The Black Death
(To the tune of "The worms go in, the worms go out …")
Elli Lutemaker

Did you ever see the Black Death go by,
And think you might be the next to die?
They'll wrap you up in a winding sheet,
And throw your body out on the street.

The men with the carts will earn their hire -
They'll throw you onto the funeral pyre.
They'll light the pyre all with a torch;
The next you know, you're on God's front porch.

The souls go in, the souls go out.
The bad souls leave with a dreadful shout!
Plummeting down to the flames of Hell -
Even this high you can smell the smell.

The line winds on to the Judgment Seat.
You avert your eyes, and you drag your feet.
You stand before the Throne of God,
Who says, "Wake up there, you silly sod!"

You wake from the nightmare with quite a grin -
Then feel a bubo beneath your chin!
Did you ever feel the Black Death draw nigh,
And think you might be the next to die?