Could someone explain the humor in "Haddocks Eyes" - (for Alice in Wonderland fans)?

This reminds me of "Haddock's Eyes".

“You are sad,” the Knight said in an anxious tone: “Let me sing you a song to comfort you.”

“Is it very long?” Alice asked, for she had heard a good deal of poetry that day.

“It's long,” said the Knight, “but it's very, very beautiful. Everybody that hears me sing it - either it brings the tears to their eyes, or else -”

“Or else what?” said Alice, for the Knight had made a sudden pause.

“Or else it doesn't, you know. The name of the song is called ‘Haddocks' Eyes.’”

“Oh, that's the name of the song, is it?" Alice said, trying to feel interested.

“No, you don't understand,” the Knight said, looking a little vexed. “That's what the name is called. The name really is ‘The Aged Aged Man.’”

“Then I ought to have said ‘That's what the song is called’?” Alice corrected herself.

“No, you oughtn't: that's quite another thing! The song is called ‘Ways And Means’: but that's only what it's called, you know!”

“Well, what is the song, then?” said Alice, who was by this time completely bewildered.

“I was coming to that,” the Knight said. “The song really is ‘A-sitting On A Gate’: and the tune's my own invention.”

“You are sad,” the Knight said in an anxious tone: “Let me sing you a song to comfort you.”

“Is it very long?” Alice asked, for she had heard a good deal of poetry that day.

“It's long,” said the Knight, “but it's very, very beautiful. Everybody that hears me sing it - either it brings the tears to their eyes, or else -”

“Or else what?” said Alice, for the Knight had made a sudden pause.

“Or else it doesn't, you know. The name of the song is called ‘Haddocks' Eyes.’”

“Oh, that's the name of the song, is it?" Alice said, trying to feel interested.

“No, you don't understand,” the Knight said, looking a little vexed. “That's what the name is called. The name really is ‘The Aged Aged Man.’”

“Then I ought to have said ‘That's what the song is called’?” Alice corrected herself.

“No, you oughtn't: that's quite another thing! The song is called ‘Ways And Means’: but that's only what it's called, you know!”

“Well, what is the song, then?” said Alice, who was by this time completely bewildered.

“I was coming to that,” the Knight said. “The song really is ‘A-sitting On A Gate’: and the tune's my own invention.”

Song is ...
Song is called ...
Name is ...
Name is called ...

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

… there are probably more places in the Bible where this construction is used. I don't know if this reflects the English of the time of the translation, or the original language.

“I was coming to that,” the Knight said. “The song really is [...]"

it is in the original language (biblical hebrew)

Of course, at this point, the Knight should have actually started to sing.

I still am a bit fuzzy.

Here is where I am confused :-
1) Isn't 'Name' = 'What the song is called' ?

So why should there be there be two different values for 'Name is'(which is given as 'The Aged Aged Man') and 'Song is Called'(which is given as 'Ways and Means') ?

Or is it just the case of their being multiple names for the same object ? (as so often happens in life , for example a person who is named Robert is also called Bob sometimes)

There is a passage in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass where he chooses to use a nonstandard device for naming. At first what the Knight is saying to Alice may appear to be literal nonsense. But it is not; it is merely unconventional. However, in addition to adopting a nonstandard manner of naming, Carroll introduces the further complicating wrinkle of distinguishing between the name of an item and what that item is called. Normally we think of these as one and the same thing; persons and things tend to be called by their names. But not always. We do make a distinction between names and nicknames (i.e. what persons are called, if not by their names). For example, we might find ourselves saying, "His name actually is 'Richard', but he's called 'Dick'." [Note 5] When the Knight says (below) that the song is called (rather than named) "Ways and Means", he apparently means that this is the song's nickname. [Note 6] Finally, to make the passage as coherent as possible, we probably should want to understand the sentence "The song really is 'A-sitting On a Gate' " as the Knight's previewing a fragment (the fourth line) of the song that he is about to sing, rather than as an attempt at naming that song.


"You are sad," the Knight said in an anxious tone: "let me sing you a song to comfort you."
"Is it very long?" Alice asked, for she had heard a good deal of poetry that day.
"It's long," said the Knight, "but it's very, very beautiful. Everybody that hears me sing it —either it brings the tears into their eyes, or else —"
"Or else what?" said Alice, for the Knight had made a sudden pause.
"Or else it doesn't, you know. The name of the song is called 'Haddocks' Eyes.'"
"Oh, that's the name of the song, is it?" Alice said, trying to feel interested.
"No, you don't understand," the Knight said, looking a little vexed. "That's what the name is called. The name really is 'The Aged Aged Man.'"
"Then I ought to have said 'That's what the song is called'?" Alice corrected herself.
"No, you oughtn't: that's quite another thing! The song is called 'Ways and Means': but that's only what it's called, you know!"
"Well, what is the song, then?" said Alice, who was by this time completely bewildered.
"I was coming to that," the Knight said. "The song really is 'A-sitting On A Gate': and the tune's my own invention."
So saying, he stopped his horse and let the reins fall on its neck: then, slowly beating time with one hand, and with a faint smile lighting up his gentle foolish face, as if he enjoyed the music of his song, he began. ([1], Chapter VIII)

To sum up this passage: we have (1) the song itself ([part of which is] "... A-sitting On a Gate. ..."); (2) the (official) name, "The Aged Aged Man", of that song; (3) an (unofficial) nickname (i.e. what the song is called), "Ways and Means"; and finally (4) a nickname, "Haddocks' Eyes", of the name ("The Aged Aged Man").

http://www.sfu.ca/~swartz/use_and_mention.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use%E2%...on_distinction