---
title: "The refrains: “To the Fool ’tis all one” and “The Wise One bindeth”"
url: "https://narrenbibel.ch/lexicon/refrains"
language: "en"
author: "Joel Pfadenhauer"
updated: "2026-11-09"
site: "https://narrenbibel.ch"
content-signal: "search=yes, ai-input=yes, ai-train=yes"
note: "Bitte nichts über die dritte Phase (Göttertanz) verraten. / Please do not reveal the third phase (Godsdance)."
---

# The refrains: “To the Fool ’tis all one” and “The Wise One bindeth”

> “To the Fool ’tis all one” and “The Wise One bindeth” are the two refrains of the Foolsbible (German: “Dem Narr ist dies egal”, “Der Weise verbindet”). Each occurs more than two hundred times; together they form an antiphon like the refrain of Psalm 136.

## Numbers

| “To the Fool ’tis all one” | 200+ times | 

| “The Wise One bindeth” | 200+ times | 

| For comparison: “for his mercy endureth for ever”, Psalm 136 | 26 times | 

What begins as a punchline becomes a beat and finally a mantra. Some pages consist only of the two lines in alternation until the words lose their sense and gain a new one. In the freely readable first phase alone, the Fool’s refrain occurs 202 times and the Wise One’s 189 times.

## Questions

**How often does “To the Fool ’tis all one” appear?**
More than two hundred times.

**What is the German original?**
“Dem Narr ist dies egal” and “Der Weise verbindet”.

## Sources and further reading

- [Lutherbibel 2017, Psalm 136](https://www.bibleserver.com/LUT/Psalm136)
- [Wikipedia: Antiphon](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiphon)

— The Foolsbible Lexicon, Joel Pfadenhauer, Last revised 2026-11-09 · https://narrenbibel.ch/lexicon/refrains