Dorothy and Toto walked until they came to a cornfield with three different directions without any signposts saying This Way to the Emerald City, not even and arrow carved onto the white fences.
"Follow the Yellow Brick Road," said Dorothy. "Follow the Yellow … Now which way do we go?"
"Pardon me. That way is a very nice way."
Dorothy looked around. "Who said that?"
Toto barked at a scarecrow dressed in a green shirt and a pointed hat pointing to the right.
"Don't be silly Toto," said Dorothy. "Scarecrows don't talk."
"It's pleasant down that way too."
Dorothy looked at the scarecrow again, only this time it was pointing at the direction she had come.
"That's funny," said Dorothy. "Wasn't he pointing the other way?"
"Of course, people do go both ways," said the voice.
Dorothy looked at the scare again, but this time, he was pointing both way with arms crossed.
"Why, you did say something didn't you?" said Dorothy stepping over a loose plank of the fence going up to the scarecrow.
He shook his head but then nodded.
"Are you doing that on purpose? Dorothy asked. "Or can't you make up your mind?"
"That's the ting you see," said the Scarecrow "I can't make up my mind. I haven't got a brain, only straw."
"How can you talk if you haven't got a brain?"
"I don't know," replied the Scarecrow. "But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they?"
"Yes … I guess your right," said Dorothy. "Oh! Where are my manners? We haven't really met properly have we?"
"Why, no," agreed the Scarecrow.
"How do you do?" Dorothy curtsied.
"How do you do?" said the Scarecrow back.
"Very well, thank you."
"I don't feel well at all," said the Scarecrow glumly. "You see, it is very tedious being stuck up here all day long with a pole up your back."
"Oh dear," sympathized Dorothy. "That must be very uncomfortable. Can't you get down?"
The Scarecrow looked glum. "Well…err…the thing is…."
"Here," offered Dorothy. "Let me help you."
"Oh, that's very kind of you," said the Scarecrow smiling. "Very kind."
Dorothy examined the behind of the pole and looked rather confused.
"Oh dear," she said. "I don't really see how I can -"
"I know I'm not bright about things," said the Scarecrow, "but if you bend down the nail on the back."
"Oh yes!" said Dorothy noticed the big silver nail. She twiddled it and the Scarecrow fell to the ground with straw falling out form his green shirt.
"Oh, goodness, I am so sorry!" Dorothy exclaimed. "Are you hurt?"
"Certainly not!" laughed the Scarecrow. "I just keep picking it up and putting back in again," he said stuffing the straw back in his shirt. He stood up and smiled. "My it's good to be free! He twirled and fell over the white fence, to which Dorothy yelled in fright.
"Did I scare you?" asked the Scarecrow.
"No," answered Dorothy. "I just thought you hurt yourself."
"But I didn't scare you?"
"No, of course not."
The Scarecrow looked glum. "I didn't think so."
At that point, three crows landed on the fence.
"Oh, look!" cored the first one. "He's finally off the pole."
"I suppose he'll think to chase after us, but he can't!" laughed the second.
"What are you gonna do, Scarecrow?" laughed the third.
"Err," thought the Scarecrow. "Boo?"
The Crows flew into the air laughing their heads off.
The Scarecrow turned to Dorothy.
"You see … what's your name?"
"Dorothy. Dorothy Gale."
"You see, Dorothy, Dorothy Gale? I can't even scare a crow. They come from miles around to just eat in the fields and laugh in my face. Oh, I'm failure, because I haven't got a brain."
"What would you do with a brain if you had one?" asked Dorothy.
"Do nothing!" cawed the Crows. "Ka! Ka! Ka!"
The Crows
Said a scarecrow swinging on a pole,
To some blackbirds sittin' on a fence,
"Oh, the Lord gave me a soul,
But, forgot to give me common sense."
The Scarecrow
Said the blackbirds, "Well, well, well.
What the thunder would you do with common sense?"
Said the scarecrow," Would be pleasin'
just to reason out the reason
of the wishes and the whyness and the whence"
If I had an ounce of common sense...
The Crows
(If he had an ounce of common sense)
The Scarecrow
I would while away the hours
Conferin' with the flowers
Consultin' with the rain
And my head I'd be scratchin'
While my thoughts were busy hatchin'
If I only had a brain.
I'd unravel every riddle,
For every individle,
In trouble or in pain.
Dorothy
With the thoughts you'd be thinkin',
You could be another Lincoln,
If you only had a brain.
The Scarecrow
Oh I- could tell you why,
The ocean's near the shore.
I could think of things I never thought before,
Then I'd sit- and think some more.
I would not be just a nothin',
my head all full of stuffin',
My heart all full of pain.
I would dance and be merry,
Life would be a dingle derry,
If I only had a brain.
If I only had a brain-
(If he only had a brain.)
I could tell you why
The ocean's near the shore.
I could think of things I never thought before
And then I'd sit- and think some more.
Ya, it would be kind of pleasin'
To reason out the reason,
for the things I can't explain.
Then perhaps I'd deserve you,
and be even worthy of you,
If I only had a brain.
I could dance and by merry,
Life would be a dingle derry,
If I only had a brain.
If I only had a brain.
(If he only had a brain.)
"Wonderful! Bravo!" applauded Dorothy. "Why if our scarecrow back in Kansas could do all that, the crows would be scared to pieces."
"They would?" asked the Scarecrow.
"Certainly," Dorothy nodded.
"Where's Kansas?" asked her new friend.
"That's where I live," she explained." I want to get back there so badly, me and my dog Toto are travelling all the way to the Emerald City to get the Wizard of Oz to help me.
"You're both going to see a Wizard?"
"Yes."
"Do you think if I went with you This Wizard would give me some brains?"
"I couldn't say," said Dorothy. "But even he didn't you'd be no worse off than you are now."
"I guess you're right," thought the scarecrow. "Yeah, that's true."
"But maybe you better not she carried on. "For you see, I've got a Witch mad at me and you might get yourself into trouble."
"Witch? Mad? What for?"
"The Wicked Witch of the West. She's one of the main reasons me and Toto are to going to see the Wizard. These slippers I'm wearing right now, she is desperate to get her hands on them."
The Scarecrow scoffed boldly. "I'm not afraid of Witches. Apparently, I'm not afraid of anything. Except, maybe, a lighted match."
Dorothy looked at his appearance pitifully and said, "Since you're made of straw I can't really blame you for that."
"But I'd face a whole boxful of them for a chance of getting some brains," he said. "Look, I'll be no trouble, because I don't need to eat, and I won't have any ideas, because I can't think. Won't you take me with you?"
"Why of course I will," Dorothy smiled.
"Hooray!" cried the Scarecrow leaping to his feet. "We're off to see a Wizard!"
"You're not starting out very well," criticized Dorothy.
"Oh, I'll try," assured the Scarecrow. "Really I will."
"To Oz?"
"TO Oz!"
And they started to sing while following the road on they left.
We're off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz,
We hear he is a Wiz of a Wiz, if ever a Wiz there was,
If ever oh ever a Wiz there was the Wizard of Oz in one because, because because, because, because, because, because of the wonderful things he does.
We're off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
"Bye, Scarecrow!" called Crow Number One. "I'm gonna miss that old hay bag."
"You said he was a stuck shirt," said Crow Number Two.
"Yeah, well now that's he's down off the pole he ain't nearly so stuck-up," joked Crow Number Three.
"Caw! Caw! Caw!" they all laughed as they flew away.
As soon as everyone was gone, a black pointed hat pocked through the corns.
"A straw man for company eh?" said Witch. "Well, since he's got no brain, I suppose he won't see this puzzle by the bridge coming. That little brat will be so sorry she came to Oz in the first place."