On the 11th day of December (Final draft.... I think :))

[Richard Brekne]

Grin... ok by what appears to be popular demand...we go with jacks 
a-jumping.  Day 12 is nigh upon us... Marshall has tabled "12 tubby bass 
strings".... along with a bunch of good concepts for the days to come.  
As for the first line.... hehe... we've had three so far... All fit the 
meter well... I liked the idea of rhyming with Partridge as best as 
possible.. tho cracked bridge / cracked plate... and several something 
or another keys works well too... A compromise is proposed below

At this point I believe we have the following :

Cheers
RicB

On the 11th day of December, a piano came to me...
 
     With eleven  jacks a-jumping
     Ten twisted stickers
     Nine rotten bridles
     Eight chewed up dampers
     Seven grungy flanges
     Six busted elbows,
     Five broken strings !
     Four coats of paint,
     Three warped posts,
     Two pedals bent,
     And a Cartridge of several bare keys



    I think "jacks a-jumpin" is really the wave of the future!! It's GREAT
    because that's the signature hook (for lack of a better word) of the
    song...
    10 lords a-leaping, 8 maids a-milking, 7 swans a-swimming, 6 geese
    a-laying.
    What other song do you hear that in??? Why don't we try to match
    those and
    it will really sound authentic... (still lacking a better word). I still
    like "cracked bridge and several bare keys" for the 1st day.
    It's getting addictive. That song is in my head too much now! Merry
    Christmas, by the way.
    Larry Trischetta