I was driving my granddaughter to tennis camp the other day. She was busy staring out the window.

For some reason known only to the Big Guy Up There, I started singing an old ditty from my childhood. Unfortunately, I could not recall all the words.

So I started: "7,000 Macedonians in full battle array. Eight brass monkeys from the ancient ..."

"Granddaddy, what's that?" My granddaughter interrupted.

I tried to explain. My memory (always a risky proposition) said it was something Jerry Lewis did back in the day. But I wasn't sure.

"What are the words?" she pressed.

I did my best to remember. But I could hit only seven, eight, nine and parts of 10.

So I went Google-ing. I found many references to the ditty, but nothing mentioning Jerry Lewis. Then I happened upon a transcript of a Lewis appearance in 2000 on Larry King's show on CNN. Sure enough, way down at the bottom, there was the ditty.

Lewis explained that he was subbing for Johnny Carson as as host of "The Tonight Show." He was bantering with Ed McMahon. At some point Lewis said McMahon offered to teach him NBC's test for announcers. It required accurate memory, good pace and excellent diction. The test was the ditty.

So, here it is, with a nod to Jerry Lewis, Ed McMahon, Larry King and the magicians at Google ...

One hen

Two ducks

Three squawking geese

Four Limerick oysters

Five corpulent porpoises

Six pairs of Don Alverso's tweezers

7,000 Macedonians in full battle array

Eight brass monkeys from the ancient sacred crypts of Egypt

Nine apathetic, sympathetic, diabetic old men on roller skates with a marked propensity toward procrastination and sloth

10 lyrical, spherical, diabolical denizens of the deep who hall stall around the corner of the quo of the quay of the quivery, all at the same time.

Now repeat by memory. And repeat again. And again. Enjoy!