Speaking of giants and beanstalks, in Walt Disney’s version of the story, Willie the Giant does not growl terribly:

‘Fe, fi, fa-fo-fum,

I smell the blood of an Englishman.

Be he alive or be he dead,

I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.’

No. He sings instead:

‘Fe, fi, fo, fum,

He, hi, ho, hum,

I’m a most amazing guy.

A most amazing guy am I.’

No blood or bone grinding to be found. I had the record of this story when I was young and I loved it, particularly Goofy’s song about:

‘Turkey, lobster, sweet potato pie,

pancakes piled up ’til they reach the sky,

wawa wawa wawa wawa wawa wawa wawaaaaaa

I’m gonna eat and eat and eat and eat and eat until I die.’

Oh, yes, and I remember when the singing harp softly sang:

‘In his right vest pocket you’ll find the key.

In his right vest pocket, go carefully.’

Rhymes from stories seem to stubbornly stick in the brain, don’t they?