"For a moment Frodo stood gaping. Then in desperation he began a ridiculous song that Bilbo had been rather fond of (and indeed rather proud of, for he had made up the words himself). It was about an inn; and that is probably why it came into Frodo's mind just then. Here it is in full. Only a few words of it are now, as a rule, remembered."

At The Sign of the Prancing Pony

J. R. R. Tolkien

So, as we realise that this is in fact the full version of "Hey Diddle Diddle" it may occur to the curious reader that perhaps there were other songs that were known in Middle-earth, and have come down to us through a convoluted aural route that has changed them to fit our society.

Also, if Bilbo were the author of many of these, it would be odd if some were not based on the doings of his friends and family.

So here we have a very early version of the well-known Carol, Good King Wenceslas.

I'm guessing that Bilbo wrote it based on Gandalf's account of how he steered (very gently) little Pippin on his first wobbly steps towards what it takes to be an excellent and philanthropic leader.

What follows is that account, together with the original words.

Llinos