Mairzy Doats
Origins
Origins
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The scholars [Iona and Peter Opie](/wiki/Iona_and_Peter_Opie "Iona and Peter Opie") have noted that the last two lines of the song appear in an old [catch](/wiki/Catch_%28music%29 "Catch (music)") which, when said quickly, appears to be in Latin:
In fir tar is,
In oak none is,
In mud eels are,
In clay none are,
Goat eat ivy,
Mare eat oats.

They trace the origin of the joke to a manuscript of about 1450 which has "Is gote eate yvy? Mare eate ootys".


What does the text suggest is the relationship between 'in fir tar is', 'goat eat ivy', and 'mare eat oats'?