Until Gran Died

The minnows I caught
lived for a few days in a jar
then floated side-up on the surface.
We buried them beneath the hedge.
I didn’t cry,
but felt sad inside.

I thought
I could deal with funerals
that is
until Gran died.

The goldfish I kept in a bowl
passed away with old age.
Mum wrapped him in a newspaper
and we buried him next to a rose bush.
I didn’t cry,
but felt sad inside.

I thought
I could deal with funerals
that is
until Gran died.

My cat lay stiff in a shoebox
after being hit by a car.
Dad dug a hole and we buried her
under the apple tree.
I didn’t cry,
but felt very sad inside.

I thought
I could deal with funerals
that is
until Gran died.

And when she died
I went to the funeral
with relations dressed in black.
They cried, and so did I.
Salty tears ran down my face.
Oh, how I cried.

Yes, I thought
I could deal with funerals
that is
until Gran died.

She was buried in a graveyard
and even the sky wept that day.
Rain fell and fell and fell
and thunder sobbed far away across the town.
I cried
and I cried.

I thought
I could deal with funerals
that is
until Gran died.

Until Gran Died

The minnows I caught
lived for a few days in a jar
then floated side-up on the surface.
We buried them beneath the hedge.
I didn’t cry,
but felt sad inside.

I thought
I could deal with funerals
that is
until Gran died.

The goldfish I kept in a bowl
passed away with old age.
Mum wrapped him in a newspaper
and we buried him next to a rose bush.
I didn’t cry,
but felt sad inside.

I thought
I could deal with funerals
that is
until Gran died.

My cat lay stiff in a shoebox
after being hit by a car.
Dad dug a hole and we buried her
under the apple tree.
I didn’t cry,
but felt very sad inside.

I thought
I could deal with funerals
that is
until Gran died.

And when she died
I went to the funeral
with relations dressed in black.
They cried, and so did I.
Salty tears ran down my face.
Oh, how I cried.

Yes, I thought
I could deal with funerals
that is
until Gran died.

She was buried in a graveyard
and even the sky wept that day.
Rain fell and fell and fell
and thunder sobbed far away across the town.
I cried
and I cried.

I thought
I could deal with funerals
that is
until Gran died.

“Inside the chimney, high I climb.
It’s dark inside the sooty stack.
I bang my head, I graze my back,
I lose all sense of passing time.
Inside the chimney,
high I climb.

“Inside the chimney, high I climb.
Far, far above…. a patch of blue
where one white cloud drifts into view.
I stop to rest, but that’s a crime.
Inside the chimney,
high I climb.

“Inside the chimney, high I climb.
My bare feet slip on crumbling bricks.
I clear rooks’ nests – dead leaves and sticks.
The master yells, ‘Get working, brat!’
I’m starved. Sometimes I eat stewed rat.
Soot’s in my hair. I’m tasting grime.
Inside the chimney,
high I climb.”

This is the rhythm
of the boneyard rap,
knuckle bones click
and hand bones clap,
finger bones flick
and thigh bones slap,
when you’re doing the rhythm
of the boneyard rap.
Wooooooooo!

It’s the boneyard rap
and it’s a scare.
Give your bones a shake-up
if you dare.
Rattle your teeth
and waggle your jaw
and let’s do the boneyard rap
once more.

This is the rhythm
of the boneyard rap,
elbow bones clink
and backbones snap,
shoulder bones chink
and toe bones tap,
when you’re doing the rhythm
of the boneyard rap.
Wooooooooo!

It’s the boneyard rap
and it’s a scare.
Give your bones a shake-up
if you dare.
Rattle your teeth
and waggle your jaw
and let’s do the boneyard rap
once more.

This is the rhythm
of the boneyard rap,
ankle bones sock
and arm bones flap,
pelvic bones knock
and knee bones zap,
when you’re doing the rhythm
of the boneyard rap.
Wooooooooo!

Until Gran Died

The minnows I caught
lived for a few days in a jar
then floated side-up on the surface.
We buried them beneath the hedge.
I didn’t cry,
but felt sad inside.

I thought
I could deal with funerals
that is
until Gran died.

The goldfish I kept in a bowl
passed away with old age.
Mum wrapped him in a newspaper
and we buried him next to a rose bush.
I didn’t cry,
but felt sad inside.

I thought
I could deal with funerals
that is
until Gran died.

My cat lay stiff in a shoebox
after being hit by a car.
Dad dug a hole and we buried her
under the apple tree.
I didn’t cry,
but felt very sad inside.

I thought
I could deal with funerals
that is
until Gran died.

And when she died
I went to the funeral
with relations dressed in black.
They cried, and so did I.
Salty tears ran down my face.
Oh, how I cried.

Yes, I thought
I could deal with funerals
that is
until Gran died.

She was buried in a graveyard
and even the sky wept that day.
Rain fell and fell and fell
and thunder sobbed far away across the town.
I cried
and I cried.

I thought
I could deal with funerals
that is
until Gran died.