Nursery rhyme to the editor: There was a whole country who swallowed a lie 

Renew Economy this week was sent a variation of a letter to the editor. It is in the form of a nursery rhyme, with apologies to the authors of the original nonsensical story There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.

We thought it was rather good and quite appropriate. Thanks to C. Byrt for composing it, sending it in, and agreeing to have it published.

There was a whole country who swallowed a lie 
I don’t know why they swallowed a lie – perhaps they’ll die! 

There was a whole country that burned lots of coal, 
That polluted and polluted the world as whole; 
They burned the coal because they swallowed a lie; 
I don’t know why they swallowed a lie – Perhaps they’ll die! 

There was a whole sunny country that imported fossil fuel oil, 
How absurd to import fossil fuel oil; 
They imported fossil oil and they burned lots of coal; 
They burned and combusted because that’s what they were told; 
I don’t know why they swallowed the lie – Perhaps they’ll die! 

There was a whole country that ignited their gas, 
Fancy that to ignite toxic gas; 
That emits methane and carbon dioxide causing ecological collapse; 
They ignited their gas to distract from importing fossil oil; 
They imported fossil oil and they burned lots of coal; 
They burned, combusted and ignited them all because of the lie; 
I don’t know why they swallowed the lie – Perhaps they’ll die! 

There was a whole country tricked into nuclear power, 
What a greedy unsustainable abuse of power; 
Nuclear is dangerous and more expensive than wind and solar power; 
They were tricked into nuclear to keep moguls in ivory towers; 
They ignited their gas to distract from importing fossil fuel oil; 
They imported fossil fuel oil and they burned lots of coal; 
They burned, combusted and ignited them all because of the lie; 
I don’t know why they swallowed the lie – Perhaps they’ll die! 

There was a whole country who failed to take a clean energy renewable course… 
They’re dead, of course! 

Adapted by C. Byrt.