A lamb, a grasshopper, and a crow in a tree,
A lion, a mouse, and a rabbit late for tea,
A red queen, a king, and his fiddlers three,
All late, all late, but they wouldn't agree.
The sun had long set and it was time to embark,
Or so the crow said, as he was quick to remark,
But the rest wouldn't leave, and they started a spark,
Which grew to a flame as they hid from the dark.
All late, all late, but they couldn't see,
That soon they'd be missing a bit more than tea,
And as they all settled down on a knee,
That it was too late, too late for a plea.
The fire went out as they fell fast asleep,
And the shadows watched and began to creep,
Until all at once they jumped with a leap,
On top of the lion, the king, and the sheep.
Now, the crow, he awoke with a start
And saw the struggle, so he did his part,
He let out a cry, pierced both eardrum and heart,
But soon realized that was far from smart.
All late, all late, because they couldn't agree,
Late for beds, for bread, and hot tea,
And now it seemed that this would be
The last flight of the crow in the tree.
They siezed the crow and tied down his wings,
Stuck him with the others and whispered nasty things,
Bound the party with shackles, ropes, and rings,
And left them there for whatever the night would bring.
They were late, too late to agree,
Too late for home, too late for tea,
And now, it was clear, they'd never be free,
They'd die together, tied beneath the tree.
