Bela Lugosi's Blues

[Jassy Melson]

The blood, the blood, everywhere blood.
I've grown weary of it,
forced to sup on it every night.
It never changes color.
It was fun at first to quench my thirst
on a lily-white throat;
but the ecstasy is no more, it's gone sour;
in fact, it's a downright bore to be a vampire.
Lying in dirt every day, no friends
I can trust, no minimum wage,
hiding from would-be Van Helsings.

Everyone wants to get in on the act,
to give me the axe, or a stake,
to prevent me from ever seeing another midnight.
Such ignorant fools they be! Is there no respect for me?
I was once a lord of a castle horde
made up of loyal servants. They called me Count
and shuddered at the sound of my approaching footsteps.
But now, they make jokes and secret chortle with mirth
whenever they see me spread my leathery wings;
they even openly smirk.

The blood, the blood, everywhere blood.
It was once so sweet, such a thrilling treat,
but alas, no more, now it's a bore,
for blood
makes me
sick.

[Jeos]

Are you really interested in "vampirism"? The Count that appears in your poem really existed, was Vlad Steps a noble from Vallaquia -Romania).
Bela Lugosi was hungarian - another territory full of tales on vampirism.

Interesting text.

[Jassy Melson]

Stoker based Dracula on Vlad Tepes--who was not a vampire. He was also not a count; he was a prince which is somewhat higher in rank than a count.

[Jeos]

Absolutely right ...I generalized too much.Some years ago i read a 500 pages biography on Vlad Dracul written by a romanian universitary teacher.
About Vlad not being a vampire that's a complex matter- it depends on what we understand by vampire.
But as interesting as this is how the concept of vampire evolved...concept whose culmination is the vampire proposed by Coppola's.

[Emil Miller]

The blood, the blood, everywhere blood.
It was once so sweet, such a thrilling treat,
but alas, no more, now it's a bore,
for blood
makes me
sick.


Fangs aren't what they used to be.

[Jassy Melson]

I had more fun composing Bela Lugosi's Blues than I have with anything else I've written. The poem is totally tongue-in-cheek and is meant to be enjoyed and, yes, even laughed at.