Making a living the law-pard way,
Taking no shit, giving much away.
Then comes a case that he should sure decline. . .
Handin’ a line (handin’ a line).

Maddelena[1] gave a flower-
laced potion to her man[2]; its power-
ful poison cause his death, police opine.
She hands a line, handin’ a line,
Handin’ a line, packet o’ lies.

Keane[3] says, “Fine, I’ll take the case.” Then he finds
That her charms cloud his mind; now he is in a bind:
He buys the line, his pair entwined,
His pair entwined gland is aligned.

Loves her but can’t freely display it;
The profession, that would dismay it.
As it turns out she’s a scamming swine,
Handin’ a line, an actor fine,
An actor fine, man in a bind.

She says, “Fine, I confess, I did the crime.”
She ain’t gonna do time: it’s the end of the line.
Baggin’ the line, factual time.
For ghastly crime: hangin’ from twine.



[1]Paradine, as played by Alida Valli.
[2]Colonel Paradine
[3]Anthony Keane, Paradine’s barrister, as played by Gregory Peck “with an occasional British accent,” as imdb.com puts it.