Sing a Song of Sixpence
/ˌsɪŋ ə sɒŋ əv ˈsɪkspəns/
/ˌsɪŋ ə sɔːŋ əv ˈsɪkspəns/
- an old English children's song, which may refer to the life of Henry VIII. Some people think that the birds in the song represent the Roman Catholic choirs (= groups of singers) after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Most people in Britain know the first verse: “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?”