DDPro's Website > Tom Paxton Chords > When the Big Bad Books Go "Boo!"

 

When the Big Bad Books Go 'Boo!'

 

See also: Who's Been Checking Out Dirty Books?

G7   C


  C                                                   G7
I have a book, a dangerous book, that no one ought to read.
     G7                                                C
It's full of sex and murder and death, omnipotence and greed.
     C                                              G7
Some people want to ban my book and rip it from the shelves,
       G7                                                        C
Though they've been known to read this book out loud amongst themselves.


         F
When the big bad books go 'Boo!',
    C
God knows what they might do.
       G7
You'll know your kids have hit the skids
          C                  C7
When they quote Huck Finn to you.
     F
When Toni Morrison writes,
     C
Good people lie awake for nights.
        G7
Oh, the worst will happen to you
                           C
When the big bad books go 'Boo!'

They've read it to their children, they've read it to their kin.
They've never thought that reading it could ever be thought a sin.
Of course, the Bible tells us we should love our neighbors well,
While in real life we often tell them they should go to Hell!

When the big bad books go 'Boo!',
God knows what they might do.
You'll know your kids have hit the skids
When they quote Huck Finn to you.
When Toni Morrison writes,
Good people lie awake for nights.
Oh, the worst will happen to you
When the big bad books go 'Boo!'

The more fine books you ban, the more your kids will scan.
The messengers you shoot will be forbidden fruit.
And the children will find out what the books you ban are about,
And wonder, why the rage over words upon a page?

When the big bad books go 'Boo!',
God knows what they might do.
You'll know your kids have hit the skids
When they quote Huck Finn to you.
When Toni Morrison writes,
Good people lie awake for nights.
Oh, the worst will happen to you
When the big bad books go 'Boo!'
Oh, the worst will happen to you
When the big bad books go 'Boo!'

(Words and music by Tom Paxton and Cathy Fink, 2021)

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