Middle Earth Bragging Song
by Marc Gunn, Bard 1/27/03

LOTR poem written when I noticed in the Lord of the Rings how every race the hobbits met seemed older than the last. So I wrote a bragging song for the races of Middle Earth.

We’re the Race of Men,
Conquer valleys and glens.
We build huge towers in the sky.
We’re strong and we’re bold,
Though it be hot or cold
We’ll fight everyone till we die.
Oh, we’ll never give up the mountain,
As long as hope remains.
And you will never see
A race as old as we….

We’re the race of Dwarves
In dark caverns we forge
And shape the ore that we mine.
We’re stout with beards,
But give us a beer,
And we’ll drink to the gold that we find.
Oh, we’ll never give up the mountain
As long as there’s money to be made.
And you will never see,
A race as old as we….

We’re the race of Elves
In forests we dwell
At one with earth and the sky.
We’re the race first born
And our only concern
Is how close to our gardens you lie.
Oh, we’ll never give up the mountain
At least until our time is done.
And you will never see,
A race as old as we…

We’re the race of Ents,
And we’re what was meant
When they said there are shepherd’s to trees.
We’ve been stuffy and slow
Since our women left home
And many of us have fallen asleep.
But we’ll never give up the mountain.
Our trees are there to defend.
And you will never see
A race as old as trees…

I am Tom Bombadill.
I can never stand still.
There’s too many Creatures to see.
I’ve many songs to sing
And a wife in the stream
So whistle a diddle-diddle to call me.
Oh, I’ll never give up the mountain.
Or say I’m the oldest alive.
For you’ll probably see
A hobbit climbing a tree…
And it won’t even matter diddle [whistle]
And it won’t even matter diddle [whistle]
And it won’t even matter diddle [whistle] … how high!