BM, I suspect that ditty's origin was about a snake...sien die mamba, my child, kill it dead! Reminds me of an incident when I was 2; lived in a dorpie Okahandja Namibia and due to the heat my mother put me in a cot so that she could have some sleep in the afternoon. She heard me jabbering away, googling (real gurgles)and laughing. When she walked out to see what was potting there was this massive cobra, hood wide and swaying in front of me lying coiled up in the cot while I was talking to it!!

My ol' lady (she turned 94 last week), being a good golfer grabbed a club (forget what number it was) and took the snake's head off with one swipe. What they say about angels?