Original subtitles

The CISTERN"

"The Backyard Acrobats"

Elefsina 1974

One minute.

He's run out of breath.

~ I'm diving in to get him. ~ Not yet. He'll make it.

~ How long now? ~ 2:20.

Look!

I did it!

Even better than Houdini!

~ Where's the chain? ~ I'll go get it.

It's a boy and must be christened with a boy's name. * April 1967 *

AARON, after his grandfather, your husband.

All I know is that...

when Vangelis took ill, Queen Frederika...

chartered a plane to England for his operation.

What did the poor dear ask in return?

That when he grew up and had a family of his own...

he'd name his first girl Frederika.

But he didn't have a girl, he had a boy.

~ We can't call a boy Frederika. ~ We can call him Frederick.

It never bothered all those kings, so why you?

My son won't be named Frederick.

It's not your choice. Queen Frederika saved his father...

and I won't let my son Vangelis forget it!

I'll consider it for a girl but my son won't be named Frederick.

~ He will! ~ He won't!

He'll be named Aaron, after your husband.

~ Let's talk to Vangelis. ~ Leave him out of this.

It's always about Vangelis.

What I say goes!

Never come back, shitty old bag!

My curse on you and your children...

if you don't name him as he deserves!

As for you, I'm telling Evangelis and he'll fix you.

Hold the baby, Rodoula!

Go to Hell!

"Every day you keep whining at me...

"that I don't pay you enough attention...

"although I've proved in more ways than I can mention,...

"it's only you I adore.

"If you want to go, just beat it. If you want to cry, just do it.

"Just don't nag and moan. I can't stand it and I'll be gone.

"If you want to go, just beat it. How often must I say it?

"Don't blame me when it's over and I've got another lover.

"I curl up with you when I need cheering...

"when I feel all tired and weary...

"and just when I start to mellow...

"you whine and I start to bellow."

[refrain]

I've told him not to let him have ice cream.

Now Sakis has pneumonia.

As if we didn't have enough to deal with.

~ He insisted. ~ Shut up...!

Shut up unless you want another hiding!

A whole litre of water was in his lung.

Kiosk ice cream is full of chemicals.

Everyone knows that!

Aaron, next time you want ice cream, come to me!

No one makes ice cream like mine.

In England, we made the best ice cream.

He's being punished. No more ice cream!

Go easy on him, he's only a kid. No more ice cream?

No, he has to learn that ice cream makes his brother ill.

~ He wanted it! ~ Shut up, or...Brat!

A favourite acrobat number is knife-throwing.

An assistant is tied to a spinning wheel...

then he throws sharp knives at the assistant.

The knife always hits the wooden board, never the assistant.

You're a good assistant. Next time we'll use knives.

~ Pass it to me! ~ No, no!

~ Pass the ball! ~ Mark him!

~ Who's winning? ~ 3 to 1 for Lala's team.

Goal!

He plays well.

Not bad for a Turk.

Give me a look.

Here we go!

Give me the ball.

~ It's on our territory. ~ So?

Let me teach you a little geography.

The Acrobats --- this side. The Janissaries --- that side.

Greece is over here, Turkey is over there.

Showtime!

Give us the ball.

Give us ours back first.

"A nightingale, a nightingale, on this fair night...

"spreads spring on the branches as it takes flight.

"A nightingale, a lone nightingale, so pretty...

"adorns the night with sounds around the city.

"Twinkling stars in the sky tonight...

"gently shed their light...

"casting peace and good will tonight...

"on a garden which smiles so bright."

We're the best acrobats, men. We've got a Houdini act,...

my balancing act, your somersaults,...

~ I'm a good diver. ~ And Galanos is a good farter.

Good night.

Where were you?

Out with it! Where?

~ Don't hit me. ~ Talk, you brat!

Tramp! What were you doing out so late?

~ Are you going to tell me? ~ Please...don't!

Who's the asshole shooting pips?

Ratbag! Knock it off!

Well done. Keep that up and one day...

someone will beat you to a pulp.

They'd have to catch us first.

Today, we will be talking about cookies.

Have I mentioned my friend, Lady Ascot from Chelsea?

Whenever she visits, she brings these lovely biscuits.

'Cookies', in English.

Wonderful. Delicious. Perfect for afternoon tea.

Well, you may well ask: 'Who drinks tea in Greece in summer?'

You know the English...so correct: five on the dot.

And their cookies...famous...

And superb!

This one.

~ And why is my ice cream the best? ~ It's got pistachio.

~ How does your mother make it? ~ With vanilla and "cin-cin".

I hate cin-cin but Dad and Sakis like it.

Mom says only her ice cream doesn't make Sakis ill.

It's not fair --- Sakis always gets his way.

That's how it goes, Aaron. Being fair doesn't pay.

Your mother and aunts are anything but fair.

Like with me...what haven't I done to please them?

They still don't accept me as their Sister-in-Law.

I see the looks they give me.

~ What is it they call me? ~ A harridan.

Hear that? A harridan!

And you do nothing about it!

Stick up for me for once.

Would you like some more, Aaron?

Aunt says they're not for grown-ups.

And Stelios and I are to have them with tea, not coffee.

Oh, yes --- and never by themselves!

I knew it.

She's a harridan --- a witch!

She'll poison us all.

Reza --- eat the cookie.

Run along and play now.

They're not bad.

Are you all right, Coula?

Open up, I want to talk with you.

Coula, open up!

Coula, open up or I'll break down the door.

What are you doing? Steady on...

Wait, Coula, what the...

Not from behind. Don't.

No to this! No to that! It's always something! What am I supposed to do?

Well?

I told you, Kostas,...

I want to be a virgin on my wedding day.

You always do that...turn me on and leave me hanging.

All we do is pet and kiss like kids.

Why can't we do it from behind?

I don't do that kind of thing.

Not with me...

But you did it with Babis Goletsos.

You shamed us! Our men can't show their faces at the café.

Good! Maybe now your husbands will stop playing cards.

I'm not going to hit you, Rodoula.

Nor am I going to keep arguing with you.

I should have beaten you when you were five...

When our mother left us orphaned.

Before you put down Vangelis Sotiris...

remember one thing:...

Our husbands never took us into any alleys to do it to us.

They respected us.

No one has ever respected you!

Fall in, fall in...

And now the grand finale!

The turbine!

Akis!

Akis!

~ Hold on, Akis! ~ Be careful!

~ Help me! Help! ~ I'll get you.

~ Hold on tight. ~ Galanos is coming. Hold on!

I'm coming.

Hold on, Akis!

~ Come on, hurry! ~ Hang on.

Who do you think you're talking to?

~ Don't! ~ Don't talk to me like that!

Not my head! Don't!

Get the hell out of here! Slut!

And where the hell were you? Answer me!

Help! Help!

Police! Police!

There he is!

Help! Call emergency!

Go to Hell!

Look here! Memorial Service boiled wheat! God protect me!

On Sundays, I go to my local church, St. Fanourios,...

just for this wheat they hand out to honour the dead.

Now where were we?

Soak one cup of wheat over night.

The next day, boil it for three hours, strain it on a fluffy white towel,...

then add cloves, cinnamon, sesame seeds,...

biscotti, raisins, currants, one handful,...

and then...

walnuts, almonds, parsley, pomegranates, icing sugar,...

sugar-coated candies, and sugared almonds...like so!

Superb!

~ How's it going? ~ It's hot. How was work?

~ Where's Stelios? ~ He's coming.

~ Here, my treat. ~ What's the occasion?

He's loaded. He treated us all, including your brother Sakis.

~ Sakis? ~ Yeah, why?

He's not allowed ice cream, Stelios!

Ratbag! Brat!

What's he ever done to you, you rat?

It wasn't me, it was Stelios!

Stelios, my eye! Where would he get the money?

Stelios was buying for everybody.

Stelios?

Sakis?

Who gave you the money for the ice cream, pet?

Your brother or Stelios?

Come on, tell your aunt.

Stelios!

Scrub harder.

Loser!

You missed a spot. More suds!

Go on home for dinner.

I thought I would faint, but it wasn't that bad.

He was colder. Frozen. He was hard to move.

It took ten hours to dress him.

Pantelas says the skill is in dressing the deceased...

to avoid breaking bones.

In this heat, they must be buried right away,...

so they don't smell.

The game is "funeral" --- you'll love it.

I don't know...

Don't know what, Bobo? It's a great game.

~ Don't call me Bobo. ~ Why not? Mom does, Bobo.

~ That's different. ~ OK, if you'd rather not...

So how is "funeral" played?

First, you have to die.

~ Good evening, Mr. Pantelas. ~ Doctor.

~ May he rest in peace. ~ Amen. What did he die of?

~ Old age. ~ Vanilla.

He ate vanilla.

He knew that the only way he'd die was from vanilla.

He never kept vanilla in this house.

Yesterday, he bought a whole jar of vanilla paste.

He'd grown tired.

He wanted to go.

How old was he, anyway?

He was born December 13th...

1852. It was a Saturday.

We were twins, but he had all the looks.

Many years ago...

I was just a kid. I was with my Dad.

We were walking by your house,...

and he pointed to Mr. Gabriel and said to me:...

"Anyone who lives in that house never grows old.

"See him? Mark my words,...

"He'll be your client, for I won't be around."

It's as if the old man knew.

It's true...

The lack of aging in this house is unique.

It's a pity Mr. Michail won't let us call in our learned colleagues...

to examine the circumstances of his brother's death.

Science has put us through enough.

Let us...at least let us die with dignity.

The sooner my brother is laid to rest...

the better for all of us.

I've never seen anything like this before.

Had you not been here, Doctor, I'd have said it was...

Magic.

Thunderstorms.

Houdini was a magician.

Houdini was a con artist, not a magician.

Who's Houdini?

Have you decided on his clothes?

I'll bring them to you.

Galanos has gone to Amaliada.

The Acrobats need a second-in-command.

~ Why should it be Aaron? ~ The Acrobats was my idea.

I set it up and did the posters.

I run faster and play ball better.

The Janissaries are scared of me, not you.

Let's vote.

Your cousin Stelios votes for you, and mine for me, so it's a tie.

We need a competition.

~ Like what? ~ Diving.

Fine, diving it is.

Hold the scarf in your hand...

and rub it.

Now make a wish.

Give me the scarf.

Take the scarf.

Put it under your pillow when you go to bed...

and you'll see.

Whatever you wished for...will come true.

~ Thanks, Aunt Soso. ~ That's what aunts are for.

Would you like some ice cream?

Seven.

Seven.

Eight.

122.

~ Ten! ~ Nine!

Eight. What's my total?

122. If you get all Tens, it's a tie.

If you get even a single Nine, you lose.

Oh, boy! That's some watermelon!

~ Huge. Where did you get it? ~ From the Gypsy.

Verios!

Let's go, son.

I'm scared stiff.

Don't be silly.

You're not alone, it's not dangerous unless you are.

Even then, only if it's a full moon.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm shitting myself.

Stick them in.

The things you learn from Pantelas!

Dad told me never to go to Pantelas's again.

Boiled wheat is for memorials, not funerals.

Same Diff. It's the ceremony that counts.

What's the time?

~ Ten. ~ The exact time.

~ Two minutes to ten. ~ Good, two minutes left.

For exactly one minute, absolute silence!

Shut your eyes and say a silent prayer for Verios.

Tell me when the minute is up.

OK.

Time?

Five seconds to go. Four...

Three...Two...One...

Ten on the dot.

"It's ten o'clock. Time for the Request for the Day.

"From the Backyard Acrobats...

"Stelios, Akis, Aaron, and Galanos...

"to our buddy Dimitris Verios, who left suddenly on vacation...

"without saying good bye.

"For Verios:

"School days, things were fine. You sat at a desk next to mine.

"You'd hand me a book and say, 'I love you'.

"We strolled in the park, me and you...

"You'd always play, like kids do.

"When we sat on a bench to hug and kiss,...

"I hoped you'd always feel like this."

~ What's going on? ~ Run!

"GENERAL AARON FOURIKIS 1892-1961"

"ANASTASIA FOURIKIS 1902-1969"

There is no curse.

That's not what I heard.

We named you Aaron, not Frederick.

Not long after, your Granny's God-Daughter had a girl...

and named her Frederika.

~ Riki? ~ That's right.

You were both christened on the same day.

At the party, you were both so serious, sitting side by side,...

it was more like an engagement party than a christening, some said.

Nonsense!

Sure you don't want any?

Aunt Soso makes the best ice cream.

No, it's got vanilla.

Can't you have vanilla, either?

If my brother couldn't, I imagine I can't, either.

You mean you've never had vanilla ice cream?

Do you know you look like your grandmother Anastasia?

You have her eyes.

Incredible woman.

Did you know Queen Frederika and she were friends?

~ Frederick here... ~ Shut up!

Why? You're also a Frederick.

My name is Aaron.

Yes...

I recall...the curse.

There is no curse.

There is. It still exists.

I've got something for you.

I'm leaving!

I can't start the day without my coffee.

Greek coffee, not Turkish,...

as some people around here have taken to calling it.

It's Greek coffee, totally Greek.

Of course, there's French, America, and English coffee...

Frankly, they taste like dishwater.

Even the English snub it for tea...

like my friend, Lady Ascot from Chelsea.

Greek coffee is the best...with half a teaspoon of sugar...

and a teensy bit of froth, just so the bubbles tickle our lips.

What an aroma!

What a taste!

Superb!

Hey, isn't that your Dad's car?

Not a peep!

I want you to promise me something.

Whatever you want, Aunt Rodoula.

You won't tell a soul that you saw your father leave here.

Understand?

Not even Stelios.

I promise.

Not like that, the proper way.

"May a truck full of steel run me down,...

"may I die on a sinking boat to Smyrna,...

"may sharks eat me alive,...

"let me die, die, die if I ever betray the Acrobats!"

~ Hi, Rodoula. ~ Hi, Pericles. I've got a flat tire.

Let's take a look.

Why haven't you been around? We said we'd go for an ice cream.

Yeah, right. I know what you men are like.

You invite us for ice cream supposedly,...

then you go down to the café and bad-mouth us.

Shame on you. You all disgust me.

I don't bad-mouth.

You're competent. No doubt.

So will you teach me?

Being competent doesn't make you a magician.

Teach me!

You have nothing to lose by trying.

He's crazy.

He's a magician --- the only real one I've ever met.

I don't want him to be an Acrobat.

Did you know he was born in 1852?

He's won over 40 magic competitions.

When I'm a magician, he'll show me the cistern's secret passage.

~ The what? ~ The secret passage. Didn't you know?

No.

I even saw him make Reza disappear...

and reappear in another room.

Reza? You took Reza to him?

Yeah, why?

There are no more Acrobats. Don't you get it?

Shitty brat.

Lice head.

You gave them to all of us!

It's all those bums you hang out with.

Luckily, the boy is clean.

My, oh my, oh my!

If the boy had caught them I'd have throttled you.

Another one!

"I enjoyed the sunset in your eyes tonight...

"and the roses of dawn on your lustful lips.

"I found happiness at your doorstep...

"and I hear nightingales...

"in the sweet sound of your voice."

Hello. Is Aaron home?

~ Why? He's sick. ~ May I see him?

No, it's contagious.

~ What's he got? ~ Lice.

Lice? Fancy that. Everyone's got them.

~ Why? Who else has them? ~ Mrs. Rita.

~ Mrs. Rita? ~ Yes.

Dad sold her some lice powder.

Dad says they're not serious. They go away.

Tell him to get well soon.

Don't even budge!

She's his lover.

I feel so soiled.

So soiled!

What's wrong with your mother?

I know something's wrong.

She's got lice.

Vangelis has a lover.

I want your help.

Let's go inside.

When Dad asks for coffee, serve this.

Don't make a mistake. This one, do you hear?

What time are you meeting?

At about 1 1 .

Dad!

~ Miss me, Kid? ~ When are you coming home?

~ Two coffees. ~ Make that beers.

~ It's too early for beers. ~ Right. Frappé coffees.

I don't know how to make those.

I do Greek coffee and fried cheese.

Fine, Greek coffee. One sugar, OK?

Make it two...and fried cheese.

Hi. You must be Sakis.

I'm Pericles.

Is Rodoula in?

Your mom?

Your Aunt Eleni?

~ Pericles? ~ Hello, Rodoula.

What are you doing here?

You must be Mrs. Coula. Pericles Souglos.

What are you doing?

Pericles, what is this?

~ Is Mrs. Eleni in, too? ~ Yes, she is.

Eleni?

Eleni!

~ You have no business here. ~ Yes, I do.

Hello, Mrs. Eleni. Pericles Souglos.

Pericles, have you gone mad?

Of course not. And stop saying that.

I'm here to meet your sisters.

Would you care to come inside?

No, Mrs. Coula.

May I call you Coula and you call me Pericles?

And you Eleni?

Pericles, come in. We don't want everyone to hear!

I do. I want them to hear. Hello, people. Pericles Souglos.

They heard me...

and so that my intentions are clear...

My name is Pericles Souglos. I'm in the tire business.

I'm poor but honest. I love and respect Rodoula.

I give you my word that until we're married...

I'll never take her into any dark alleys.

And...yes...

My mouth is dry and I'd welcome a glass of water.

How about it, Rodoula?

I'm Mrs. Efthia, so trust me, because I'm your best friend.

I have just one thing to say to you:

Shortbread is good at any time: Winter, Summer, Spring, Autumn,...

before or after dinner, before or after coffee.

Tourists from America and Germany...

come here to try our fabulous shortbread.

Even my friend, Lady Ascot from Chelsea, when she visits...

always asks me for the secret to my fabulous shortbread.

I never tell her...but because you're my friends,...

and I keep nothing from friends...

The secret to superb shortbread lies...in the icing sugar.

Superb!

"Hey, Casanova, we no longer belong...

"to those long-gone days of yore.

"Women no longer shed tears over things that you do...

"nor do they die just for a glance from you.

"Hey, Casanova, don't play hide-and-seek.

"Give women credit for not being weak.

"You toss love in the air like a big bouncing ball,...

"You're cute, but of love, you know nothing at all.

"I laugh at you time and time again..."

They left the fridge door open again.

Who's been rolling pastry?

Sakis?

Sakis!

Come on out, you scoundrel!

You're in for such a hiding from your Dad!

Come out, I said!

Why did you tie Sakis up?

That was the game.

What was the game called?

The kidnapping of Chipiropo.

What sort of game is that?

Indians kidnap Chipiropo --- that's Sakis --- ...

and then they ask for a ransom.

~ Ransom from whom? ~ From Dad.

How much ransom?

~ 100,000 Drachmas. ~ And does he pay it?

It depends. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

~ What happens then? ~ When?

~ If he doesn't pay? ~ Then...

Then...?

They eat him.

I can't bear it. If he turns out sick, too, I'll...

He's not sick, just jealous.

I don't dare leave them alone any more.

What am I to do?

~ It's that old bag's fault. ~ Whose?

You know.

Your Mother-in-Law Anastasia and her precious Frederika.

Her and her curses!

I wonder...

Think about it!

We didn't name him Frederick, so the curse remained.

And why is Sakis always sick?

Her curses again!

Nah. I don't believe in that stuff.

I've been expecting you.

I knew your grandmother Anastasia.

We were friends.

Gossip-mongers may say...we were more than friends.

Lies.

Your grandmother was a lady.

She was in love with the General.

With your grandfather, Aaron.

Just as your grandmother and I were friends,...

I'd like us to be friends, too.

~ I've got my own friends. ~ Who? The Acrobats?

Galanos has gone away.

Stelios? You're fighting.

Verios?

Let me tell you something about Verios.

I'm telling you as a friend.

I know what you did.

I know. Yes, indeed.

I know something else, too.

The cistern...has not yet had its fill.

"I'd like asparagus, black caviar, and tapioca soup."

"What's tapioca?"

"For wealthy tobacco merchants, the staff is ill-trained."

"Make a soufflé, instead...

"and chill two bottles of champagne."

"Champagne?"

"You're here --- I hadn't noticed! Staying for dinner?

"I can't stand the same old faces..."

I don't like not talking.

~ You started it. ~ You attacked me.

You used Reza as a guinea pig.

OK, I'm sorry about Reza.

I'm sorry, too.

"At 8 o'clock this morning, Turkish armed forces..."

Not those ones.

Take the good ones.

"Turkey invaded Cyprus in violation of international law...

"and existing international alliances.

"Turkish guns are now trained on Greek and Turkish Cypriots."

My God, what did I almost do?

Just come back to me. I can't make it alone.

I'll be back, Darling.

Back to you and our home.

It was my mother's. Wait for me.

"Wherever I am, no matter where I may be,...

"no matter how far I may roam,...

"forever, in pain and sorrow,...

"and with tears and sighs,...

"I'll always be looking for you.

"Has anyone seen my love?

"My love who has forgotten me?"

Rodoula! Rodoula! He's back!

Isn't this a most fabulous summer?

And what better than delicious ice cream?

My friend Lady Ascot from Chelsea visited me last week.

The first thing she did was run to the freezer...

to see if I'd made my famous vanilla ice cream:

a recipe I'll share with you, my friends.

Not one, but two: one with cin-cin...

and one without for those who don't like cin-cin.

What's cin-cin?

But of course it's slivers of juicy red cherries,...

delectable quince,...

and refreshing bergamot.

First, let's taste my fabulous vanilla ice cream.

Superb!

Never let him out of your sight.

Keep tabs on him whenever he goes to work.

Make sure his shirts are always beautifully ironed.

Don't let him bring friends home.

Be wary of his friends.

He doesn't have all that many.

And keep female friends away.

One whiff of a home-maker or a man who's good in bed,...

and they'll be all over him.

Don't worry, I'll keep him satisfied.

Now and then, peek into his wallet.

Always know how much he earns and spends.

Don't let him be a spendthrift.

Above all, don't let him be miserly.

Everything in moderation.

He doesn't frequent cafés, does he?

That's both good and bad.

Find him a hobby, so he's not under your feet.

He enjoys going to watch soccer.

It's better than nothing.

Let me look at you.

Twirl.

If only our mother could see you.

You're so beautiful.

Thank you.

And I'm sorry.

Sometimes I acted like such a pig toward you.

Hello, Aunt Soso.

What are you looking for?

I want to make a vanilla sweet that won't taste of vanilla.

Aren't you sick of tormenting Sakis?

~ It's not for Sakis. ~ Not for Sakis?

Promise?

"May truck full of steel run me down,...

"May I die on a sinking boat to Smyrna,...

"May sharks eat me alive,...

"May I die, die, die if I tell a lie."

This will do it.

Aaron. Don't you have a wedding on?

You weren't coming, so I brought this.

It's ice cream --- I made it.

Yes...

I can't stand weddings and funerals.

I find them both incredibly depressing.

Any vanilla in it?

No. Bergamot and butter. Also cream and ice cream.

It's Aunt Soso's recipe from England.

You want to be a cook?

An acrobat, then a frogman, and then maybe a cook.

~ I like shortbread. ~ It's made with vanilla.

Tasty.

I don't know whether you'll be a good acrobat,...

but you'll be the best cook.

Not cook...chef!

I have to go. Rodoula's going to sing.

"So many love affairs I've started,...

"I fell in love, but we always parted.

"I wandered here and there, searching for you everywhere.

"A thousand dreams I dreamed of you.

"My lips always reached out for you.

"For you, my soul searched everywhere,...

"my secret passion to lay bare.

"I have so regretted all those years I wasted.

"All the years I spent waiting before I met you, my Darling.

"The one thing I most fear is that one day I'll hear...

"that I've lost you.

"Because you know, my love, it's true...

"I could never get over you.

"Come closer to me, my Darling.

"I'll tell you once more what I'm feeling:...

"The thing I most fear is that one day I'll hear...

"that I've lost you.

"Because you know, my love, it's true...

"I could never get over you."

Wake up. Something's wrong with Michail.

That must be the doctor.

You have a fever.

Your grandma was right.

Her shadow is there.

I see her.

She's following you.

He was fine yesterday.

Don't forget he's over 100 years old.

I didn't get a chance to reveal the cistern's secret to you.

Don't talk. Don't talk.

Do it tomorrow, Stelios. You're tired.

Now!

"May a truckful of molten lead run me down,...

"May the boat to Smyrna sink with me on it,...

"May I be eaten alive by sharks and eels,...

"May I die, die, die if I betray the Acrobats."

He lied to you.

There is no secret passage.

Do you see anything?

~ Is he out? ~ No.

~ Has he come up? ~ No.

Aaron.

Aaron Frederick.

Listen to me.

So much heartache

All because of your Mom's pig-headedness.

But I had made a vow...

and I honour my vows...

just as I do my curses.

And now look what's happened.

Stelios got caught in the turbine.

You will keep on living and you will remember.

This is a dream.

You came right on time.

They've emptied it.

It's not fair.

We have to fill it again, Aaron.

They're coming.

There must always be water in the cistern. Promise, Aaron.

"May a truckful of molten lead run me down,...

"May the boat to Smyrna sink with me on it,...

"May sharks and moray eels eat me up,...

"May I die, die, die if the cistern is ever empty!"

"To the well, so deep and cold,...

"I did go, I did go, for to see.

"At the bottom of the well...

"I went to see, I went to see.

"I saw a woman down as deep as can be...

"Come on down, come on down, she beckoned to me.

"The next day Autumn dawned..."

"May a truckload of steel run over me,...

"May the boat to Smyrna sink with me on it,...

"May sharks and eels eat me alive,...