Ballad Poems
A
Ballad of Ducks
The railway rattled and roared and swung
With jolting and bumping trucks.
The sun, like a billiard red ball, hung
In the Western sky and the tireless tongue
Of the wild-eyed man in the corner told
This terrible tale of the days of old,
And the party that ought to have kept the ducks.
Well, it ain't all joy bein' on the land
With an overdraft that'd knock you flat;
And the rabbits have pretty well took command;
But the hardest thing for a man to stand
Is the feller who says 'Well I told you so!
You should ha' done this way, don't you know!' --
I could lay a bait for a man like that.
The grasshoppers struck us in ninety-one
And what they leave -- well, it ain't de luxe.
But a growlin' fault-findin' son of a gun
Who'd lent some money to stock our run --
I said they'd eaten what grass we had --
Says he, 'Your management's very bad;
You had a right to have kept some ducks!'
To have kept some ducks! And the place was white!
Wherever you went you had to tread
On grasshoppers guzzlin' day and night;
And then with a swoosh they rose in flight,
If you didn't look out for yourself they'd fly
Like bullets into your open eye
And knock it out of the back of your head.
There isn't a turkey or goose or swan,
Or a duck that quacks, or a hen that clucks,
Can make a difference on a run
When a grasshopper plague has once begun;
'If you'd finance us,' I says, 'I'd buy
Ten thousand emus and have a try;
The job,' I says, 'is too big for ducks!
'You must fetch a duck when you come to stay;
A great big duck -- a Muscovy toff --
Ready and fit,' I says, 'for the fray;
And if the grasshoppers come our way
You turn your duck into the lucerne patch,
And I'd be ready to make a match
That the grasshoppers eat his feathers off!
He came to visit us by and by,
And it just so happened one day in spring
A kind of cloud came over the sky --
A wall of grasshoppers nine miles high,
And nine miles thick, and nine hundred wide,
Flyin' in regiments, side by side,
And eatin' up every living thing.
All day long, like a shower of rain,
You'd hear 'em smackin' against the wall,
Tap, tap, tap, on the window pane,
And they'd rise and jump at the house again
Till their crippled carcasses piled outside.
But what did it matter if thousands died --
A million wouldn't be missed at all.
We were drinkin' grasshoppers -- so to speak --
Till we skimmed their carcasses off the spring;
And they fell so thick in the station creek
They choked the waterholes all the week.
There was scarcely room for a trout to rise,
And they'd only take artificial flies --
They got so sick of the real thing.
An Arctic snowstorm was beat to rags
When the hoppers rose for their morning flight
With the flapping noise like a million flags
And the kitchen chimney was stuffed with bags
For they'd fall right into the fire, and fry
Till the cook sat down and began to cry --
And never a duck or fowl in sight.
We strolled across to the railroad track --
Under a cover beneath some trucks,
I sees a feather and hears a quack;
I stoops and I pulls the tarpaulin back --
Every duck in the place was there,
No good to them was the open air.
'Mister,' I says, 'There's your blanky ducks!'
A Ballad Of The
Trees And The Master
Into the woods my Master went,
Clean forspent, forspent.
Into the woods my Master came,
Forspent with love and shame.
But the olives they were not blind to Him,
The little gray leaves were kind to Him
The thorn-tree had a mind to Him
When into the woods He came.
Out of the woods my Master went,
And He was well content.
Out of the woods my Master came,
Content with death and shame.
When Death and Shame would woo Him last,
From under the trees they drew Him last
'Twas on a tree they slew Him -- last
When out of the woods He came.
Ballad For Jose
You will never know how much does she loves you
You two were meant for each other
Carry on loving each other
Because love is beautiful
Jump for you
Sing a love song
Ballad for Jose
Dance beneath the moon
On a beach at night
Listened to the sound of the waves rolling in
Kiss god night to the dark sky
Hold each other tight
And dance once again
Touch my sweat face my love
When you say you love her
Do you really feel inside your heart
The kisses you give her
Is like a bird kissing a flower
Ballad for Jose
You will carry on loving her I rope
This is the night to prove your love to her
Hold her hand tight and walk hand in hand after you had finished dancing
Get rid of your bad thoughts and fears
Let your mind wonder for once
In the arms of an angel you both will find comfort
Yes that girl was born to love you
She wants to share her love and her life with you
Ballad for Jose
Don’t you lose her now
Don’t make any judgment
Do what you have to do
So you to can have a happy life together
Ballad for Jose
Why worry now
Two happy people together
There are no more sadness and hurt inside of the heart and eyes of you both
God has found you two
He sand you to her
And her to you
She believes in angel
And there is something good you and her sees
Yes God it has been a long time since I found her
And her found me
Ballad of the
Goodly Fere
Ha' we lost the goodliest fere o' all
For the priests and the gallows tree
Aye lover he was of brawny men,
O' ships and the open sea.
When they came wi' a host to take Our Man
His smile was good to see,
First let these go! quo' our Goodly Fere,
Or I'll see ye damned, says he.
Aye he sent us out through the crossed high spears
And the scorn of his laugh rang free,
Why took ye not me when I walked about
Alone in the town says he.
Oh we drank his Hale in the good red wine
When we last made company,
No capon priest was the Goodly Fere
But a man o' men was he.
I ha' seen him drive a hundred men
Wi' a bundle o' cords swung free,
That they took the high and holy house
For their pawn and treasury.
They'll no' get him a' in a book I think
Though they write it cunningly;
No mouse of the scrolls was the Goodly Fere
But aye loved the open sea.
If they think they ha' snared our Goodly Fere
They are fools to the last degree.
I'll go to the feast, quo' our Goodly Fere,
Though I go to the gallows tree.
Ye ha' seen me heal the lame and blind,
And wake the dead, says he,
Ye shall see one thing to master all
'Tis how a brave man dies on the tree.
A son of God was the Goodly Fere
That bade us his brothers be.
I ha' seen him cow a thousand men.
I have seen him upon the tree.
He cried no cry when they drave the nails
And the blood gushed hot and free,
The hounds of the crimson sky gave tongue
But never a cry cried he.
I ha' seen him cow a thousand men
On the hills o' Galilee,
They whined as he walked out calm between,
Wi' his eyes like the grey o' the sea,
Like the sea that brooks no voyaging
With the winds unleashed and free,
Like the sea that he cowed at Genseret
Wi' twey words spoke' suddently.
A master of men was the Goodly Fere,
A mate of the wind and sea,
If they think they ha' slain our Goodly Fere
They are fools eternally.
I ha' seen him eat o' the honey-comb
Sin' they nailed him to the tree.
Ballade of an
Omnibus by Amy Levy
Some men to carriages aspire;
On some the costly hansoms wait;
Some seek a fly, on job or hire;
Some mount the trotting steed, elate.
I envy not the rich and great,
A wandering minstrel, poor and free,
I am contented with my fate --
An omnibus suffices me.
In winter days of rain and mire
I find within a corner strait;
The 'busmen know me and my lyre
From Brompton to the Bull-and-Gate.
When summer comes, I mount in state
The topmost summit, whence I see
Crœsus look up, compassionate --
An omnibus suffices me.
I mark, untroubled by desire,
Lucullus' phaeton and its freight.
The scene whereof I cannot tire,
The human tale of love and hate,
The city pageant, early and late
Unfolds itself, rolls by, to be
A pleasure deep and delicate.
An omnibus suffices me.
Princess, your splendour you require,
I, my simplicity; agree
Neither to rate lower nor higher.
Be with me
This is a ballad for the good times
So put a battery in your leg
Put a rock beat over anything
Get it stuck there in your head
You can be with me
I got nothing to rely on
I've broken every bone
Everybody's stop believing
But you know you're not alone
You can be with me
This is a ballad for the good times
And all the dignity we had
Don't get het up on the evil things
You ain't coming back
You can be with me
If you want to be
You can be with me....
Border Ballad
March, march, Ettrick and Teviotdale,
Why the deil dinna ye march forward in order!
March, march, Eskdale and Liddesdale,
All the Blue Bonnets are bound for the Border.
Many a banner spread,
Flutters above your head,
Many a crest that is famous in story.
Mount and make ready then,
Sons of the mountain glen,
Fight for the Queen and our old Scottish glory.
Come from the hills where your hirsels are grazing,
Come from the glen of the buck and the roe;
Come to the crag where the beacon is blazing,
Come with the buckler, the lance, and the bow.
Trumpets are sounding,
War-steeds are bounding,
Stand to your arms, then, and march in good order;
England shall many a day
Tell of the bloody fray,
When the Blue Bonnets came over the Border.
Pepper, Poe, and
Pouty Face
were snuggled down in their special place,
in a tiny hole in the kitchen wall,
discussing the coming Christmas Ball
Cabby, the calico cat, laid his head
close to the wall, where inside led,
to a little room where the mice abode,
and at Christmas, the story of Jesus was told
Pepper was fat, but not very long
Poe was short, and not very strong
Pouty Face was wisest of all,
narrow as wire, and strangely tall<
Cabby would listen to Pouty Face tell
about a baby born to dwell
in the hearts of people everywhere,
a child from Heaven, gentle and fair
The calico cat loved to press his ear
against the wall so he could hear
about the child, who long ago,
was born to touch the human soul
Poe would ask with much delight,
"Dear Pouty Face, will it be tonight,
when we will hear this babe's sweet cry?"
Pouty Face would smile, and sigh.
"If we listen and open our hearts this day,
this wonderful child will make a way,
but if we do not want him near,
I doubt that we will hear him, dear."
What utter wisdom, Pepper thought
Pouty Face sure knows a lot
But we're just mice, and Cabby's a cat,
that's how it is, and we can't change that
Nevertheless, in the hole in the wall,
where there wasn't any fantastical ball,
were Pepper, Poe, and Pouty Face
moving about and making a place
for the tiny babe to rest his head,
on a small gold-colored straw filled bed
At noon, when Cabby took his nap,
Pepper and Poe would set a trap,
tying his tail around a chair ,
so he couldn't chase them anywhere
Then quicker than a half of a wink,
the two mice scurried for food and drink,
and hurrying back to their home in the wall,
they shared with Pouty Face, things they saw,
like turkey on the table, and pudding galore!
and trimmings! and trimmings! and oh! so much more!
It never bothered Cabby the cat,
to find his tail tied up like that
Pepper, Poe, and Pouty Face knew
he liked the attention, and they did, too
With food on the table, and spice through the air,
Christmas had come, and the guests were all there
They feasted on turkey and laughed through the night,
but something about it just wasn't quite right>
Pepper, Poe, and Pouty Face knew
the things that humans neglect to do,
like praising the child who was born long ago,
to save them from sin, and make them whole
So, in the tiny hole in the wall
where the mice were waiting, excited and all,
was a wondrous 'light' shining all about!
And seeing it, Pouty Face lost her pout!
Poe grew long and strong inside!
Pepper waxed slender! No longer wide!
Cabby, the cat, got a glimpse of the sight!
And he danced and purred throughout the night!
Out from their home in the wall came the mice,
Pepper acting especially nice
Poe sat down by Cabby the Cat,
And Pouty, now Perky Face, started to chat
"It was most wonderful what we saw!"
Tiny Jesus asleep on the straw
The bed we had made for the child was bright,
and over him lingered a 'heavenly light'
"Yes, we're just mice
And Cabby's a cat,
But we're telling the truth
It was just like that!"
Little Cricket
The cricket's ballad sets the sun,
Bidding farewell, the day is done.
While twilight ushers in the dew,
Welcoming chirps, that bid adeau.
Vastness of dark, and night soon came,
Through wind and thunder, he still sang.
My quickened heart, forever still,
By friend outside, my window sill.
Hark! O'er the valley, and the dell,
His ballad echoes, all is well.
The cricket's ballad sets the sun,
Bids farewell, the day is done.
The Ballade Of
The Automobile
When our yacht sails seaward on steady keel
And the wind is moist with breath of brine
And our laughter tells of our perfect weal,
We may carol the praises of ruby wine;
But if, automobiling, my woes combine
And fuel gives out in my road-machine
And it's sixteen miles to that home of mine--
Then ho! For a gallon of gasoline!
When our coach rides smoothly on iron-shod wheel
With a deft touch guiding each taut drawn line
And the inn ahead holds a royal meal,
We may carol the praises of ruby wine;
But when, on some long and steep incline,
In a manner entirely unforeseen
The motor stops with a last sad whine--
Then ho! For a gallon of gasoline!
When the air is crisp and the brooks congeal
And our sleigh glides on with a speed divine
While the gay bells echo with peal on peal,
We may carol the praises of ruby wine;
But when, with perverseness most condign,
In the same harsh snowstorm, cold and keen,
My auto stops at the six-mile sign--
Then ho! For a gallon of gasoline!
The Gothic Ballad
I walk carelessly down the dark road
My heavy black boots constantly clicking
Clicking on the cold cement
My long black and velvet Trench coat
Billowing in the slight breeze
My Chest slightly rising under my tight corset
My chains on my pants jingling together
As I walk down this Moon lit road
Staring up at the midnight moon
This is the ballad
The ballad of the lost
Of the silent warriors
Of the people you pass by and call freaks
Of the people
Who will save your soul
For our souls are pure
Our souls sing this ballad
The ballad of the night
The ballad of the pure hearts
The Mermaid
Oh the ocean waves may roll,
And the stormy winds may blow,
While we poor sailors go skipping aloft
And the land lubbers lay down below, below, below
And the land lubbers lay down below.
The Twelfth Day
Of Christmas
On the first day of Christmas, thoughts of childhood delight
Were spread across the rooms and into spaces of the night
For on the Christmas tree I saw through small and wondering eyes
The magic of a sleigh that would be flying through the skies
On the second day of Christmas, I could see a speedy sled
With wooden top all shiny new, and runners painted red
That day was independence for a six to old to own
A sled to ride the waves of time and distances alone
The third Day of Christmas, beneath the Christmas tree
A looking glass that would reflect the inner parts of me
For in the mirror I could see a girl now fully grown
Out of childhood sweet fantasies to new ones of her own
On the fourth Day of Christmas there was a diamond ring
Reflecting Christmas candles and the joy that they would bring
The glory of the birth of Christ now touched me in a way
That the beauty of His love shone down upon my wedding day
On the fifth day of Christmas a child came to earth
In the silence of life's meaning, in the miracle of birth
I could feel the love of Christmas shining deep within my core
And I promised I would teach him of a Love more grand and pure
On the sixth day of Christmas, with wonder in his eyes
A stocking full of goodies, each a little sweet surprise
And I saw him look for Santa Clause in heavy falling snows
That night against the window pane, he pressed his little nose
On the seventh day of Christmas, a new and shiny sled
And underneath the wooden slats, his name engraved in red
I watched him as he pushed himself from off the hilly glaze
Into the independence of his up and coming days
On the eighth day of Christmas he gave a diamond band
That glittered in the memories when placed upon her hand
Reflecting on the walls the prism rainbows of my life
The babe, the child, the teen, the bride, the mother and the wife
On the ninth day of Christmas I paused in retrospect
The years of pain, the years of joy, the things I would expect
And in that moment I had seen that measure of my days
Cannot be spread in distance over land or sky or waves
On the tenth day of Christmas my grandson said to me
What is in the magic of a lovely Christmas tree
I said the tree is filled with light, just as the Light of Love
That shown down on a little Child from places up above
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my aged eyes could see
The glory of the Child who was born and died for me
My eyes were growing weary, though the glitter of the light
Still lit the magic wonder in the joys of Christmas night
On the twelfth day of Christmas, a gift was given to me
For I had gone to heaven, there to dwell eternally
Then looking down upon the earth a child tucked in bed
Beneath the tree, red runners on a shiny wooden sled
Tim could not
recall his mom, he didn't know his dad;
His life was always shuffled 'round, he was a troubled lad;
His years upon this mortal world had only totaled five,
At times he'd slept upon the street, he'd barely stayed alive;
They found him yes, when he was two, hiding in a box,
He had a bag of jelly beans and several colored rocks;
They didn't know how long he'd been living on his own,
They only knew he looked a mess, they couldn't find his home;
He clutched a tattered dirty bear, its name was quite unique,
He said his bear was "Uzzy boy," to us the name was Greek;
Y'see Timmy didn't speak a lot, his words were very few,
He often cried, "I wan my om," but no one had a clue;
His time was spent in foster homes, he wasn't treated well,
His life was kicked from place to place, it was a living hell;
His parents, on the other hand, had searched for Tim in vain,
They thought Tims life had ended, their lives were wrought with pain;
They used to laugh and play with Tim, he even had a cat,
He had a bear named Fuzzyboy, a plastic ball and bat;
One day the cat went out the door and headed down the street,
Tim followed "Kitty" close behind with tiny naked feet;
The rest is not important, little Tim was lost,
It must have been so cold that night, the morning grass had frost;
As time went by little Tim was traded to and fro,
His life was so unstable and all he heard was" No!"
Christmas yes, was here again, a time he would abhor,
He knew he would be moved again, of this he was quite sure;
At five, Tim had but just one friend in whom he could confide,
That little friend was "Uzzyboy," his one and only pride;
As Christmas day grew ever near the papers all got signed,
Soon Tim would be adopted, he hoped they would be kind;
Every time he'd changed his home, he saw it in their eyes,
They started off by acting nice, it was a proven guise;
The time for their arrival would be on Christmas morn,
The time that Christ the Savior came, the day that he was born;
If miracles could ever be, he prayed that he might find,
A couple that would hug him tight, he really wouldn't mind;
His foster parents cleaned him up, but took away his bear,
That tattered rag would have to go, they really didn't care;
Tim cried inside, his throat grew sore, that bear was his best friend,
Little Tim was all alone, his heart may never mend;
Then came a shallow knocking sound from just outside the door,
It was the social service girl, the one he'd seen before;
She gripped his hand and held it tight and Tim began to cry,
She held him very tenderly and tried to dry his eyes;
She was there when Tim was found, she knew his story well,
She finally found a mom and dad, a pair that wouldn't yell;
His future mom and dad had sent a package tied with string,
Tim would eye it carefully to see what it would bring;
Then all at once his eyes welled up and tears began to flow,
The precious present he'd unwrapped caused his face to glow;
The ride was long, the car was warm, the destination near,
His heart was pounding furiously, the future so unclear;
And now the car began to slow, his confidence had grown,
The place where they had stopped and parked was like a place he'd known;
There were those stairs of painted wood, they even had a cat,
The social lady rang the bell and then he spied the bat;
A plastic bat was hung against the door above a sign,
He really couldn't read just yet, he knew he would in time;
And then he heard them running hard to open up the door,
They picked him up and squeezed him tight, they loved him that's for sure;
And then Tim thought to thank them both because it was so right,
for giving him an "Uzzyboy" to sleep with him that night;
The mother fell upon her knees and asked," What did you say?"
Tim said, "Thanks for Uzzyboy, I lost him once today!"
And then her tears began to flow, as father grabbed his heart,
They said this was a miracle, that God had done his part;
The social lady stood in awe, then dawned a glorious thought,
That she had just united them, with one whom they had sought;
Then mother screamed, "I yov you Tim!" That took him by surprise,
He recognized that baby talk, and recognized her eyes;
And then the spirit filled their souls, old memories came anew,,
"Thank you Lord," they humbly prayed, "that thou hast blessed us too."