Tinker, Tailor

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Tinker Tailor is a counting game traditionally played in England, similar to Eeny, meeny, miny, moe and can be used to count cherry stones, buttons, daisy petals etc.

It is as follows:

Tinker, Tailor,
Soldier, Sailor,
Rich Man, Poor Man,
Beggar Man, Thief.

An alternate version:

Rich man, poor man,
Beggar man, thief.
Doctor, lawyer,
Indian chief!

[edit] Full version

The tinker, tailor is one part of a longer counting game, often played by young girls; it runs as follows:

  • When shall I marry?
    • This year, next year, sometime, never.
  • What will my husband be?
    • Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich-man, poor-man, beggar-man, thief.
  • What will I be?
    • Lady, baby, gypsy, queen.
  • What shall I wear?
    • Silk, satin, cotton, rags (or silk, satin, velvet, lace)
  • How shall I get it?
    • Given, borrowed, bought, stolen.
  • How shall I get to church?
    • Coach, carriage, wheelbarrow, cart.
  • Where shall I live?
    • Big house, little house, pig-sty, barn.

[edit] References in Popular Culture

  • The Yardbirds recorded "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor" for the album Little Games using this rhyme in one of the verses: "Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor / Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief / Doctor, baker, fine shoe-maker / Wise man, madman, taxman, please".
  • A line in the song "Dandelion" by The Rolling Stones echoes the rhyme: "Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailors' lives/Rich man, poor man, beautiful daughters, wives".
  • The John le CarrĂ© book title Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy refers to the rhyme.
  • There is a reference on the Queen II album of the rock band Queen. The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke contains the lyrics: "Soldier, sailor, tinker, tailor, ploughboy / Waiting to hear the sound".
  • The song "Crossed-eyed Mary", by prog rock band Jethro Tull featured in the album Aqualung, begins with the line "Who would be a poor man, a beggar man, a thief, if he had a rich man in his hand?"
  • Art rock band Supertramp included the line "Soldier, sailor, who's your tailor?" on the song "Just Another Nervous Wreck" from the "Breakfast in America" album.
  • AC/DC includes the line "Rich man, poor man, beggarman, thief" in their song, "Sin City."
  • The Ellery Queen novel, Double, Double, uses a version of this rhyme to connect a series of murders. His version goes:
Rich man, poor man,
Beggar man, thief.
Doctor, lawyer,
Merchant, chief.
  • In J.M. Coetzee's novel Slow Man, character Elizabeth Costello postulates on Drago Jokic's future, claiming he can "be sailor or soldier or tinker or tailor" (p.191).
  • Michael Ondaatje's novel, Anil's Ghost, features the main character Anil uncovering clues to the murder of a skeleton she finds and names 'Sailor' after the rhyme, as well as the uncovering of three others she names 'Tinker', 'Tailor' and 'Solider'.
  • An Episode of Star Trek: Voyager is Titled 'Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy'
  • The December 17th 2007 episode of the UK Soap Opera 'Eastenders' saw the Mitchells playing this game at a party, Peggy Mitchell use the game to expose Billy Mitchell as the thief of the charity box from the Queen Vic pub.
  • It is the title of an 1918 movie [1]