Scary Gary by Mark Buford for October 31, 2016

Carl Sandberg called…

Eh? I can’t find any connection between Sandburg and the Hearse Song, which likely predates him.

It’s cheating to “rhyme” a word with itself.

Wow! I didn’t realize Leopold had such a creative and thoughtful side to him.

World’s shortest poem entitled…

Fleas

Adam hadem

@AtariDragonARTISTS ARE ALLOWED TO CHEAT.

In fact some seem to think it’s neat

.

Not I, of course, Heaven forfend

But that’s just how it’s always been-d

It says so in their contract.

pcolli said,

.

@AtariDragon“The final “eyes” is meant to rhyme with “die”. I read it as AABA. I always liked Sandburg’s “Sea Chest”.”

.

by, die, eyes, eyes

Nah, Leopold rhymed eyes with eyes

“The Worm Song” in its different lyrical versions was originally a traditional children’s song stemming from the British Isles. Also known as “The Hearse Song,” or by its first line “The Worms Crawl in and the Worms Crawl Out,” its most popular modern use is as a fun song to sing at Halloween. The song has been sung by children in films to create an eerie vibe, and was recorded by Irish-British musical group The Pogues as “Worms” in 1989 on the album “If I Should Fall from Grace with God.” They certainly don’t write kids’ songs like this anymore! Four versions of the lyrics are written below.

Version 1:

The worms crawl in and the worms crawl out. The ones that go in are lean and thin. The ones that come out are fat and stout. Your eyes fall in and your teeth fall out. Your brains come tumbling down your snout. Be merry, my friends, be merry.

Version 2:

The worms crawl in, The worms crawl out, Into your stomach, And out your mouth.

They eat your intestines,They scramble your heart.Now you feel likeYou’re all apart.This is howIt is to dieYou end up lookingLike apple pie.

Version 3:

Don’t ever laugh when a hearse goes by, Or you may be the next to die.

They wrap you up in a bloody sheet,And bury you under about six feet.All goes well for a couple of weeks,But then your coffin begins to leak.The worms crawl in and the worms crawl out,The worms play pinochle on your snout.Your stomach turns a slimy green,And pus comes out of you like whipped cream.You lap it up with a piece of bread,And that’s what you eat when you are dead.

Version 4:

The worms crawl in and the worms crawl out. The ones that go in are lean and thin. The ones that come out are fat and stout. Your eyes fall in and your teeth fall out. Your brains come tumbling down your snout. They eat your eyes and they eat your nose. They eat the jelly between your toes. Be merry, my friends, be merry.

As soon as I read Leo’s poem today, I started humming the tune!

The version we used to sing had the line:

“You eat it up with a great big spoon,It tastes just like a Lorna Doone” (the Nabisco brand shortbread cookie)

(The above copied from “studenthandouts.com”)

Well, it rhymes. But you’re no Edgar Allan Poe, Leopold. (Ask Gary about Poe; he probably knew him, back in the day). Happy Halloween (is that the appropriate salutation—“happy”?)….

“The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, the worms play pinochle in your snout…”