A Nonsense Anthology Part 15

One said it was a s.h.i.+p, The other said Nay; The third said it was a house With the chimney blown away.

And all the night they hunted, And nothing could they find; But the moon a-gliding, A-gliding with the wind.

One said it was the moon, The other said Nay; The third said it was a cheese, And half o't cut away.

_Anonymous_.

THREE ACRES OF LAND

My father left me three acres of land, Sing ivy, sing ivy; My father left me three acres of land, Sing holly, go whistle, and ivy!

I ploughed it with a ram's horn, Sing ivy, sing ivy; And sowed it all over with one peppercorn.

Sing holly, go whistle, and ivy!

I harrowed it with a bramble bush, Sing ivy, sing ivy; And reaped it with my little penknife, Sing holly, go whistle, and ivy!

I got the mice to carry it to the barn, Sing ivy, sing ivy; And thrashed it with a goose's quill, Sing holly, go whistle, and ivy!

I got the cat to carry it to the mill, Sing ivy, sing ivy; The miller he swore he would have her paw, And the cat she swore she would scratch his face, Sing holly, go whistle, and ivy!

_Anonymous_.

MASTER AND MAN

Master I have, and I am his man, Gallop a dreary dun; Master I have, and I am his man, And I'll get a wife as fast as I can; With a heighly gaily gamberally, Higgledy piggledy, niggledy, niggledy, Gallop a dreary dun.

_Anonymous_.

HYDER IDDLE

Hyder iddle diddle dell, A yard of pudding is not an ell; Not forgetting tweedle-dye, A tailor's goose will never fly.

_Anonymous_.

KING ARTHUR

When good King Arthur ruled the land, He was a goodly king: He stole three pecks of barley meal, To make a bag-pudding.

A bag-pudding the king did make, And stuffed it well with plums; And in it put great lumps of fat, As big as my two thumbs.

The king and queen did eat thereof, And n.o.blemen beside; And what they could not eat that night, The queen next morning fried.

_Anonymous_.

IN THE DUMPS

We're all in the dumps, For diamonds are trumps; The kittens are gone to St. Paul's!

The babies are bit, The moon's in a fit, And the houses are built without walls.

_Anonymous_.

TWEEDLE-DUM AND TWEEDLE-DEE

Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee Resolved to have a battle, For Tweedle-dum said Tweedle-dee Had spoiled his nice new rattle.

Just then flew by a monstrous crow, As big as a tar-barrel, Which frightened both the heroes so They quite forgot their quarrel.

_Anonymous_.

MARTIN TO HIS MAN

Martin said to his man, Fie! man, fie!

Oh, Martin said to his man, Who's the fool now?

Martin said to his man, Fill thou the cup, and I the can; Thou hast well drunken, man: Who's the fool now?

I see a sheep shearing corn, Fie! man, fie!

I see a sheep shearing corn, Who's the fool now?

I see a sheep shearing corn, And a cuckoo blow his horn; Thou hast well drunken, man: Who's the fool now?

I see a man in the moon, Fie! man, fie!

I see a man in the moon, Who's the fool now?

I see a man in the moon, Clouting of St. Peter's shoon, Thou hast well drunken, man: Who's the fool now?

I see a hare chase a hound, Fie! man, fie!

I see a hare chase a hound, Who's the fool now?

I see a hare chase a hound, Twenty mile above the ground; Thou hast well drunken, man: Who's the fool now?

I see a goose ring a hog, Fie! man, fie!

I see a goose ring a hog, Who's the fool now?