# The 12 Days Of Christmas Song **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 22, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-12-days-of-christmas-song/281212 "2004-12-22T20:41:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RaStrife](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@RaStrife](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaStrife)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-12-days-of-christmas-song/281212/1 "2004-12-22T20:41:03Z")
Supposedly the first seven days of this song are suppose to be related in one way, all of them are a type of bird. But if all 7 of those days the gift was a type of bird whats with day 5? 5 Golden rings? So my question is what type of bird does 5 golden rings represent or is the supposed fact not fact at all? ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-12-days-of-christmas-song/281212/2 "2004-12-22T20:52:38Z")
They weren’t all birds. There were maids a-milking, and lords a-leaping, and maybe a couple of other non-avian gifts, besides the 5 golden rings. Talking of the 5 rings, when we sang this tune in the primary grades–mid to late 1960s for me–we sang “five gold **en** rings”. But just about everywhere else I’ve heard the song since, they sing “five gold rings”, singing the word “gold” over two notes in the melody. IMO “golden” sounds better because it fits the melody better. How were other people here taught to sing it? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-12-days-of-christmas-song/281212/3 "2004-12-22T21:01:29Z")
:dubious: 7 Swans 6 Geese 5 Gold **en** rings 4 calling birds 3 French surrender mon…er, French hens 2 Turtledoves 1 Partridge in a pear tree. and then the rest are people: 12 Drummers 11 Pipers 10 Lords 9 Ladies 8 Maids ---
**Author:** ![RaStrife](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@RaStrife](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaStrife)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-12-days-of-christmas-song/281212/4 "2004-12-22T21:01:57Z")
The first 7 days are all birds except _until someone knows otherwise_ the 5 golden rings. Ive been told ALL 7 are supposedly birds but i just dont know what the golden rings would be, maybe pheasant? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-12-days-of-christmas-song/281212/5 "2004-12-22T21:12:23Z")
Here’s some info: > **[FACT CHECK: The Twelve Days of Christmas](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/twelve-days-christmas/)** > > Was the song 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' created as a secret code by persecuted Catholics? Look toward the bottom for info in the “calling” birds and five gold “rings”. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-12-days-of-christmas-song/281212/6 "2004-12-22T21:14:23Z")
How about [“Golden Wren”](http://dict.die.net/golden-crested%20wren/)? aka Goldcrest? I would love to do a quick piece of fiction on the symbolism of the birds (Swan I know is a medieval symbol for hypocrisy), but I’ll give it some time for a factual answer first. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-12-days-of-christmas-song/281212/7 "2004-12-22T21:14:31Z")
BTW, wordsmith extraordinaire Richard Lederer once said that in the original lyrics that the “partridge in a pear tree” was actually " and a partri-idge, _une perdre_"; i.e., “a partridge,” just repeated in French. Can’t attest to the accuracy, but that’s what he said. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-12-days-of-christmas-song/281212/8 "2004-12-23T04:15:42Z")
[hijack] Something that bugs me about this song- Every year some TV news show will do a fluff piece on how much all this stuff would cost to buy in today’s dollars. But they always add the items **cumulatively**. In other words, because each chorus is repeated, they claim that the song is saying that on the second day along with 2 french hens you bought _another_ partridge in a pear tree and so on. That, in total, you’d have to buy 12 partridges, 22 turtle doves, 30 french hens etc. ((1×12)+(2×11)+(3×10)+…(12×1)). Even as a kid this seemed stupid to me. The song isn’t saying that. Its just repeating the previous items, not saying you bought them again, right? Hey, this is important… [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-12-days-of-christmas-song/281212/9 "2004-12-23T04:41:30Z")
> [@Hail Ants](#): > > [hijack] > Even as a kid this seemed stupid to me. The song isn’t saying that. Its just repeating the previous items, not saying you bought them again, right? > [/hijack] I disagree. On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me two turtle doves **and** a partridge in a pear tree. ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-12-days-of-christmas-song/281212/10 "2004-12-23T11:15:14Z")
> [@Earl Snake-Hips Tucker](#): > > Here’s some info: > [http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/12days.asp](http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/12days.asp) > > Look toward the bottom for info in the “calling” birds and five gold “rings”. for those too lazy to click on Earl’s good link, the five golden rings is apparantly about birds “The “five golden rings” refers not to five pieces of jewelry, but to five ring-necked birds (such as pheasants).” ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-12-days-of-christmas-song/281212/11 "2004-12-23T14:21:21Z")
> [@Hail Ants](#): > > [hijack] > Something that bugs me about this song- Every year some TV news show will do a fluff piece on how much all this stuff would cost to buy in today’s dollars. But they always add the items **cumulatively**. > > In other words, because each chorus is repeated, they claim that the song is saying that on the second day along with 2 french hens you bought _another_ partridge in a pear tree and so on. That, in total, you’d have to buy 12 partridges, 22 turtle doves, 30 french hens etc. ((1×12)+(2×11)+(3×10)+…(12×1)). > > Even as a kid this seemed stupid to me. The song isn’t saying that. Its just repeating the previous items, not saying you bought them again, right? > > Hey, this is important… > [/hijack] You damn skippy it’s important. If you take the song literally, and you end up with 12 partridges, 22 Turtledoves, etc. and then add up all the presents. 364. + Jesus (on Christmas). Who was a human (see items 8-12) and if you’re into the trinity, also represented by a dove, which is a bird (see items 1-7) when He’s moonilighting as Tha Ghost. So in the end, 365 gifts–Your True Love (Yeah, it’s God) gives you every day of a year AND holy and eternal salvation! (Can I Get An AMEN!) Shall I go on? I love this stuff! I shouldda been a preacherman. My flock’d have a great time while learning The Book wrong. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Iceland\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@Iceland\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iceland_Blue)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-12-days-of-christmas-song/281212/12 "2004-12-23T18:43:16Z")
Now go study ‘Deck of Cards’ 😃