Three wise men of Gotham,
They went to sea in a bowl,
And if the bowl had been stronger,
My song had been longer.
Notes
Composition date is unknown - the above date represents the first publication date.
The lyrical form of this poem is abcc.
1. A town near Nottingham whose citizens are defamed for their
lack of intelligence. Cf. The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, ed. Iona and
Peter Opie (1951\; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1966), no. 192, pp. 193-94.
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