Puff the Magic Dragon
See the Official Peter, Paul and Mary page here: peterpaulandmary.com and please consider buying ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ and other Peter, Paul and Mary music here: itunes.apple.com/au/album/puff-the-magic-dragon-single/id805299904
Puff the Dragon appeared in The Time Virus, and of course he had to live on an island called Honah Lee. This song was one of my childhood favourites, so even before Skye knows Puff’s real name, it’s the song she sings to try and tame the dragon she finds floating on a lake of Noesis.
If you’d like to see where the song appears in In The Time Virus or Skye Walker and the Dragons, see below for an excerpt from Chapter 21 – The Noesis and the Golden Dragon
With my eyes on the dragon, I tipped my board forward and glided slowly towards it. As I got closer, I could hear its thoughts.
‘I mustn’t stay long,’ it was thinking. ‘They’ll find me and take my treasure. I must be careful, but I love lying here — pretending to be a crocodile.’
I wasn’t sure if anyone else could hear the dragon.
‘I want to stay here,’ it continued, ‘and improve my shining tail, and pour some water from … oh, I forget … onto every golden scale.’
The words were familiar to me, but I couldn’t remember where I’d heard them.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to do when the dragon woke up!
‘Filth might come,’ thought the Dragon. ‘Filthy humans or dirty angels. Must. Stay. Awake.’
I remembered that Orpheus could charm things, and I wondered if the sleeping dragon could be enchanted by music. A song popped into my mind — something my father used to sing to me.
I started to whisper it, very softly, like a lullaby.
‘Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea …’
The dragon sighed deeply, still asleep.
I continued, ‘And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee.’
The dragon shifted its back legs.
I stopped singing and looked at the others who were waiting a little distance back. They looked anxious, but for some strange reason, I felt calm.
I continued to sing.
‘Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff. And brought him strings and sealing wax … and other fancy stuff.’
The dragon opened one eye and stared at me. I could hear its inner voice again.
‘Human! Must be invisible!’
I kept singing quietly, ‘Oh-oh, Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea …’
Puff, I thought. Good name.
The dragon carefully stood up, water streaming from its body. Even though it was only a bit taller than me, the dragon was still an imposing figure.
Here’s an older version of the song by Peter, Paul and Mary; and a more recent version of Puff the Magic Dragon.