# Five gooold rings: A postseasonal enquiry about a Christmas song
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [January 8, 2020, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135 "2020-01-08T18:20:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/1 "2020-01-08T18:20:18Z")
Around 1964 - '69, when I was in elementary school, we used to sing The Twelve Days Of Christmas in season. When we got to the fifth day, my true love always gave to me “five golden rings”. Later on, when I heard the song elsewhere, it was always “five go-old rings”. That’s the only way I have ever heard the song since.
So what I’d like to know here is, did it change? Is it another one of those things like Smokey Bear, who was Smokey _the_ bear for about two years around 1960?
Which version of the lyric were you originally taught, and which do you think sounds better? I’ve always thought “five golden rings” sounds much better and inherently more musical. Moreover, breaking the word “gold” into two notes seems clumsy when the word “golden” is contextually equivalent. It’s the /n/ sound in the word “golden”. Edgar Allan Poe could never have written The Bells without the letter “n”.
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### Author:  [@Calavera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calavera)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/2 "2020-01-08T18:25:37Z")
I was born in 1976 in the UK.
I have never ever heard anybody sing the song without the exaggerated “Gooold” Not even once, including any archive footage I may have seen.
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/3 "2020-01-08T18:28:02Z")
My youngest was gifted a book this Christmas which had the “gold” version. That was the first time I encountered it and it was a little unnerving.
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### Author:  [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/4 "2020-01-08T18:32:08Z")
Back in the '60s, I learned it with “golden,” which I agree sounds better. But I imagine both versions have been used through the years.
Lucy Worsley recently (I guess) filmed a documentary on the history of Christmas carols. “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was one she considered. You might try looking for this show on the PBS and BBC websites (or on YouTube).
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/5 "2020-01-08T18:37:04Z")
I’ve only heard it as “golden.”
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### Author:  [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/6 "2020-01-08T18:42:26Z")
Born in 76, I’ve almost always heard “Golden”. I think there was a commercial a while back that said “goo-old” and it sounded weird to me.
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### Author:  [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/7 "2020-01-08T18:43:46Z")
Also I always thought it was “Smokey the Bear”. Yogi on the other hand is “Yogi Bear”.
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### Author:  [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/8 "2020-01-08T18:44:11Z")
I’ve heard both, I suppose its just whatever the people singing need for the break. The high numbers are sung fast, because there’s so many words, the lower numbers are sung slow, as we return to the building that the song begins with.
Then its also all about what we want gift we culturally want to sing with: we want 5 gold rings, on nice piece of rich GOLD for each finger. GoldEN rings? A little cheap there gift giver. However, if we assume the song, for the beginning at least, is about gifts of birds for holiday meal, then 5 Golden Ring[-tailed pheasants] is just fine.
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### Author:  [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/9 "2020-01-08T18:46:12Z")
> [@terentii](#):
>
> Back in the '60s, I learned it with “golden,” which I agree sounds better. But I imagine both versions have been used through the years.
>
> Lucy Worsley recently (I guess) filmed a documentary on the history of Christmas carols. “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was one she considered. You might try looking for this show on the PBS and BBC websites (or on YouTube).
Awww, Lucy.
" Five golden wings!"
Faw cawing boods, fwee Fwench hens. . . "
Just kidding around; I love Lucy
And it’s always been “golden” in my experience.
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### Author:  [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/10 "2020-01-08T18:46:15Z")
I’ve heard that it was originally “five goldfinch” but don’t have a cite.
I’m 66 and I’ve heard it both ways all my life, but usually go-o-old.
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### Author:  [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/11 "2020-01-08T18:51:23Z")
“Smokey Bear” probably dates back to the days of CB radio and “Convoy.” 🆒
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### Author:  [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/12 "2020-01-08T18:53:56Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#):
>
> Awww, Lucy.
>
> " Five golden wings!"
>
> Faw cawing boods, fwee Fwench hens. . . "
>
> Just kidding around; I love Lucy.
Lucy Worsley has a speech impediment?!? :eek: :dubious: 😕
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/13 "2020-01-08T18:54:56Z")
> [@Sterling\_Archer](#):
>
> Also I always thought it was “Smokey the Bear”. Yogi on the other hand is “Yogi Bear”.
[“Also in 1952, songwriters Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins had a successful song named “Smokey the Bear” which was performed by Eddy Arnold. The pair said “the” was added to Smokey’s name to keep the song’s rhythm. During the 1950s, that variant of the name became widespread both in popular speech and in print, including at least one standard encyclopedia, despite Smokey Bear’s name never officially changing. A 1955 book in the Little Golden Books series was called Smokey the Bear and he calls himself by this name in the book.”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokey_Bear#Popularity)
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### Author:  [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/14 "2020-01-08T18:56:40Z")
> [@terentii](#):
>
> “Smokey Bear” probably dates back to the days of CB radio and “Convoy.” 🆒
No, the truckers referred to LEOs as Smokey because they often wore/wear those broad brimmed Smokey the Bear style hats. A police chopper is a “bear in the air”.
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### Author:  [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/15 "2020-01-08T19:02:22Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#):
>
> No, the truckers referred to LEOs as Smokey because they often wore/wear those broad brimmed Smokey the Bear style hats. A police chopper is a “bear in the air”.
I know all that. How does it negate the time frame? 😕
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### Author:  [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/16 "2020-01-08T19:09:45Z")
> [@terentii](#):
>
> I know all that. How does it negate the time frame? 😕
Never mind, I missed the smiley in post #11 and thought you were being serious.
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### Author:  [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/17 "2020-01-08T19:31:25Z")
[At least according to this](https://tentandtable.net/blog/2019/12/16/12-facts-about-the-classic-12-days-of-christmas-song/), “gold” and “golden” versions of the song both date back centuries, so it’s not really possible to say which came first. I saw one suggestion that “golden” became more common in North America compared to Europe sometime in the middle of the 20th century. Maybe “gold” is making a resurgence here because of general anglophilia?
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### Author:  [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/18 "2020-01-08T20:15:11Z")
> [@terentii](#):
>
> Lucy Worsley recently (I guess) filmed a documentary on the history of Christmas carols. “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was one she considered. You might try looking for this show on the PBS and BBC websites (or on YouTube).
The programme did discuss how [Frederic Austin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_Austin) added extra notes to the melody for ‘gold’. Not everything that Lucy Worsley says is necessarily true, but in this particular case she does actually seem to be correct.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/19 "2020-01-08T20:20:31Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Quoth **Arkcon** :
>
> Then its also all about what we want gift we culturally want to sing with: we want 5 gold rings, on nice piece of rich GOLD for each finger. GoldEN rings? A little cheap there gift giver.
Rings made out of gold are cheaper than rings that are gold in color? I think you have that backwards.
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### Author:  [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2020, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-gooold-rings-a-postseasonal-enquiry-about-a-christmas-song/846135/20 "2020-01-08T23:53:23Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#):
>
> [“Also in 1952, songwriters Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins had a successful song named “Smokey the Bear” which was performed by Eddy Arnold. The pair said “the” was added to Smokey’s name to keep the song’s rhythm. During the 1950s, that variant of the name became widespread both in popular speech and in print, including at least one standard encyclopedia, despite Smokey Bear’s name never officially changing. A 1955 book in the Little Golden Books series was called Smokey the Bear and he calls himself by this name in the book.”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokey_Bear#Popularity)
He was still THE bear in this image from the 1960 edition of World Book. Sometime over the next five or ten years, the USFS started telling us that he had never had any other name than Smokey Bear.
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