The old man was going to die
But first he thought he’d have some fun.
He had seventeen high priced mules.
He’d leave several to each son.

His oldest son, his favorite,
He’d leave most of the mules to him.
He chuckled as he wrote his will,
Half of the seventeen for Jim.

His middle son was frivolous,
From all the things that he had heard.
But he was still his middle son,
So he would leave John Boy a third.

To Little Tim his youngest son,
He’d give the fewest mules to him.
How would his sons dived the mules?
He laughed and wrote, “One ninth for Tim”.

Now Uncle Harry, a wise man,
Heard what his sibling had done.
He saddled up his mule, Old Queen.
He’d go and spoil his brother’s fun.

He told all of his three nephews,
“Just put my mule in with the lot.
Dividing eighteen is easy
Dividing seventeen is not”.

One half of eighteen mules is nine
And that’s how many goes to Jim.
John Boy’s one third now becomes twelve.
Two mules, one ninth, are left for Tim.

Now if you add nine, six and two
The total will be seventeen.
So Uncle Harry saddled up
And rode home on his mule, Old Queen!