Songs

This is a list of songs and poems composed and/or sung by characters in the series.

Twilight's Songs and Battle-Taunts

Ain't No Equal

"Flutter like a hummingbird,

Dive like an eagle,

Ain't no bird that's my equal."

— Twilight, The Capture, page 166

Rat-Faced Birds

"You ugly rat-faced birds.

You call yourself a bird?

You call yourself an owl?

You ain't no decent kind of fowl!

They call you Jatt?

They call you Jutt?

I'm gonna toss you in a rut!

Then I'm gonna punch you in the gut!

Then you're gonna wind up on your butt!

Think you're all gizzard!

I seen better lizards.

One-two-three-four, 

You're goin' down, won't ask for more.

Five-six-seven-eight,

You ain't better than fish bait...

Nine-ten-eleven-twelve,

I'm gonna send you straight to hell."

— Twilight, The Capture, page 209

Oh, Twilight!

"Oh, wings of silver spread on high,

Fierce eyes of golden light,

Across the clouds of purple hue

In sheer majestic flight—

Oh, Twilight!

Oh, Twilight, most beautiful of owls,

Who sculpts the air

Beyond compare.

With feathers so sublime,

An owl for now—

An owl for then—

An owl for all of time."

— Twilight, The Journey, pages 46-47

Twilight's Rescue Song

"Hush little owl,

You’re with Twi.

I got the moves to get you by.

Big bad crows.

St. Aggie’s scamps

Ain’t got nothin to show this champ.

I’ll pop a spiral

With a twist,

Do a three-sixty

And scatter mist—"

— Twilight, The Journey, page 215

You Call Yourself Pure

"You think those metal claws scare me.

I'll clack my beak till you see three!

Your gizzard's soft as a worm

I'm going to make you

squirm, squirm squirm...."

— Twilight, The Rescue, page 182

"We got the fire, we got the punch,

we're gonna make you yarp your lunch.

One two three four five,

you're gonna wonder if you're alive.

Six seven eight nine ten,

you're as stupid as a big ole hen.

I can count forever and a day,

and maybe you better start to pray.

You call yourself pure,

the best owls in sight.

Well, you stink to high heaven,

and you ain't so bright.

You're stuck up as can be

and your gizzards can't handle milkberry tea.

You're no better than gull splat,

and even though you fly,

you're lower than a rat."

— Twilight, The Rescue, page 184

Auntie This and Auntie That

"Oh, Auntie this and Auntie that,

You ain’t nothing but a white-feathered rat.

One-two-three-four,

I got something else in store.

Five-six-seven-eight,

You’re about to meet your fate.

Nine-ten-eleven-twelve,

Oh, great Glaux, you sure do smell!

A special place for egg suckers like you,

Yeah—you’ll make a tasty stew!"

— Twilight, The Siege, pages 111-112

These Flames

"You smokin' now,

You moonfaced owl.

These flames gonna make you howl.

You gonna skitter

Back to where you from.

And now you think you ain't so dumb?

Well, just let me tell you this—

You dumb as a fish,

Dumb as a snail,

Dumb as a rock,

And I shall prevail!"

— Twilight, The Shattering, page 149

Big Bad Owl

"Gimme four, gimme five

I'll take you live. 

I'm a bad bad owl

I'll make you dive.

Make you howl

For your momma and pop

Chase you around

Till you drop.

Now you goin' to hear my thunder

Next you goin' to start to wonder

He's here

He's there

He's everywhere

This big bad owl

He don't scare."

— Twilight, The Burning, page 101

Vulture Culture

"I’ve had enough of your vulture culture.

Now hustle on, you stink butt birds,

Hustle on and hear my words.

You’re cowards, and I’ll slice you up,

Then feed you to the wolves for sup.

You got splat for brains,

Your gizzards are lame

And now you’re going to play my game!"

— Twilight, The Burning, page 185

Monster Mam

"General Mam, she don't scare me,

she ain't gonna make me flee.

General Mam, she so dumb,

she don't know which way to run.

Fly by night, fly by day—

she ain't gonna get away.

She so ugly, that frinkin' face,

she ain't nothing but a fat disgrace.

Disgrace in word, disgrace in deed,

Monster Mam is what I see!"

— Twilight, The Golden Tree, page 160

Bring Down the Blue Brigade

"Talk about vanities, bunch of wet poop!

Twilight's here to give you the scoop!

You dim-witted creeps feathered blue

Don't mess with me, cause I am cruel.

I do me a little Breath of Qui

Smash you to smithereens and let it be.

Let it be, you crazy creeps

Gonna bring you down, gonna make you weep

Call for your mama, call for your pop—

Hey, I'm Twilight, cream of the crop!"

— Twilight, Exile, page 189

Chasing Tarn

"Chase that tail! Let him wail.

Slug him, bug him,

That pile of splat.

Mow him down, the dirty rat."

— Twilight, Tavis, Cletus, Exile, page 189

Our Verses Shall Fly On

"We met before moonrise

And then you left, without good-byes

To my rhymes you did give rise

Your name I chanced upon

Now you are with me, though you are gone

Our verses shall fly on"

— Twilight, A Guide Book to the Great Tree, page 40

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

Off Into Danger

"Though his nursemaid tells him 'no',

the boy will not be tamed.

He flies off into danger

to be battered, bruised and maimed!"

We Fall Asleep

"As the night falls, so do we.

We fall asleep, we fall asleep.

We continue to fall asleep, we fall asleep...

For dreams they come on high...!

We are now asleep, we are now asleep."

Into Battle

"Into battle we do fly,

no matter if we're going to die.

A nasty, scary death that hurts quite a lot,

even if our wings are ripped clean off...!"

Songs of the Ga'Hoole Tree

Evensong (Night is Done/Glaux is Nigh)

"Night is done, gone the moon, gone the stars

From the skies.

Fades the black of the night.

Comes the morn with rosy light.

Fold your wings, go to sleep,

Rest your gizzards,

Safe you'll be for the day.

Glaux is nigh.

Far away is First Black,

But it shall seep back

Over field

Over flower

In the twilight hour.

We are home in our tree.

We are owls, we are free.

As we go, this we know.

Glaux is nigh."

— Madame Plonk, The Journey, pages 86-87
 

Evensong (Night is Done/Glaux is Nigh, Next Verse)

"We thank thee for our nights

'Neath the moon and stars so bright

We are home in our tree

We are owls, we are free

As we go, this we know, Glaux is nigh."

— Madame Plonk, The Shattering, page 50
 

The Weather Chaw

"We are the owls of the weather chaw.

We take it blistering,

We take it all.

Roiling boiling gusts,

We're the owls with the guts.

For blizzards our gizzards

Do tremble with joy.

An ice storm, a gale, how we love blinding hail.

We fly forward and backward,

Upside down and flat.

Do we flinch? Do we wail?

Do we skitter or scutter?

No, we yarp one more pellet

And fly straight for the gutter!

Do we screech? Do we scream?

Do we gurgle? Take pause?

Not on your life!

For we are the best

Of the best of the chaws!"

— Ezylryb, The Journey, page 176 | Ruby, The Burning, pages 64-65 | Bell, The River of Wind, pages 30-31
 

The Song of the Colliers

"Give me a hot coal glowing bright red,

Give me an ember sizzling with heat,

These are the jewels made for my beak.

We fly between flames and never get singed

We plunge through the smoke and never cringe.

The secrets of fire, its strange winds, its rages,

We know it all as it rampages

Through forests, through canyons,

Up hillsides and down.

We'll track it.

We'll find it.

Take coals by the pound.

We'll yarp in the heart of the hottest flame

Then bring back its coals and make them tame.

For we are the colliers brave beyond all

We are the owls of the colliering chaw!"

— Bubo, The Journey, page 208

Harvest Hymn

"Dearest tree we give our thanks

for your blessings through the years.

Vines heavy with sweet berries

nourish us and quench our fears.

And in times of summer droughts,

searing heat or winters cold,

from your bounty freely given

we grow strong and we grow bold.

Let us always tend with care

Your bark, your roots, your vines so fair.

— Madame Plonk and Dewlap, The Rescue, page 66 | Blythe, The War of the Ember, page 1

Bubo's Drinking Song

Drink, drink to old Ga'Hoole ---

boola boola boola boole!

Come along, mates, and give a tipple ---

how that wine makes gizzards ripple!"

— Bubo, The Rescue, page 66

Chant of the Ember

"Oh, dearest Ember of great Hoole,

guard our tree most great.

Warm our gizzards, make us wise,

lead us in your holy ways.

Give us comfort, let tumult cease,

bless each owl so safe we'll keep.

We sing to you, your glowing splendor

Radiant with magen's grace.

So we ask that peace be with us,

and in you our trust do place.

— Madame Plonk, The Golden Tree, pages 60-61

Hail the Glow of the Ember

"Eternal ember, strong and glowing,

let your light suffuse our tree.

Most holy spirit of the fires,

deliver us from fate most dire."

— Madame Plonk, The Golden Tree, pages 112-113

Good Luck Song

"Luck be in my feathers, sorrows I untether,

Luck be in my feathers for all that I will weather.

Gather at the waters

Owls of all the land,

All my sons and daughters

Let ill omens be banned.

Come sing a joyful note

To help improve our lot,

Sorrows that yonder float

Shall quickly be forgot.

Let the owlipoppen drift

Toward the light of dawn,

In waters that run swift

Our fortunes be redrawn.

Luck be in my feathers, sorrows I untether,

Luck be in my feathers for all that I will weather."

— Uli Plonk, A Guide Book to the Great Tree, pages 122-123

Songs of St. Aegolius Academy

The Hymn

"Hail to St. Aegolius

Our Alma Mater.

Hail, our song we raise in praise of thee

Long in the memory of every loyal owl

Thy splendid banner emblazoned be.

Now to thy golden talons

Homage we're bringing.

Guiding symbol of our hopes and fears

Hark to the cries of eternal praises ringing

Long may we triumph in the coming years."

— Owls of St. Aggie's, The Capture, page 27

The Special Quality

"To find one's special quality

One must lead a life of deep humility.

To serve in this way

Never question but obey

Is the blessing of St. Aggies' charity."

— Owls of St. Aggie's, The Capture, page 32

Pellets Have Their Stories

"Every pellet has a story all its own.

Every pellet has a story all its own.

With its fur and teeth and bones

And one or two stones,

Every pellet has a story all its own

We shall dissect every pellet with glee.

Perhaps we'll find a rodent's knee.

And never shall we tire

In the sacred task that we conspire,

Nor do our work less than perfectly

And those bright flecks at the core,

Which make our hearts soar,

Shall forever remain the deepest mystery."

— Enslaved Owlets of the Pelletorium, The Capture, pages 62-63 | The Rescue, page 162

The Eggorium

"By these eggs we set a store

We sort them out and ask for more.

Pygmy, Elf, Spotted, and Snowy

Make our gizzards get all glowie.

Barn Owls, Great Grays, Barred, and Screech

Give our hearts an extra beat.

The work's top secret, that is true,

But we are the best -- the eggorium crew!

Don't give a hoot that no one flies

For upon these eggs the future relies.

Such is our noble destiny

To guard St. Aggie's through eternity!"

— Enslaved Owlets of the Eggorium, The Capture, page 106

Relieve Us

"Come to us and quackle and quank.

Relieve us of our stirrings

With your fangs so sharp and bright

Take this blood that's always purring.

Through our hollow bones it flows

To each feather and downy fluff.

Quell the terrible, horrid urge that so often prinkles us,

Still our dreams, make slow our thoughts

Let tranquillity flood our veins.

Come to us and drink your fill

So we might end our pains."

— Enslaved Owlets of St. Aggie's, The Capture, page 136

Gadfeather Songs

When We Gadfeathers Roamed

"From a time before time

when we gadfeathers roamed

o’er mountains, valleys, and sea,

We sought not a home,

not a limb for a perch,

we only wanted to be free.

Now the sky is our hollow,

the stars we do follow.

The wind is our friend.

That’s all we need in the end;

To fly and rarely rest.

The whole world is our nest.

Let us be, let us be, let us be.

Let us be free, free, free!"

— Myrrthe, The First Collier, pages 54-55

Fly Away

"Fly away with me,

give my loneliness a break.

Fly away with me,

so my heart will never ache.

Fly away with me this night.

Fly away with me,

I'll find a feather for your ruff.

Fly away with me till dawn.

Fly away then we'll be gone.

Hollows we shall leave behind,

fly to places they'll never find.

Fly away with me right now,

I can't wait.

Fly away with me,

don't hesitate.

I want to soar the smee hole drafts

where the steam rises from the sea.

I want to cross the mountain ridge,

I want to see the other side.

We'll preen each other in the moon's light.

Fly away with me.

We shall wake up in the snow,

go where the winds always blow.

Fly away with me!"

— The Snow Rose, The Coming of Hoole, pages 34-35 | Coryn, The Golden Tree, pages 70-71 | Madame Plonk, Exile, page 109 | Faolan, Star Wolf, page 73

A Song of Yearning

"Like a flower at the avalanche‟s rim

Like a snowflake in the wind

Like a frost picture in the night

Like a star burning, oh, so bright"

— The Snow Rose, The Coming of Hoole, page 89

Here Comes the Night

Where go the stars,

where goes the dark,

the night so black and clear?

Worry not, worry not,

night will come again soon.

Dark, dark, fold me in your wings.

Dark, dark, let my gizzard sing.

But now is the time for light—

let it come, let it come.

Bring the sun so bright,

then the shadows beyond the noon

grow long as day grows old.

Worry not, my owls,

the dark will wait for you.

Worry not, the night steals away the day.

Worry not, twilight turns to gray.

Here comes the night,

here comes the night."

— The Snow Rose, To Be a King, pages 10-11

Ice Crystals

"Where the ice meets the sky,

where the trees never grow,

where the water is locked,

so still, forever slow.

Where the wind scours the land,

carving bridges, spires, and peaks,

listen closely, my friend,

and you’ll hear the ice speak.

It speaks of times gone by,

creatures frozen in the deep.

Of a place where time grows still,

a place of long eternal sleep,

where the ice never melts

and the trees never grow.

That is where I long to fly—I have ice crystals in my soul"

— The Snow Rose, To Be a King, pages 75-76

When an Owl Loves an Owl

"When an owl loves an owl

And your gizzard's about to break,

Let me tell you, you can't do nothin'

'Cept to follow in that wake.

Don't turn tail, just go on..."

— Blythe, The War of the Ember, page 2

Fly Away (Reprise)

"Fly away with me,

give my loneliness a break.

Fly away with me, so my heart stop its ache.

Rise into the night,

Fly away with me.

Fly with me till dawn,

Hollows we shall leave behind.

Fly with me till dawn, to places they'll never find.

By the pale moonlight,

Fly with my till dawn.

Soar over this land,

In the night sky we'll find glee.

Soar over this land, see the steam rise from the sea.

Soft winds do invite,

Soar over this land.

Fly away with me,

My love, don't hesitate.

Fly away with me, for I can hardly wait.

Our hearts shall take flight,

Fly away with me.

— Brunwella Plonk, Lost Tales of Ga'Hoole, pages 39-40

In a War Never Ended

Come, gather around, owls

I'll tell you a tale.

It's a story you know

Perhaps all too well.

Hatched in a war

With no end in sight

Two young'uns fledged

For their very first flight.

To be a warrior, is that

What Glaux intended?

To fight to the death

In a war never ended?

Come soldiers and teachers,

Heed my call.

Lay down your weapons

And try to recall

The nights that were peaceful,

The hollows so snug.

But this war is forever raging

To the bitter end must we always fight?

Think twice of your own,

Your very first flight.

Will the first be the last and the last be the first?

Is this how our world

Shall finally be cursed?

— Hanja, The Rise of a Legend, pages 69-70

Blue Brigade Songs

Blue Brigade Chant

"Fire does redemption bring

Cleansing flames for which we sing.

Scour the soul, prepare the mind,

Make us to all vanities blind.

Bring your gaudies, profane art,

Singe it, burn it, all is skart!

Let there be nought but ash,

Make redemption ours at last."

-Blue Brigade, Exile, page 145

Song of Relinquishment

"And to the flames consign things vain

Give up your prideful ways.

Submission is the path to grace

Where each owl knows its place.

Bless our Striga for his suffering,

For his enduring pain.

Scour our gizzards of the vanities'

Horrible shameful stain.

A-Glaux!

-Blue Brigade, Exile, page 181

Other Songs

The Centipede Song

"What gives a wriggle

And makes you giggle

When you eat 'em?

Whose weensy little feet

Make my heart really beat?

Why, it's those little creepy crawlies

That make me feel so jolly.

For the darling centipede

My favorite buggy feed

I always want some more.

That's the insect I adore

More than beetles, more than crickets,

Which at times give me the hiccups.

I crave only to feed

On a juicy centipede

And I shall be happy forevermore."

— Soren, The Capture, pages 11-12 | Nyra, The Shattering, pages 65-66

Burrow, Scrape, Excavate

"Coo-coo-coo-ROOOO!

Coo-coo-coo-ROOOO!

Burrow, scrape,

Excavate

Through gravel, ice, hard-packed earth

Through sand, through muck, through mire.

We pit, we dig, we gouge,

and never do we tire.

Our legs are bare,

Our talons sharp,

We drill the earth and know the spots

Where rock crumbles into soil,

Where shale can shift and slide like oil.

Coo-coo-coo-ROOOO!

Coo-coo-coo-ROOOO!

We shall burrow through and through."

— Sylvana, The Siege, pages 178-179

Your Rage

"Erraghh tuoy bit mik in strah.

Erraghh tuoy frihl in mi murm frissah di Naftur, regno di frahmm.

Erraghh tuoy bity mi plurrh di glauc.

E mi't, di tuoy."

"Your rage will be the jewel of my crown.

Your rage burns in me like the fires of the Naftur, ruler of the flames.

Your rage is my life's blood.

And mine, yours."

— Nyra, The Siege, page 141

I'm Coming Home

"I'm coming home to my tall tree

In a forest deep and green,

Where my owl chicks wait for me

Tucked away in my tall tree.

I bring you vole,

I bring coon.

The blood's not cold,

I'll be there soon.

And from my breast,

I'll pluck some down,

So you can rest

'Til the moon grows round.

Sleep on, babes, grow strong.

May your feathers fledge, 

Your wings grow long.

And then at day's edge

When dark drinks light,

We'll rise together in chick's first flight.

I'm coming home to my tall tree

In a forest deep and green,

Where my mum waits for me

Tucked away in my tall tree,

Oh, my mum waits for me!"

— Eglantine, The Shattering, pages 61-62

A War for Heart, Gizzard, and Mind

"The time has come,

The claws are passed.

An old owl rests,

A die's been cast.

It is a war for heart, gizzard, and mind.

The weapons they wield, more deadly than mine.

A blade draws blood,

A fire burns.

But with the flecks,

A mind unlearns,

A soul unhinges,

And then a gizzard quakes and cringes.

Senses dull,

Reason scatters.

The heart grows numb,

An owl shatters.

But these six owls are strong and bold,

And their story has not yet been told.

— Ezylryb, The Shattering, pages 171-172

Believe

"Set your wings upon the sea wind

Set your eyes upon the steam

Feel the billow of the updraft

And believe in your dream

Know the mercy of these waters

Know the safety of the sky

Hear the voices in the distance

And believe -- they will not lie."

— Twilla, The Burning, page 154

Issenblomen (The Ice Flowers)

"At the edge of the avalanche

At the glacier's icy rim

Grows the flower of the snowfields

Trembling in the wintry wind.

It dares to live on edges

Where naught else would ever grow.

So fragile, so unlikely

An owl slices through this blow.

She dares the katabats

Her gizzard madly quivers,

But for her dearest of friends

She vows she will deliver

Like the lily of the avalanche

The glacier's icy rose

Like a flower of the wind

The bright fierceness in her glows.

The bravest are the small

The weakest are the strong

The most fearful find the courage

To battle what is wrong."

— Snorri, The Burning, page 158

King Nyroc

"There were three scrooms who came to me

And said Nyroc shall be king

And with this Special ceremony

His glory shall long and loudly ring."

— Nyra, The Hatchling, page 54

Feather Number Eleven

"There is a feather I’ve been told

That helps owls fly high and bold.

Oh, welcome back, number eleven,

You lift me from hagsmire up to heaven."

— Nyroc, The Hatchling, page 164

Song of Hagsfiends

"We are the voices of the dead.

We’ve come to tell you what to dread.

A feeble prince, you’ve taken flight.

You shall be ours before the night.

But if your gizzard gallgrot gets

A king of kings it shall beget."

— Hagsfiend Scrooms, The Hatchling, page 184

Hagsfiend Coryn's Curse

"Your gizzards are a-wobble,

Your gall grot turned to mush.

I shall take you all to hagsmire

And rip out all your guts.

I shall make you my slaves,

Condemn you to shame,

Unless you learn to play

My great and evil game."

— Coryn, The Outcast, pages 48-49

A Poem in Honor of Myrrthe

"I see her in the wind,

I see her in moon’s light,

I see whiteness in the dark,

I see her day and night.

When the dawn meets the morning,

when twilight slips to night,

I think of dearest Myrrthe,

a bird so white, so bright.

She is the snow of the N’yrthghar,

her whiteness curls in breaking seas.

She is everywhere I look,

but she still is lost to me.

She is the song in my heart,

she is the wind beneath my wing.

Her mercy knew no bounds,

her faith as deep as any sea.

She is everywhere I look,

yet she still is lost to me."

— Siv, The First Collier, page 123

Polar Bear Naming Ceremony

"In the mighty roiling waters

of this cold and icy sea,

may you swim 'neath Ursa's eyes

may you grow up strong and free.

May you be true to your nature,

swift in water and on land,

for you stand the tallest of the tall

in this white and icebound land.

The greatest of the great in stature

and in power,

there is nary a living thing a polar bear

cannot devour.

And like your mum be massive in matters of the heart.

Be of good cheer and loyal, dear Anka and dear Rolf."

— Siv, The Coming of Hoole, pages 31-32

Fengo's Lament

Where is he? Where is he? Where is Grank?

Never gone so long.

Has he been killed?

Does he climb the spirit trail,

Lupus?

The good owl, friend of mine.

He is owl. I am wolf.

He is sky. I am earth.

We are brothers of this world.

— Fengo, The Coming of Hoole, pages 109-110, Spirit Wolf, page 69

Tenshu's Spring Poem

"Soon it will be spring

Ice melts

The Puoy bird will whoop and wipe its muddy feet on a leaf

A bud begins to unlock its secret."

— Tengshu, The River of Wind, page 170

Ancient Ambalan Poem

"In a night sky drenched in flames

Thus begin the Balefire games.

Then high above the conflagration

Comes the brightest green formation.

Robed in Ambala's greenest green

Their brains so fit, their gizzards keen,

“Greenowls" is their special name.

Cloaked in moss they play the game

Merry, fast, and fair they play

Until the night fades into day.

The fires die, begin to smolder,

The embers grow cold, then colder.

Another Balefire come and gone

Ambala's Greenowls praised in song."

— Greenowls, Exile, pages 146-147

The Greenowls Are Coming

"The path is a ribbon of moonlight across a dusky sea.

The wind sings a song that beckons us

To that great and mighty tree.

We are the Greenowls of Ambala, clad in raiments of moss,

Sprigged with lichens and grasses

Then gilded with silvery frost.

Fair and square we play—for a sporting lot we are.

We ride the boisterous Balefire gusts

And we reach for every star."

— Greenowls, Exile, page 174

Song of the Greenowls

"We are the Greenowls of Ambala,

Across thermals we scrambala.

To the top with a bounce

We would like to announce

That downdrafts don‟t faze us

And hardly amaze us.

We catch bonks on the fly

While eating milkberry pie.

Dance a fine little jig

Then alight on a twig.

Oh, we‟re the jolliest of jollies,

We mossy green owlies.

So, hip-hip-hooray!"

— Greenowls, Exile, page 178

 

Song of Relinquishment

"And to the flames consign things vain

Give up your prideful ways.

Submission is the path to grace

Where each owl knows its place.

Bless our Striga for his suffering,

For his enduring pain.

Scour our gizzards of the vanities'

Horrible shameful stain.

A-Glaux!"

— Blue Brigade, Exile, page 178

Bess's Ritual Song

"Glaux ring in this noble owl,

Sound the clapper made of mist.

Ting ting, I hear it now.

How can a scroom resist

This lovely tolling sound,

Which calls you from high?

Fly on dear Da, fly on

Owl angels wait and sigh."

— Bess, The War of the Ember, page 16

Song for a Dying Boreal Owl

I am the chimes in the night,

The sound within the wind

I am the tolling of glaumora

For the souls of long-lost kin.

I shall sing you the stars,

Where your scroom shall finally rest

'neath the great bell of the sky

In a tower of cloud crests.

— Soren, Gylfie, Twilight and Digger, The Golden Tree, page 46 | Bess, The War of the Ember, page 18

Two Twilights

"He ain‘t blue and he ain‘t Barn,

Holy racdrops, it must be Tarn!

They say he be a genius owl.

Say he‘s a genius, I say he‘s a dud,

Bad-butt owl just like old Kludd!

Let it burn, let it burn!

Oh, let it burn, burn him not you!

A nice burrow stew!

Burn their butts naked as their legs,

Now just watch them start to beg."

— Tavis and Cletus, The War of the Ember, page 144

My Desert, My Home

"My desert, my home,

You better leave us alone!

This is my sky, you hear?

The brothers gray you ought to fear.

Pure this, pure that,

I'll see you go splat!"

— Tavis, Lost Tales of Ga'Hoole, page 125

Ode to My Son Cassius at Twilight

"At twilight you came

so fragile so slight

I gave you your name

Your song I shall write

My heart you have won

from the moment you hatched

My precious new son

your worth is unmatched

Now it's for you that I sing

my soul filled with pride

To me you can cling

till you can fly alongside

I offer you this, my melodic phrase

For you are my most beloved of Grays"

— Skye, A Guide Book to the Great Tree, page 37

First Slime Song

"Lick the slime,

There is time.

Dear owlet,

You have hatched.

Now you feed

As is decreed.

May you grow big and strong,

Fledge your wings,

Learn to sing.

But this is your first feed,

So to you we say, Glauxspeed!"

— Hanja, The Rise of a Legend, page 6

The Uuul-glutch

"Uuul-glutch! Uuul-glutch!

Let the sound ring out.

There's a little critter that

No longer scampers about.

Lodged in the gizzard

Fast and cozy it does lay.

And soon a pellet is on its way."

— Gundesfyrr, The Rise of a Legend, pages 14-15

Hatching Song

"Jump, jump!

Bump, bump!

Wouldn't it be somethin'

If you just started thumpin'

A little crack is all you need,

No wider than a tiny seed.

It's much more fun outside

Than in.

Now crack that egg,

Let the party begin!"

— Lyze, The Rise of a Legend, page 87

At the Old Grog Tree Tonight

"Me and my mate

We got a date

At the old grog tree tonight.

She used to drink bangle

But I got her to bingle,

And you know what happened then!

For I drank the bingle

And now I ain’t single,

So let’s drink and drink again.

I got my cup hanging in the old grog tree,

She’s got her cup right beside me.

We’ll bingle the bangle

And jangle the jingle,

Then I’ll fly into the night

With my heart’s delight.

And come the morn

Back to the tree again,

Where our cups await

And we’ve got a date.

We’ll start all over again."

— Unnamed Gadfeather, The Rise of a Legend, pages 134-135

Warriors of Kiel

"Hail, hail, warriors valiant,

We’ll conquer them yet.

With our banners flying,

We’ll pursue them to their deaths!

For we are warriors of Kiel.

We don’t give in,

We don’t give up.

We fight to the end

And never bend.

Now let’s raise a cup!"

— Unnamed Gadfeather, The Rise of a Legend, pages 135-136

Roasted Voles

"There're voles in holes

And voles on coals.

Yummy, yummy in my tummy!

All so nice and warm,

Warms you once,

Warms you twice.

Roasted voles

Are awfully nice."

-6 little owlets, The Rise of a Legend, page 241

First Fur-On-Meat-With-Bones Song

"The fur will tickle
The blood will trickle
And the tail we'll pickle
Just for you
Oh, little owl
Let us all hoot
And give a fine salute
For your first fur on meat
A most delicious treat!"

―Rags, The Keeper of the Keys, page 124

First Flight Song

"I never stop to bid the earth good-bye
As I escape to the sky
The stars are mine to embrace
The dark of night is mine to taste
The air is for my wings to bite
On this, my very first ever flight
At times a cloud does appear
At times the air is scraped with sleet
But I carve the wind
My wings do beat
I carve the rain
And come back again,
My first flight is not my last
My shadow against the moon is cast."

―Rags, The Keeper of the Keys, page 127

Trivia

• Two gadfeather songs titled "Tickle Me Tailfeathers" and "Got a Lot of Love in This Old Gizzard" are stated to be sung in a grog tree, but no lyrics are presented.
• There is a song of the Great Tree called "The Westward Wind." It is described by Octavia as a Hoolian song sung on the first full moon after Founder's Night. The lyrics of said song are never revealed.
• There is a wolf song sung in the Beyond about a handsome and heroic wolf named Ragmore who fought in the Northern Kingdoms alongside owls some time ago. He had a flower named after him called Ragbloom, one that grows on the edges of avalanches. No lyrics are revealed.