So, in my 39th year, I have just discovered it's not 4 Calling Birds at all......

[Fimbo]

oh no its 4 colly birds.

Oh the shame , still dh thought the same as me, so I don't quite feel as bad.

Seriously????? I didn't know either

confused.

Equally confused. As a child I though it was colly birds then realised my mistake and have sung calling birds for 40 years [fbush]

It is calling birds, isn't it?

I thought they were colling birds

Message withdrawn

saya here it is calling birds

Wassa colly bird?

My dc went to see FC and whilst they were waiting there were games to play. One was about the 12 days of Christmas and this was when I discovered it's 4 Colly birds.

But having researched further just now Colly or Calling seems to be accepted. Phew

www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A212266

The Colly Birds are apparently meant to be Matthew Mark Luke & John.

Have googled and all lyric websites say calling birds but Snopes.com says it was originally colly birds which are some sort of blackbird. So not total embarrassment as first thought

BBC

but it is calling birds .. derived possibly from 'colly'

Wikipedia has calling birds too

Message withdrawn

Arf!

You've reminded me of Frank Kelly's Christmas Countdown