Walrus' poem

 

Walrus telling his poem.

The poem was recited by Walrus during Totentanz while "murdering" the Oyster Starlets and gorging them. Afterwards, he proceeded to eat the remaining dancers and planned on eating the fish audience before the Infernal Train killed him.

There are two versions of the poem. The full version came from the unused dialogue, and the short version, which omitted two verses, was used in the game.

Versions

Full version

Sword and crown are worthless here. I invite everyone to dance. Laborers, lawyers, church, and gown, all make their little prance. Men and women, young and old, reject my prophet hand. I don't implore them, nor ignore them. I firmly take my stand. This life is full of random deaths. And heaps of grief and shame. So few are soothed by 'accident', you want someone to blame. Fire, plague, and strange disease, drowned, murdered, or, if you please, a long fall down the basement stairs. None are expected, no one cares. I know the steps so very well, all must learn my little dance. Families may die and loved ones cry, but no one is left to chance. I often must work very hard, sweat running down my skin. After the dance, I then must rest, and the eating can begin.

Short version

Sword and crown are worthless here. I invite everyone to dance. Laborers, lawyers, church, and gown, all make their little prance. This life is full of random deaths. And heaps of grief and shame. So few are soothed by 'accident'; you want someone to blame. Fire, plague, and strange disease; drowned, murdered, or, if you please, a long fall down the basement stairs. None are expected, no-one cares. I often must work very hard, sweat running down my skin. After the dance, I then must rest, and the eating can begin.

Trivia

• The poem is based on verses from the first printed Totentanz textbook (the anonymously attributed Vierzeiliger oberdeutscher Totentanz (roughly translated as "Four-Line Upper German Dance of Death"), published in the Heidelberger Blockbuch around 1455-1458), that accompany images of personified Death addressing people of all walks of life.