Syd Barrett

An Effervescing Elephant

with tiny eyes and great big trunk

once whispered to the tiny ear

the ear of one inferior

that by next June he"d die, oh yeah!

because the tiger would roam.

The little one said: "Oh my goodness I must stay at home!

and every time I hear a growl

I"ll know the tiger"s on the prowl

and I"ll be really safe, you know

the elephant he told me so."

Everyone was nervy, oh yeah!

and the message was spread

to zebra, mongoose, and the dirty hippopotamus

who wallowed in the mud and chewed

his spicy hippo-plankton food

and tended to ignore the word

preferring to survey a herd

of stupid water bison, oh yeah!

And all the jungle took fright,

and ran around for all the day and the night

but all in vain, because, you see,

the tiger came and said: "Who me?!

You know, I wouldn"t hurt not one of you.

I"d much prefer something to chew

and you"re all to scant." oh yeah!

He ate the Elephant