You Gotta

Every now and then, you gotta

Raise a little heck!

You gotta toss the niceness out

And dig up all the dreck!

You gotta roll in sludgy mud,

You gotta scream with glee!

You gotta coat your hair with cheese

And set your belches free!

You gotta make a castle

Out of peas and mashed potaters,

You gotta fill your sister’s bath

With rubber alligators!

You gotta dance in underpants,

You gotta bang on pots!

You gotta fling your scrambled eggs

With everything you gots!

But you don’t gotta shave the cat

Or plot your brother’s doom,

Or tie your grandma to the couch—

That’s why you’re in your room.