The Lonely Boy Who Cried Wolf

Author’s Note: This was written to aid my girlfriend with an art project she had to do for uni a few months ago (Because she takes art, obviously. They haven’t made history more abstract or anything). It’s a wee pleasant children’s rhyme that is a damn sight more cheerful than things I usually come up with. Some of the rhymes and rhythms are possibly a bit tenuous but it was written after a bottle of wine, so it ain’t too bad considering. It’s also the first thing I’ve ever written with a very specific remit which was an interesting challenge. Oh, and if you’d like to see my girlfriend’s blog for whatever reason, here’s the link:  http://www.tanyahendrieillustration.blogspot.com/

Anyhow, that’s that.  Enjoy. Or don’t. Whatever you fancy.

The Lonely Boy Who Cried Wolf

Little boy once stood on a hilltop,
The vast ocean of sky permeated by clouds,
A shepherd with a shift that might never stop,
And the bleating of sheep such an irritating sound.

Oh little boy he was lonely,
He wanted human company,
So bored stiff of his shift,
He called the villagers “QUICK!,
THERE’S A WOLF LOOSE!,
BETTER HURRY!”

The villagers ran uphill towards him,
He was filled with mirthful glee!,
And when the villagers reached him,
He said with a great grin,
“It’s only the sheep and me!,
But since you’re here,
Don’t disappear!,
Don’t go downhill on that hike!
You can stay for a while!
Please stay… if you like.”

But the villagers were angry,
The said don’t lie like that again,
They didn’t stay,
They didn’t like,
They all went downhill on that hike,
And poor little boy was left with no friends.

So little boy still stood on the hilltop,
Grey clouds now circling his head,
A shepherd who was always watching the clock,
And lonely feelings filling him with dread.
Oh little boy he was desperate,
He just wanted to speak to someone,
So still bored stiff of his shift,
He called the villagers “QUICK!
THERE’S A WOLF LOOSE!
BETTER RUN!”

The villagers ran uphill towards him,
He hugged his sheep he was so pleased,
And when the villagers reached him,
He said with a great grin,
“It’s only the sheep and me!
But since you’re here,
Don’t disappear!,
Don’t go downhill on that hike!,
You can stay for a while!,
Please stay… if you like.”

This time the villagers were livid!,
They shouted, “You’re wasting our time!,
We didn’t all come up here,
To listen to silly lying!”
They didn’t stay,
They didn’t like,
They all went downhill on that hike,
And once again poor little boy was left with no friends.

Clouds grew black,
And rain poured down,
And this little shepherd couldn’t contain his frown,
Sheep they were bleating,
Oh he couldn’t take it!,
Till the end of his shift,
He didn’t think he would make it!

Then a shadowy figure approached him,
Cutting its way through the rain-soaked grass,
A being he couldn’t quite make out,
“A W-W-W-WOLF!, he shouted at last.

No villagers came uphill towards him,
He was overridden with fear,
He apologised for all his lies,
As the mystery figure drew near.

His sheep and him stuck to the spot,
“A WOLF! A WOLF!”,
He took one last shot.

The figure came close enough to see clearly,
A beautiful woman swathed in black,
A beautiful woman who he loved dearly,
She said, “I heard you were up here all alone,
So I thought I’d keep you company”,
And the little boy replied in a far lighter tone,
“Well I think that’d be lovely.”

So they sat and they laughed,
The clouds stopped being black,
Little boy wished his shift would never end,
Because a sheep in wolf’s clothing turned out to be a friend.

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And here’s a humorous sketch about ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ from Stewart Lee and Richard Herring’s 90s show ‘Fist of Fun’, found whilst youtube-ing ‘The boy cried wolf’, as you do. Go On. Have a gander. Fill your boots: