You Can't Make A Turtle Come Out in 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.