Three Poster Bed

This song literally came pouring into my head one night and kept me up until I had written the whole thing.   Again, recorded on the fly in my living room.  I have my dad to thank for the inspiration.  He helped me build my three poster bed.  Happy Birthday, Dad!

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--> THREE POSTER BED <--
© Erik Orton, 2010.  All rights reserved.

Don't miss the thought provoking question-of-the-day at the end of the lyrics.

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Here are the lyrics:

One day a dream popped into my head

How life would be with a three poster bred

So I hummed and hawed.  Ooed and awed.

And out popped a plan that was a bit odd.

 

“Well this don’t make sense,” I said to myself.

Confused as heck by what popped out of my head.

A man’s got two, and a stool three legs,

But who ever heard of a three poster bed?

So I sketched and scratched, itched and asked

if anyone’d heard of a three poster bed

But no one had.  I felt a bit the fool.

So I decided I’d better go back to school.

So I marched on down to the college town,

And they looked at me with a bit of a frown.

I told them I needed to get more school.

So they kindly put me in their admissions pool.

And what would you like to study young?

“I’d like to build three poster beds if I can?”

That’s when they said, “Kid,

“it’s time to get out of the pool.”

So I decided what I needed was not more school.

But perhaps what I needed was to be more cool.

So I walked on down to the cool kid strip,

And tried to act like I was hip.

And a kid came up and said, “What’s your game?”

I said, “I’m just here to try and be the same.

As cool as you guys are clearly cool.

Cause what I want to learn I can’t learn in school.”

“Well, what you wanna learn?” they asked me flat.

And this time I was kind of afraid of that.

“I’m trying to make me a three poster bed.”

“Well your head must be full of pencil lead.”

That’s what the cool kid said.

So I decided they couldn’t help me on my quest.

I’d have to go it alone and just do my best.

So I headed back home, but on my way

I stopped in the park

Cause it was a nice day.

Up came a man, who was collecting cans

He said, “You look like a man with a plan.”
I said, “Why yes.”  He said, “What’s your goal.”

I started, but this time I wasn’t sure no more.

He said, “Come on son, let me hear you out.”

So I started to tell him what I was thinking about.

And I talked and he sat, and we chewed the fat

And when I was done he said, “Well, how about that!”

So any ideas you have, old man,

If you could share, I sure would be glad.

He just shook his head and said, “I don’t know.

“But I still think you should give it a go.”

So I stood up straight with my head held up,

And I got into my pick-up truck.

And I drove and I thought, and I thought and I drove

And a coin dropped into the treasure drove...

That sits right between my two ears

And I thought thoughts that ain’t been thought

In a thousand years.

Now I knew how to make a three poster bed

The thought just popped out, or rather, into my head

So I said what I thought and I did what I said

And that’s how I got my three poster bed.

And the college folks and the kids from town

Came by to see and just stood around

“So that’s how you build a three poster bed?”

I said, “Yep, that’s how you build a three poster bed.”

“Will you hang with us?” the cool kids said.

I said, “Nah, I’d rather think instead.”

And they walked away

Kind of de-ject-ed.

And the college man offered me a degree.

I said, “What’s the charge.”  He said, “It’s for free.”

I said, “I think not. I’d rather read and think,

Laying on my back

Hori-zontal-ly.

He said, “Please.”

I said, “Nah.”

“Are you sure?”

I said, “Yeah.”

And I laid down and took my nap.

But up walked the man that I’d met in the park

And he said, “most people sleep better in the dark.”

I said, “True, but since it’s a nice day,

I’d rather sleep right here in the shade.”

He said, “Son, I think you’re smart as a whip.”

I said, “Why’s that?” expecting a quip.

“Cause you had a dream and you made a plan

“And what they thought, you didn’t give a—

“Well you get the idea of what I think.”

I said, “You’re the person I should thank.”

“Why’s that?” he said, a bit surprised.

I could tell by the new look in his eyes.

“You made me think that it could be done.”

He said, “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me, son.”

And then started to shuffle on.

I said, “Wait!” and he slowly turned around.

“I don’t want you to sleep on the ground.”

Take this bed.  It’s yours to keep.

He said, “What about you?  These things ain’t cheap.”

“I’ll make some more, and sell them off.

I’ve got the rights, so who cares the cost.”

So I made some more, and they sold in a snap

So I finally laid down and took my nap

And while I slept I dreamed a dream,

The strangest dream I’d ever seen.

And right there in my three poster bed I thought,

“I think now I’ll do that dream instead.”

[end of song : ]

Thought Provoking Question of the Day:

Have you got a three poster bed in mind?  How's it going?

Photo: © Erica Shires, Corbis