Schoolhouse Rock – Three is a Magic Number

Created by David McCall

Alright, confuse if you still use this Schoolhouse Rock! song — Three is a Magic Number when counting by three’s? I love this song. I think it is my favorite of all the Schoolhouse Rock songs.

 

 

There is also a version of this song by Blind Melon (video) that is pretty good too.

And just in case you need the lyrics to the song…

Three is a Magic Number

Music and Lyrics by Bob DoroughPerformed by Bob Dorough
First Aired: 1973

Three is a magic number,
Yes it is, it’s a magic number.
Somewhere in the ancient, mystic trinity
You get three as a magic number.

The past and the present and the future.
Faith and Hope and Charity,
The heart and the brain and the body
Give you three as a magic number.

It takes three legs to make a tri-pod
Or to make a table stand.
It takes three wheels to make a ve-hicle
Called a tricycle.

Every triangle has three corners,
Every triangle has three sides,
No more, no less.
You don’t have to guess.
When it’s three you can see
It’s a magic number.

A man and a woman had a little baby,
Yes, they did.
They had three in the family,
And that’s a magic number.

3-6-9, 12-15-18, 21-24-27, 30.
3-6-9, 12-15-18, 21-24-27, 30. *
Multiply backwards from three times ten:

Three time ten is (30), three times nine is (27),
Three times eight is (24), three times seven is (21),
Three times six is (18), three times five is (15),
Three times four is twelve,
And three times three is nine, and three times two is six,
And three times one is three of course.

Now take the pattern once more:
Three! . . .3-6-9
Twelve! . . .12-15-18
Twenty-one!. . .21-24-27. . .30

Now multiply from 10 backwards:
Three time ten is (30 – Keep going), three times nine is (27),
Three times eight is (24), three times seven is (21),
Three times six is (18), three times five is (15),
Three times four is twelve,
And three times three is nine, and three times two is six,
And three times one…
What is it?!
Three!
Yeah, That’s a magic number.

A man and a woman had a little baby.
Yes, they did.
They had three in the family.
That’s a magic number.

From http://www.schoolhouserock.tv/

Side notes:

The topics covered included grammar, science, economics, history, mathematics, and civics.

The first song recorded was Three Is a Magic Number, written by Bob Dorough.

The series’ original run lasted from 1973 to 1985, and was later revived with both old and new episodes airing from 1993 to 1999.

Thirty-seven episodes were recorded and produced between 1972 and 1980.