The Wise Old Man

1. The Wise Old Man A Story of Ifs

2. Once upon a time, there was a pretty little road,That wound by a stream to the town of Code. And travelers came from far and wide To walk down the road under the bright blue sky.

3. Along this road lived a wise old man,Who would stand by the road with a scale in his hand.The wise old man came out every day, To stand by the road with the scales and say, Come to me if you’re tired and distressed, And I’ll show you the key to happiness! It’s not anything that you might think. It has nothing to do with dogs dressed in pink. Or scantily clad women or cars that are phat Or southern fried chicken or anything like that.

4. And travelers walking would have to stop by, And give the old man’s question a try. And from their responses the wise man could Tell if their hearts were true and good.

5. The perfect thing, people would try to say, But if they weren’t true, the man would send them away. Sometimes the man knew they weren’t pure of heart, But instead of just leaving, before they would part,

6. The old man would give them a task to do That would start them toward a life anew. They’d have to give to charity, to confess their greed, Or mow the man’s lawn and pull out his weeds. These things they must accomplish before they were told They could continue down the road to Code.

7. Day after day the wise man would call, Hoping for a true heart to which to tell all. But as the days went, the old man got depressed As more and more people could not pass the test. And though his garden was looking quite good, He hated that people weren’t doing as they should.

8. One day there came a good young knave, Who was known in the land to be strong and brave. He told the old man, I’ve traveled oceans deep And deserts wide to know the secrets you keep!

9. I’ve got a question for you. The answer will tell me if your heart is true. The old man replied, Then he asked a question that no one knows,Except the brave knave and the wise old soul. But whatever the question, the knave answered okay, For the garden did not get weeded that day.

10. And the old man said, “Yes your heart is true! To find lifelong happiness, here’s what you do.” And he gave the young knave some instructions that day, Then gave him a drink and sent him on his way.

11. So when you walk past and you see the old man, Go to him as fast as you can. Answer his question as true as can be, Find the answer to happiness, and then come tell me!