The Horse-Cat-Faery-Bunny

[bnewman]

The product of a kids' songwriting workshop at Arisia 2014.

lyrics by Meredith and Pete Gast, Alice Hunter, Barbara Wilkins, Nat Budin, and Ben Newman

ttto: "The Horse-Tamer's Daughter" by Leslie Fish

listen to this song

/ AmG CGAm CG E / C G Am E / Am G C G / AmG CG AmE Am /

 

I was walking through the forest when I saw a giant ear.

A bunny's face looked out at me and then it disappeared.

A horse's tail brushed past my knee, light caught a faery's wing,

And when it meowed I cried out loud: Just what is that thing?!

 

/ C G Am E / AmG CGE AmE Am /

 

I followed it into the woods — the pawprints of a cat;

A horse-cat-faery-bunny — now, what do you think of that?!

 

I stumbled out into a dell, where, gathered all around,

Were horse-cat-faery-bunny nests in hollows in the ground.

And sitting on the fairest nest, beneath a giant oak,

Was a mother wise, with shining eyes, who turned to me and spoke:

 

"You're trapped within the faery woods, however long you roam;

Unless we show you the way to go, you never will get home!"

 

The horse-cat-faery-bunny's child, as sweet as honey dew,

Hid between her mother's paws, and let out a frightened mew.

A dark and fearsome shadow shape appeared out of nowhere —

A scaly, hairy, mean and scary lion-dragon-bear!

 

It snatched the child in its paws and flew into the haze;

It landed south by a cavern's mouth and vanished from my gaze.

 

The horse-cat-faery-bunny queen cried out with great alarm:

"By coming here you broke the spell that keeps us safe from harm!

You must bring my child home to me, or face a mother's wrath —

Bring her back from there, for if not I swear you will never find your path!"

 

A wand then fell from the tree above, and landed at my feet,

And I heard her say, "It's the only way that monster can be beat!"

 

I must admit I didn't feel particularly brave,

But I set my feet on the path that led up to the monster's cave.

I crept inside and there I saw a terrifying sight:

The lion-dragon-bear agape with teeth so sharp and bright.

 

I raised the wand and pointed it and loudly shouted "Zog!"

The lion-dragon-bear turned to a hamster-lizard-frog.

 

I was so very startled I did not know what to say,

But searched and found out where the horse-cat-faery-bunny lay.

I softly tiptoed up to her and jostled her awake,

And the horse-cat-faery-bunny child and I made our escape.

 

We ran back to her mother's nest, as fast as we could run,

And the horse-cat-faery-bunny queen looked up and said, "Well done!"

 

"That lion-dragon-bear," I said, "won't bother you again."

She said, "That's good, but the faery's wood is not a place for men.

You've brought my child back to me, your freedom you have earned —

You pass the test, but it would be best if you did not return."

 

She told me how to get back home, and sent me on my way,

And that's the reason why I didn't come to school today.