Counting Crows

If you’ve seen my new pieces on Facebook or Instagram, you’ll notice a theme.

There are a lot of crows! I call this series Counting Crows. It’s named for a nursery rhyme.

One for Sorrow,

Two for Mirth,

Three for a Wedding,

I only have pieces for the first three lines, but the rhyme continues.

Four for a Birth

Five for Silver,

Six for Gold,

Seven for a secret,

Never to be told

The rhyme originated in Europe and was originally about counting magpies. In America where magpies are far scarcer people count crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, and even vultures.
There are a ton of variations on the rhyme. One version has; Five for Heaven/ Six for Hell/ Seven for the devil’s own self.

The longer versions of the rhyme mostly end at thirteen birds. One of the more common versions goes;

Eight for a wish,

Nine for a kiss,

Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss,

Eleven for health,

Twelve for wealth,

Thirteen beware it’s the devil himself.

There are countless regional variations on the rhyme. Some are very short and only go to the first four lines. Others are longer, with one variation going all the way to twenty birds.

Counting birds, whether it’s the traditional magpies or the morbid vultures, doesn’t actually let you predict anything. But it’s still fun to do and a great inspiration for artists like me!

Hopefully I’ll have pieces for the rest of the rhyme soon!