Wise Old Owl, A

DESCRIPTION: "A wise old owl sat/lived in an oak, The more he heard, the less he spoke, The less he spoke, the more he heard, Why can't we be like that wise old bird?"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1915 (Opie/Opie-OxfordDictionaryOfNurseryRhymes)
KEYWORDS: bird nonballad
FOUND IN: US Ireland
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Opie/Opie-OxfordDictionaryOfNurseryRhymes 394, "A wise old owl lived in an oak" (1 text)
Solomon-ZickaryZan, p. 139, "(A wise old owl lived in an oak)" (1 text)
Kane-SongsAndSayingsOfAnUlsterChildhood, p. 21, "(A wise old owl sat on an oak)" (1 text)
Roud #7734
NOTES [28 words]: Opie/Opie-OxfordDictionaryOfNurseryRhymes claims that American president Calvin Coolidge, "Silent Cal," had these words inscribed above the fireplace of his home. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.5
File: ZiZa139A

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