Four and twenty blackbirds

You were probably wondering why I called you here today.


Blackbirds in a Pie Nursery Rhyme History and Origins 
Our grateful thanks goes to one of our visitors who have supplied us with the following information about Blackbirds in a Pie - the Sing a Song of Sixpence Nursery Rhyme.

This song was believed to parody the relationship between King Henry VIII of England and his second wife Anne Boleyn.
Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie:
In preparation for a visit by the King to the home of Anne Boleyn, Hever Castle during their courtship, 'netters' were sent out into the fields of the estate with rye in their pockets to spread around to catch a mass of blackbirds. Two dozen blackbirds, feathers still on, were baked into a massive, pie that looked beautiful on the outside.
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?
But when the pie was cut open the smell was terrible '...began to sing' is a funny, way of referring to this in English slang. The 'dainty dish' was highly sarcastic.