Paul
Shel Silverstein

PAUL

[NOTE: There are at least THREE versions of PAUL:

1. From Silverstein's Dirty Feet -- Collection of Songs by Shel Silverstein, copyright 1968, Evil Eye Music.

2. From Bobby Bare's 1973 album, Lullabys, Legends and Lies... titled Paul.

3. The children's version from Where the Sidewalk Ends, 1974.]

PAUL BUNYON #1

Well, he rode through the woods on a big blue ox,
He had fists as hard as cement blocks...
Four hundred pounds and nine feet tall,
They call him Paul.

Talk about workin'... when he swung his axe,
You could hear it ring for a mile and a half
Then he'd yell Timber and down she'd fall...
For Paul.

You talk about drinkin'... that man's so mean
That he wouldn't drink nothin' but kerosene
And a 5-gallon can is a little bit small...
For Paul.

You talk about tough... well he once had a fight
With a thunderstorm one cold dark night.
I ain't sayin' who won but it don't storm at all... 'round here... anymore...
Thanks to Paul.

Well, you talk about women... that man's so lusty
Needs a woman every hour just to keep from gettin' rusty.
And the young ones run and the old ones crawl...
To Paul.

He was 90 years when he sighted a sigh.
He said, I think I'm gonna lay right down and die.
'Cause love and sorrow, I've seen it all,
Says Paul.

'Cause there ain't no woman around can thrill me
And there ain't no man alive can kill me.
Pain and mis'ry I've had it all,
Says Paul.
And he died and we cried.

It took 25 men just to break the ground.
Took 18 more to lower him down.
And we covered him up, and we figured that was all...
For Paul.

But two weeks later the earth started shakin'
And the trees started swayin' and the rocks sarted quakin'
And out of the ground with a Hiya all...
Come Paul.

Well, he shook the dirt from off his clothes,
And he scratched his ass and he wiped his nose.
Y'know, bein' dead wasn't no fun at all...
Says Paul.

He says, Up in heaven they got harps on their knees.
They got clouds and wings but they got no trees.
No, I don't think that's much of a heaven at all...
Says Paul.

So he jumps on his ox with a Fare thee well.
He says, I'll find out if they got trees in hell.
And he rode away and that was all...
We ever seen of Paul.

But next time you hear a Timber yell
That sounds like it's comin' from the pits of hell,
I mean a weird and wailin' ghostly call
That ain't no timber wolf at all...
That's Paul.

-- Words and music by Shel Silverstein, copyright 1968 Evil Eye Music, NY

PAUL #2

(Spoken Intro: You know, American folk lore is filled with legendary characters like Billy the Kid, Johnny Appleseed, Pecos Bill and probably the greatest one of all has got to be Paul Bunyan 'cause he was the meanest and the biggest and the dirtiest and the tobacco-chewingest and the funkiest and the best wood chopper of all of 'em.)

Well, he rode through the woods on a big blue ox.
He had fists as hard as chopping blocks.
Five hundred pounds and nine feet tall.
That's Paul.

Talk about working, when he swang his ax.
You could hear it ring for a mile and a half.
Then he'd yell, Timber! and down she'd fall
For Paul.

Talk about drinking, that man's so mean
That he'd never drink nothing but kerosene.
A five gallon can is a little bit small
For Paul.

Talk about women, that man's so lusty,
He needs a woman every hour
Just to keep from gettin' rusty.
Young ones run, and the old ones crawl
To Paul.

Talk about tough, well he once had a fight
With a thunderstorm on a cold dark night.
I ain't saying who won, but it don't storm at all 'round here
Thanks to Paul.

He was ninety years old when he said with a sigh
He said, I think I'm gonna lay right down and die.
The sunshine and sorrow, I seen it all.
Says Paul.

Says, There ain't no man alive can kill me,
Ain't no woman left can thrill me
And I think that heaven just might be a ball,
Says Paul.

So he died and we cried.
It took eighteen men just to bust the ground.
Took three or four more just to lower him down,
And we covered him up and we figured that was all
For Paul.

But late one night the trees started shaking
And the dogs started barking and the earth started quaking,
And out of the ground with a Hi, y'all!
Came Paul.

Well, he shook the dirt from off of his clothes.
He scratched his ass and wiped his nose.
You know, being dead wasn't no fun at all,
Says Paul.

He said, Now, up in heaven they got harps on their knees,
They got clouds and wings but they got no trees,
I don't think that's much of a heaven at all,
Says Paul.

So he jumps on his ox with a Fare thee well!
He said, I'll find out if they got trees in hell.
He rode away and that was all.
We ever seen of Paul.

But the next time you hear a timber yell
That sounds like it's coming from the pits of hell,
Then a booming laugh and a ghostly wail
Like somebody chopping on the devil's tail,
Then a shout and a call, a crash and a fall,
That ain't no mortal man at all.
That's just Paul.

-- Shel Silverstein from Bobby Bare's 1973 album, Lullabys, Legends and Lies

PAUL BUNYON #3

He rode through the woods on a big blue ox,
He had fists as hard as choppin' blocks.
Five hundred pounds and nine feet tall,
That's Paul.

Talk about workin', when he swung his axe,
You could hear it ring for a mile and a half
Then he'd yell Timber! and down she'd fall...
For Paul.

You talk about drinkin', that man's so mean
That he wouldn't drink nothin' but kerosene
And a 5-gallon can is a little bit small...
For Paul.

You talk about tough, well he once had a fight
With a thunderstorm one cold dark night.
I ain't sayin' who won,
But it don't storm at all... 'round here...
Thanks to Paul.

He was ninety years when he said with a sigh.
I think I'm gonna lay right down and die.
'Cause sunshine and sorrow, I've seen it all,
Says Paul.

He says, There ain't no man alive can kill me,
Ain't no woman 'round can thrill me,
And I think heaven just might be a ball
Says Paul.

So he died... and we cried.

It took eighteen men just to bust the ground.
Took twenty-four more to lower him down.
And we covered him up, and we figured that was all...
For Paul.

But one night the trees started shakin',
The dogs started howlin' and the earth started quakin',
And out of the ground with a Hi, y'all...
Come Paul.

He shook the dirt from off his clothes,
He scratched his butt and he wiped his nose.
Y'know, bein' dead wasn't no fun at all...
Says Paul.

He says, Up in heaven they got harps on their knees.
They got clouds and wings but they got no trees.
I don't think that's much of a heaven at all...
Says Paul.

So he jumps on his ox with a fare-thee-well,
He says, I'll find out if they's trees in hell.
And he rode away and that was all...we ever seen
Of Paul.

But the next time you hear a Timber! yell
That sounds like it's comin' from the pits of hell,
Then a weird and devilish ghostly wail
Like somebody choppin' on the devil's tail,
Then a shout, a call, a crash, a fall...
That ain't no mortal man at all...
That's Paul.


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Lyrics by Shel Silverstein

  (Pour Me Another) Tequila Sheila   $100,000 in Pennies   25 Minutes To Go   A Couple More Years   A Front Row Seat To Hear Ole Johnny Sing   A Front Row Seat to Hear Ole Johnny Sing [*]   Acapulco Goldie   Alimoney (Also recorded as "Alimony")   All About You   All The Time In The World   Aphrodisiac   Back Home In Huntsville Again   Beans Taste Fine   Better Not Ask Me   Beware Of Lovers   Bigtime   Blue Eyes   Boa Constrictor   Bottomless Well   Boy Named Sue   Bread Upon The Waters   Bury Me In My Shades   Carry Me, Carrie   Centaur   Changing of the Seasons   Civil War Song   Cloudy Sky   Cornflakes With Sugar And Teardrops   Cover Of The Rolling Stone   Daddy, What If?   Dance To It   Date In Dallas   Daylight Dreamer   Diet Song   Dirty Feet   Drain My Brain   Drop The Bomb   Drunk And Crazy   Everybody Got Some But Me (Rauncy Playboy Version)   Everybody Got Some But Me (Tame Recorded Version)   Father Of A Boy Named Sue   February Snow   First Battalion   Floobie Doobie Doo   Food Blues   Get Away   Get My Rocks Off   Go Back, Learn To Use That Thing   Goodnight Little House Plant   Goodnight, Little Houseplant   Gotta Get Rid Of This Band   Greasy Grit Gravy   Grizzly Bear   Hamlet As Told On The Street   Handy Man   Have Another Espresso   Help Me, Mama   Hey Nelly Nelly!   Hey, Lady Godiva   Hoodoo Voodoo Lady   I Call That True Love   I Gave Her Comfort   I Got Stoned and I Missed It   I Hear America Singing   I Never Got To Know Her   I Once Knew A Woman   In The Hills of Shiloh   Inside A Lion   It Does Not Pay To Be Hip   Jaded   Jennifer Johnson and Me   Judy   June 25th At The 4th Of July   Jungle To The Zoo   Just Came Down For The Weekend   Kick It Again   Killed By A Coconut   Kiss It Away   Liberated Lady 1999   Little Green Buttons   Living Legend   Liz   Lullabys, Legends And Lies   Marie Laveaux   Masochistic Baby   Me And Jimmie Rodgers   Mermaid   Michaelangelo   Midnight Sunshine   Modern Talk   Monterey Jack   More Like The Movies   Mountain Mary   My Next Impersonation   Never Be This Young Again   Never Bite A Married Woman On The Thigh   Numbers   Oh, You Engineer   On The Way To The Bottom   Paranoid   Pathetic Way Of Getting Over Me   Peanut Butter Sandwich   Peanut-Butter Sandwich   Penicillin Penny   Perfect High (Or The Quest For Gimmesome Roy)   Plastic   Polly In A Porny   Put A Little Bit On Me   Put Another Log On The Fire   Quaaludes Again   Queen Of The Silver Dollar   Raquel Welch   Red-Neck Hippie Romance   Rest Awhile   Rings Of Grass   Rock & Roll Hotel   Roland The Roadie And Gertrude The Groupie   Row, Row, Row   Sahra Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garb...   Sausalito Witch   Scum Of The Earth   Show It At The Beach   Sing Me A Rainbow   Sing Us Some Of The Old Songs   Six Days Back At Home   So Good To So Bad   Somebody Stole My Rig   Someone Ate The Baby (Dreadful)   Stacy Brown Got Two   Standing On The Outside Of Your Shelter   Still Gonna Die   Sweetest Of All   Testing The Bomb   That Plane   The Avocado Tree   The Ballad of Lucy Jordan   The Clam   The Danger Of A Stranger   The Devil And Billy Markham   The Diet   The Diet Song   The Father Of The Boy Named Sue   The Giving Tree   The Golden Kiss   The Great Conch Train Robbery   The Great Lakes Song   The Lady With The Torch   The Man Who Got No Sign   The Man Who Turns The Damn Thing Off And On   The Mermaid   The Mermaid Of Ontario   The Monkey And The Elephant   The Peace Proposal   The Perfect Wave   The Radio   The Slitheree-Dee   The Smoke Off   The Ugliest Man in Town   The Unemployment Line   The Winner   The Wonderful Soup Stone   They Held Me Down   Thirteen Tons of Ice Cream   This Guitar Is For Sale   Three-Legged Man   Thumbsucker   Time   Truck Driver, Truck Driver   True Story   True Story [#][*]   Turn On The World   Ugliest Man In Town   Uncle Don   Up On The Mountain   Vanilla   Vegas   Vegematic   Warm And Free   What Have You Dont For Me Lately?   When She Cries   Whiplash Will   Whistlers And Jugglers   With His Mouth Full Of Food   Yellow-Haired Woman   Yes, Mr. Rodgers   Yowzah!

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