
Only if they never met.

Give Me Patience

Oh, please, give me patience,
As soon as possible,
To get me through my day.
Or a steady cadence,
If that’s impossible,
To hold boredom at bay.

What’s next, I seem to ask,
With too much frequency,
As the hours slowly pass.
I hate to end a task,
Fighting delinquency
And my idle morass.

Endless life of leisure,
Unkind backhanded curse,
Appears to be my doom.
Here to get my pleasure,
Writing a silly verse,
And never leave this room.

Dragon Under My Bed

When I was young a dragon lived under my bed;
His name was Fwenderyll, but I just called him Fred.
He was an ancient fellow as dragons grow,
For they shrink as they age, as you may not yet know.

When the world was still new, ‘though not as new as he,
He emerged from lava alongside the South Sea.
In form, he was a lump of ten or twelve tons;
Even dragon moms can’t recognize newborn sons.

Slowly his stony shell filled with volcanic gas,
Adding shape and volume but without much more mass.
To float on molten rock, then to lift in the air,
With mighty wings sprouting to get him here to there.

“Aw, the glory!” Fred would sigh when he told me his tale,
“Around the world, in the turn of the moon, to sail.”
But with his first great roar, a dragon learns his fate,
With loss of heat and gases, he begins to deflate.

Oh, there are ways to add to one’s longevity;
Good diet, shed some weight, to fight off brevity.
A smart dragon can last a good long while or two
If, early on, he can learn the tricks he must do.

So, indeed, Fred watched the dinosaurs come and go;
He also ate two or three each week, don’t you know.
He would not eat an unicorn - it didn’t feel right -
But he liked to eat a mammoth every night.

But such snacks went extinct, so Fred became more lean,
And as prey were his size, they appeared twice as mean.
Fred shrank more and became a vegetarian;
That gave him gas with diet so agrarian.

He no longer had to fly and so gave up his wings.
He took up art and books, and other earthbound things.
He claimed to have studied ethics with old Plato
And taught him how to look only at the shadow.

I admit I often did not grasp all Fred said
As a mere lad with a dragon under my bed.
But if you check tonight and see one under yours,
Be kind, share a cookie, and enjoy his wild tours.

THINKING, FAST and SLOW

Daniel Kahneman wrote a book
Into our brains to take a look.
I might believe his words too quick
If System 2 doesn’t get a kick.

Is “what you see is all there is”
Enough for you to solve the quiz?
Why wake your lazy, slower mate
When you do not need to debate?

We will recognize what is there
And give what is not little care.
We can still chew gum while we walk;
We guess and explain ‘til we balk.

Past our bias comes a creeping doubt;
We start to check our story out.
A bit of math, a few more facts,
Enough to let our minds relax.

Or perhaps more deeply we focus
In our flow of hocus-pocus.
Perhaps outside our little scheme
We recall the general theme.

But when into such thought we sink,
Econ or Human do we think?
Will rational sense make the choice,
Or will we hear emotion’s voice?

When later this book I recall,
I surely won’t remember all.
Perhaps I might read it again,
If I forget the mental strain.

My flaws, I guess, are good to know,
‘Though I wonder how much they show.
Likely more to your sight than mine
Around which they secretly entwine.

Thanks for the recommendation
About our mental gyration.
I may see the world as the same,
But now my mistakes have a name.

Trump's Leslie Gore Revue

It's My Party
(Trump Victory Song)

It’s my party and I’ll lie if I want to
Lie if I want to
Lie if I want to
You should lie too if I am to like you

Nobody knows where Mitch and Mitt have gone
But Susan left the same time.
Was Nancy holding their hands
When they are supposed to be mine?

It’s my party and I’ll lie if I want to
Lie if I want to
Lie if I want to
You should lie too if I am to like you

They played all the clips about my Big Lie,
Showed the patriots going wild.
But my friends sided with me,
So now I am not exiled

It’s my party and I’ll lie if I want to
Lie if I want to
Lie if I want to
You should lie too if I am to like you

Kamala and Joe just walked through the door
Like a queen and her puppet king
Oh, what an election surprise
She’s wearing my royal ring.

It’s my party and I’ll lie if I want to
Lie if I want to
Lie if I want to
You should lie too or I’m coming for you

---

Dems’ Turn to Cry
(Trump Triumphant Trumpetting)

‘Cause now it’s the Dems turn to cry
The Dems’ turn to cry
The Dems’ turn to cry
The Party has come back to me.

Aww, when Congress impeached with some from my party
And denied my rights as king,
I shut down and almost couldn’t lie;
Now that was a foolish thing.

‘Cause now it’s the Dems turn to cry
The Dems’ turn to cry
The Dems’ turn to cry
The Party has come back to me.

Well, it hurt me so to see them jumping ship
I felt like making a scene.
All of my lies fell on deaf ears
‘Cause those RINOs were so mean.

But now it’s the Dems turn to cry
The Dems’ turn to cry
The Dems’ turn to cry
The Party has come back to me.

Oh, when I saw them kissing up to the Dems
Said I can ride in other boats.
The Grand Old Poobahs thought better
‘Cause they know I have the votes.

So now it’s the Dems turn to cry
The Dems’ turn to cry
The Dems’ turn to cry
The Party has come back to me.

---

Now I Own You
(Trump Unfettered)

Now I own you
I will not ever just go away.
Now I own you
Don’t you ever again go astray.

And don’t tell me what to do
Don’t say what I can’t say
Now I am the one telling you
Don’t try to rein me in ‘cause

Now I own you
I will not ever just go away.
Now I own you
Don’t you ever again go astray.

I will tell you what to say
I will tell you what to do
Stay in line is all I ask
If you know what’s good for you.

I’m strong and I am never wrong
I’m free and you can’t touch me
I live my life the way I want
To lie and cheat with liberty.

I will tell you what to say
I will tell you what to do
Stay in line is all I ask
‘Cause you know now I own you.

Whew, Made It!

There was an old man from Delaware
Who wanted to show we could still care.
    He got the most votes,
    Despite discord notes,
And now we hope he can get us there.

The Sheep in Wolf's Clothing

You have likely not heard of Clem,
That ovine master of disguise.
The sheep disliked wolves eating them,
But Clem thought how to neutralize.

“They are bigger, that is a plus,
But the flock is more in sheer mass.
They have sharp teeth to munch on us,”
Clem reasoned as he chewed on grass.

“We are meek and they are so mean,
Even fighting with each other.
Wishing as alpha to be seen,
Each trying to best his brother.

“We need to have the top dog here,
As the champion for our side.
The meanest brute to stir their fear
And make them tuck tails, run, and hide.”

And so, Clem swung into action
To organize what they would need.
Six more sheep made up his faction
To practice his deceptive deed.

They fluffed their wool and tucked their necks,
And posed in gymnastic formation.
In four legs and torso they flexed
With Clem, the head, at his station.

Clem tilted his head and howled so loud
The other sheep quaked beneath him.
But they stood fast when next he growled
In a voice frightening and grim.

The wolves came to see who it was
And they could not believe their eyes.
The terrifying sight gave pause,
To see a wolf three times their size.

“This meat is mine, so go away
If you know what is good for you.”
The wolf pack, so filled with dismay,
Cowered off, ever out of view.

So, remember Clem when besieged
With threats too horrible to name.
It is his source of great prestige
To have beat them with their own game.

A Walk in the World

I once took a walk in the woods
To learn what the world might teach me.
I roamed in nature’s neighborhoods
Where none ever heard of Nietzsche.

I listened to the songs of birds
‘Til I thought I caught their meaning.
From their chirps, tweets, and warbled words
The birds’ knowledge I started gleaning.

Then came chatters from the tree branch
As squirrels offered opinion;
Such cussing words to make me blanch,
Asserting it's their dominion.

A patrolling buck gave a huff,
And nesting duck an angry quack.
The porcupine was very gruff,
And the chipmunk just turned its back.

We might be welcome for a stroll,
But eavesdropping is not polite.
Quiet refresh is a worthy goal,
But do not Dolittle, alright?

Ponytail for Christmas

(tune: I'm Getting Nuttin' for Christmas)

I broke so bad all my habits
Corona’s gotten to me
I lived like cloistered abbots
Corona’s gotten to me
I hunkered down in my house
Just me and my patient spouse
Precaution let nothing us rouse
Corona’s gotten to me

     Oh, I’m getting a ponytail for Christmas
     My hair has grown way out to there
     I’m getting a ponytail for Christmas
     ‘Cause I haven’t seen a barber all year.

I sat all day in my easy chair
Corona’s gotten to me
Active as a sleeping bear
Corona’s gotten to me
I watched TV as in a trance,
Gave no risk the slightest chance,
Saw the world with a passing glance
Corona’s gotten to me

     Oh, I’m getting a ponytail for Christmas
     My hair has grown way out to there
     I’m getting a ponytail for Christmas
     ‘Cause I haven’t seen a barber all year.

I had no reason to groom
Corona’s gotten to me
When I never left the room
Corona’s gotten to me
But, wait, my wife is ready to flip
With scissors in hand to neatly clip
From my head my locks to strip
Corona’s gotten to me

     I’ll not get a ponytail for Christmas
     Nor wear my long hair in a bow
     I’ll not get a ponytail for Christmas
     ‘Cause my wife is my barber now.

Up On Your Rooftop

(tune: Up on the Rooftop)

Up on your rooftop snowflakes fall
Piles up maybe two feet tall
Down it comes all day and night
All the weight overhead
Homeowners fright

Chorus
   Ho, ho, ho
   Who shouldn’t go
   Ho, ho, ho
   Who shouldn’t go
   Up on the rooftop
   Think, think, think
   Don’t slip off shingles like
   A skating rink

First comes the frostbite
In the wind
Oh, hot cocoa
Blood has thinned
Chilled to the bone
You start to shake
Muscles then rebel
And back to ache

Chorus
   Ho, ho, ho
   Who shouldn’t go
   Ho, ho, ho
   Who shouldn’t go
   Up on the rooftop
   Think, think, think
   Don’t slip off shingles like
   A skating rink

Next comes dizziness
In your head
Oh, uneven slope
Beneath your tread
Balance is challenged
As slowly you creep
It’s just one misstep
And down in a heap.

Chorus
   Ho, ho, ho
   Who shouldn’t go
   Ho, ho, ho
   Who shouldn’t go
   Up on the rooftop
   Think, think, think
   Don’t slip off shingles like
   A skating rink

Trumpy the Conman

(tune: Frosty the Snowman)

Trumpy the conman
Was a dark and hateful soul
With a twisted lie and spit in your eye
And his heart made out of coal.

Trumpy the conman
Made his partners pay to play
And were they surprised when
Before their eyes
From their deals he walked away.

There must have been some power
In those mean tricks that he played
For reality warped in his head
As his own truths he made.

Trumpy the conman
Was bigly great so he thought
And his cronies bowed
And his foes were cowed
As all honesty he fought.

Trumpy the conman
Thought politics might pay well
So he said let’s run
But somehow he won
And started our descent to Hell

So down went all standards
He callously swept away
Rampaging here and there, everywhere,
Saying what can I wreck today?

He led us down just like a clown
To the very lowest places
And he never paused a moment when
He threw mud in our faces.

Trumpy the conman
Lost his reelection bid
But he won’t say goodbye
Saying I’ve lies to try
And don’t care what voters did.

Trumpy, trump, trump,
Trumpy, trump, trump,
Listen to Trumpy lie,
Trumpy, trump, trump
Trumpy, trump, trump,
I won’t miss that guy!

Ding Dong! The Trump Has Lost

Americans (at 51% of them):
   Ding Dong! The Trump has lost.
   Which old Trump? All the Trumps!
   Ding Dong! The MAGA Trump has lost.
   Wake up – clear your head, rub your eyes, he has lost.
   Wake up, the Mean Old Trump’s been tossed.
   He's gone, must leave the show, Off to Mar-a-lago.
   Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out.
   Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low.
   Let them know -- The Mean Old Trump has lost!
Pelosi (to Biden):
   As Speaker of the House, In the Country of the Land of US,
   I welcome you most regally.
Guiliani:
   But we've got to verify it legally, to see
Pelosi:
   To see?
Guiliani:
   If he
Pelosi:
   If he?
Guiliani:
   Has morally, ethically
Ellis:
   Spiritually, physically
Powell:
   Positively, absolutely
Americans:
   Undeniably and reliably Lost.
SCOTUS:
   As Supreme Arbitrator we must aver, we thoroughly
       examined this.
   And he has not only merely lost, he has really most
       sincerely lost.
Pelosi:
   Then this is a day of Independence
   For all the Americans (at least democrats)
Biden:
   If any.
Pelosi:
   Yes, let the joyous news be known
   The Nasty Old Trump at last is gone!

Shopping Visit with COVID

Thanks to Clement Clarke Moore for the poetic bones

‘Twas a month before Christmas, we were stuck in the house,
Nobody out shopping, just me and my mouse;
The stockings were unstuffed, limp in their hooks,
In hopes that we could fill them from our PC notebooks.
The children were oblivious of the changes this year,
With heads full of excitement that Christmas was near.
But mamma with her wish list and I at my screen
Were settling down with a large pot of caffeine.

We fired up the laptop and started its browser,
Mamma the navigator and I the clicking mouser.
Up flew the windows full of treasures and trash,
All available for a few piles of our cash.
The glow from the laptop upon our faces
Added to the allure of the digital showcases.
I feared I would be an all-night web hopper,
When up popped an online personal shopper.

An animated avatar with a gleaming smile
Was eager to complete our shopping profile.
As rapid as bits and bytes of data could fly,
She compiled the info she needed to buy.
“Now Macy’s, now Ebay, now Target and Costco,
On Amazon, Etsy, and on The Home Depot.
Into the online cart! Onto your credit card!
Holiday shopping does not need to be hard.”

As snowflakes are entrancingly tossed on the breeze,
Costs mounded with taxes, shipping and handling fees.
So up to our credit limits, the purchases grew;
Gifts for children, parents, and the mailman, too.
With sounds of coins tinkling, I thought of my bank
And how quickly then my account balances sank.
As I shrugged and watched her continue to shop,
I wondered what on earth could make her stop.

She was drawn on my screen as small lively elf,
Resembling somewhat the imp on our shelf.
A clipboard of our data she held in her arm,
With sprinkles of glitter enhancing her charm.
Ages, sexes, sizes, and dietary restrictions
She spun together for purchase predictions.
She knew all the sites where to find the best deal,
And when she found one, she gave the cutest squeal.

Gladly, she auto-filled the forms for each order,
Arranging the best terms the site would accord her.
With a check off her list, she moved on to the next,
Confirming the details recorded in the specs.
She took such joy fulfilling each requested task
With so much verve, we clicked “yes” when she would ask.
A wink of her eye as I watched her fudge it,
Soon made me trust she would stay within our budget.

Without a pause, she did our whole shopping list,
Each gift bought, shipped, and electronically kissed.
She asked if there was more she could do today
And requested we complete the company’s survey.
We thanked her profusely and saw her pink blush,
And with other users waiting, she needed to rush.
As she faded from the screen, I thought I could hear,
“That was a blast! Let’s do it again next year!”

Dreaming of COVID Christmas

(tune: White Christmas)

I’m dreaming of COVID Christmas
Unlike any I’ve known before.
Where joy seems trying
And we’re all sighing
To rue changes we can’t ignore.

I’m dreaming of COVID Christmas
With every card I write tonight.
May your house be safe and airtight
And may you get this card alright.

I’m dreaming of COVID Christmas
Like I hope we’ll not have again.
We hope to see your smiles
When we can travel miles
To share a happy refrain.

I’m dreaming of COVID Christmas
As a bygone and faded memory.
May we get through this and be free
To gather around next year’s tree.

If You Take My Advice

If you take my advice, stop listening now.
But if you will not, then pay attention.
Those who follow see the butt of a cow,
Heeding the bell without comprehension.

Advice, even when so kindly given,
Points a path that may be unsafe to tread.
Bad advice ignored might be forgiven,
But does not guess better what is ahead.

Good advice, for which you want most to seek,
Often sounds the same as any other.
Without thought, the odds to part them is bleak;
Should you always listen to your Mother?

COVID Thanksgiving

(tune: Over the River)

Over the wifi and through the net
To Grandmother’s house we go.
Let Zoom show the way
To stay safe today
And limit CO-VID’s flow.

Over the wifi and through the net
Oh, how the plague does lurk.
It rides on air
And goes anywhere
As precautions we shirk.

Over the wifi and through the net
Is how to safely play.
On camera smile
And chat a while.
Be safe on Zoomsgiving Day!

Opposite of Tradition

Customs of our parents and those before,
Passed along to inform us what to do –
Traditions give us the knowledge of yore,
But what were these habits when they were new?

Thesaurus mostly list what they were not;
Un-accepted, un-orthodox, and such.
It is doing something you were not taught,
To free oneself, right or wrong, from past’s clutch.

How will our society judge the break
From the “tried and true” traditional norm?
Some future year may into custom take
What today kicks up a condemning storm.

Trump Concession (?) Speech

(tune: Leaving on a Jet Plane)

All the votes are cast
And I won bigly.
I’m standing here in my victory
I do not have to hate to say goodbye.
But the dawn is breaking
It’s the next morn
They’re still counting,
Margins being shorn.
Already I am so angry
I could sue.

So, stand by and cover me
Tell me that you’ll fight for me
Hold me like you’ll never let me go.
I ain’t leaving, you can’t make me,
Won’t go, I’ll be in charge, you’ll see.
Oh, no, I will not go.

There’s so many times you let me down
So many times you called me clown.
I tell you now, I don’t forget a thing.
Every place I go, I’ll get you back,
Every speech I make, you’ll get a smack,
Now I am back, you will kiss my ring.

So stop the count and bow down,
Tell me I will get the crown.
Hold me like you’ll never let me go.
I ain’t leaving, you can’t make me,
Won’t go, I’ll be in charge, you’ll see.
Oh, no, I will not go.

Votes are miscounted against me
All is stolen
You all miss me
Don’t close your eyes
As behind you, I crawl.
Dream of the years I gave us
When I alone could fix the muss
About the times when I ruled it all.

They did not stop, oh disaster,
Too little from the postmaster,
You didn’t hold me, you let me go.
I ain’t leaving, you can’t make me,
Won’t go, I’ll be in charge, you’ll see.
Oh, no, I will not go.

But they’re coming to drag me out
I go with kicking and a shout,
Oh, no, I will not go.

Vesper Flight (& counterpoint)

Vesper Flight

Join with us now on our vesper flight,
To soar aloft to discerning height,
To rise above common earthbound sight,
To average each wrong to choose right.

If voters thought as a flock of birds,
And could perceive beyond the blitz of words,
And reconcile choices of jocks and nerds,
What decision would then lead our herds?

Perhaps that is indeed what we do,
To electively sort so much through,
To together sift from clue to clue,
To reinforce our social glue.

Thanks to Helen Macdonald for the inspiration

---

View From the Ground

All too often it is our sorry plight
That so many wrongs do not make it right.
No math we know works with even just two,
Yet seldom we stop at only a few.

A swing left evokes return to the right,
Past plumb center on its opposite flight;
No pause in the compromising middle,
A leap into fire from the hot griddle.

So why entrust our fate to public vote
And cede our opinions on which we dote?
When herd mentality leads to a cliff,
Won’t you prefer to follow your own riff?

Political Seesaw

I go down when you go up,
But I will rise again.
Now you play with your line-up --
I’ll seek to end your reign.

But when I’m up and you’re down
We will still play the game.
When my promises go aground,
You will take all the blame.

More Carols for Halloween

Chilly Bones

(tune: Silver Bells)

Chilly bones, chilly bones,
It’s Halloween in the city.
Rattle-clack, hear them crack;
Tonight it is Halloween.

Spooky walkers, eerie stalkers
Dressed in festive costume.
In the streets there’s a horde of monsters.
Children begging, people paying
With candy to consume,
And with every house stop, parents feel:

Chilly bones, chilly bones,
It’s Halloween in the city.
Rattle-clack, hear them crack;
Tonight it is Halloween.

Bags of treasures, future pleasures,
Jiggling bits of candy
That the beggars rush home to indulge in.
Hear the leaves crunch, dreams of sweet lunch,
This is the kids’ big day,
And, as they head for home, parents feel:

Chilly bones, chilly bones,
It’s Halloween in the city.
Rattle-clack, hear them crack;
Tonight it is Halloween.

---

One-Ghost Haunted House

(tune: Jingle Bells)

Sneaking through the leaves
Past the one-ghost haunted house
Tiptoe-ing like thieves
Quiet as a mouse.
Winds howl in the trees
Waking up the ghost.
What fear and fright our hearts seize
Thinking what scares us most.

(Choris)
I dare you, I dare you,
Go up to that house.
I bet you won’t ring the bell
At the one-ghost haunted house.
I dare you, I dare you,
Go up to that house.
I bet you won’t ring the bell
At the one-ghost haunted house.

A day or two from now
It will be Halloween.
Soon past that house we’ll plow,
Hoping to stay unseen.
The house waits in the dark,
Mystery hides inside.
At the town’s spooky landmark,
Around it we go wide.

(Choris)
I dare you, I dare you,
Go up to that house.
I bet you won’t ring the bell
At the one-ghost haunted house.
I dare you, I dare you,
Go up to that house.
I bet you won’t ring the bell
At the one-ghost haunted house.

A day or two goes by,
We’re out to trick-or-treat,
Slip past it we will try,
That old house on the street.
But my little brother
Asked me why I am scared.
That brat is such a bother,
And this is what he dared.

(Choris)
I dare you, I dare you,
Go up to that house.
I bet you won’t ring the bell
At the one-ghost haunted house.
I dare you, I dare you,
Go up to that house.
I bet you won’t ring the bell
At the one-ghost haunted house.

Now none know what passed there
In the one-ghost haunted house.
I’m sure I do not dare
To see what the bell would rouse.
‘Though Little Brother taunts
I swear I’ll not go there
To see what in that house haunts
And gives us such a scare.

(Choris)
I dare you, I dare you,
Go up to that house.
I bet you won’t ring the bell
At the one-ghost haunted house.
I dare you, I dare you,
Go up to that house.
I bet you won’t ring the bell
At the one-ghost haunted house.

---

Eerie Wonderland

(tune: Sleigh Ride aka Winter Wonderland)

Doorbells ring, are you listening?
On the stoop, children are questing.
A frightening sight,
They’re haunting tonight,
Begging in an eerie wonderland.

Gone away their cute faces;
Masks are now in their places.
They call out their threat
If no treat they get,
Begging in an eerie wonderland.

In our homes, we could go into lockdown
And pretend that we are not inside.
They’ll ask, Got some candy?
We’ll make no sound,
But they'll keep ringing
Even if we hide.

Later on, we’ll peek out,
As we suppress our doubt,
To face unafraid
Small monsters on parade,
Begging in an eerie wonderland.

Just hear those doorbells ring-tingling,
Ring ting, tingle-ing more.
Come on, it’s the weird season
When we answer the entreating door.

Outside the children are calling
Out their insistent trick-or-treat,
Come on, it’s the weird season
To pay ransom with candy to eat.

In our homes, we could go into lockdown
And pretend that we are not inside.
They’ll ask, Got some candy?
We’ll make no sound,
But they'll keep ringing
Even if we hide.

Later on, we’ll peek out,
As we suppress our doubt
To face unafraid
Small monsters on parade,
Begging in an eerie wonderland.

To face unafraid
Small monsters on parade,
Begging in an eerie wonderland.

Howling Lycanthropes

(tune: Tumbling Tumbleweeds)

Hear their howling moan,
Sending chills down your backbone,
Moonlit, with fur they have grown,
Hunting for you are the howling lycanthropes.

Kids roam tonight ‘long the street,
Begging for a little treat.
Beware, werewolves need to eat,
Hunting for you are the howling lycanthropes.

I know when the sun goes down,
Trick-r-treaters out on the town.
When full moon the sky does crown,
There’ll be monsters all around;
Listen for that chilling sound.
Hunting for you are the howling lycanthropes.

I know when the sun goes down,
Trick-r-treaters out on the town,
When full moon the sky does crown,
There’ll be monsters all around;
Listen for that chilling sound.
Hunting for you are the howling lycanthropes.

---