ObSongs: I wrote this in 1953; it was published in my high school's magazine. The tune that inspired it was that of "Golden Vanity".

An Argument About That Which is Holy

There are many ghosts in life,
But a ghost begets love
And love begets curiosity
And curiosity begets light
And light kills ghosts.

"Once you learn a song, it is dead:
A song out of the darkness attracts you;
It is soft and beautiful:
It is an angel or a ghost
Floating free.
But you love it
And catch it somewhere else,
Get a good look,
Write it down,
Learn it, sing it,
Chain it to a piece of paper and a brain,
Enslave it, make it do your bidding,
And it seems to pine away and die in chains."

"But this is all wrong!
                Not red-blooded --
Ghosts are killed by their descendants; they are cannibal;
Not fit; they'll die out:
Facts and fun live on, and that is good;
That is the way to look at it:
Dying men leave ghosts, but dying ghosts
Leave better things behind:
Sing your song loudly -- give the spirits blood!"