For some strange reason, and I have no idea why, an old English nursery rhyme and song has been playing over and over in my head. If you’ve been on the planet longer than a couple of decades (maybe much longer), then you might remember the tune. And it’s one of those songs real men shouldn’t sing out loud. Because it’s just too dainty. In fact, the word “dainty” is in the lyrics. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I think the second verse or stanza or whatever contains the strange hook. Because it talks about counting out money.
Counting out money in ye olde counting house
Yeah, that used to be a thing. (probably still is on some level) Evidently businesses used to have counting houses for actually tallying up sales. And those places were where they conducted business related to payments and such. By most accounts, they were pretty dreary places. So, just picture Scrooge taking out his grouchy, humbug attitude on Bob Cratchit.
OK, so what.
I still don’t understand why counting money or a counting house would come up in my mind. What does it all mean? Was it just something I experienced in a bad dream? Or maybe my ears heard the song somewhere without it registering in my conscious mind. But whatever it was, I just can’t get this tune out of my head.
Maybe you have an idea why a dainty, old English rhyme about counting would come up in my mind. Here are the lyrics.
*Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing,
Wasn’t that a dainty dish
To set before the king?
The king was in the counting-house
Counting out his money.
The queen was in the parlor
Eating bread and honey.
The maid was in the garden
Hanging out the clothes.
Along came a blackbird
And snipped off her nose.
Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing,
Wasn’t that a dainty dish
To set before the king?
*Now, you’ll have the song stuck in your head.
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