Saturday, June 21, 2025

Simple Simon -- how did we miss this one?

We got "Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater." We got "Jack and Jill went up the hill." But somehow we'd overlooked this one until now:


His name is Simon, as in Simon Peter, and he wants a pie (pumpkin?) but can't pay for it (and thus might end up stealing it?). He says he has no money and then goes a-fishing. Simon Peter says "Silver and gold have I none" (Acts 3:6) and "I go a fishing" (John 21:3). Putting these two together, there is even an episode where Peter, needing a single coin to pay a tax, goes fishing in order to get it (Matt. 17:24-27). In the rhyme, though, Simon is fishing "for to catch a whale" -- tying him to Captain Ahab and Whinbad the Whaler. Finally, he goes fishing in a pail, tying him to Jack and Jill (and thus to Pinbad the Pailer, who is also Ahab) and to Thomas B. Bucket.

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