Three Rocks

Refers to Nancy comic strip artist Ernie Bushmiller's penchant for, whenever some rocks seemed called for in the background, always drawing three rocks. The Zen-like nature of the Three Rocks are a subject of endless fascination for several notable comics artists and Nancy fans including Bill Griffith, Art Spiegelman, and Scott McCloud. As McCloud says in his rules for the card game "5-Card Nancy":

"Art Spiegelman explains how a drawing of three rocks in a background scene was Ernie's way of showing us there were some rocks in the background. It was always three. Why? Because two rocks wouldn't be 'some rocks.' Two rocks would be a pair of rocks. And four rocks was unacceptable because four rocks would indicate 'some rocks' BUT IT WOULD BE ONE ROCK MORE THAN WAS NECESSARY TO CONVEY THE IDEA OF 'SOME ROCKS.'"

-- www.scottmccloud.com

 

Three rocks over here and three rocks over there,

in my world the rocks come in threes;

it’s flat and it’s clean and there’s nothing that leans,

‘cuz there’s only straight lines for a breeze.

I’ll never grow up and I’ll never have babies,

I have legs but I’ve never had knees.

It's day or it's night, it’s all black and white;

in my world, there aren’t any maybes.

I live with Aunt Fritzi, my past is a mystery;

my aunt, she is one hot tomato.

Big-eyed and dark, with an hour-glass figure.

I’m dark-eyed and lumpy, like a big peeled potato.

My world is simple, just paper and pencil,

I wear a big bow in my hair;

it’s a three-panel life, three rocks on the right,

and three more rocks over there.

I never grow up and I never get older,

my shirt buttons up to my chin.

My neck’s always hidden, I’m all head and shoulders;

born in the thirties, and I’m not even ten.

I’m just a girl in a Bushmiller world,

I wear a short skirt and long sleeves;

my name is Nancy, my boyfriend is Sluggo,

in our world

the rocks come in threes.