ID: 466
Date: 1950s - 2000
Title: Seven blackbirds
Gender: Female 
Classification: Clapping 
Rhyme: 

Seven blackbirds in a tree,
Count them and see what they be,
1 for sorrow,
2 for joy,
3 for a girl, 
4 for a boy,
5 for silver, 
6 for gold,
7 for a secret 
That's never been told.

(Wellington, 2000)

--

One for sorrow,
Two for joy, 
Three for a letter,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
That's never been told.

(NZ ex UK, 1950s)

--

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,
Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten for a bird, never to be missed.

(Lower Hutt, 1972)

--
 
Background Info: Described in "Play and Folklore", Issue 28, 1995:6, being used when counting magpies 
c.1928-1930 in Australia:

One for sorrow,
Two for joy, 
Three for a letter,
Four for a boy,
Five for a wish,
Six for a kiss,
Seven for a wish that'll never be told,
Eight for gold.

==

Opie, 1967:217, also describes this rhyme and variations being used with reference to magpies being sighted. Also used in reference to numbers on bus tickets and their divisibility by 7 or 5 or 3 (pages 333 - 334) and counting sneezes.

==

Gullen, 1950:22 records the following variations:
Divination by magpies - Scottish:

Ane's joy, twa's grief,
Three's a waddin', four's a death,
Five's a coffin, six a hearse,
Seven a great man in distress.

Irish:

One for sorrow,
Two for joy, 
Three for a wedding,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
That's never been told.

==
 
Keywords: Samoan, divination 
Location: Wellington 
Group size: 2 
Incidence: 3