The bee,
The harp,
The mouse,
And the bum clock.
Once there was a widow,
And she had one son called Jack.
Jack and his mother owned just three cows.
They lived well and happy for a long time.
At last,
Hard times came down on them.
The crops failed,
And poverty looked in at the door.
And things got so sore against the poor widow,
That for want of money and for want of necessities,
She had to make up her mind to sell one of the cows.
Jack,
She said one night,
Went over in the morning to the fair to sell the brawny cow.
Well and good in the morning,
Dave Jack was up early,
Took a stick in his fist,
And off to the fair he went with her.
Jack came into the fair.
He saw a great crowd in a ring in the street.
He went into the crowd to see what they were looking at.
And there in the middle of them,
He saw a man with a wee,
Wee harp,
A mouse,
Bee,
To play the harp as soon as the harp thing in the fair.
Also,
He was never in such,
In such a state before,
Or since,
That it hopped and jigged as if to,
Says he,
Master of all these animals,
Says Jack.
I should like it fine,
Me.
Make a ball,
Says Jack,
Of a fine cow,
Says the man.
I will give you the bee and the harp for it.
Oh,
But,
Jack says,
Poor mother is at home,
Is very sad and sorrowful entirely,
And I have this cow to sell and lift her heart again.
Better than this she cannot get,
Says the man,
For when she sees the bee play the harp,
She will laugh,
If she never laughed in her life before,
Says Jack.
That will be grand.
He made the bargain,
Jack started home with the bee in his pocket.
He came home,
His mother welcomed him.
Jack,
Says she,
I see you have sold the cow,
Says Jack.
Very well,
Much did you get for her,
Says the mother,
Says he.
It was not for money at all I sold her,
But for something far better.
Oh,
Jack,
Jack,
What have you done?
Just wait till you see,
Mother,
Says he,
And you will soon say,
I have done well,
Out of his pocket.
He takes the bee and sets them in the middle of the floor,
Whistles to them,
And as soon as he did this,
She and Jack began to dance.
Butts and pats and reels began to jig and dance over the floor itself.
He was a silly,
Foolish fellow,
Also.
Must do something to live,
Says she,
For to the fair you must go to take the black cow and sell her.
He was in the fair,
Came into the fair,
He saw a big in the street,
And saw the wee man this day again in the street,
And whistled to each other as they did in the street,
Also.
And the reels,
Butts,
And the all of them were jigging and dancing all over the town.
Hoses themselves were jumping such a place Jack never saw before.
To his pocket all stopped dancing and settled down.
Everybody laughed.
Glad to see you,
How would you like to have these animals?
I should like well to have them,
Says Jack,
Says the man,
Says Jack.
It is very down hard,
She sent me to the fair to sell this cow.
Bring some money to lift her heart,
Says the man.
If you want to lift your mother's heart,
I will sell you the mouse.
Can you set the bee to play the horns to it,
Life before,
Says Jack.
Take your cow for it,
Had his mind so set on it,
He thought.
It was a grand,
Gave the man his cow and started off,
Says she.
I see you have sold the cow,
I did that.
Did you sell her well?
Very well indeed,
Says Jack.
Much did you get for her,
I will soon show you that,
Says he.
Taking the mouse out of his pocket and setting all on the floor,
He began to whistle,
Gave such a hearty laugh,
As she had never laughed in her life before.
Dancing and jigging herself,
Back fell sandpans.
Those andreals began to dance and jig to this and his mother.
She laughed for that.
She got very down hearted and very angry,
Entirely with Jack.
You are a stupid,
Good for nothing fellow.
Neither money nor here you have lost too.
I have only,
She says.
You must be up early and take this cow to the fair and sell her.
See to get something to lift my heart up,
Says Jack.
To the fair,
He saw a crowd gathered in a ring in the street.
At any how,
Says he,
He pushed through the crowd.
And there he saw the same he had seen before.
Potty cow began to dance and jig also.
Everything on the street and about it,
Hills and reels,
Houses themselves began to dance likewise.
Everyone laughed and saw Jack.
Dave boy,
Says he,
You will never be right fixed,
Until you have this bum clock,
For it is a very fancy thing to for that.
Have a cow is as good as money to me.
Very down hearted at home and she sent me to the fair to sell this cow and raise some money and lift her heart.
Oh but Jack,
Says the wee man,
This bum clock is the very thing to lift her heart.
For when you put down your house on the floor with them,
If she never laughed in her life before.
But that is surely true,
Says Jack.
I think make a swap with you.
So Jack gave the cow to himself and started from home.
Mother was glad to see Jack and says she,
I see that you have sold the cow.
I did that mother,
Says Jack.
Did you sell her well Jack,
Says the mother.
Very well.
Much did you get for her.
Didn't take any money for her mother.
Value,
Says Jack.
He takes out of his pocket and set them on the floor and began to whistle.
Mouse and the bum clock stood up on their hind legs and began to dance.
Jack's mother laughed very hard at everything in the house.
The wheels and the reels,
Pots and the pans,
Went jigging and hopping all over the floor.
Mouse itself went jigging and hopping about everything,
Stop or food.
She got very,
Very angry at Jack and scolded him hard.
Sat down was a stupid fool,
Says he,
Who said,
Tomorrow do you judge,
Says she.
How is it you are not June's daughter,
Says she.
Didn't you hear that the whole world is hurt?
Ireland has a daughter who hasn't laughed for seven years and he has promised to give her in marriage and to give the kingdom along with her to any man who will take three laughs out of her.
That is so,
Says Jack.
It is not here I should be.
To the house he went and gathers together the bee,
Mouse and the bum clock.
It is mother couldn't be long till she got news from him.
He hurries.
Meet every spike there.
Heads are these,
One of the king's soldiers.
Comes here trying to win the king's daughter but fails to make her laugh three times.
Loses his head,
Sits stuck on a spike.
These are the heads of the men that failed,
Says Jack.
Sent when the king's daughter and the king's court came out and sat themselves down.
Silver chairs in front of the castle.
Well,
He should have his child out of his pocket and he gave the harp to the bee.
It is string.
Book the end of the string himself.
Castle yard before all the court.
His animals coming on a string.
Says saw poor ragged Jack with his bee and mouse behind him on a string.
They set up one roar of laughter.
It was long king's daughter herself lifted her head to see what they were laughing at and saw Jack and his paraphernalia.
She opened her mouth and she let out of her such a laugh as was never heard before.
Then Jack dropped a low curtsy and said,
Thank you,
My lady.
I have one of the three parts of you.
One.
He drew up his animals in a circle and began to whistle and he did.
The bee began to play the harp.
Mouse and the bumclaw stood up.
Picks pulled of each other.
The king and the king's court and Jack himself began to dance and shake.
Everything about the king's castle.
Butts and pans.
Wheels and reels.
Castle itself began to dance.
Also the king's daughter when she saw this opened her mouth again and let out of her a laugh twice louder than she let before.
In the middle of his jigging drops another curtsy and says,
Thank you,
My lady.
That is two of the three parts of you.
One.
Jack and his menagerie went on playing and dancing.
Jack could not get the third laugh out of the king's daughter.
Poor fellow saw his big head in danger of going on the spike.
Brave mouse came to Jack's help and wheeled round upon its heel and as it did so its tail swiped into the bumclaw's mouth.
Began to cough and cough and cough.
And when the king's daughter saw this she opened her mouth again and she let out a laugh the loudest and hardest and merriest laugh was ever heard before or since.
Thank you,
My lady,
Says Jack dropping another curtsy.
I have all of you.
One.
And Jack stopped his menagerie.
King took himself and the menagerie within the castle.
He was washed and combed,
Dressed in a suit of silk and satin and with all kinds of gold and silver ornaments and then was led before the king's daughter.
She confessed that a handsomer and finer fellow than Jack she had never seen and she was very willing to be his wife.
Jack sent for his poor old mother to the wedding which lasted nine days to nine nights.
Every night better than the other.
All the lords and ladies and gentry of Ireland were at the wedding.
I was at it too and got brogues and broth and slippers of bread and came jigging home on my head.
