When I was ten-times-three, minus five-times-three - Farouk Abdul Rahman

When I turned ten-times-three
Minus five-times-three,
I heard an old man say,
"Give cedis and pesewas and shillings
Away to pretty ladies
But never let your heart away."
But I was only ten-times-three
Minus five-times-three
"No use for such words"
I said and bounced along the freeway.

When I was ten-times-three
Minus five-times-three,
I heard him say again,

"Give pearls and even diamond away
But keep your fancy free
Because a heart is fragile and porous."
And I am three-and-twenty
And yes, it's true, oh yes, it's true.