The Manatee Song

Oh Beowulf went swimming,

A-swimming in the sea,

To fight the fiercest monsters

That ever there could be.

He fought them well and bravely,

But one beast made him flee--

The terror of the ocean:

The fanged manatee.

Beware, beware the manatee,

The dread, fanged manatee.

There was a Viking longship

With sails of red and gold.

The warriors upon her

Were savage and were bold.

They said that they feared nothing,

But if the truth be told,

The manatee's mere shadow

Would make their blood run cold.

Beware, beware the manatee,

The dread, fanged manatee.

A thousand knights in armor

Went sailing for new lands.

Each had a helm and hauberk

And weapons close at hand.

The sad fate that befell them

Was not what they had planned.

The manatee devoured them;

Their bones lie on the sand.

Beware, beware the manatee,

The dread, fanged manatee.

Old sailors oft give warning

About the siren song.

For those who listen to it

Are not alive for long.

For in the murky water

Awaits a fanged throng.

Whoever called them harmless,

Alas, was very wrong.

Beware, beware the manatee,

The dread, fanged manatee.

So if you sail the ocean,

Remember what I've said.

Don't think these are mere stories

To send children to bed.

It isn't silly nonsense!

So, when the sea turns red,

If you don't heed my warning,

Don't blame me when you're dead!

Beware, beware the manatee,

The dread, fanged manatee.

Copyright © 2007 by Hilla Hamasdohtor (Pamela A. Wolff)