Sing a Song 'o Six Pence

Summary

Sing a song o' sixpence, a handful 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?

So, what does this strange old nursery song mean? Or is it just nonsense? If you have never heard the legend of Gilligren and the King's pie you will scarcely understand the above verse; so let Frank Baum, the man who wrote the Wizard of OZ, tell you the whole story, and then you will be able to better appreciate the rhyme.

Gilligren was an orphan, and lived with an uncle and aunt who were very unkind to him. They cuffed him and scolded him upon the slightest provocation, and made his life very miserable indeed. Gilligren never rebelled against this treatment, but bore their cruelty silently and with patience, although often he longed to leave them and seek a home amongst kinder people.