Poems by Shel Silverstein

All Poems Original Poems Translations

1 2 3 4 5 › »

Better Not Ask Me

(Hey the truth might hurt so I'm tellin' you now that you better not ask me)

Hey you better not ask me where I been all night

Why my eyes are shinin' and my spirit is flyin'

You better not ask if I been doin' right or I just might tell you

And you better not ask me bout the girls I used to know

And days I used to run around before I ever met you

You better not ask how they compare to you or I just might tell you

And you better not ask me if I'm satisfied

by Shel Silverstein

Something Missing

I remember I put on my socks,

I remember I put on my shoes.

I remember I put on my tie

That was painted

In beautiful purples and blues.

I remember I put on my coat,

To look perfectly grand at the dance,

Yet I fell there is something

by Shel Silverstein

Tell Me

Tell me I'm clever,

Tell me I'm kind,

Tell me I'm talented,

Tell me I'm cute,

Tell me I'm sensitive,

Graceful and wise,

Tell me I'm perfect-

But tell me the truth.

by Shel Silverstein

Loser

Mama said I'd lose my head

If it wasn't fastened on.

Today I guess it wasn't

'Cause while playing with my cousin

It fell off and rolled away

And now its gone.

And I can't look for it

'Cause my eyes are in it,

by Shel Silverstein

AntEater

"A genuine anteater,"

The pet man told my dad.

Turned out, it was an aunt eater,

And now my uncle's mad!

by Shel Silverstein

Channels

Channel 1's no fun.

Channel 2's just news.

Channel 3's hard to see.

Channel 4 is just a bore.

Channel 5 is all jive.

Channel 6 needs to be fixed.

Channel 7 and Channel 8-

Just old movies, not so great.

by Shel Silverstein

Double-Tail Dog

Would you like to buy a dog with a tail at either end?

He is quite the strangest dog there is in town.

Though he's not too good at knowing

just exactly where he's going,

He is very very good at sitting down.

He doesn't have a place to put a collar,

And I'll admit it's rather hard to lead him,

And he cannot hear you call

by Shel Silverstein

Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda

All the Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas

Layin' in the sun,

Talkin' 'bout the things

They woulda coulda shoulda done...

But those Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas

All ran away and hid

From one little Did.

by Shel Silverstein

Danny O'Dare

Danny O'Dare, the dancin' bear,

Ran away from the County Fair,

Ran right up to my back stair

And thought he'd do some dancin' there.

He started jumpin' and skippin' and kickin',

He did a dance called the Funky Chicken,

He did the Polka, he did the Twist,

He bent himself into a pretzel like this.

by Shel Silverstein

Forgotten Language

Once I spoke the language of the flowers,

Once I understood each word the caterpillar said,

Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings,

And shared a conversation with the housefly

in my bed.

Once I heard and answered all the questions

of the crickets,

And joined the crying of each falling dying

by Shel Silverstein

If I Had A Brontosaurus

If I had a brontosaurus

I would name him Morris or Horace;

But if suddenly one day he had a lot of little brontosauri

I would change his name to Laurie.

by Shel Silverstein

I Can’t Touch The Sun

No I can't touch the clouds for you I've never reached the sun for you

I've never done the things that you need done for you

I've stretched as high as I can reach I guess I'm not the one for you

Cause I can't touch the clouds or reach the sun for you

No I can't reach the clouds or touch the sun

No I can't turn back time for you and make you sweet sixteen again

I can't turn your barren fields to green again

And I can't sit around and talk of how might have been again

by Shel Silverstein