Away back in days of timber cutting
done the old way as back then~
They had a term for a kind of tree
That they would use away back when~
Once in awhile they'd come across
A tree that rated such a name~
And it was and could be a man killer
Without warning just the same~
I was with as a lad the most experienced
Of cutters on that day~
And this is how I found out that
A killer tree will have it's way~
It was five foot right through the middle
And tall as most trees should be~
I cut it with the first cut scarf
And then the next one easily~
But it stood their with determination
And never moved at all~
There was not a single reason that
This large tree should not fall~
It wondered then back and foreth
As if to smile at me~
Swaying a little both ways
Its wide limbs hanging out up top with glee~
This tree was cut properly and correct
And cut all but all the way through~
We wedged it and we wedged it again
But this big old tree remained to its self true~
There was nothing at all holding it upright
In fact it was on a slightly slope~
But it just stood this over size tree of wood
And made us look like some sort of dope~
The cutters said well my lad
You've come across one here you see~
Remember this day come what may
Your very first large killer tree~
Called as such as it would stand
Till it found the just right time~
And then it would fall killing someone
It put shivers down a cutters spine~
Well we were a long way from man or beast
So they decided to leave it there~
They said tonight the wind will fix this thing
Tomorrow it will be down I will declare~
Massive in its majestic size
As round as round could be~
And as deadly as unpredictable
This deadly killer tree~
They had cut yet another slice
And wedged it several times to boot~
But no way it was staying right there
And it did not give a hoot~
We came back later on next day
And never got out of the truck~
It still stood defiantly
Talk about killer tree good luck~
We came back two days later on
And it was just the same~
But one bloke said well leave it there
Tonight it's going to rain~
Well two days later we drove past
Just higher on the hill up some~
And we could not see it so
We walked down to see what the wind had done~
Yes it must have got sick of it's game
And decided to fall at last~
And we could just imagine
At night the sound of that great blast~
It had fallen right where we wanted it
As it was cut to fall that way~
But I can tell you that was my first time
To see a killer tree that day~