July 25, 2020, note at the bottom the original variation
Ten little owls, sitting in a tree
Wondering which one would have to flee
One little owl, tired of the pine
Jumped away, and then there were nine.
*Blah blah blah, you know how it goes
Another owl leaves to go with the flow.
We pick up the story with seven left
Missing the others and feeling bereft…
Seven little owls, sitting in a tree
Wondering what happened to the other three.
Have they eaten some poisoned sauce?
Thinking it was their frozen moss?
Seven little owls sitting on a branch
Wondering if they have a chance
How could they get out of this jam
And take matters into their own hands?
If they were lucky, and protected their heads
They wouldn’t be like the monkeys with concussions in bed
And wouldn’t it be better to be like frogs in a pool
But it might soak their feathers, which for owls is not cool.
Seven little owls feeling paralyzed
At not being able to decide
They felt like they were in such a fix
Worried how they would soon become six
Seven little owls, sat on the tree top
And pelted by the wet rain drops
The bough did happen to break
And all seven ended up in the lake
And don’t worry, they were all, all right
But they did all have a great fright
So what is the moral of the tale?
Make a decision or be doomed to fail.
*We originally wrote two additional verses to sound more like traditional counting songs, but the song got too long. This way we could cut one verse.
Nine little owls, trying to stay calm
Lived by the lake, and not by the sea
One little owl, worried he was late
Went away, and then there were eight
Eight little owls, sitting in a tree
Who would stay? There was no guarantee
One little owl, the one named Kevin
Flew away, and then there were seven