"As I was going to St Ives" is a traditional English-language nursery rhyme in the form of a riddle. Its Roud Folk Song Index number is 19772.
The most common modern version is:
As I was going to St. Ives,
I met a man with seven wives,
Each wife had seven sacks,
Each sack had seven cats,
Each cat had seven kits:
Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,
How many were there going to St. Ives?
== Origins ==
The following version is found in a manuscript (Harley MS 7316) dating from approximately 1730:
As I went to St. Ives
I met Nine Wives
And every Wife had nine Sacs,
And every Sac had nine Cats
And every...