There once was a proud hare, a bunny rabbit type
Who spent time explainin' about braggin' rights
He talked about himself and how his legs could hop
But when he'd run his mouth it seemed he could not stop
“You run and run and run, but you just can't get past
Cause I'm a champion hare and I can run so fast
If ya come compete with me and try to run a race
You'll surely lose, I always win, I'm in first place”
Once while he was boasting, daring every one and all
To test him in a race, there came a tiny feeble call
“I'll take you on,” the voice cried out, “You're not so swell”
The voice came from a tortoise in a tortoise shell.
The rabbit laughed and held his sides, he almost burst
“What makes you think to race me that you will end up first?
I'll run around and all about, there's no need to get ready”
Replied the tortoise with a smile, “I'll just be slow and steady”
And so the race day came and lined up all along the way
Were animals who wondered if the tortoise was ok
A lengthy course was set so both the tortoise and the hare
Could set their pace for every bit as fast as they might dare
The gun was fired to start the race, the hare shot down the lane
While tortoise plodded slowly, just not feeling any pain
The hare ran far ahead and yelled “I'm almost there already"
Replied the tortoise with a smile, “I'll just be slow and steady”
“This is a crazy race,” hare thought, “there's not a chance of losing
I see a place beneath a tree, that looks just right for snoozing
I think that I will linger here and take a little nap
Then I'll awake and win this race and beat this tortoise chap.”
And so the hare laid down to rest, and soon he fell asleep
Assured the tortoise moved along as slow as he could creep
The cocky hare was much too sure, he surely was too heady
The tortoise muttered to himself, “I'll just be slow and steady.”
Our creeping friend did pass the hare, asleep along the way
So quietly the tortoise passed, as on the ground hare lay
He saw ahead the finish line that soon came into view
And knew if he kept plodding on that he would soon be through
He was near done when hare awoke, and saw his foe ahead
So shocked was he as running fast right down the lane he sped
He thought about his laughing words and all the things he saidy
And then recalled the tortoise words, “I'll just be slow and steady.”
The rabbit running rapidly could not the tortoise beat
It didn't even matter just how fast he moved his feet
The tortoise simply won the race, I think his name was Freddy
The crowd did cheer and all did hear, “I'll just be slow and steady.”
