The Show Must Go On

Once there was a poor actor
who grew tired of the part he played,
so one day he changed all the words around,
just said what he wanted to say.

'You can't do that! ' cried the director,
'the plot's been carefully arranged.
You must die at the end of Act IV.
That's crucial and cannot be changed.'

That night the actor went home to his wife,
told her he couldn't take it anymore.
'I just want to be the hero once, ' he explained.
'I believe it's what I was destined for.'

But his wife told him the real heroes
are those who accept the parts they must play.
'We really need the money;
let them kill you and drag you away.'

So the actor returned to his part,
though he died just a little each day,
and when his life was finally over,
his wife found she could no longer pray.

The director cried at the funeral,
said he could hardly believe he was gone,
and they'd never be able to replace him,
but, of course, the show must go on.