The original verse from "Mother Goose:"
Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocketful 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.

Sing a song of seven pence,
A pocket full of wheat.
Eight and nineteen bluebirds
Prepared for us to eat.
A cake popped in the oven,
The guests gone on their way.
Would you dare to never wish
The weary guests will stay?

Sing a song of eight pence,
A pocketful of string,
Thirty-nine score hundred-weight
Seagulls on the wings.
When the flock has landed,
The shore is grey as grit.
All the kings that ever lived
Could never swallow it.

Sing a song of ninepence,
A pocket with nothing
Can never buy a service
Nor any other thing.
Yet a heart that's full of joy
Has everything.
Wouldn't you enjoy to hear
The songs that glad heart sings?

The king was in the counting house,
Counting out his money.
The queen was in the parlor,
Eating bread and honey.
The maid was in the garden
Hanging out the clothes,
When along came a blackbird
And snipped off her nose.