We hang from vines since break of day,
A thousand tails that swing and sway,
We shout, “Stay close, the troop is strong!”
The branch is packed, the line is long.
Since every voice repeats the same,
Then surely that must prove our claim…
“Big crowd means safety every time!”
The jungle echoes with our rhyme.
But a quiet mind may look around,
And see the cracks inside our sounds…
We can do our safety swing,
Yes, the safety swing!
Fill the tree with every friend we know.
When the troop grows large,
Then we charge, charge, charge—
“Many hands mean nothing can go wrong!”
We can do our safety swing,
Yes, the safety swing—
Leap from branch to branch in line.
But a crowd that cheers
Does not erase the fear
When the jungle sends its counter sign.
“Stay with the group!” our strong ones cry,
“A hundred eyes will guard our lives!”
Yet while our troop debates and screams,
A spotted hunter stalks from streams.
One silent leap, one clever plan—
More cunning than our mob can span.
The branches shake, our chorus breaks,
The jungle laughs at loud mistakes.
A crowd may chant the same belief,
Yet noise is not a shield from teeth…
We can do our safety swing,
Yes, the safety swing!
Pack the tree till every twig bends low.
When the troop grows wide,
We feel pride, pride, pride—
“More voices make the danger go!”
We can do our safety swing,
Yes, the safety swing—
Leap from branch to branch in line.
But a crowded limb
May snap on a whim
When physics shows its grand design.
Many monkeys, many eyes,
Many echoes, many lies—
Still the hunter waits with care.
Sharp mind sees more than eyes that stare.
Crowds may roar and clap and sing,
Yet wisdom is another thing.
So do our safety swing,
Yes, the safety swing—
Since our troop believes it’s true.
But the jungle knows
How the story goes:
A loud parade can scramble views.
You can crowd the Tree,
Yet clearly see—
More heads do not make the danger flee.
“The Safety Swing” is a poem by Timothy Bradbury © 2024. Narrated by Jacques Ferrari.
Crowds may roar and clap and sing,
Yet wisdom is another thing.
