| When I was a kid I had a book in which it was 9 pipers, 10 drummers, 11 lords and 12 ladies. From an aesthetic standpoint, I think that's the way the song sounds best. You've got the long i sound in 9 pipers piping, some alliteration with eLeven Lords a Leaping, and even some vague alliteration in 10 drummers drumming. You hear versions mixing up 9 through 12 all the time, but I think that way sounds the best. |