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Poetry and Pictures poetry and photography by Nick Owen
I am developing a show/performance /installation called "Poetry and Pictures." I perform poetry and put together words and images in different ways from theatre to slide show
Song Info
Track Files
MP3
MP3 7.3 MB • 128 kbps • 7:57
Story behind the song
I have worked with people's life stories all my working days. Now I have rewritten them as modern fairy tales in verse
Lyrics
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Come, daughter dear, we’ll have a feast
The tale of beauty and her beast
It starts one dark December day
With bills that father could not pay
His wife is gone, his daughters three
Are home with him, watching T.V.
A lovely mansion, once they had
Before his businesses went bad
A cottage now is what they rent
‘Cos all Dad’s money has been spent
The older daughters, tall and strong
Are sure their father’s in the wrong
They fear that soon they’ll have to work
Or marry to some awful jerk
Who doesn’t care that father’s poor
And sure to be an utter bore.
The youngest girl, still cute and pretty
Just a bit like Walter Mitty
Doesn’t care for wealth or riches
Thinks her sisters both are bitches
Thinks her father is just great
Sisters are the ones to hate
Cleans the house from dawn till dusk
While smelling of the purest musk
Daddy opens up a letter
Thinks its work, so he had better
Grab his hat and coat and boots
Pack his very finest suits
Head off through the blustery gales
With all his mind on one thing, sales.
Full of hope he asks his girls
What to bring to dress their curls
Should the business come his way
And brighten up their winters day.
The older girls want silver, gold
And diamonds, for they’d been told
That diamonds will last forever
While other pleasures simply never
Last.
Beauty wasn’t bothered much
With lasting treasures she could touch.
She asked her dad, “do you suppose,
That you could bring me back a rose.”
Dad revved the car and drove away
To get there for the end of day
But in his hurry lost his way
Missed a turn on the motorway.
Night descended, down came snow.
His progress now was very slow
A roadside ad said, “bring your mum,
And view our condominium”
He ventured in, for he was tired,
Parked the car that he had hired,
Found a room and went to sleep,
Hoping that it would be cheap.
Morning came and breakfast too,
They even had a splendid loo.
But nowhere could he find a bill
Hospitality overkill,
He thought,
Gazing over the window sill
The garden there was full of roses
He wondered “who would you suppose is
In charge here.
Its mighty queer,
A place to work and rest and play
And not to have a bill to pay.
In the gardens, he took a stroll
Feeling he was on a roll
He picked a very pretty rose
Whose scent had so impressed his nose.
“That seals the deal”, a voice boomed out
From something looking like a snout
On such a very ugly head
That daddy fainted, banged his head
On waking, beast-man made it plain
His life was forfeit, down the drain.
He’d stay in prison here forever
With beasty chewing at his liver
Unless he made another trade,
A bargain for his daughter made.
If she could come here in his stead
To keep his house and make his bed.
Now Dad was in a lot of trouble.
Life felt like a heap of rubble.
He wanted just to save his life,
To get away from beastly strife.
To live a free man one more day
He’d even give his girls away.
And so he hurried home to see
If one of them might just agree.
The condominium looked fine.
He hoped she would adjust in time,
To living there among the roses,
Avoiding men with ugly noses.
The older girls would not agree
They said “You can’t do that to me”
But Beauty loved her dear old dad
And maybe just a little mad,
She quickly set off in his place,
With shining eyes and gentle grace
To find the condominium,
Free food and drink to fill her tum.
The beast, she did not think of much,
If she could just evade his touch.
If she avoided wearing her glasses
She might not even see his passes.
She didn’t fear sex in the back of his carriage.
Sure,hadn’t he asked for her hand in marriage!
To this she simply would never agree.
The man was as ugly as ugly could be.
It certainly was a big beautiful place.
She’d have liked the beast too, if it weren’t for his face.
The longer she stayed
The more that
