Matchsticks do ring like puppets on string

The story:

I've always wondered what this lyric actually was - and so it seems has most everybody else since an internet search for this song's lyrics invariably brings up the "matchsticks" version. It was even printed up in many of the 1960's lyrics magazines that way. Well, everybody is/was wrong! Not too long ago I read an interview with the Moodies where they finally let on that the actual lyric was "Bats take to wing...", which makes a heck of a lot more sense!