Fairy tales creep on little cat paws
And smell like currants.
And by night they steal away
Little boys, if they don't go to bed properly,
Little girls, if they don't go to bed properly,
And even little bear cubs.
Oh, they are naughty, terribly naughty.

And they take the stolen child to the raspberry wood,
There is a honeysuckle bridge and beyond it a valley,
And whatever you fear, that's what they have there:
An old witch stares at you and eats you up,
A tree ensnares you and eats you up,
Wolves' eyes glow in the dark, too many to count.
And no one, no one will wake you!

Once you've had your fill of fear, you can fly,
Jump on a bed made of clouds,
Tickle the stars' whiskers:
A scarlet bell, hot bronze!
If you burn yourself, don't bawl:
There's a bear that patrols the sky
Waiting to have fun with the hunting dogs.

And from there you can see it all clearly:
The castles and roads and the chases.
Over there, the mermaids wave, laughing.
"Hey, you over there, behind the bronze mountain!
If you feel like a hero, come out and fight!
But if you're a coward we'll send you home,
You'll go back for ever and ever."

And then you'll cry under the covers,
You'll remember how it was and is no more.
Only a scent, like after a thunderstorm.
Oh you, stars and voices!
Now I am closing my eyes tight-tight:
Steal me back there!
If you don't I'll run away anyway!