#!/usr/bin/perl

'As I was going to St. Ives',
'I met a man with seven wives',
'Each wife had seven sacks',
'Each sack had seven cats',
'Each cat had seven kits',
'Kits, cats, sacks, and wives',
'How many were going to St. Ives'?

how_many:

do    {
    $wives = 7; $how_many  = $wives;
    $sacks = 7; $how_many += $wives * $sacks;
    $cats  = 7; $how_many += $wives * $sacks * $cats;
    $kits  = 7; $how_many += $wives * $sacks * $cats * $kits;
};

print int $how_many;

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Update: for those interested in declaring the answer is 0, 1, 2800, or "who knows", here's a link discussing the relative merits of this riddle and some possible answers.

In reply to St. Ives by delirium

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