(no subject)

[featherynscale]

There was an old woman tossed up in a blanket
Seventeen times as high as the moon.
But where she was going, no mortal could tell it,
For under her arm, she carried a broom.
"Old woman, old woman, old woman," quoth I,
"Whither, ah whither, ah whither so high?"
"To sweep the cobwebs from the sky."
"May I come with you?"
"Aye, by and by."

Comments

Re: I love this

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

No, it's not mine - it's a nursery rhyme. I had a record when I was a kid that had rhymes and children's songs on it, and this one was read by an older man, with a sad, spooky sort of voice - it really stuck in my head. I had forgotten about it until yesterday, when the first line sort of popped up in my head, and I couldn't remember the rest, so I had to look it up.
As far as I know, there's no tune, and this is the only verse. It would be interesting to sing though...

Re: I love this

[themadblonde]

found two things online:

http://www2.redhawk.org/irish/oneill/waifs/waif-2.abc

Says the quatrain (first four lines) were set to an ancient strain that is used in O'Sullivan's March.

http://babysong.co.kr/There%20was%20an%20old%20woman%20tossed%20up%20in%20a%20blanket..htm

will give you a link to some kind of audio file, but I don't have audio on my 'puter so can't hear it.