3 ms·
And similarly: For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider
by quesera 6y ago
And similarly:
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
This formulation appears to be at least a few hundred years old. Antecedents are recorded back to the 1300s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Want_of_a_Nail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Want_of_a_Nail
- bori5 6y agoI first heard this on a Todd Rundgren DVD https://youtu.be/luHRsRWSdoU https://youtu.be/luHRsRWSdoU
- throwmeaway1717 6y agoAnd I read it first as some nursery rhyme brought back from from Java-land, arranged in Steve Yegge's "Execution in the kingdom of nouns" http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2006/03/execution-in-kingdom-of-nouns.html http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2006/03/execution-in-kingdom... (high concentration, pure pleasure, java trolling material)