One Misty, Moisty Morning
17th Century 
England Lyrics
When cloudy was the weather,
I chanced to meet an old man
Clothed all in leather.
He began to compliment,
And I began to grin,
How do you do? And how do you do?
And how do you do again?
History and Meaning
"One Misty Moisty Morning" originates from a 17th-century broadside ballad titled "The Wiltshire Wedding betwixt Daniel Doo well and Doll the Dairy Maid, with the Consent of her Old Father Leather-Coat, and her dear and tender Mother Plod-well," which dates to somewhere between 1684 and 1695. While the full broadside contained numerous verses detailing the courtship and marriage of Daniel and Dolly, only the first couple of verses are frequently recited as a nursery rhyme today. The popular verses typically describe meeting an old man "clothed all in leather" on a misty, cloudy morning, who greets the narrator with "How do you do and how do you do and how do you do again." The original composition was meant to be sung to a tune shared with another ditty called "The Friar and the Nun," and some early interpretations suggested the man "clothed all in leather" referred to a nobleman, as knights wore leather as body armor. The rhyme has been adapted by various artists over time, including Steeleye Span, who performed it on their 1972 album "Parcel of Rogues."