There was a man in our town
And he was wond'rous wise;
He jumped into a bramble bush
And scratched out both his eyes.
And when he saw his eyes were out,
With all his might and main
He jumped into another bush
And scratched them in again!

Our town is a quiet little town, and lies nestling in a little valley
surrounded by pretty green hills. I do not think you would ever have
heard our town mentioned had not the man lived there who was so wise
that everyone marvelled at his great knowledge.

He was not always a wise man; he was a wise boy before he grew to
manhood, and even when a child he was so remarkable for his wisdom
that people shook their heads gravely and said, "when he grows up
there will be no need of books, for he will know everything!"

His father thought he had a wond'rous wise look when he was born, and
so he named him Solomon, thinking that if indeed he turned out to be
wise the name would fit him nicely, whereas, should he be mistaken,
and the boy grow up stupid, his name could be easily changed to Simon.

But the father was not mistaken, and the boy's name remained Solomon.

When he was still a child Solomon confounded the schoolmaster by
asking, one day,