Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time, I knew
(and a very good time it was)

That the king had three sons and a beautiful wife
And the princess slept on peas and danced all night
And the maiden was a swan; her brothers were all geese.

And once upon a time, and a very good time it was,
Jack climbed a beanstalk
And made a mute girl laugh.

But now that Spider has stolen all the stories
I'll do anything
Except listen to one.