On the foolishness of hope and dreaming.

There was an old man by a stream,
Come fa la la la lady,
Who fell asleep and had a dream,
All on the bank so shady.
He dreamt the stream was made of wine,
It flowed along so merry,
And when he drank it tasted fine,
Like plum and elderberry,
And all the banks were made of cake,
Come ringle ding my dearie,
As nice as any cook can bake,
That old man felt quite cheery.
He drank and ate with right good will,
Til wakened by his daughter.
She said, “I hope you've had your fill,
Of mud and cold streamwater!”
Come fa la la la la la lay,
Come wise man or come witty,
A fool who dreams to dine that way,
Must waken to self-pity.

OOC Notes:
Original lyrics by Brian Jacques, filked by Hannah Earnshaw