The Englishman introduces another function of omens in The Alchemist. He tells Santiago (whom he first mistakes for an Arab) that omens are not just for following on the way to achieving one's Personal Legend. They also can help a person understand the language of the universe.
Originally a waltz, during the British Dixieland Revival in the 1950s and 1960s this melody was often played in fast four/four tempo, notably recorded by the Kenny Ball Band. It's a Sin to Tell a Lie - Fats Waller | Song Info. AllMusic.
Faith No More originally covered I Started a Joke as a b-side for their 1995 single Digging the Grave. It also appeared on some versions of their fifth studio album King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime but following the band's dissolution in 1998 it was released as their final single with their greatest hits album Who Cares a Lot?.