I'll Soon be Sleeping

Over the fence
The sheep are leaping
Soon I’ll be sleeping
Yes I’ll be sleeping

I’m half asleep
My head it bows
I’m starting to drowse
Yes I'm starting to drowse

Soon I’ll be snoring
I'll be sawing lumber
I’m going to slumber
Yes I'm going to slumber

Lying so comfy
In my bed clothes
I’m in repose
And I'm starting to doze

My consciousness
I soon will lose
I’ll start to snooze
Yes I'm starting to snooze

So tired I can’t move
My head’s a drooper
I’m in a stupor
Yes I'm in a stupor, I'm so tired!

Over the fence
The sheep are leaping
Soon I’ll be sleeping
Yes I’ll be sleeping

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

Agros Means Field in Greek

Agros means “field” in Greek
Ager is the word you’d use if Latin’s what you speak

The science of growing food out in a field
Is called agriculture, it can increase your yield

Crop and soil science dates back to Deuteronomy
Today we call that science the field of agronomy

You’ll live out on a farm if a farmer you are marryin’
The life that you’ll be living is described as agrarian

To sell what grows in a field like corn and peas and such
You ought to study agribusiness, it’s why we have so much

Change the G to C in ager and you get acre
Nearly 5,000 square yards, mowing that’s a back breaker

Agros means “field” in Greek
Ager is the word you’d use if Latin’s what you speak

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

Somebody is Looking For Me

Somebody is looking for me
It’s somebody I would rather not see
He’s looking for me ‘coz I owe him money
I don’t have it, and it’s not funny

I’m being chased by a angry dude
That’s a fellow that I want to elude

He’s looking for me ‘coz he wants to get paid
I’m using every trick I know that meeting to evade

This fellow is pretty annoyed
That’s why this fellow I’m trying to avoid

If our meeting I cannot avert
I’m afraid that someone will get hurt (maybe me!)

I’m hiding in the attic over my garage
Because this fellow I am trying to dodge

I get my allowance in just one day
Then I can pay him back and I'll no longer say

Somebody is looking for me
It’s somebody I would rather not see
He’s looking for me ‘coz I owe him money
I don’t have it, and it’s not funny

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

If you like "Somebody is Looking For Me,” you might also like Cat Stevens.

I'm Tired

I’m tired!

Once I had energy
But I lost it
I’m exhausted

If I were near my bed
I’d just fall in
I’m all in

My head
Is sagging
I’m flagging

My shoulders slump
And my eyes are bleary
I’m weary

I’d like to kiss you
But my lips won’t pucker out
I’m too tuckered out

I’m too tired
To even eat a pierogi
I’m logy
(And I love pierogies!)

I’m tired!

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

Pig Out

I’m gonna pig out!
I’m gonna pig out!
It’s Thanksgiving and I can’t wait to pig out!

On this food I’m going to glut
Soon I’ll have a bulging gut
I’ll open my belt to make more room
So more food I can consume
This cranberry sauce is not too sour
A large bowl I will devour

I’m gonna pig out!
I’m gonna pig out!
I’m gonna pig out!

Too much food I just did eat
Now my belly is replete
I have had more than enough
And my stomach’s overstuffed
I wish I had shown restraint
I’m afraid I’m going to faint

I wish I hadn’t pigged out!

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

SUB Means Beneath or Below

Sub means beneath or below

Mare means the sea
That's what mare means
Ships that go beneath the water
Are called submarines

In the city of New York
All the night and all the day
Trains run beneath the ground
That's called the subway

A bully knocks you down
Man, that bully is rude
You lie still beneath his boot
You have been subdued

The water level rises
With the coming of high tide
After that it lowers
The water does subside

Just below the Arctic Circle
You'll find the subarctic region
If you go there, please dress warmly
Because it usually is freezing

Sub means beneath or below

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

Bird Words

A man whose wife nags him all day is henpecked
A man with a burden he can't shake has an albatross around his neck
And I think you should know
A person who admits a big mistake has got to eat crow
These are bird words!

Somebody with a big advantage is sitting in the catbird seat
A person who tattles on his friends is a stool pigeon, that person's indiscreet
And if you are a sitting duck
You're a defenseless target, if you're attacked you are out of luck
These are bird words!

Bird Words!

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

Hemi, Semi, and Demi

Hemi, semi, and demi
Three prefixes that all mean "half"
Do we really need three? If you ask me
It's a halfway interesting mystery

A hemisphere is half a sphere
Think of half the globe
A semicircle is half a circle
Like the bottom half of your earlobe

Semiformal means "kind of formal"
You can dress to half the nines
A demigod is a lesser god
One parent is human and one divine

Semiannual means every six months
Six months is half a year
A demitasse is a half a cup
When you only need half as much liquid cheer

Hemi, semi, and demi
Three prefixes that all mean "half"
Do we really need three? Don't ask me!
All I'm going to do is shrug and laugh

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

P E D Spells Foot

Put your foot on the pedal and go
PED spells "foot" in Latin don't you know

An animal with four feet is a quadruped
That's four feet that can carry it up on ahead
A quadruped

Someone who takes a walk is a pedestrian
He uses his feet to move along the best he can
A pedestrian

Someone who can't move forward is impeded
Like a man whose feet are shackled, he's defeated
Impeded

A statue's feet stand firmly on a pedestal
That's the truth, I don't care if your friend said it's bull
A pedestal

Put your foot on the pedal and go
PED spells "foot" in Latin don't you know

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

Lots of Laughs

There are many different types of laughter
If I sing them to you now you might remember them after

You bite into some food that is really bitter
Your friend sees your face and he starts to titter

You notice that your teacher is a big nose picker
You know you shouldn't laugh but you start to snicker

A laugh that sounds like a bird is called a cackle
If it's loud enough, it will raise your hackles

The funniest thing that you ever saw
Is likely to cause you to guffaw

When you laugh real loud, that's called a chortle
We need to learn to laugh because we're mortal

There are many different types of laughter
If I sing them to you now you might remember them after

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

In Other Words

My best friend is throwing a party
I can hardly wait for it to commence
I'm anticipating all the fun well have
Im thinking it will be immense

In other words it'll be great fun
I want the party to start and the waiting to be done

There's going to be some entertainment
Yeah, there's going to be refreshments there
We might get a little unruly
When the stereo starts to blare

In other words, well play our music loud
Well eat and drink and play games and be a wild crowd

Were going to have a party! Were going to have a party!

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

Theatre

We're going to the theatre
To the theatre we will go
Here are some words that you can use
To describe the show

If it's early in the afternoon
When you see a play
The show that you are seeing
Is called a matinee

When the play begins
The actors go to their positions
You learn the characters' backgrounds
That's called the exposition

The leading actor in the play
You simply can't resist
He is the hero of the play
He's the protagonist

The characters in the play
They talk to one another
This part is called the dialogue
It helps move the plot futher

You get to find out if the play
Ends the way you want
When do you get to find that out?
During the dénouement

We're going to the theatre
To the theatre we will go
And now you have some words to use
To describe the show

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

I Saw You

At the state fair I espied
You on a ride
You didn't try to hide

At the zoo I caught a glimpse
Of you by the chimps
You liked the one that limps

At the art museum I did discern
You with a look of concern
By a Grecian urn

But in the end I did not detect you
Anywhere I should not expect to
Now I know I was incorrect to
Follow you around
I bet that's why you frowned
When you saw me

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

Tomorrow is Election Day

Tomorrow our great nation
A president will choose
Then with great anticipation
It will watch the tv news

To see who's our next president
Obama or McCain
Whoever wins, some folks will love
While others will disdain

For months and months we have endured
A campaign that was vicious
The insults flew both fast and hard
Both sides were quite malicious

They lied about one another
What they said was pure slander
Then they'd turn around and promise voters everything
That's what you call a pander

But soon it will be over
And we'll see how it ends
The victor and the also-ran
Will shake hands and be friends

Yes, we will watch attentively
All of the news transmissions
And then on Wednesday we'll return
To ignoring politicians

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

Collective Nouns

A group of dogs is called a pack, a group of cows a herd
Lots of special groups have their own special word

A group of ducks is called a brace
A group of trees a stand
A group of donkeys is a pace
And a group of coyotes a band

A group of seals is called a bob
A group of leopards a leap
A group of kangaroos is a mob
And a drove is a group of sheep

And a lodge is a group of beavers
A group of snakes is a nest
A congregation is a group of believers
That's the kind that a preacher likes best

A group of dogs is called a pack, a group of cows a herd
Lots of special groups have their own special word

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

The Way You Walk

For me to know the way you're feeling we don't even have to talk
I can tell the way you're feeling from the way you walk

When you're feeling sad and sluggish, when you've got the blues
You plod and trudge like you're in a pair of concrete shoes

When you're feeling more relaxed, when your cares all start to fade
That's when you start to saunter and promenade

When you're feeling so proud I see you sucking in your gut,
Hold your head high, stick your chest out, then you start to strut

And when you're feeling aimless, that's when you start to traipse
You meander like a windblown leaf across the landscapes

For me to know how you are feeling we don't even have to talk
I can tell the way you're feeling from the way you walk

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

If you like "The Way You Walk," you might also like Fats Domino.

Auto Means Self

I saw my favorite rock star today
I asked him for an autograph
He said “Yes” but only signed his first name
He only gave me half of his autograph

He told me that he had written a book
Entitled “All About Me”
The story of his life, he wrote it himself
It was his autobiography

Because auto means “self” and that’s just the way it auto be

I asked him how he learned to play guitar
He said, "Now here's actual fact
I taught myself to play the guitar
I am an autodidact"

I took his picture with my camera
I quickly snapped two or three
The camera wound the film all by itself
It wound it automatically

Because auto means "self" and that’s just the way it auto be

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

Stop!

I want you to stop making noise 'cause you really are annoying me!

I am asking you to cease
Making that noise and disturbing the peace
I am hoping you have it in you
The racket you're making to discontinue
If you refuse to desist
I am going to get very angry

Stop making noise 'cause you're really annoying me

And the next time you're thinking about being a pain
I'm going to ask that you refrain
Just don't start, that's what to do
Noisy activity you should eschew
Think about the sanity of your poor parents
And practice the fine art of forbearance

If you don't make noise you won't be annoying me
Thank yooooouuuuuuuuuuuu!

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

Port

Ships carry their cargo to ports
Port means carry in words of all sorts

You can carry around documents in your portfolio
For clothes and larger items you might want a portmanteau
The first is not so heavy because it's thin and flat
The second is hard to carry because it's big and fat

If you want your bags carried at a hotel or railway station
Give them to the porter, that is his occupation
He transports your bags to your room or your seat
Don't forget to tip him, he works so he can eat

A thing that is easy to carry is described as portable
If it's not expensive it is also affordable
People who can carry on an easy conversation
Are said to have rapport and deserve our admiration

Ships carry their cargo to ports
Port means carry in words of all sorts

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

M-A-G-N Means Gigantic

M-A-G-N means gigantic
Think big, even bigger than Big Ben
Imagine something big and you'll remember
The meaning of M-A-G-N

Take a small picture make it big as the sky
That's a picture that you just did magnify

Measure an item if you're in the mood
When you know how big it is, you've measured its magnitude

A corporate giant has wealth vast and great
That's a person we describe as a magnate

Do something generous in a bighearted way
You'll do something magnanimous, that's more than A OK

M-A-G-N means gigantic
Think big, even bigger than Big Ben
Imagine something big and you'll remember
The meaning of M-A-G-N

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review