Today I’m pondering poetry (yes, poetry can deal with dragons!), but a quick note first: 'But where there's a monster, there's a miracle.'.Custard the Dragon is one of the All Time Greats.Nash part of Lews County, Washington Holiday Celeb.Ogden Part of Lancaster PA, Holiday Celebration.Ogden's Observations on Conscience and Happiness.Doctor Prescribes Nash for Happy Marraige.Arkansas Man Uninterested in All Poets Except Ogde.Celery, Senility, Family Wisdom, Church, Ants & Fleas.Ogden Nash Crafted a Cautionary Tale for Santa Dis.The Politically Correct Way to Say Merry Christmas.Bleak Future for this Poet in Training?.A Lesser Known Ogden Nash Christmas Poem.Ogden Nash Preferred over Jewelry for Christmas.Take Nash to Heart if you have Teenagers.So puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped into his cave. Without his life-long friend, puff could not be brave, Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane. His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain,

One grey night it happened, jackie paper came no moreĪnd puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar. Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys. oh!Ī dragon lives forever but not so little boys Pirate ships would lower their flag when puff roared out his name.

Noble kings and princes would bow wheneer they came, Jackie kept a lookout perched on puffs gigantic tail, Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail ohĪnd frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called honah lee. Little jackie paper loved that rascal puff,Īnd brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff.

The story of the song takes place 'by the sea' in the fantasy land of Honalei (also the name of a real beach in Hawaii).Īnd frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called honah lee, The lyrics tell a bittersweet story of the ageless dragon Puff and his playmate Jackie Paper, a little boy who grows up and loses interest in the imaginary adventures of childhood and leaves Puff alone and depressed. The group incorporated the song into their live performances before recording it in 1962. In 1961, Yarrow joined Paul Stookey and Mary Travers to form Peter, Paul and Mary. Lipton was inspired by an Ogden Nash poem titled 'Custard the Dragon,' about a 'Really-O, Truly-O, little pet dragon.' Lipton passed his poem on to friend and fellow Cornell student Peter Yarrow, who created music and more lyrics to make the poem into the song. The lyrics for 'Puff' were based on a 1959 poem by Leonard Lipton, a nineteen-year-old Cornell student. 'Puff, the Magic Dragon' is a song written by Leonard Lipton and Peter Yarrow and made popular by the group Peter, Paul and Mary in a 1963 recording. Here's a recent live video of Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary singing Puff the Magic Dragon - (Yes, we truly do scan the globe for these breaking Nash related links)

Ogden nash custard the dragon