Sing a Song of Sixpence

Blackbird Pie - Where are the animal rights activists?

Though there does seem to be some evidence for the use of live birds in such a pie in the time of King Henry VIII, the persistence of the image in modern depictions of the rhyme is curious. There is obviously an element of cruelty, whether the pie was actually baked or if a cooked crust was placed on top of two dozen birds. At the very least, one might assume that the birds would be all too happy to be set free from such an entanglement; and that they would most certainly begin to sing, squawk, and make all manner of commotion as they attempted to fly to safety. However, this is not always the case.

The reaction of the birds in the illustrations ranges from mutual curiosity to outright distress. In some of the older renditions, for example, the birds seem nonplussed. Caldecott and Wright show the birds pausing to sing, apparently in unison to the king, as though they have been trained for this very event. Tarrant shows some of the birds flying from the crust, only to stop and perch about the king and queen's table and chairs. On the other hand, Walter's birds have flown from the pie and look as though they are ready to descend upon the king in a none-too-friendly manner.

Looking at the situation from the point of view of the birds, this is a more realistic depiction of their reaction. In many of the more recent versions of the rhyme, the birds are less apt to hesitate once freed. Many show the birds hot footing it, so to speak, right out of that pie and flying fast away. Whatley's 1999 birds are certainly fluttering away. Some have their eyes straight ahead, leading them off the page. Others look back with a bit of a sneer in their eyes. However, not all of the birds have the look of contempt one might expect. Some of their beaks are actually slightly smiling and others seem to be belting out happy tunes. These birds exhibit joy at having been set free, but not the fear and ire that birds, not to mention animal rights activists, might wish to see depicted. Then again, it is only a playful rhyme.