We stripped the Old Red Sandstone
And drilled boreholes 'cross the moor
I was thinking "geodesic ... "
But the client had ordered cores.
The rig was humming louder
As the sealant blew away
When we hauled out all the other links,
We laid them on a tray.

And so it was that later,
As the printout told its tale
That a trace of Old Red Sandstone
Showed as "lighter grade of shale"

She said "there is no reading!
"Though the tufa's plain to see
"But a sondage through the trailer park
"should resolve it easily."
But a silver Vauxhall Vectra
There was leaning far too close
And although I tried to open one
It might just as well been closed.

And so it was that later,
As the printout told its tale
That a trace of Old Red Sandstone
Turned to "lighter grade of shale"