poem by paul hatch

When You Tell One Lie

Paul Hatch

When you tell one lie, it leads to another

So you tell two lies to cover each other

Then you tell three lies and, Oh Brother,

You’re in trouble up to your ears!

So you tell four lies to try to protect you

Then you tell five lies so folks won’t suspect you

Then you tell six lies and you’ll collect

A life filled with worries and fears

‘Cause you can’t remember how many lies you’ve told

And half the things you say aren’t true

And sometime you’ll slip up, you’ll trip up and then

Whatever will become of you?

So you lie and lie without even trying

And each lie you tell will keep multiplying

‘Till the whole wide world will know you’re lying

Then you’ll be

Suspected

Detected

Rejected

Neglected

Disliked

And you should!

When you lie, you’re closing the door

On everything good