Mississippi Moon - Greg Brown

Me and my brother saw an awful thing

Comin' up outta the river

A hot night in June

We ran back to the porch

And Daddy wiped his brow and said

«Boys, that’s just the Mississippi Moon»

My brother said to me

«That wadn’t no moon.

Too red.

Too big.

Too Wild

Too much to be

Like a mean old badger’s eye

Fillin up the whole sky

The real moon is just a little silver thing.»

So we went back to the river bank the next night at dusk

With spears that were made from willow branches and knives

And when that thing come up

Ah we flung our spears and we run to our secret hiding place

Deep in the woods

Now we come home

The night was bright as day

An Ma was snappin beans out on the porch

Dad was drunk and singin some old religious tune

And we’s all lit up by the Mississippi Moon