Magpies Lyrics
Count the magpies you spot on a walk and the old Lancashire rhyme tells what each number is supposed to mean, from mirth to a wedding to a birth.
Magpies
One for anger,
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.
More verses from the original
One for anger,
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.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/magpies/
- Type
- Counting Rhymes, Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Spoken counting rhyme
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| One for anger, two for mirth | Hold up one finger, then two, as you say each number. |
| Four for a birth | Rock your arms like a baby. |
What Does Magpies Mean?
The magpie is a black and white bird with a long tail, known for being noisy and clever. Country people long ago made up rhymes about what it meant when you saw one, two or more of them, and the meaning changed from one county to the next. This Lancashire version counts from one to seven: anger, mirth (which means happiness and laughter), a wedding, a birth, being rich, being poor, and a witch. The last line, "I can tell you no more", is the rhyme's way of ending.
Nobody should take it as a real forecast. For children it works best as a counting game: it gives a reason to look carefully at the birds in the park and count them.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell prints it in Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales (1849), in a chapter on superstition rhymes. He writes that the belief about seeing magpies was widespread, but that the details differed from place to place. In some counties two magpies meant sorrow, in others joy, and he gives this Lancashire list as one of the examples.
Later versions of the rhyme in English use different words and go on to higher numbers, so there is no single right version. Halliwell's list is a good picture of how a bit of folklore could change as it passed through different towns.
Learning Activities
- Bird count: keep a tally of magpies on a walk and read out the matching line.
- Draw a magpie: use black and white paper and cut out a long tail.
- Counting on fingers: say the rhyme slowly and hold up one more finger for each line.