You Can't Make a Turtle Come Out - Malvina Reynolds

You can’t make a turtle come out

You can’t make a turtle come out

You can call him or coax him or shake him or shout

But you can’t make a turtle come out, come out

You can’t make a turtle come out

If he wants to stay in his shell

If he wants to stay in his shell

You can knock on the door but you can’t ring the bell

And you can’t make a turtle come out, come out

You can’t make a turtle come out

Be kind to your four-footed friends

Be kind to your four-footed friends

A poke makes a turtle retreat at both ends

And you can’t make a turtle come out, come out

You can’t make a turtle come out

So you’ll have to patiently wait

So you’ll have to patiently wait

And when he gets ready, he’ll open the gate

But you can’t make a turtle come out, come out

You can’t make a turtle come out

And when you forget that he’s there

And when you forget that he’s there

He’ll be walking around with his head in the air

But you can’t make a turtle come out, come out

You can’t make a turtle come out