Mephisto Waltz

MEPHISTO WALTZ Lost in the forest And worse – the night has come on Many strange noises Shivers up and down my spine Moon just peeking round a cloud Then this old farm house One window lit up (a barn?) Smoke from the chimney I’d heard a hermit lives there Crazy as a loon they say Seems I have a choice – To stay the night in his barn Or find my way out I decide to take the barn I’ll sneak around out of sight Find some hay inside And curl up comfy and warm It’s quite daring but What he don’t know won’t hurt him So my plan seems safe enough The barn door opens There is a soft but weird light I am tentative But I’m also very tired I enter and hear music The dies irae Before I can turn and run The hermit has me In one hand is a bible In the other a big axe “Shall we dance?” he says “My friends play such sweet music” His friends? – ghouls zombies! They play the weird dance of death The hermit begins to prance His eyes red as fire Now I must try to keep step To ghastly music I’m in a whirl – off my feet This mad laugh – the axe descends!