Pub Tales
In the dark of night
Came a flickering light,
Like a candle haloed in green.
The light looked odd,
In the shape of a cod,
The likes that I’ve never seen.
“Tis a Banshee’s light,”
Said, me, while in fright,
“That’s why she’s look-in so green.
It’s the color of clover,
{Then I thought the light over},
Or the mold on the tavern’s latrine.”
So, I made my way
To the Pub by the bay
To see what the fellows knew.
But when I told them the story
About the green-eyed glory,
They laughed and bought me a brew.
Then Sanders told a tale
Of a blue-stripped Whale
Who always swam right near the shore.
Then a woman named Camp
Needed oil for her lamp.
Now, no one sees that whale anymore.
That story was funny
So I pulled out my money,
And said,— “I’ll buy a round!”
But the barkeep said, “Tuff,
That’s not nearly enough,
Two Shillings— aren’t worth a Pound.”
“Well, we’ll let that go,”
Said a guy named Joe,
Then he bought a round for tell-in a tale.
So I retold that story
About the green-eyed glory,
But I replaced the Cod with a Whale.
So, Joe said, “That’s a hell of a tale!”
Then he retold the tale
Of a blue-stripped Whale
Who swam right near the shore.
He said His Mother, named Camp,
Needed oil for her lamp.
And a Whale-skin rug for the floor.
Oh, the stories don’t matter,
Some repeated get better,
As long as the beer is bought.
It’s all part of the fun
‘til the stories are done
And hangovers follow, more likely than not.
JE Falcon
02-25-2016
Revised; 2023
