Beans

[mic0]

Beans, beans, the magical fruit.

Is it "magical" or "musical"? Anyway, my great uncle (whom I've never met) wrote an autobiography (self-published). In the part about his boyhood he wrote this little story:

"A student who sat in front of me [in Catholic grade school] was Jack Schueller and one time he turned around and gave me a box with the words 'world's smallest musical instrument' on it. I couldn't imagine what it was. So I opened it and there was a bean."

Cool story, bro. Anyway, point is, if this happened when he was in grade school then I'm guessing the poem or another version of it existed then, in the 1930s.

[NerdGirl]

It's musical. And my dad learned it as a kid in the 40s. My dad also likes the following poem:
The higher up the mountain
The greener grows the grass
Down comes a billy goat
Sliding on his overcoat