The Barber and His Wife

There was a barber and his wife
And she was beautiful
A foolish barber and his wife
She was his reason and his life
And she was beautiful
And she was virtuous
And he was-
Naïve

There was another man who saw
That she was beautiful
A pious vulture of the law
Who with a gesture of his claw
Removed the barber from his plate
Then there was nothing but to wait
And she would fall
So soft
So young
So lost
And oh, so beautiful!

The lady, sir
Did she succumb?

Oh, that was many years ago
I doubt if anyone would know

Now leave me, Anthony, I beg of you
There's somewhere I must go, something I must find out
Now
And alone

So long, then, Mr. Todd

There's a hole in the world
Like a great black pit
And it's filled with people
Who are filled with shit
And the vermin of the world
Inhabit it

A customer!