I remember the first verse. I know there are more. Can't locate the book I used to read to my kids. The boys loved this one.

Any clue where to find it?

Seems this is a classic in some parts of the
English speaking world: Part 1.
One fine day in the middle of the night
Two dead boys* got up to fight [*or men]
Back to back they faced each other
Drew their swords and shot each other
Part 2a.
One was blind and the other couldn't see
So they chose a dummy for a referee.
A blind man went to see fair play
A dumb man went to shout "hooray!"
[or: And two lame men came to carry them away]
Part 2b.
A paralysed donkey passing by
Kicked the blind man in the eye
Knocked him through a nine inch wall
Into a dry ditch and drowned them all
Part 2c.
A deaf policeman heard the noise
And came to arrest the two dead boys
If you don't believe this story’s true,
Ask the blind man he saw it too!

Here is another version:

1."I come before you, to stand behind you,
To tell you something I know nothing about.
Admission is free, so pay at the door;
Pull up a chair and sit on the floor:

2.Early this morning, late last night,
Two dead men rose up to fight.
Back to back they faced each other,
Drew their swords and shot one 'nother.

3.A stone-deaf sheriff heard the noise,
And came and killed those two dead boys.
The mute psychotic shrieked in fright,
With words of joy at this ghastly sight.

4.Now if you doubt this lie is true?
Ask the blind man; he saw it, too."

Nigel Rees put out a call for this one and got at least ten variations.

Nobody had a clue to its authorship.

Author: Breathing Oxide (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: 05-04-04 14:57

Thank you

One dark night, in the middle of the day.
Two dead boys went out to play.
Back to back, they faced one another,
Drew their swords and shot one another.
A deaf policeman heard the noise,
And came to kill! The two dead boys.
If you don't believe my stories true,
Ask the blind man...He saw it too.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In that same vein:

Ladies and gentlemen, uncles and aunts,
Cockeyed mosquitoes and bow-legged ants.
I come here before you to stand behind you
And tell you something I know nothing about.

Next Wednesday, which is Good Friday,
There's a ladies' meeting for men only.
No admission, pay at the door,
Pull up a chair and sit on the floor.


Les

There are more versions here:

[www.google.com] />

Les

We went around on this on the General Discussion forum a couple of years back. (several times, actually)

Here's one thread <[www.emule.com] />
pam

Pam, I hyperlinked that thread, and Stephen closed it for some reason.

Les

Say what? Which thread did I close?

Stephen

This one was supposed to be a link to a previous discussion:

[tinyurl.com] />
If you are NOT the one who closed it Stephen, I have no idea what happened.

Les

my dad used to work with a guy who said this all the time

Heather, was he a poet?

Les

This is a what I remember from my childhood

One bright day in the middle of the night
Two dead men got up to fight
Back to Back they faced each other
Drew their swords and shot each other
A deaf police men heard the noise
Came and shot these two dead boys
If you don't believe this lie is true
Ask the blind man he saw it too.

This is how I heard it as I was growing up...

One bright morning, late at night,
two dead boys got up to fight.
They faced front to back and shot each other with their swords.
A deaf policeman heard the noise,
and came running to kill the two dead boys.
If you don't believe what I said,
go ask that blind man, he'll say he saw it all.

John and Gary, you might be interested in just how many versions there really are, go here:

[www.folklore.bc.ca] />

Les

One bright day in the middle of the night,
Two dead boys got up to fight,
Back to back they faced eachother,
Drew their swords and shot eachother,
A deaf policeman heard the noise,
Came and killed the two dead boys,
And if you don't believe it's true,
Ask the blind lady, she saw it too,
She was looking through a knothole in a barbwire fence.

Not that it's a huge addition to the conversation, but I always heard this poem with, shall we say, a bit more mellifluous first line thus:
"One dark morning in a very bright night
Two dead boys came out to fight...

Rest of the poem as I always heard it is basically the same as many of the other versions posted here. Is this a poem out of oral tradition or is there a written version published somewhere and attributed to an actual singular author? Guess I'll go to Les's suggested website and see if there's insight (ooo...a cool rhyme!).

Darren
dmarshal@psdschools.org

I'm trying to find my Grandad a copy of a childrens poetry book that contained this poem and others like it including 'The Snow White Swan' and Hugh Mearns' 'The Psychoed'.
He thinks it was called something like 'The Golden Treasury of Verse'.
If anyone can point me in the right direction it would be most appreciated.

Cheers - G

I have two copies sitting on my bookshelf: The Silver Treasury of Light Verse by Oscar WIlliams. Don't buy the paperback version, it falls apart. Yeah, that is why I have two. I was careful not to break the spine on the 2nd one.

One bright day in the middle of the night
Two dead men stood up to fight
Three blind men to see fair play
Four deaf mutes to yell "Hooray"
Back to back they faced each other
Drew their swords and shot each other

-Golden Books

Other, click on "flat view" and read the posts and links posted above yours.

Les

Ladies and Gentiles
Horses and Reptiles
I come here before you to stand behind you to tell you something I know nothing about
Next Tuesday which is Good Friday there will be a men’s meeting for women only
Admission is free, you pay at the door
The seats are empty, you sit on the floor
We’ll be talking on the three corners of the round table
One bright day in the middle of the night three brave men began to fight
Back to back they faced each other
They drew their swords and shot each other
A deaf policeman heard the noise, drew his gun and stabbed the boys
If you don’t believe this lie is true, ask the blind man, he saw it too.

In Memory of my grandpa, Emmett Gollegly

The version my Grandfather taught was a little different.

One bright morning in the middle of the night
Two dead boys got up to fight.
Back to back they faced each other,
Drew their swords and shot each other.
A deaf policeman heard the noise
And came and caught the two dead boys.
One dead boy who had no feet
Began to run down the street.
The other dead boy who could not talk,
Said "Oh Policeman let me walk."
If you don't believe this story's true
Go ask the blind man, he saw it too.

the one I know is from A rocket in my pocket - publ 1948 ,
compiled by Carl Withers (Carl A Withers)

One bright morning in the middle of the night
Two dead boys got up to fight
Back to back they faced each other
Drew their swords and shot each other.
A deaf policeman heard the noise
And came and killed those two dead boys.

Ladies and gentlemen, hoboes and tramps,
Cross-eyed mosquitoes and bow-legged ants,
I come before you to stand behind you,
To tell you something I know nothing about.
Next Thursday, this is Good Friday,
There will be a Mother’s Day meeting for fathers only;
Admission is free, so pay at the door,
Pull up a seat and sit on the floor.
We will discuss a story you’ve all heard before.
One bright morning, in the middle of the night,
Two dead boys, got up to fight,
They lived on the corner, in the middle of the block
On the second floor, of a vacant lot.
One had a fiddle, one had a drum,
And one had a pancake stuck to his bum,
Back to back they faced each other,
Drew their swords and shot each another,
One was blind and the other couldn’t see
So they chose a dummy for a referee.
A blind man went to see fair play,
A dumb man went to shout “hooray!”
A paralyzed donkey passing by,
Kicked the blind man in the eye,
Knocked him through a nine inch wall,
Into a dry ditch and drowned them all,
A mute onlooker shrieked in fright
And a lame man danced at the ghastly sight
A deaf policeman heard the noise,
And came to arrest the two dead boys,
One dead boy who had no feet
Began to run down the street.
The other dead boy who could not talk,
Said "Oh Policeman let me walk."
If you don’t believe this little lie is true
Ask the blind man he saw it too!

one fine day in the middle of the night
two dead men got up to fight
back to back they faced each other
drew there swords and shot each other
a deaf police man heard to noise and arrested those two dead boys

There are a zillion versions, dear readers:

Go here to see thousands of versions, including all the ones posted here:

[www.folklore.bc.ca] />

[tinyurl.com] />

Les



Post Edited (12-03-04 00:51)

i can't rember th rest of the poem

yes, this is genious, every single bit of it!

chris

Kristyn... i remember that! i finally wrote it down so i can always have piece of grandpa with me. i miss him dearly and love you bunches!

(I've always heard it with the impossibilities if a true lie, and killing the dead boys

One fine day in the middle of the night
Two dead boys got up to fight
Back to back they faced each other
Drew their swords and shot each other

A deaf policeman heard the noise
And came and killed the two dead boys
If you don't believe this lie is true,
Ask the blind man he saw it too!


(Granted, this version is missing the 3 middle stanzas and preamble that were so popular in the early Renaissance)

I first heard this poem about l934, when I was 13 years old. My cousin, who was the same age recited it to me, and for some reason I was quite taken by it for its obvious and twisted humor, and memorized it. At the time I thought it was just one of those meaningless ditties that kids liked to recite, and had no idea, until rather recently, that others like myself had a strong curiosity about its author and origins. About five years ago at the Museum of Folk art in NYC I saw a painting of the two boys, with the poem quoted as part of the title, and at that time realized that it had standing as "nonsense verse", and had a part in the mileau of poetry, not just some kid's ditty.

that is exactly the way i remember this poem we had to analyze the meaning of this poem when i was in seventh grade got a line or two stuck in my head the other day and went searching for it thanks for posting this so i wouldn't drive myself crazy trying to find it

One bright day at midnight
Two dead boys got up to fight
Back to back they faced each other
And with their swords they shot each other
When the deaf policeman heard all the noice
With his club he shot the two dead boys.
And if you don't believe this tale is true
ask the blind man- he saw it too!

can you tell me who wrote this folklore

do you remember the name of the book

poetfreak Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

do you remember the name of the book


h

I heard this poem from my aunt and it was different, I think it went
One bright day in the middle of the night
Two dead men stood up to fight.
Three blind men to see fair play
Fourty mutes to yell "Hoo-ray!"
Back to back they faced each other,
Drew their swords and shot each other.