RARA-AVIS: Re: RARA-AVIS Digest V4 #310

From: Rob Cream ( robcream@telusplanet.net)
Date: 19 May 2002


Kent Morgan in Winnipeg where it's not a fine day asked:

> Now can any Rare-Avian provide me with the correct words and the source
for the
> verse that has as its first line "One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night"
> which Brookmyre used as a title? The second line is "Two dead men got up
to
> fight" which could lead to something hardboiled.

I don't know the source - I've known it since I was a kid. I think it's just a traditional bit of English nonsense - along the lines of: how many errors can you find in this sentence?

The words are:

One fine day in the middle of the night, Two dead boys got up to fight. Back to back they faced each other, Drew their swords and shot each other. The deaf policeman heard the noise, And came and shot the two dead boys. If you don't believe my story is true, Ask the blindman, he saw it too.

Coming from (I assume) an oral tradition, I'm not surprised that you've come across <variations>.

Rob in North Central Alberta where it's quite a nice day ;-)

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