Excerpts from 

                     The Whistling Pig, 

                          anonymous

                       As reported by 
                        Robert Frezza

                        in the novels
A Small Colonial War, Fire in a Faraway Place & Cain's Land 

CHORUS
'We're having a war, 
          and we want you to come!'
So the pig began to whistle 
          and to pound on a drum
'We'll give you a gun, 
          and we'll give you a hat!'
And the pig began to whistle 
          when they told the piggies that! 

GENERAL VERSES

The pig put on his webbing, 
          and they marched him up and down 
He did it with a whistle, 
          so they gave him sand to pound
He crossed the burning desert, 
          and he trekked the arctic night 
And they made him do it over 
          so he'd learn to do it right

The pig cleaned up his webbing, 
          and he shined his bayonet
Some people started shooting, 
          so he shot them with regret
He couldn't work an office, 
          and he couldn't be a clerk
For pigs who like to whistle, 
          like to whistle while they work 

The pig went on vacations, 
          to {planets [places]} near and far, 
For fighting wars on schedule, 
          {{is [makes for]}} very good PR.
The {admirals [generals/bosses]} love the piggies, 
          and the natives think them swell, 
[Or] At least they often say so 
          after putting them through hell. 

TOPICAL VERSES

The bombings and the shootings 
          kept the pig from getting sleep, 
But mines are very nice 
          for keeping wolves away from sheep. 
The {admiral [general]} got impatient 
          when the natives tried to play, 
But //Matti [the Piggy]// cleaned a pistol, 
          and the problem went away! 

Some people dressed in {silver [colors]} 
          with the money [that] they had, 
The strutted in their costumes 
          'til they made the piggies mad. 
They made themselves a nuisance 
          when they tried to legislate, 
But pigs who like to whistle 
          also like affairs of state.

The pig got bored with football, 
          and he wanted something new, 
//So he found himself a planet 
          where the folks were colored blue.// 
The pig put on his manners 
          and he wore a tie and suit,
And the people were so friendly 
          that they almost didn't shoot! 

ENDING VERSES



Pigs whistle when they lose, 
          and they whistle when they win, 
'Cause when the shooting's over 
          they scrub off and start again. 

Wars are sometimes over 
          and they debited his pay,
They took away his hat 
          and [then] they took his gun away,
They told him they were thankful 
          and they split him north to south 
As they fried him with a whistle 
          and an apple in his mouth! 

The pig had bought a {planet [homeland]} 
          and he earned it with his sweat, 
He filled it full of corpses 
          just to liquidate the debt.
He taught the {{natives [people]}} manners 
          and it didn't take him long
To teach them how to whistle 
          and to sing The Whistle Song! 

The pig came home from warring 
          and began to sing a song,
"My {planet [homeland]} isn't perfect 
          but it's closer right than wrong." 
He wore a sprig of laurel, 
          and he waved an olive twig,
And he whistled to the people 
          so he'd be a whistling pig!

Someday, there won't be fighting, 
          they'll put the guns away, 
Men will love each other, 
          and join their hands to pray.
Peace will come forever, 
          {{men [people]}} won't get shot and die- 
And on that day, the pigs 
          will spread their wings and learn to fly! 

Words in {curly braces with [brackets]} are words that would
change outside the setting of the novels. The [brackets] are
my suggestions. 

Just [brackets] indicate words _added_ to improve (IMHO) the
rhyme or scansion.

{{Double curlies with [brackets] indicate replacement for
improvement of meaning or rhyme pattern. 

//Double slash// indicate words topical to the novels
themselves. [Brackets] within the //// indicate my
suggestions for replacement. 

One verse is incomplete. Suggestions?

--
Eric Hallstrom
hallcon@mindspring.com
kawaii@kawaiikunee.com
http://www.kawaiikunee.com/slp/index.html