#6 – The Ballad of Pearl, Florrie and the Bull

Lyrics by Phill Simmonds

————————      PANEL ONE

Paekakariki    is where it begins.
Florrie and Pearl were Identical twins
They went walking then they turned to go back
That’s when they saw there was a bull on the track!

————————      PANEL TWO

Pearl said to Florrie, “Try to stay calm!”
Florrie said, “Sister, I’m sure he means us no harm.”
Well they were fearless and that’s why they chose

To go and give that bull a friendly pat on the nose
They said    Aaah…         You’re a lovely boy!
Oooo…      what a beautiful boy!

————————      PANEL THREE

He stamped and he snorted, that ‘beautiful boy’.   
Was big and strong but he was easy to annoy!
He was grumpy! His mood was bad
His eyes went red when he got mad.  

————————      PANEL FOUR

They were little old ladies but he didn’t care
And he tossed Florrie high up into the air!
Whirling… turning…  all in a spin
Florrie went flying right over her twin.
And Oooo she looked so graceful   
but when she landed she got a faceful
And  a broken ankle…

————————      PANEL FIVE

“This looks bad but try not to worry!
Take the bull by the horns,” Pearl called out to Florrie.
“We’ll be fine if we hold on tight.
I’ll take the left, and you take the right!”
Take the bull               by the horns…
Take the bull               by the horns!

————————       PANEL SIX

He pushed and he pulled. The grannies were tiring
But that angry young bull, he wasn’t  even perspiring!
“He’s too big and we are in trouble!
I need to go and find us some help on the double!”

————————       PANEL SEVEN

Pearl said to Florrie  “Try to be strong!
I must leave you but I’ll be back before long!”
Pearl ran fast, she couldn’t run faster.
She had to get help to prevent a disaster!
But it was a long, long run
With just one shoe and a broken arm!

————————       PANEL EIGHT

Pearl ran up to the first house she saw
And when she knocked a young boy opened the door
He grabbed a broom and they ran up the hill
To go and save Florrie from that angry old bull.

————————      PANEL NINE

He said, “Let the twins go or I’ll  teach you a lesson!
You could end up in the delicatessen!
I don’t think that you understand fully
That you might be a bull but you don’t have to be a bully!”

————————      PANEL TEN

Well, the twins recovered     They both got new glasses
And the bull went along to anger management classes
He’d been mean to Pearl and to Florrie
But he wanted to change and so went back and said “Sorry!”

————————      PANEL ELEVEN

They’d broken some bones and Pearl lost her dentures
But that didn’t stop them from having more adventures.
Take a lesson from the bullfighting twins.
When you reach out for help sometimes everyone wins!
Take the bull               by the horns
Take the bull               by the horns…