Support First Things by turning your adblocker off or by making a  donation. Thanks!

Your Dad is bad, your Mum is mad,
Your brothers all run wild,
And you were born with feet of horn,
For you are Satan’s child.

The fairies stole your soul at birth
And stashed it God-knows-where.
You are the wretched of the earth,
Past pity and past care.

The fairies stole away your soul
And smashed it on the stones.
Your feral smell is straight from hell
And death is in your bones.

We break your bones and tear your flesh
Because... because we do.
We starve you for your wickedness.
There is no health in you.

And so you scavenge for your food
And hide yourself from sight.
You are inimical to good,
The outcast of the night.

We wall you up and when you die
Unburied in the dust you lie,
With only Jesus Christ to mark
Your short remission from the dark.