Scary creatures stalk wood, field and heath.
Fox and badger with fearsome teeth.
Death and destruction wherever they pry.
Henhouse, sheepfold, pond and sty.
All is happening while the farmer’s asleep.
Rounding up flocks of imaginary sheep.
And by the time he awakens when the cockerel crows
And the sheepdog is nibbling his corny old toes.
The entrails and bloodshed have been cleaned by the crows.
And a chorus of birdsong replaces the screams.
And the terror of night is consigned to our dreams.
But next time you ponder the moon or a star.
The darkness they lighten is not very far.
So when blackbird sings sweetly from his eventide perch.
And the eastern sky purples with a sun setting lurch.
The song is a warning of dangers to come.
The notes may be gentle but the message is RUN