Annie Edson Taylor
Wanted to be first over the falls
A school teacher from New York
She was gonna’ show them all
She had a custom barrel made
But first tested it on a cat
The poor thing plunged over the falls
It had no say, cause that was that
Luckily the cat emerged
A little tattered but still alive
So on her 63rd birthday, 1901
Ms. Taylor, finally took her dive
They called her Queen of the Mist
Queen of the Mist
The first to conquer the falls
But in real actuality
The cat deserved it all
The glory, the title, the award for the first
The cat deserves it all
Cause the Queen of the Mist, the Queen of the Mist
Was the second to conquer the Falls
She peddled her wares for many a day
As souvenirs to passers by
‘Til her manager ran off with the famous barrel
And the detectives bled her dry
She swore she’d never do such a feat again
That once, was already too much
They say she lived from hand to mouth
And the fame was never enough
But the tawdry cat he lived the life
Fat on rats and crumpets and tea
Everyone wanted to know the cat
Who was famous, as famous can be
Sometimes you can hear them play their jazz
Near midnight along the old lagoon
They call him King of the Mist
And so they wrote him this tune…..
©2020 by Diana Williamson
Source: Diana Williamson, 2020