From my Spring 88
tape, this is one of my signature tunes. It was inspired by a real praying
mantis. Two, in fact. I was working at my parking lot job in downtown Boston,
when a praying mantis landed near me. I hadn’t seen one in ages, so I called up
Jeremiah at BCD to tell him about it (I guess things were slow at work.) I
began the phone converstion with, “When’s the last time you saw a praying
mantis?”
He freaked out a
little, “Why are you asking me that?!”
“Because I just
saw one.”
“Well I just
stepped outside for a moment, and one landed on me!”
It had to be a
sign. I had to write a song about a praying mantis.
Praying Mantis
© 1987 Brian
Hutzell
She belongs on
stage, anywhere but on the street
She’s from
another age, her mannerisms obsolete
She’s an
individual; no one tells her where to go
I often think she’s
fictional--from a place I do not know
Still I imagine
she is not alone too often
She’s too beautiful to be
She makes things
happen as if life was all a pageant
It’s a rare ability
When she changes
costume, suddenly she’s so polite
That’s when she
knows she’s got you
Better say your prayers tonight
Praying Mantis,
dangerous enchantress
Stay away when
she’s got that look in her eye
She’s a huntress
acting like a duchess
Go away; when she
calls it’s time to fly
She’s making her
selection; anything she wants she gets
Cause she has got
protection; no one’s escaped her yet
She’ll be ready
when you make an attempt to resist
She’s looking at
the menu--adding your name to the list
When you receive
her invitation for the evening,
Her decorum pacifies
But when you feel
her,
That’s when you
start believing you might not get out alive
This is her
stage--her performing sphere
She doesn’t show
her age, only wisdom of the years
Praying Mantis,
dangerous enchantress
Stay away when
she’s got that look in her eye
She’s a huntress
acting like a duchess
Go away; when she
calls it’s time to fly
She’ll take your
head off, suck the juices from inside
Throw away your
empty shell
Then comes the
send-off and you’re strangely satisfied
Leaving, she
wishes you well
Oh, Praying
Mantis, dangerous enchantress
Stay away when
she’s got that look in her eye
She’s a huntress
acting like a duchess
Go away; when she
calls it’s time to fly
“Bug”
Brian Hutzell
from Brand
New Bouncing Suit
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