She Was Diggin Sweet Potatoes

I walked the endless dusty road,
Through burning winds and time,
I searched for Lady Death - she walks my trail,
A shadow close behind.

I found her hut, the door swung wide,
But no one was at home,
She must’ve gone to work the fields,
Where no one else would roam.

Sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes - she was digging in the ground,
While the moon was slowly rising and the night was settling down.
I found a dusty old drum sitting lonely in the room,
And I beat it, and I beat it, like I’m calling out my doom!

She heard my rhythm through the dark,
And shouted, sharp and cold:
“Who’s knocking there? You living man,
Or one of mine - from the dead I hold?”

I yelled right back without a shake,
My heartbeat strong and bright:
“Yes, I’m alive! I drum and call -
So hear me through the night!”

But when she learned I’m not her kin,
She trembled - pale with fright,
She dashed behind the doorway beam
And vanished out of sight.

“Bind him fast! Don’t let him breathe!” -
Her wicked order flew.
And ropes, like snakes, around me crashed,
From head to foot I drew.

I couldn’t move, I couldn’t shout,
But kept my wits instead —
My thoughts were racing like a storm
Inside my captive head…

I whispered to the sweet potatoes:
“Rise, become a switch!
Teach Lady Death a lesson, sting her hard -
And make her lose her itch!”

They whipped her silly, through and through,
Till she had had enough -
And I broke free and laughed out loud:
This life is mine - and tough!

Sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes - she was digging in the ground,
While the moon was slowly rising and the night was settling down.
I beat the drum of the living till the shadows turned to dust —
And the tale of Lady Death and drummer is now carried by the dust.

So here’s a tune from distant lands,
About a fearless man -
They call him Chocolate Bunny, friends,
Who tricked Lady Death with a plan.

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Here's a link to the song:

https://disk.yandex.ru/d/GpPlOD5hRf02bA

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This song in Russian via the link:

http://stihi.ru/2025/10/19/7778