Even Before Hitchcock Got His Hands On Them, Birds Were Pretty Nasty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            Now, I have nothing against our feathered friends, loves.  One of our best friends here, which you have heard me mention, is Pete, The Pigeon.  I have not seen Pete for awhile; I am guessing, being a pigeon of distinction, that he has gone South, for the Winter.

                            Such random thoughts began passing through my mind, as I watched "Into The Woods."  I was thrilled when the birds pecked out the eyes of Cinderella's Stepmother and Stepsisters, which led me to Alfred Hitchcock, and then the old Mother Goose rhyme, "Sing A Song Of Sixpence."

                             You remember, darlings--

                              "Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye.
                                Four and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie.
                                When the pie was open, the birds began to sing.
                                Wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the King?

                                 The King was in the counting house, counting out his money..
                                 The Queen was in the parlor, eating bread and honey.
                                 The Maid was in the garden, hanging out the clothes.
                                 When along came a blackbird, and tweaked off her nose."

                             I think the actual word is "pecked," but I somehow remember it being "tweaked."  Besides, I prefer the sound of that word, anyway.  Now, I can hear some exclaiming over how The Raving Queen could be so daring to rewrite Mother Goose.  Well, why not?  I am sure I am not the first, and besides, as I often claim, I am a lot more informed than that Perez Hilton.  He just does the old Blanche Du Bois act, giving truth, in the form of illusion.  I give illusion, in the form of truth.   Blanche always said she did not want reality, but magic!  Well, here, hons, you get the magic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             Getting back to the rhyme, and looking over the text, I had to sigh.  Once again, as with so much of nineteenth century literature, it is all about social class!!!!!!!!!!   Why is it that the poor maid has to get her nose tweaked?  Why not the fat, overindulgent Queen, who is only whittling away time, sitting in that parlor, eating the bread and honey?????????  At least, with "Into The Woods," (and the original Grimm Brothers) those snotty upper crust Stepsisters got their due.  But in Mother Goose?  It does not pay to be lower class; the maid here, The Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe; even Pretty Bobby Shaftoe, floating on his raft!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            I am telling you, girls, it doesn't pay to hail from the wrong side of the tracks!   Those who remain, get thee from there as soon as possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            Goat Alley does not have to last forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!