Magpie rhyme

[ks]

One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told.... does anyone know 8,9 & 10?

[Pickle]

Eight for a wish, nine for a kiss, ten for a time of joyous bliss, if my memory serves correctly,

[melandraf]

.....Eight for a wish, Nine for a kiss, Ten for a letter, Eleven for Worse and Twelve for Better. (My Nan told me that one...)

[smorodina]

Eight's a wish and nine a kiss, ten is a bird you must not miss... 'Magpie' theme tune - by Traffic I think.

[Roxy]

I'm with smordina, definetely ten is a bird you must not miss- it ties in nicely with the whole, "magpie is a bird" thing doesn't it?

[ks]

to roxy, yeah maybe, but pickle's has a better ring to it and it fits in with the numbers being meanings for something that's going to happen, don't you think?

[johntheplamf]

I don't go along with this tosh, only the other day i saw Two magpies ripping a Crow apart, so where exactly is the joy for the poor crow?

[Anchasta]

I like Pickles' the best, rings a memory with me. To Johntheplamf...the two magpies were having the joy, that's the thing with faerytales and rhymes, gotta watch what you ask for!

[Heaven22]

I think you will find Melandruf is correct for the original rhyme... the "ten is a bird you must not miss," was added for the theme tune to the "Magpie" childrens programme

[ardchoile]

I remember reading a book and the rhyme went up to 12, with I think 11 a christening and 12 a death.

[pilgrim]

The rhyme goes like this: One for sorrow, Two for mirth, Three for a wedding, Four for a birth. Five for rich, Six for poor, Seven for a witch -- I can tell you no more. Another version is: One for sorrow, Two for joy Three for a girl, Four for a boy Five for silver, Six for gold Seven for a secret never to be told. A third found in Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable is: One's sorrow, two's mirth, Three's a wedding, four's a birth, Five's a christening, six a dearth, Seven's heaven, eight is hell, And nine's the devil his old self.

[meat]

One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for rich, Six for poor, Seven for a bitch, Eight for a *****, Nine for a funeral, Ten for a dance, Eleven for England, Twelve for France

[danno]

When I was little, me and my sister used to say :

8 for a plate

9 for a pine

10 for a big fat hen !

at least it ryhmes :-)

[PurpleGee]

Meat that is a typical mens answer! haha but i'm glad I'm not the only one interested in looking this up, great site, Magpies seem to be on the increase i've always wanted to know what 8 and up was? I've only ever known it as Pilgrim's 2nd version so now I can pick and choose an approriate ending unless someone votes for the correct 1?!

[barney15c]

Magpie theme was sung by Spencer Davis Group - there may have been some members of Traffic in the SDG but not sure.

[han.cliff]

8 for a wish, 9 for a kiss, 10 for a bird you just can't miss... :o)

[chloelou]

One for sorro
Two for joy
Three for a girl
Four For a boy
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven for a secret never to be told
Eight for a wish
Nine for a kiss
Ten for joyful bliss...

It only goes up to ten i think x x x

[lizardbean]

the rhyme was in a childs book...
I saw nine magpies in a tree
one for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told, eight for a letter from over sea's, and nine for true love that will never be! thats it no ten no more thats it!!!!! here ends the lesson!.

[leofrick]

It only goes up to 7. 8 is a sorrowful secret never to be told. 9 is a joyful one. 10 is for a secret about a girl never to be told. 14 is for 2 secrets never to be told. It continues in this fashion.

[chantelle_123-098]

One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told, eight for a wish, nine for a kiss, ten for a time of joyous bliss.

[chantelle_123-098]

One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told, eight for a wish, nine for a kiss, ten for a time of joyous bliss.