The Ballad of Jack O Lantern

The Ballad Of Jack O’ Lantern

By Jennifer Locke

A frightening tale I have to tell,
It happened years ago,
In Ireland on Hallowe’en,
This tale you all should know.

There was a family proud but poor,
Known to lie and cheat,
They stole everything they had,
No honest one you’ll meet.

No man dare complain of the deeds,
Of the O’Lantern clan,
They all just looked the other way,
Town the O’Lanterns ran.

The meanest of the O’Lanterns,
Was a young man named Jack,
No honest deed he’d ever done,
And strength he didn’t lack.

One day when Jack stormed through the town,
A young girl caught his eye,
He vowed he would return for her,
For once he didn’t lie.

Jack went to confront her master,
The old man terrified,
You can’t refuse an O’Lantern,
“Leave her with me,” He cried.

Jack rode away with his new bride,
The old man watched them go,
Then gathered all his courage, but,
His fate he could not know.

With sword in hand the took his horse,
And gave chase o’er the fields,
And when he finally tracked them down,
A sword Jack didn’t weild.

With just one swipe, Jack lost his head,
It fell down to the ground,
Where it laid amongst the pumpkins,
He died without a sound.

So to serve as a reminder,
Each eve of Hallowe’en,
To warn of those who try to take,
The pretty girls they’ve seen.

He carves Jack’s fearsome face,
Into a pumpkin big and bright,
And displays it by his front gate,
Lit up against the night.

Now all can see to stay away,
Or, like Jack, lose their life,
For the man was not her father,
She was his pretty wife.