Magpies - This is a little superstitious verse that my mum (Irish) used to say to me whenever she saw a "tiding" of magpies.

One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a wedding
Four for a boy
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven for a secret never to behold
Eight a wish
Nine for a kiss
Ten is a secret you cannot miss

Here are some other versions that I have found on the net

Crow or Magpie Augry (the practice of foretelling the future based on the number of birds seen) has been around for centuries, and spawned many version of the "counting rhyme". These are a few.
The older ones and the European ones tend to be about magpies, while the newer ones and the North American ones tend to be about crows, suggesting that the subject switched from magpies to crows around the same time that people were crossing the atlantic.


Counting Rhyme (from The Folklore of Birds, by Laura C. Martin, 1993)

One for sorrow, two for mirth,
Three for a wedding, four for a birth,
Five for silver, six for gold,
Seven for a secret not to be told.
Eight for heaven, nine for hell,
And ten for the devil's own sel'.


Counting Crows
One for sorrow,
two for joy,
three for a girl,
for for a boy,
five for silver,
six for gold,
seven for a secret,
never to be told,
eight for a wish,
nine for a kiss,
ten for a time
of joyous bliss.




Magpie Rhyme (from Bird Brains, by Candace Savage, 1997. The Rhyme she quotes is from The Dictionary of Superstitions published by Oxford University Press in 1992)

One for sorrow,
two for mirth,
three for a wedding,
four for birth,
five for rich,
six for poor,
Seven for a witch,
I can tell you no more.


Counting Rhyme

One crow sorrow,
Two crows mirth,
three, a wedding,
four, a birth,
five brings silver,
six takes wealth,
seven crows a secret,
More I can nae tell.


Counting Crows

One for sadness, two for mirth;
Three for marriage, four for birth;
Five for laughing, six for crying:
Seven for sickness, eight for dying;
Nine for silver, ten for gold;
Eleven a secret that will never be told.

One for sorrow, two for mirth, three's a wedding, four's a birth, five is Heaven, six is Hell, seven is the Devil himself.


Magpie, magpie, chatter and flee,
Turn up thy tail, and good luck to me.


One's lucky,
Two's unlucky,
Three is health,
Four is wealth,
Five is sickness
And six is death.


One crow sorrow,
Two crows joy,
Three crows a letter,
Four crows a boy.

One for sorrow
Two for mirth
Three for a wedding
Four for a birth
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven of a secret not to be told
Eight for heaven
Nine for hell
And ten for the devil's own self.


One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
Four for a boy
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven for a secret never to be told.


One for sorrow
Two for mirth
Three for a wedding
Four for birth
Five for rich
Six for poor
Seven for a witch
I can tell you no more.

There are many recorded instances of country folk being n real terror if a single pynot or "Maggotty-Pie" flew across their path. Two of the most popular rhymes concerning this dangerous bird of omen are:
One for Anger
Two for Mirth
Three for a Wedding
And for for a Birth
Five for Silver
But six for Gold
Seven for a secret
that's never been told.
Eight for Heaven
And nine for Hell
Ten for the Devil
Who'll get yer so'elle

One for Sorrow
Two for Joy
Three for a Letter
Four for a Boy
Five is for rich
And six for Poor
Seven for a Witch
And Eight for a Whore
Nine for Burying
I ca tell thee no more.

Tradition accusses the magpie of not wearing full mourning at the Crucifixtion and is supposed to carry a drop of the Devil's blood under its tongue.

The/ magpie brings us/ tidings of/ news both fair and/ foul
She's more/ cunning than the/ raven More/ wise than any/owl
She/ brings us news of the / harvest Of/ barley wheat and/ corn
She/ knows when we'll go/ to our graves/ How we shall be/ born//
One's for sorrow/ Two's for joy/ Three's for a girl and/ Four's for a boy/
Five for silver/ Six for gold And/ Seven for a secret/ never told//
Devil devil/ I defy th-/ ee//
Devil devil/ I defy th-/ ee/
Devil devil/ I defy/ thee//


[This message has been edited by johnnie7au (edited 12-27-2005).]

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