A Wise Old Owl
Encyclopedia
'A Wise Old Owl' is an English language
nursery rhyme
. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
number of 7734.
as the symbol of wisdom. They are not recorded before they were quoted by John D. Rockefeller
in 1915, but believed to be from a much older proverb. During World War II
, the United States
army used the rhyme on a poster and tweaked the ending to "Soldier.... be like that old bird!" with the caption "Silence means security."
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
nursery rhyme
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
number of 7734.
Lyrics
A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?
History
The rhyme refers to the traditional image of owlsOWLS
OWLS is a mnemonic used by general aviation airplane pilots to assess an unprepared surface for a precautionary landing.Like all mnemonics this check has become part of aviation culture and folklore.OWLS:* Obstacles* Wind direction...
as the symbol of wisdom. They are not recorded before they were quoted by John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
in 1915, but believed to be from a much older proverb. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
army used the rhyme on a poster and tweaked the ending to "Soldier.... be like that old bird!" with the caption "Silence means security."