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This amusing yarn has lots of tears in it, but all the same, it will make you laugh. It’s about a man who goes in search of three people even more silly than his fiance and her parents. And he soon finds them ! If you want to find out how to get a cow onto your roof to eat grass up there, or how an alternative way to get into your trousers in the morning, listen on !
Read By Natasha. English Traditional Story Collected by Joseph Jacobs. Duration 11.08
Once upon a time there was a farmer and his wife who had one daughter, and she was courted by a gentleman. Every evening he used to come and see her, and stop to supper at the farmhouse, and the daughter used to be sent down into the cellar to fetch the beer for supper. So one evening she had gone down to fetch the beer, and she happened to look up at the ceiling while she was fetching, and she saw a axe stuck in one of the beams. It must have been there a long, long time, but somehow or other she had never noticed it before, and she began a- thinking. And she thought it was very dangerous to have that axe there, for she said to herself: “Suppose him and me was to be married, and we was to have a son, and he was to grow up to be a man, and come down into the cellar to fetch the beer, like as I’m doing now, and the axe was to fall on his head and kill him, what a dreadful thing it would be!” And she put down the candle and the jug, and sat herself down and began a-crying.
Well, they began to wonder upstairs how it was that she was so long fetching the beer, and her mother went down to see after her, and she found her sitting on the settle crying, and the beer running over the floor. “Why, whatever is the matter?” said her mother. “Oh, mother!” says she, “look at that horrid axe! Suppose we was to be married, and was to have a son, and he was to grow up, and was to come down to the cellar to fetch the beer, and the axe was to fall on his head and kill him, what a dreadful thing it would be!” “Dear, dear! what a dreadful thing it would be!” said the mother, and she sat her down aside of the daughter and started a-crying too. Then after a bit the father began to wonder that they didn’t come back, and he went down into the cellar to look after them himself, and there they two sat a- crying, and the beer running all over the floor. “Whatever is the matter?” says he. “Why,” says the mother, “look at that horrid axe. Just suppose, if our daughter and her sweetheart was to be married, and was to have a son, and he was to grow up, and was to come down into the cellar to fetch the beer, and the axe was to fall on his head and kill him, what a dreadful thing it would be!” “Dear, dear, dear! so it would!” said the father, and he sat himself down aside of the other two, and started a-crying.
Now the gentleman got tired of stopping up in the kitchen by himself, and at last he went down into the cellar too, to see what they were after; and there they three sat a-crying side by side, and the beer running all over the floor. And he ran straight and turned the tap. Then he said: “Whatever are you three doing, sitting there crying, and letting the beer run all over the floor?”
“Oh!” says the father, “look at that horrid axe! Suppose you and our daughter was to be married, and was to have a son, and he was to grow up, and was to come down into the cellar to fetch the beer, and the axe was to fall on his head and kill him!” And then they all started a-crying worse than before. But the gentleman burst out a- laughing, and reached up and pulled out the axe, and then he said: “I’ve travelled many miles, and I never met three such big sillies as you three before; and now I shall start out on my travels again, and when I can find three bigger sillies than you three, then I’ll come back and marry your daughter.” So he wished them good-bye, and started off on his travels, and left them all crying because the girl had lost her sweetheart.
Well, he set out, and he travelled a long way, and at last he came to a woman’s cottage that had some grass growing on the roof. And the woman was trying to get her cow to go up a ladder to the grass, and the poor thing durst not go. So the gentleman asked the woman what she was doing. “Why, lookye,” she said, “look at all that beautiful grass. I’m going to get the cow on to the roof to eat it. She’ll be quite safe, for I shall tie a string round her neck, and pass it down the chimney, and tie it to my wrist as I go about the house, so she can’t fall off without my knowing it.” “Oh, you poor silly!” said the gentleman, “you should cut the grass and throw it down to the cow!” But the woman thought it was easier to get the cow up the ladder than to get the grass down, so she pushed her and coaxed her and got her up, and tied a string round her neck, and passed it down the chimney, and fastened it to her own wrist. And the gentleman went on his way, but he hadn’t gone far when the cow tumbled off the roof, pulling the string behind her. And the weight of the cow tied to her wrist pulled the woman up the chimney, and she stuck fast half-way and was smothered in the soot.
Well, that was one big silly.
And the gentleman went on and on, and he went to an inn to stop the night, and they were so full at the inn that they had to put him in a double-bedded room, and another traveller was to sleep in the other bed. The other man was a very pleasant fellow, and they got very friendly together; but in the morning, when they were both getting up, the gentleman was surprised to see the other hang his trousers between the two beds and run across the room and try to jump into them, and he tried over and over again, and couldn’t manage it; and the gentleman wondered whatever he was doing it for. At last he stopped and wiped his face with his handkerchief. “Oh dear,” he says, “I do think trousers are the most awkwardest kind of clothes that ever were. I can’t think who could have invented such things. It takes me the best part of an hour to get into mine every morning, and I get so hot! How do you manage yours?” So the gentleman burst out a-laughing, and showed him how to put them on; and he was very much obliged to him, and said he never should have thought of doing it that way.
So that was another big silly.
Then the gentleman went on his travels again; and he came to a village, and outside the village there was a pond, and round the pond was a crowd of people. And they had got rakes, and brooms, and pitchforks, reaching into the pond; and the gentleman asked what was the matter. “Why,” they say, “matter enough! Moon’s tumbled into the pond, and we can’t rake her out any which way!” So the gentleman burst out a- laughing, and told them to look up into the sky, and that it was only the reflection in the water. But they wouldn’t listen to him, and abused him shamefully, and he got away as quick as he could.
So there was a whole lot of sillies bigger than them three sillies at home. So the gentleman turned back home again and married the farmer’s daughter, and if they didn’t live happy for ever after, that’s nothing to do with you or me.
And that was the story of the three Sillies
67 Comments
hahahahaha you guys should make more funny stories……..only longer.
that was good it was funyyyy but Ithink thay should be longer. when are you going to put anuther tick tock terky on
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I´t was really funny and it’s the best story from storynory.
Thank you Bertie!!!!!!!!!
Hello, I´m from espain and I think that the story was very good.
I´d like to ask you something natasha, ¿what does courted mean?
thanks
Hi Marta
To court someone is to “romance them” in an old fashioned way.
its funny, ok.. cant juz imagine how the big world consists of lots of sillies
that was a good story
i wonder if they ever get lost at any time
IT IS ONE OF THE FUNNIEST STORY I HAVE EVER READ
have a niceday mom dod
that is avery nice story,and to funny.
it was funny lol!!!
It’s soooo amazing and super duper FUNNY!!!
my favorite part was when the old lady who was trying to get the cow onto the roof that has grass.
they where very sily
I like this story because it is funny.My favourite part is when he put his pants so that is funny.
I liked the story because it was funny,and i’m happy i don’t like beer.
I like the three sillies because it is funny. But it is not good to be silly all the time !!!
This story was really funny! I especially liked the part when the crowd at the pond didn’t know that it was just the reflection of the moon.
Great story!
I liked the story.The best part was when the people thought the moon was stuck in the pond.
I like this story because when the moon reflected on the water and they tried to hook the moon out of the water it was very funny.
I liked this story because it was very funny and silly just like the title.
I found it very funny, but not a good story.
this story is funny and good. I really enjoyed it. I especially liked the part where the 3 sillies started crying down in the cellar and the part when the cow pulled the lady up the chimney !!
That was so funny. Cool story!
I liked your stories I liked the three sillies
they were funny.Its a nice story.I would like to here some more stories because they are realy good.
I realy thought it was great do you have alot
of stories? Please write back soon and tell me
good bye
From Tashiana
What a funny and silly story!!! The crying made me laugh hard!
I like this story because it was funny when the man could not get his pants on.
There are lots of funny things in that story. When those people were siting down criying it was very funny. It’s a good story.
I liked the story very much. I liked it when she cried. When the cow fell off the roof I laugh.
I LOVED IT BECAUSE WENE THAY WERE CRING
THAT WAS THE FUNY BIT
l.o.l, it was so funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I REALLY LIKE THE STORY BUT YOU SHOULD HAVE MADE A FUNNIER ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was Funy
funny story how about make it a litttle more funny then prehaps t will be the funniest story in the world anyways I liked the part wich the people was trying to take the man out of the pond but it was really a reflection…
I think this story has a great title. I loved it when they cried because it was so funny.
VERY SILLY!!!!!!
it was verry comic story any way that’s funny
WOW!!!!!That was silly alright.I love the part when the people thought the Moon fell into the pond.HA! HA! HA!
I think this is a really FUNNY story! I LOVED it SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much! It was a great story! I loved it sooo much. It was a great story! Natasha, I think you have a great voice. You have such a nice voice! PLEASE! NEVER QUIT YOUR JOB! EVEN IF YOU ARE REALLY OLD. YOU CAN DO IT IN YOUR RETIREMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think you are awesome and i hope you have enough stories 2 read. If you do not I could write you some! Just leave me a post and I will! Please respond ASAP!!! which you need to do so i can become a writer! and you will be my first person (besides my Mum and Dad) 2 give my stories 2. I can’t wait
i appreciate you .it was really funny
THIS IS A GOOD STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
aswemo story man u should make more u guys rock
wonderfulllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I saw Fred’s comment on a story,i forgot which one.I was Wondering Bertie, when are you going to start the indian epic peoms
Hi Jack, We are trying to get some funding for music and pictures and some extra voices to play along side Natasha – but if that doesn’t come off, we’ll do it anyway. It’s going to be an adaptation of the Ramayana. But I don’t really see it happening much before Spring
We like the three sillies because the mother, father and daughter are funny when they cry. Thank you
I in the USA and I dl the podcast and let my 4 year old listen to it until the part about the axe. It is not a very good story
for my child. I will never dl another one.
Ian, I am sorry that you take that attitude. It’s a perfectly harmless story.
I think this story is the funniest one in the whole wide world.
Please write more funny stories like this.
I lick Storynory.com
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Dear Bertie,
I love the Three Sillies because is so funny and I specially like the sound effects. I am a big fan of you and Natasha.
Keep up the good work!
Hi Haley, Really glad you like the three sillies and the sound effects. Perhaps we should do more effects.
Yes, more sound effects! I love how Natasha talks and how she changes her voice for different characters.
I would really like to contact Natasha. How would I do that?
Bye, Bertie. I love you!
Haley, if you send me an email I will forward it. All the best bertie@storynory.com
The crying sound effects are a bit scary for little ones late at night.
story nory is cool i love it
i love you story nory
i like the three sillies they look funny
I laughed my head off when I heard the crying sound of the three sillies in the house.
Anyway, I really liked this funny story and celabrations, Storynory to become three years old.
I like the three little pigs from steven
lol.you guys are funny.
hi haley!!!!!!!!!!!!! luv ur ACCENTS!!!!!!!