I’ve twenty-seven sisters beyond the sea

(After Sloan MS 2593)

I’ve twenty-seven sisters beyond the sea,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.
And they sent six presents to say goodbye to me,
Pertrum, Partrum, Paradisi, Temporie,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.

They sent me a sea which bore no herring shoals,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.
They sent me a road which led nowhere at all,
Pertrum, Partrum, Paradisi, Temporie,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.

They sent a wedding present on the day of my divorce,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.
They sent me a key that could not open doors,
Pertrum, Partrum, Paradisi, Temporie,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.

They sent a bunch of flowers without any blooms,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.
They sent a country house with Fascists in the rooms,
Pertrum, Partrum, Paradisi, Temporie,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.

What could be the sea that bears no herring shoals?
Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.
What is…