Mother Goose: The Old Nursery Rhymes
Author: Mother Goose
Date: 1912-12-31T15:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Children's Literature; Nursery rhymes
Description: Many a child might believe that “Mother Goose” wrote all the nursery rhymes in the universe! She has been attributed as the author of many, but there is no proof that such a person ever existed. Actually, most of these hundreds of children’s songs and rhymes have been passed down through oral tradition, some for centuries. Others have actual authors, but have been adopted into the flock. Every generation and every teller creates variations, and this continues into the present time. * * * * This book collects nearly three hundred rhymes and songs (24 appear in the Editor’s Appendix.) The incomp
Publisher: MobileRead.com
Rights: Public Domain where copyright is "Life+70" or less, and in the USA.

CONTENTS:

•   List of Illustrations
•   Foreword
•   Mother Goose
•  The Nursery Rhymes

•   Editor’s Appendix
(additional rhymes)

•   Index of First Lines

•   About This eBook

ILLUSTRATIONS:

(Asterisks indicate multiple illustrations)

•    Baa, baa, black sheep

•    Bye, baby Bunting
[COLOR]

•    Ding, dong bell

•    Here we go round the mulberry bush**

•    Hark, Hark, the Dogs do Bark
[COLOR]

•    Hush-a-bye, baby, on the tree top

•    Hickory, Dickory, Dock
[COLOR]

•    Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

•    Hey, diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle
[COLOR]

•    I went up one pair of stairs

•    Jack and Jill
[COLOR]

•    Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep
•    Little Tom Tucker
•    Little Jack Horner
•    Little Betty Blue
•    Little Tommy Tittlemouse

•    Little Miss Muffett
[COLOR]

•    Mary had a little lamb
•    Old Mother Hubbard
•    Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross
•    See-saw, Margery Daw

•    There was an old woman who lived in a shoe

•    This little Pig went to Market**
•    To market, to market
•    This is the way the ladies ride**
•    A is an archer
•    A dillar, a dollar
•    Cock a doodle doo**
•    Diddle-ty-diddle-ty-dumpty
•    Fiddle-de-dee, fiddle-de-dee
•    Girls and boys, come out to play

•    Gay go up and gay go down (Oranges and Lemons)

•    Hot-cross Buns
•    Here am I, little jumping Joan
•    I saw a ship a-sailing

•    Jack Sprat could eat no fat
[COLOR]

•    Jack be nimble

•    Lady bird, lady bird, fly away home
[COLOR]

•    Little Polly Flinders

•    Polly, put the kettle on

•    Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?

•    Rain, rain, go away
[COLOR]

•    The Old Woman and her pig**

•    There was an old woman lived under a hill
[COLOR]

•    This is the house that Jack built**

•    Tom, Tom, the piper’s son

•    Three blind mice
[COLOR]

•    Wee Willie Winkie
•    A Carrion Crow sat on an Oak**
•    A Frog he would a -wooing go**

•    A little cock-sparrow sat on a green tree**

•    As I was going to St. Ives
[COLOR]

•    Doctor Foster went to Glo’ster
•    If all the world was apple pie
•    Leg over leg
•    One misty, moisty morning

•    Old Mother Goose
[COLOR]

•    Poor Old Robinson Crusoe

•    Ring a ring o’ roses

•    There was an old woman, as I’ve heard tell

•    There was an old woman called Nothing-at-all

•    The Man in the Wilderness
[COLOR]

•    Three wise men of Gotham

•    Two legs sat upon three legs

•    There was a crooked man
[COLOR]

•    The Fair Maid on the First of May
[COLOR]

•    A fox started out

FOREWORD

There are many more Nursery Rhymes than are included in this book, though I think most of the best known are here. I have chosen those I knew and liked best in my own nursery days, and I have kept to the versions that I was familiar with. I think one may do so, as nursery rhymes have until recently been handed on only by oral tradition with its inevitable variations. At home we had no complete book of them: most we knew came direct from our elders. The children of the present day often have several different printed versions of the same rhyme, but they do not seem to be confused by them. They make their own choice, and go on inventing variations. And however much they alter and add to our old friend Mother Goose’s original collection, they still make use of her name.

—

Baa, baa, black sheep,

Have you any wool?

Yes, sir, yes, sir,

Three bags full:

One for my master,

And one for my dame,

And one for the little boy

Who lives in our lane.

—

Bye, baby bunting,

Daddy’s gone a-hunting,

To get a little rabbit’s skin

To wrap the baby bunting in.

—

Danty, baby, diddy,

What shall her mummy do wid’ ye?

Sit in a lap

And give her some pap,

Danty, baby, diddy.

—

—A GAME FOR THE FINGERS—

Dance, Thumbkin, dance;

(keep the thumb in motion

Dance, ye merrymen, everyone;

(all the fingers in motion

For Thumbkin, he can dance alone,

{the thumb alone moving

Thumbkin, he can dance alone;

(the thumb alone moving

Dance, Foreman, dance,

(the first finger moving

Dance, ye merrymen, everyone;

(all moving

But Foreman, he can dance alone,

(the first finger moving

Foreman, he can dance alone,

(the first finger moving

Dance, Longman, dance,

(the second finger moving

Dance, ye merrymen, everyone;

(all moving

For Longman, he can dance alone,

{the second finger moving

Longman, he can dance alone.

{the second finger moving

Dance, Ringman, dance,

(the third finger moving

Dance, ye merrymen, dance;

(all moving

But Ringman cannot dance alone,

(the third finger moving

Ringman, he cannot dance alone.

(the third finger moving

Dance, Littleman, dance,

(the fourth finger moving

Dance, ye merrymen, dance,

(all moving

But Littleman, he can dance alone,

(the fourth finger moving

Littleman, he can dance alone.

(the fourth finger moving

—

Ding, dong, bell,

Pussy’s in the well!

Who put her in?—

Little Tommy Green.

Who pulled her out?—

Little Johnny Stout.

What a naughty boy was that

To try to drown poor pussy cat,

Who never did any harm,

But killed the mice in his father’s barn,

—

Dance to your daddy,

My little laddy;

Dance to your daddy,

My little lamb.

You shall have a fishy,

In a little dishy;

You shall have a fishy

When the boat comes in.

—

Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie,

Kissed the girls and made them cry;

When the girls come out to play,

Georgie Porgie runs away.

—

Great A, little A,

This pancake day;

Toss the ball high,

Throw the ball low,

Those that come after

May sing heigh-ho!

—

Handy-Spandy, Jack-a-dandy,

Loves plum-cake and sugar-candy.

He bought some at a grocer’s shop,

And pleased, went away, hop, hop, hop.

—

Here’s Sulky Sue,

What shall we do?

Turn her face to the wall

Till she comes to.

—

How many miles is it to Babylon?

Threescore miles and ten.

Can I get there by candle-light?—

Yes, and back again!

If your heels are nimble and light,

You may get there by candle-light.

—

Hector Protector was dressed all in green;

Hector Protector was sent to the Queen.

The Queen did not like him,

No more did the King:

So Hector Protector was sent back again.

—

Here we go round the mulberry bush,

The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush,

Here we go round the mulberry bush,

On a cold and frosty morning.

This is the way we wash our hands,

Wash our hands, wash our hands,

This is the way we wash our hands,

On a cold and frosty morning.

This is the way we wash our clothes,

Wash our clothes, wash our clothes,

This is the way we wash our clothes,

On a cold and frosty morning.

This is the way we go to school,

Go to school, go to school,

This is the way we go to school,

On a cold and frosty morning.

This is the way we come out of school,

Come out of school, come out of school,

This is the way we come out of school

On a cold and frosty morning.

—

Hark, hark, the dogs do bark,

The beggars are coming to town:

Some in rags, And some in tags,

And some in velvet gowns.

Some gave them white bread,

And some gave them brown,

And some gave them a good horse-whip,

And sent them out of the town.

—

Hush-a-bye, baby, on the tree top,

When the wind blows, the cradle will rock;

When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,

Down will come baby, and cradle, and all.

—

Hickory, Dickory, Dock,

The mouse ran up the clock,

The clock struck one,

And down he run,

Hickory, Dickory, Dock.

—

Here goes my lord

A trot, a trot, a trot, a trot,

Here goes my lady

A canter, a canter, a canter, a canter!

Here goes my young master

Jockey-hitch, Jockey-hitch, Jockey-hitch, Jockey-hitch!

Here goes my young miss,

An amble, an amble, an amble, an amble!

The footman lags behind to tipple ale and wine,

And goes gallop, a gallop, a gallop, to make up his time.

—

How many days has my baby to play?

Saturday, Sunday, Monday,

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,

Saturday, Sunday, Monday.

—

—A GAME WITH THE FACE—

Here sits the Lord Mayor,

(tap the forehead)

Here sit his two men;

(eyes)

Here sits the cock,

(right cheek)

Here sits the hen;

(left cheek)

Here sit the little chickens,

(tip of nose)

Here they run in;

(mouth)

Chinchopper, chinchopper,

Chinchopper, chin!

(chuck the chin)

—

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Cannot put Humpty Dumpty together again.

(Humpty Dumpty is an egg)

—

Hey! diddle, diddle,

The cat and the fiddle,

The cow jumped over the moon;

The little dog laughed

To see such sport,

And the dish ran away with the spoon.

—

I love little pussy, her coat is so warm,

And if I don’t hurt her she’ll do me no harm;

So I’ll not pull her tail, nor drive her away,

But pussy and I very gently will play.

—

Is John Smith within?

Yes, that he is.

Can he set a shoe?

Ay, marry, two.

Here a nail, there a nail,

Now your horse is shoed.

—

1   I went up one pair of stairs,

2   Just like me.

1   I went up two pair of stairs.

2   Just like me.

1   I went into a room.

2   Just like me.

1   I looked out of the window.

2   Just like me.

1   And there I saw a monkey.

2   Just like me.

—

I won’t be my father’s Jack,

I won’t be my mother’s Jill,

I will be the fiddler’s wife,

And have music when I will.

T’other little tune,

T’other little tune,

Pr’ythee, love, play me

T’other little tune.

—

Jack Sprat

Had a cat,

It had but one ear;

It went to buy butter

When butter was dear.

—

Jack and Jill went up the hill,

To fetch a pail of water;

Jack fell down, and broke his crown,

And Jill came tumbling after.

Then up Jack got and home did trot

As fast as he could caper,

And went to bed to mend his head

With vinegar and brown paper.

—

Johnny shall have a new bonnet,

And Johnny shall go to the fair,

And Johnny shall have a blue ribbon

To tie up his bonny brown hair.

And why may not I love Johnny?

And why may not Johnny love me?

And why may not I love Johnny

As well as another body?

And here’s a leg for a stocking,

And here is a leg for a shoe,

And he has a kiss for his daddy,

And two for his mammy, I trow.

And why may not I love Johnny?

And why may not Johnny love me?

And why may not I love Johnny,

As well as another body?

—

Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep,

And can’t tell where to find them;

Leave them alone, and they’ll come home,

And bring their tails behind them.

Little Bo-peep fell fast asleep,

And dreamt she heard them bleating;

But when she awoke, she found it a joke,

For still they were all fleeting.

Then up she took her little crook,

Determined for to find them;

She found them, indeed, but it made her heart bleed,

For they’d left all their tails behind ’em.

It happened one day, as she did stray

Into a meadow hard by;

There she espied their tails side by side,

All hung on a bush to dry.

—

Little Tom Tucker

Sang for his supper;

What shall he eat?

White bread and butter.

How shall he cut it

Without e’er a knife?

How shall he marry

Without e’er a wife?

—

Little Jack Horner

Sat in a corner,

Eating a Christmas pie;

He put in his thumb,

And pulled out a plum,

And said, “What a good boy am I!

—

Little Betty Blue

Lost her holiday shoe.

What shall little Betty do?

Buy her another

To match the other,

And then she’ll walk in two,

—

Little Bob Snooks was fond of his books,

And loved by his usher and master;

But naughty Jack Spry, he got a black eye,

And carries his nose in a plaster.

—

Little Jack-a-Dandy

Wanted sugar candy,

And fairly for it cried;

But little Bill Cook,

Who always read his book,

Shall have a horse to ride.

—

Little girl, little girl, where have you been?

Gathering roses to give to the queen.

Little girl, little girl, what gave she you?

She gave me a diamond as big as my shoe.

—

“Lend me thy mare to ride a mile?”

“She is lamed, leaping over a stile.”

“Alack! and I must keep the fair!

I’ll give thee money for thy mare.”

“O, O! say you so?

Money will make the mare to go!”

—

“Little maid, pretty maid, whither goest thou?”

“Down in the meadow to milk my cow.”

“Shall I go with thee?”   “No, not now;

When I send for thee, then come thou.”

—

Long legs, crooked thighs,

Little head and no eyes.

(a pair of tongs)

—

Little Tommy Tittlemouse

Lived in a little house;

He caught fishes

In other men’s ditches.

—

Lucy Locket lost her pocket,

Kitty Fisher found it;

There was not a penny in it,

But a ribbon round it.

—

Little Miss Muffett

Sat on a tuffet,

Eating her curds and whey;

There came a great spider,

And sat down beside her,

And frightened Miss Muffett away.

—

Mary had a little lamb

With fleece as white as snow;

And everywhere that Mary went

The lamb was sure to go.

It followed her to school one day;

That was against the rule;

It made the children laugh and play

To see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned it out,

But still it lingered near,

And waited patiently about

Till Mary did appear.

“Why does the lamb love Mary so?”

The eager children cry.

“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know!”

The teacher did reply.

—

Old Mother Hubbard,

She went to the cupboard,

To get her poor dog a bone,

But when she came there

The cupboard was bare,

And so the poor dog had none.

She went to the baker’s

To buy him some bread,

And when she came back

The poor dog was dead.

She went to the joiner’s

To buy him a coffin,

And when she came back

The poor dog was laughing.

She took a clean dish

To get him some tripe,

And when she came back

He was smoking his pipe.

She went to the ale-house

To get him some beer,

And when she came back

The dog sat in a chair.

She went to the tavern

For white wine and red,

And when she came back

The dog stood on his head.

She went to the hatter’s

To buy him a hat,

And when she came back

He was feeding the cat.

She went to the barber’s

To buy him a wig,

And when she came back

He was dancing a jig.

She went to the grocer’s

To buy him some fruit,

And when she came back

He was playing the flute.

She went to the tailor’s

To buy him a coat,

And when she came back

He was riding a goat.

She went to the cobbler’s

To buy him some shoes,

And when she came back

He was reading the news.

She went to the seamstress

To buy him some linen,

And when she came back

The dog was spinning.

She went to the hosier’s

To buy him some hose,

And when she came back

He was dressed in his clothes.

The dame made a curtsey,

The dog made a bow;

The dame said, “Your servant,”

The dog said, “Bow, wow!”

—

One, two,

Buckle my shoe;

Three, four,

Knock at the door;

Five, six,

Pick up sticks;

Seven, eight,

Lay them straight;

Nine, ten,

A good fat hen;

Eleven, twelve,

Dig and delve;

Thirteen, fourteen,

Maids a-courting;

Fifteen, sixteen,

Maids in the kitchen;

Seventeen, eighteen,

Maids a-waiting;

Nineteen, twenty,

My plate’s empty.

—

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man!

Make me a cake as fast as you can:

Prick it, and stick it, and mark it with B,

And put it in the oven for Baby and me.

—

Rock-a-bye, baby, thy cradle is green;

Father’s a nobleman, mother’s a queen;

And Betty’s a lady, and wears a gold ring;

And Johnny’s a drummer, and drums for the king.

—

Rub-a-dub-dub,

Three men in a tub;

And who do you think they be?

The butcher, the baker,

The candlestick-maker;

Turn ’em out, knaves all three!

—

Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,

To see a fine lady upon a white horse,

With rings on her fingers, and bells on her toes,

She shall have music wherever she goes.

—

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit Pie!

Come, my ladies, come and buy;

Else your babies they will cry.

—

Ride away, ride away, Johnny shall ride,

And he shall have pussy-cat tied to one side;

And he shall have little dog tied to the other;

And Johnny shall ride to see his grandmother.

—

Robin the Bobbin, the big bouncing Ben,

He ate more meat than fourscore men;

He ate a cow, he ate a calf,

He ate a butcher and a half;

He ate a church, he ate a steeple,

He ate the priest and all the people!

—

See, see! what shall I see?

A horse’s head where his tail should be.

—

Shoe the horse, and shoe the mare;

But let the little colt go bare.

—

See-saw, Margery Daw,

Johnny shall have a new master;

He shall have but a penny a day,

Because he can’t work any faster.

—

See-saw, sacaradown,

Which is the way to London town?

One foot up, and the other foot down,

And that is the way to London town.

—

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe;

She had so many children she didn’t know what to do;

She gave them some broth without any bread,

She whipped them all soundly, and sent them to bed.

—

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,

Home again, home again, dancing a jig.

To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,

Home again, home again, jiggety jog.

—

This little pig went to market;

This little pig stayed at home;

This little pig had roast beef;

This little pig had none;

This little pig said, wee, wee, wee!

All the way home.

—

To market ride the gentlemen,

So do we, so do we;

Then comes the country clown,

Hobbledy gee, Hobbledy gee;

First go the ladies, nim, nim, nim;

Next come the gentlemen, trim, trim, trim;

Then come the country clowns, gallopa-trot.

—

To market, to market,

To buy a plum cake,

Home again, home again,

Market is late.

To market, to market,

To buy a plum bun,

Home again, home again,

Market is done.

—

There were two blackbirds

Sitting on a hill,

The one named Jack,

And the other named Jill;

Fly away, Jack!

Fly away, Jill!

Come again, Jack!

Come again, Jill!

—

1   This pig went to the barn;

2   This ate all the corn;

3   This said he would tell;

4   This said he wasn’t well;

5   This went week, week, week, over the door-sill.

—

This is the way the ladies ride,

Tri, tre, tre, tree,

Tri, tre, tre, tree!

This is the way the ladies ride,

Tri, tre, tre, tree; tri-tre-tre-tree!

This is the way the gentlemen ride,

Gallop-a-trot,

Gallop-a-trot!

This is the way the gentlemen ride,

Gallop-a-gallop-a-trot!

This is the way the farmers ride,

Hobbledy-hoy,

Hobbledy-hoy!

This is the way the farmers ride,

Hobbledy hobbledy-hoy!

—

There was an old woman had three sons,

Jerry and James and John:

Jerry was hung, James was drowned,

John was lost, and never was found;

And there was an end of her three sons,

Jerry and James and John!

—

A farmer went trotting

Upon his grey mare,

Bumpety, bumpety, bump!

With his daughter behind him

So rosy and fair,

Lumpety, lumpety, lump!

A raven cried “Croak!”

And they all tumbled down,

Bumpety, bumpety, bump!

The mare broke her knees,

And the farmer his crown,

Lumpety, lumpety, lump!

The mischievous raven flew

Laughing away,

Bumpety, bumpety, bump!

And vowed he would serve them

The same the next day,

Lumpety, lumpety, lump!

—

A,  apple-pie;

B  bit it;

C  cut it;

D  dealt it;

E  ate it;

F  fought for it;

G  got it;

H  had it;

J  joined it;

K  kept it;

L  longed for it;

M  mourned for it;

N  nodded at it;

O  opened it;

P  peeped in it;

Q  quartered it;

R  ran for it;

S  stole it;

T  took it;

V  viewed it;

W  wanted it;

X, Y, Z, and Amperse-and

All wished for a piece in hand.

—

A  was an Archer, and shot at a frog,

B  was a Butcher, and had a great dog.

C  was a Captain, all covered with lace,

D  was a Drummer, and had a red face.

E  was an Esquire, with pride on his brow,

F  was a Farmer, and followed the plough.

G  was a Gamester, who had but ill luck,

H  was a Hunter, and hunted a buck.

I  was an Innkeeper, who loved to bouse,

J  was a Joiner, and built up a house.

K  was King William, who once governed this land,

L  was a Lady, who had a white hand.

M  was a Miser, and hoarded up gold,

N  was a Nobleman, gallant and bold.

O  was an Oyster Wench, and went about town,

P  was a Parson, and wore a black gown.

Q  was a Queen, who was fond of good flip,

R  was a Robber, and wanted a whip.

S  was a Sailor, and spent all he got,

T  was a Tinker, and mended a pot.

U  was an Usurer, a miserable elf,

V  was a Vintner, who drank all himself.

W  was a Watchman, and guarded the door,

X  was Expensive, and so became poor,

Y  was a Youth, that did not love school,

Z  was a Zany, a poor harmless fool.

—

A curious discourse about an Apple-pie, that passed between the Twenty-Five letters at Dinner-time.

Says A, Give me a good large slice.

Says B, A little Bit, but nice.

Says C, Cut me a piece of Crust.

Says D, It is as Dry as Dust.

Says E, I’ll Eat now, fast who will.

Says F, I vow I’ll have my Fill.

Says G, Give it to me Good and Great.

Says H, A little bit I Hate.

Says J, I love the Juice the best.

And K the very same confessed.

Says L, There’s nothing more I Love.

Says M, It makes your teeth to Move.

N Noticed what the others said.

O Others’ plates with grief surveyed.

P Praised the cook up to the life.

Q Quarrelled ’cause he had a bad knife.

Says R, It Runs short, I’m afraid.

S sat Silent, and nothing said.

T thought that Talking might lose time.

U Understood it at meals a crime.

W Wished there had been a quince in.

Says X, Those cooks there’s no convincing.

—

A diller, a dollar,

A ten o’clock scholar,

What makes you come so soon?

You used to come at ten o’clock,

But now you come at noon.

—

A, B, C, tumble down D,

The cat’s in the cupboard, and can’t see me.

—

A long-tailed pig, or a short-tailed pig,

Or a pig without e’er a tail,

A sow pig, or a boar pig,

Or a pig with a curly tail.

—

An apple pie, when it looks nice,

Would make one long to have a slice,

But if the taste should prove so, too,

I fear one slice would scarcely do.

So to prevent my asking twice,

Please, mamma, cut a good large slice.

—

A magpie sat on a pear-tree,

A magpie sat on a pear-tree,

A magpie sat on a pear-tree,

Heigh O, heigh O, heigh O!

Once so merrily hopped she,

Twice so merrily hopped she,

Thrice so merrily hopped she,

Heigh O, heigh O, heigh O!

—

Apple-pie, pudding, and pancake,

All begins with A.

—

Around the green gravel the grass grows green,

And all the pretty maids are plain to be seen;

Wash them with milk, and clothe them with silk,

And the first to go down shall be wed.

—

As I was going to sell my eggs

I met a man with bandy legs;

Bandy legs and crooked toes,

I tripped up his heels, and he fell on his nose.

—

As little Jenny Wren

Was sitting by the shed,

She waggled with her tail,

And nodded with her head.

She waggled with her tail,

And nodded with her head,

As little Jenny Wren

Was sitting by the shed.

—

As soft as silk, as white as milk,

As bitter as gall, a strong wall,

And a green coat covers me all.

(a walnut)

—

Bat, bat,

Come under my hat,

And I’ll give you a slice of bacon;

And when I bake,

I’ll give you a cake,

If I am not mistaken.

—

Bessy Bell and Mary Gray,

They were two bonny lasses;

They built their house upon the lea,

And covered it with rashes.

Bessy kept the garden gate,

And Mary kept the pantry:

Bessy always had to wait,

While Mary lived in plenty.

—

“Billy, Billy, come and play,

While the sun shines bright as day.”

“Yes, my Polly, so I will,

For I love to please you still.”

“Billy, Billy, have you seen

Sam and Betsy on the green?”

“Yes, my Poll, I saw them pass,

Skipping o’er the new-mown grass.”

“Billy, Billy, come along,

And I will sing a pretty song.”

—

Bless you, bless you, burny-bee;

Say, when will your wedding be?

If it be tomorrow day,

Take your wings and fly away.

—

Bow, wow, says the dog;

Mew, mew, says the cat;

Grunt, grunt, goes the hog;

And squeak goes the rat.

Chirp, chirp, says the sparrow;

Caw, caw, says the crow;

Quack, quack, says the duck;

And what cuckoos say, you know.

So, with sparrows and cuckoos;

With rats and with dogs;

With ducks and with crows;

With cats and with hogs.

A fine song I have made,

To please you, my dear;

And if it’s well sung,

’Twill be charming to hear.

—

Barber, barber, shave a pig;

How many hairs will make a wig?

“Four-and-twenty, that’s enough,”

Give the poor barber a pinch of snuff.

—

Come when you’re called,

Do what you’re bid,

Shut the door after you,

Never be chid.

—

Cross Patch,

Draw the latch,

Sit by the fire and spin;

Take a cup,

And drink it up,

Then call your neighbors in.

—

Cock a doodle doo!

My dame has lost her shoe;

My master’s lost his fiddling stick,

And don’t know what to do.

Cock a doodle doo!

What is my dame to do?

Till master finds his fiddling stick,

She’ll dance without her shoe.

Cock a doodle doo!

Dame has lost her shoe;

Gone to bed and scratched her head,

And can’t tell what to do.

Cock a doodle doo!

My dame has lost her shoe,

And master’s found his fiddling stick,

Sing doodle doodle doo!

Cock a doodle doo!

My dame will dance with you.

While master fiddles his fiddling stick,

For dame and doodle doo.

—

Curly locks! curly locks! wilt thou be mine?

Thou shalt not wash dishes, nor yet feed the swine;

But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam,

And feed upon strawberries, sugar, and cream!

—

Cry, baby, cry,

Put your finger in your eye,

And tell your mother it wasn’t I.

—

Diddlety diddlety dumpty,

The cat ran up the plum-tree,

Half-a-crown

To fetch her down,

Diddlety diddlety dumpty.

—

Deedle, deedle dumpling, my son John,

Went to bed with his stockings on,

One shoe off, and the other shoe on;

Deedle, deedle dumpling, my son John.

—

Daffy-Down-Dilly has come up to town,

In a yellow petticoat, and a green gown.

—

Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess,

They all went together to seek a bird’s nest,

They found a bird’s nest with five eggs in,

They all took one, and left four in.

(Elizabeth has three nicknames.)

—

Fiddle-de-dee, fiddle-de-dee,

The fly shall marry the bumble-bee.

They went to church, and married was she:

The fly has married the bumble-bee.

—

Girls and boys, come out to play,

The moon doth shine as bright as day;

Leave your supper, and leave your sleep,

And come with your playfellows into the street.

Come with a whoop, come with a call,

Come with a good will or come not at all.

Up the ladder and down the wall,

A halfpenny roll will serve us all.

You find milk, and I’ll find flour,

And we’ll have a pudding in half-an-hour.

—

Great A, little A,

Bouncing B,

The cat’s in the cupboard,

And can’t see me.

—

Goosey, goosey, gander,

Whither shall I wander?

Upstairs and downstairs,

And in my lady’s chamber.

There I met an old man

That wouldn’t say his prayers;

I took him by the left leg,

And threw him down the stairs.

—

Gay go up and gay go down,

To ring the bells of London town.

Oranges and lemons,

Say the bells of St. Clement’s.

Bulls’ eyes and targets,

Say the bells of St. Marg’et’s.

Brickbats and tiles,

Say the bells of St. Giles’.

Pancakes and fritters,

Say the bells of St. Peter’s,

Two sticks and an apple,

Say the bells of Whitechapel,

Old Father Baldpate,

Say the slow bells of Aldgate.

Pokers and tongs,

Say the bells of St. John’s.

Kettles and pans,

Say the bells of St. Ann’s.

Halfpence and farthings,

Say the bells of St. Martin’s.

You owe me ten shillings,

Say the bells of St. Helen’s.

When will you pay me?

Say the bells of Old Bailey.

When I grow rich,

Say the bells of Shoreditch.

Pray when will that be?

Say the bells of Stepney.

I am sure I don’t know,

Says the great bell of Bow.

Here comes a candle to light you to bed,

And here comes a chopper to chop off your head.

Last, last, last, last, last man’s head.

—

Hot-cross Buns!

Old woman runs!

One a penny, two a penny,

Hot-cross Buns!

If ye have no daughters,

Give them to your sons.

One a penny, two a penny,

Hot-cross Buns!

—

Hickety, pickety, my black hen,

She lays eggs for gentlemen;

Sometimes nine, and sometimes ten.

Hickety, pickety, my black hen!

Hickety, pickety, my black hen,

She lays eggs for gentlemen;

Gentlemen come every day

To see what my black hen doth lay.

—

I’ll tell you a story

About Jack-a-Nory,—

And now my story’s begun;

I’ll tell you another

About Jack’s brother,—

And now my story is done.

—

I am a gold lock.

I am a gold key.

I am a silver lock.

I am a silver key.

I am a brass lock.

I am a brass key.

I am a lead lock.

I am a lead key.

I am a monk lock.

I am a monk key!

—

I had a little moppet,

I kept it in my pocket,

And fed it with corn and hay,

There came a proud beggar,

Who swore he would have her,

And stole little moppet away.

—

If a man who turnips cries,

Cries not when his father dies,

It is proof that he would rather

Have a turnip than his father.

—

If wishes were horses,

Beggars might ride;

If turnips were watches,

I would wear one by my side.

—

I had a little hen, the prettiest ever seen,

She washed up the dishes, and kept the house clean;

She went to the mill to fetch me some flour,

She brought it home in less than an hour;

She baked me my bread, she brewed me my ale,

She sat by the fire and told me a fine tale.

—

I had a little nut tree, nothing would it bear

But a silver apple and a golden pear;

The King of Spain’s daughter came to see me,

And all for the sake of my little nut tree.

I skipped over the water, I danced over the sea,

And all the birds in the air couldn’t catch me.

—

Here am I, little jumping Joan,

When nobody’s with me,

I’m always alone.

—

I will sing you a song,

Though ’tis not very long,

Of the woodcock and the sparrow,

Of the little dog that burned his tail,

And he shall be whipped tomorrow.

—

I had a little husband

No bigger than my thumb.

I put him in a pint pot,

And there I bid him drum.

I gave him yellow garters

To garter up his hose,

And a little handkerchief

To wipe his pretty nose.

I bought a little horse

That galloped up and down;

I bridled him, and saddled him,

And sent him out of town.

—

Intery, mintery, cutery-corn,

Apple seed and apple thorn;

Wire brier limber-lock,

Five geese in a flock,

Sit and sing by a spring,

O-U-T, and in again.

—

I saw three ships come sailing by,

Sailing by, sailing by,

I saw three ships come sailing by,

On New-Year’s Day in the morning.

And what do you think was in them then,

Was in them then, was in them then,

And what do you think was in them then,

On New-Year’s Day in the morning.

Three pretty girls were in them then,

Were in them then, were in them then,

Three pretty girls were in them then,

On New-Year’s Day in the morning.

And one could whistle, and one could sing,

And one could play on the violin,

Such joy there was at my wedding,

On New-Year’s Day in the morning.

—

I saw a ship a-sailing,

A-sailing on the sea;

And, oh! it was all laden

With pretty things for thee!

There were comfits in the cabin,

And apples in the hold;

The sails were all of silk,

And the masts were made of gold.

The four-and-twenty sailors

That stood between the decks,

Were four-and-twenty white mice

With chains about their necks.

The captain was a duck,

With a packet on his back;

And when the ship began to move,

The captain said, “Quack! Quack!

—

Jack Sprat could eat no fat,

His wife could eat no lean,

And so, betwixt them both,

They licked the platter clean.

—

Jeanie, come tie my,

Jeanie, come tie my,

Jeanie, come tie my bonnie cravat;

I’ve tied it behind,

I’ve tied it before,

And I’ve tied it so often, I’ll tie it no more.

—

John Cook had a little grey mare;

Hee, haw, hum!

Her back stood up, and her bones they were bare;

Hee, haw, hum!

John Cook was riding up Shuter’s bank;

Hee, haw, hum!

And there his nag did kick and prank;

Hee, haw, hum!

John Cook was riding up Shuter’s hill;

Hee, haw, hum!

His mare fell down, and she made her will;

Hee, haw, hum!

The bridle and saddle were laid on the shelf;

Hee, haw, hum;

If you want any more you may sing it yourself;

Hee, haw, hum!

—

Jack be nimble,

Jack be quick,

Jack jump over the candlestick,

—

Lady bird, lady bird, fly away home,

Your house is on fire, your children all gone,

All but one, and her name is Ann,

And she crept under the pudding-pan.

—

Little Tee Wee,

He went to sea,

In an open boat;

And while afloat

The little boat bended,

And my story’s ended.

—

Love your own, kiss your own,

Love your own mother, hinny,

For if she was dead and gone,

You’d ne’er get such another, hinny.

—

Little Nancy Etticoat,

In a white petticoat,

With a red nose.

The longer she stands,

The shorter she grows.

(a candle)

—

Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn,

The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn;

Where’s the boy that looks after the sheep?

He’s under the haystack fast asleep.

Will you wake him? No, not I;

For if I do, he’ll be sure to cry.

—

Little Polly Flinders,

Sat among the cinders,

Warming her pretty little toes;

Her mother came and caught her,

And whipped her little daughter,

For spoiling her nice new clothes.

—

Mary, Mary,

Quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?

With silver-bells,

And cockle-shells,

And pretty maids all in a row.

—

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,

Bless the bed that I lie on.

Four corners to my bed,

Four angels over head,

One to sing and one to pray,

And two to bear my soul away.

—

“Oh, what have you got for dinner, Mrs. Bond?”

“There’s beef in the larder, and ducks in the pond.

Dilly, dilly, dilly, dilly, come to be killed,

For you must be stuffed and my customers filled!”

John Ostler, go fetch me a duckling or two,

John Ostler, go fetch me a duckling or two;

Cry, dilly, dilly, dilly, come to be killed,

For you must be stuffed and the customers filled!”

“I have been to the ducks that swim in the pond,

And they won’t come to be killed by me, Mrs. Bond;

I cried, Dilly, dilly, dilly, come to be killed,

For you must be stuffed and the customers filled!”

Mrs. Bond she went down to the pond in a rage,

With plenty of onions, and plenty of sage;

She cried, “Come, little wag-tails, come and be killed,

For you shall be stuffed, and my customers filled!”

—

My little old man and I fell out,

I’ll tell you what ’twas all about:

I had money and he had none,

And that’s the way the row begun.

—

Master I have, and I am his man,

Gallop a dreary dun;

Master I have, and I am his man,

And I’ll get a wife as fast I can;

With a heighty gaily gamberally,

Higgledy, piggledy, niggledy, niggledy,

Gallop a dreary dun.

—

Nose, nose, jolly red nose;

And what gave thee that jolly red nose?

Nutmegs and cinnamon, spices and cloves,

And they gave me this jolly red nose.

—

Now what do you think

Of little Jack Jingle?

Before he was married

He used to live single,

—

Old woman, old woman, shall we go a shearing?

“Speak a little louder, sir, I am very thick of hearing.”

Old woman, old woman, shall I love you dearly?

“Thank you, kind sir, I hear you very clearly.”

—

Once I saw a little bird

Come hop, hop, hop;

So I cried, “Little bird,

Will you stop, stop, stop?”

And was going to the window

To say, “How do you do?”

But he shook his little tail,

And far away he flew.

—

Old mother Twitchett had but one eye,

And a long tail which she let fly;

And every time she went over a gap,

She left a bit of her tail in a trap.

(a sewing needle)

—

Over the water, and over the sea,

And over the water to Charley.

Charley loves good ale and wine,

And Charley loves good brandy,

And Charley loves a pretty girl,

As sweet as sugar-candy.

Over the water, and over the sea,

And over the water to Charley,

I’ll have none of your weevily wheat,

Nor I’ll have none of your barley;

But I’ll have some of your very best flour,

To make a white cake for my Charley.

—

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper;

A peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked;

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper,

Where’s the peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked?

—

One, two, three, four, five,

Catching fishes all alive,

Why did you let them go?

“Because they bit my finger so.”

Which finger did they bite?

“The little finger on the right.”

—

Polly, put the kettle on,

Polly, put the kettle on,

Polly, put the kettle on,

And we’ll all have tea.

Sukey, take it off again,

Sukey, take it off again,

Sukey, take it off again,

They’re all gone away,

—

Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, with a white foot,

When is your wedding? for I’ll come to’t.

The beer’s to brew, the bread’s to bake,

Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, don’t be too late.

—

Pussy-cat Mole jumped over a coal,

And in her best petticoat burnt a great hole.

Poor pussy’s weeping, she’ll have no more milk,

Until her best petticoat’s mended with silk.

—

Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, where have you been?

I’ve been up to London to look at the queen.

Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, what did you there?

I frightened a little mouse under the chair.

—

Rain, rain, go to Spain,

Don’t come back again!

—

Rain, rain, go away,

Come again another day;

Little (ARTHUR) wants to play.

—

An old woman was sweeping her house, and she found a little crooked sixpence.

“What,” said she, “shall I do with this little sixpence? I will go to market, and buy a little pig.” As she was coming home, she came to a stile; but the pig would not go over the stile.

She went a little farther, and she met a dog. So she said to the dog

“Dog, dog, bite pig!

Pig won’t get over the stile;

And I shan’t get home tonight.”

But the dog would not.

She went a little farther, and she met a stick. So she said—

“Stick, stick, beat dog!

Dog won’t bite pig;

Pig won’t get over the stile;

And I shan’t get home tonight.”

But the stick would not

She went a little farther, and she met a fire. So she said—

“Fire, fire, burn stick!

Stick won’t beat dog;

Dog won’t bite pig;

Pig won’t get over the stile;

And I shan’t get home tonight.”

But the fire would not.

She went a little farther, and she met some water. So she said—

“Water, water, quench fire!

Fire won’t burn stick;

Stick won’t beat dog;

Dog won’t bite pig;

Pig won’t get over the stile;

And I shan’t get home tonight.”

But the water would not.

She went a little farther and she met an ox. So she said—

“Ox, ox, drink water!

Water won’t quench fire;

Fire won’t burn stick;

Stick won’t beat dog;

Dog won’t bite pig;

Pig won’t get over the stile;

And I shan’t get home tonight.”

But the ox would not.

She went a little farther and she met a butcher. So she said

“Butcher, butcher, kill ox!

Ox won’t drink water;

Water won’t quench fire;

Fire won’t burn stick;

Stick won’t beat dog;

Dog won’t bite pig;

Pig won’t get over the stile;

And I shan’t get home tonight.”

But the butcher would not.

She went a little farther and she met a rope. So she said—

“Rope, rope, hang butcher!

Butcher won’t kill ox;

Ox won’t drink water;

Water won’t quench fire;

Fire won’t burn stick;

Stick won’t beat dog;

Dog won’t bite pig;

Pig won’t get over the stile;

And I shan’t get home tonight.”

But the rope would not.

She went a little farther and she met a rat. So she said—

“Rat, rat, gnaw rope!

Rope won’t hang butcher;

Butcher won’t kill ox;

Ox won’t drink water;

Water won’t quench fire;

Fire won’t burn stick;

Stick won’t beat dog;

Dog won’t bite pig;

Pig won’t get over the stile;

And I shan’t get home tonight.”

But the rat would not.

She went a little farther and she met a cat. So she said—

“Cat, cat, kill rat;

Rat won’t gnaw rope;

Rope won’t hang butcher;

Butcher won’t kill ox;

Ox won’t drink water;

Water won’t quench fire;

Fire won’t burn stick;

Stick won’t beat dog;

Dog won’t bite pig;

Pig won’t get over the stile;

And I shan’t get home tonight.”

The cat said, “If you will give me a saucer of milk, I will kill the rat.”

So the old woman gave the cat the milk, and when she had lapped up the milk—

The cat began to kill the rat;

The rat began to gnaw the rope;

The rope began to hang the butcher;

The butcher began to kill the ox;

The ox began to drink the water;

The water began to quench the fire;

The fire began to burn the stick;

The stick began to beat the dog;

The dog began to bite the pig;

The pig jumped over the stile;

And so the old woman got home that night.

—

Simple Simon met a pieman,

Going to the fair;

Says Simple Simon to the pieman,

“Let me taste your ware.”

Says the pieman to Simple Simon,

“Show me first your penny,”

Says Simple Simon to the pieman,

“Indeed, I have not any.”

Simple Simon went a-fishing,

For to catch a whale;

All the water he had got

Was in his mother’s pail.

—

Sing a song of sixpence,

A pocket full of rye;

Four and twenty blackbirds

Baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened

The birds began to sing;

Was not that a dainty dish

To set before the King?

The King was in the counting-house

Counting out his money;

The Queen was in the parlour

Eating bread and honey.

The maid was in the garden

Hanging out the clothes,

Down came a blackbird

And snapped off her nose.

—

Sing, sing, what shall I sing?

The cat’s run off with the pudding-bag string!

Do, do, what shall I do?

The cat has bitten it quite in two.

—

The cock’s on the housetop blowing his horn;

The bull’s in the barn a-threshing of corn;

The maids in the meadows are making of hay;

The ducks in the river are swimming away.

—

The cuckoo’s a fine bird,

He sings as he flies;

He brings us good tidings,

He tells us no lies.

He sucks little birds’ eggs,

To make his voice clear;

And when he sings “cuckoo!”

The summer is near.

—

The dove says coo, coo, what shall I do?

I can scarce maintain two.

Pooh, pooh! says the wren, I have got ten,

And keep them all like gentlemen!

—

The King of France went up the hill,

With twenty thousand men;

The King of France came down the hill,

And ne’er went up again.

—

The man in the moon,

Came down too soon,

To inquire his way to Norwich.

He went by the south,

And burnt his mouth

With eating cold plum-porridge.

—

There was a man of Thessaly,

And he was wondrous wise;

He jumped into a quickset hedge,

And scratched out both his eyes;

But when he saw his eyes were out,

With all his might and main

He jumped into another hedge,

And scratched ’em in again.

—

There was a man, and he had naught,

And robbers came to rob him;

He crept up to the chimney pot,

And then they thought they had him.

But he got down on t’other side,

And then they could not find him;

He ran fourteen miles in fifteen days,

And never looked behind him.

—

The winds they did blow,

The leaves they did wag;

Along came a beggar-boy,

And put me in his bag.

He took me up to London,

A lady did me buy;

Put me in a silver cage,

And hung me up on high.

With apples by the fire,

And nuts for to crack;

Besides a little feather-bed,

To rest my little back.

—

There was an old woman lived under a hill,

And if she’s not gone, she lives there still

Baked apples she sold, and cranberry pies,

And she’s the old woman that never told lies.

—

There was an old woman, her name it was Peg,

Her head was of wood, and she wore a cork-leg.

The neighbors all pitched her into the water,

Her leg was drowned first, and her head followed a’ter.

—

There was an old woman lived under a hill,

She put a mouse in a bag and sent it to the mill;

The miller did swear by the point of his knife,

He never took toll of a mouse in his life.

—

This is the house that Jack built.

This is the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cat,

That killed the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the dog,

That worried the cat,

That killed the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built,

This is the cow with the crumpled horn,

That tossed the dog,

That worried the cat,

That killed the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the maiden all forlorn,

That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,

That tossed the dog,

That worried the cat,

That killed the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the man all tattered and torn,

That kissed the maiden all forlorn,

That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,

That tossed the dog,

That worried the cat,

That killed the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the priest all shaven and shorn,

That married the man all tattered and torn,

That kissed the maiden all forlorn,

That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,

That tossed the dog,

That worried the cat,

That killed the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cock that crowed in the morn,

That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,

That married the man all tattered and torn,

That kissed the maiden all forlorn,

That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,

That tossed the dog,

That worried the cat,

That killed the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the farmer sowing the corn,

That kept the cock that crowed in the morn,

That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,

That married the man all tattered and torn,

That kissed the maiden all forlorn,

That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,

That tossed the dog,

That worried the cat,

That killed the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

—

Tom, Tom, the piper’s son,

Stole a pig, and away he run!

The pig was eat, and Tom was beat,

And Tom went crying down the street,

—

Tom he was a piper’s son.

He learned to play when he was young,

But all the tunes that he could play,

Was “Over the hills and far away.”

Over the hills and a great way off,

And the wind will blow my top-knot off.

Now Tom with his pipe made such a noise,

That he pleased both the girls and boys,

And they stopped to hear him play,

“Over the hills and far away.”

Tom with his pipe did play with such skill,

That those who heard him could never keep still;

Wherever they heard they began for to dance,

Even pigs on their hind legs would after him prance.

As Dolly was milking her cow one day,

Tom took out his pipe and began for to play;

So Doll and the cow danced “the Cheshire round,”

Till the pail was broke, and the milk ran on the ground.

He met old Dame Trot with a basket of eggs,

He used his pipe, and she used her legs;

She danced about till the eggs were all broke,

She began for to fret, but he laughed at the joke.

He saw a cross fellow was beating an ass,

Heavy laden with pots, pans, dishes and glass;

He took out his pipe and played them a tune,

And the jackass’s load was lightened full soon.

—

Three blind mice! Three blind mice!

See how they run! See how they run!

They all ran after the farmer’s wife,

Who cut off their tails with the carving knife,

Did you ever see such fun in your life?

As three blind mice.

—

Three little kittens they lost their mittens,

And they began to cry

Oh! mammy dear,

We sadly fear

That we have lost our mittens.

What! Lost your mittens!

You naughty kittens!

Then you shall have no pie.

Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow,

Yes, you shall have no pie.

Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.

The three little kittens they found their mittens,

And they began to cry,

Oh! mammy dear,

See here, see here!

See, we have found our mittens.

What, found your mittens,

You little kittens,

Then you shall have some pie.

Purr-r, purr-r, purr-r,

Yes, you shall have some pie.

Purr-r, purr-r, purr-r.

The three little kittens put on their mittens,

And soon ate up the pie;

Oh! mother dear,

We greatly fear,

That we have soiled our mittens.

What! Soiled your mittens!

You naughty kittens!

Then they began to sigh,

Mi-ew, mi-ew, mi-ew,

Then they began to sigh,

Mi-ew, mi-ew, mi-ew.

The three little kittens they washed their mittens,

And hung them up to dry;

Oh! mammy dear,

Look here, look here,

Do you not hear,

That we have washed our mittens?

What! Washed your mittens!

Oh! you’re good kittens.

But I smell a rat close by.

Hush! hush! mee-ow, mee-ow,

We smell a rat close by.

Mi-ew, mi-ew, mi-ew.

—

The north wind doth blow,

And we shall have snow,

And what will the Robin do then?

Poor thing!

He’ll sit in a barn,

To keep himself warm,

And hide his head under his wing.

Poor thing!

—

Upon St. Paul’s steeple stands a tree,

As full of apples as may be.

The little boys of London town,

They run with hooks and pull them down;

And then they run from hedge to hedge

Until they come to London Bridge.

—

Who goes here?

“A grenadier.”

What do you want?

“A pot of beer.”

Where is your money?

“I’ve forgot.”

Get you gone,

You drunken sot!

—

Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,

Upstairs and downstairs in his nightgown,

Rapping at the window, crying through the lock,

“Are the children in their beds, for now it’s eight o’clock?”

—

Yankee Doodle went to town

Upon a little pony;

He stuck a feather in his hat,

And called it Macaroni.

—

Yet didn’t you see, yet didn’t you see,

What naughty tricks they put upon me:

They broke my pitcher,

And spilt my water,

And huffed my mother,

And chid her daughter,

And kissed my sister instead of me.

—

A sunshiny shower

Won’t last half an hour.

—

A red sky at night,

Is the shepherd’s delight.

A red sky in the morning,

Is the shepherd’s warning.

—

“Come, let’s to bed,”

Says Sleepy-head; “

Tarry a while,” says Slow.

“Put on the pan,”

Says Greedy Nan,

“Let’s sup before we go.”

—

A carrion crow sat on an oak,

Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,

Watching a tailor make his cloak;

Sing heigh, sing ho, the carrion crow,

Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do.

Wife, bring me my old bent bow,

Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,

That I may shoot yon carrion crow;

Sing heigh, sing ho, the carrion crow,

Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do.

The tailor he shot, but he missed his mark,

Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,

And shot the old sow quite through the heart;

Sing heigh, sing ho, the carrion crow,

Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do.

—

A man of words and not of deeds,

Is like a garden full of weeds;

And when the weeds begin to grow,

It’s like a garden full of snow;

And when the snow begins to fall,

It’s like a bird upon the wall;

And when the bird away does fly,

It’s like an eagle in the sky;

And when the sky begins to roar,

It’s like a lion at the door;

And when the door begins to crack,

It’s like a stick across your back;

And when your back begins to smart,

It’s like a penknife in your heart;

And when your heart begins to bleed,

You’re dead, and dead, and dead, indeed.

—

A frog he would a-wooing go,

Heigho, says Rowley,

Whether his mother would let him or no,

With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,

Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!

So off he sets in his opera hat,

Heigho, says Rowley,

And on the road he met with a rat.

With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,

Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!

“Pray, Mr. Rat, will you go with me,”

Heigho, says Rowley,

“Kind Mrs. Mousey for to see.”

With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,

Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!

When they reached the door of Mousey’s hall,

Heigho, says Rowley.

They gave a loud knock, and they gave a loud call,

With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,

Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!

“Pray, Mrs. Mouse, are you within?”

Heigho, says Rowley,

“Oh, yes, kind sirs, I’m sitting to spin.”

With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,

Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!

“Pray, Mrs. Mouse, will you give us some beer?”

Heigho, says Rowley,

“For froggy and I are fond of good cheer.”

With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,

Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!

“Pray, Mr. Frog, will you give us a song?”

Heigho, says Rowley,

“But let it be something that’s not very long.”

With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,

Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!

“Indeed, Mrs. Mouse,” replied Mr. Frog,

Heigho, says Rowley,

“A cold has made me as hoarse as a dog,”

With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,

Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!

“Since you have caught cold, Mr. Frog,” Mousey said,

Heigho, says Rowley,

“I’ll sing you a song that I have just made.”

With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,

Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!

But while they were all a merry-making,

Heigho, says Rowley,

A cat and her kittens came tumbling in.

With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,

Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!

The cat she seized the rat by the crown,

Heigho, says Rowley,

The kittens they pulled the little mouse down,

With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,

Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!

This put Mr. Frog in a terrible fright;

Heigho, says Rowley,

He took up his hat, and he wished them good-night,

With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,

Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!

But as Froggy was crossing over a brook,

Heigho, says Rowley,

A lily-white duck came and gobbled him up.

With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,

Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!

So there was an end of one, two and three,

Heigho, says Rowley,

The Rat, the Mouse, and the little Frog-gee!

With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,

Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!

—

A little cock sparrow sat on a green tree,

And he chirruped, he chirruped, so merry was he;

A naughty boy came with his wee bow and arrow,

Determined to shoot this little cock sparrow.

“This little cock sparrow shall make me a stew,

And his giblets shall make me a little pie too.”

“Oh, no!” said the sparrow, “I won’t make a stew,”

And he flapped his wings and away he flew!

—

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?

(only one)

—

A swarm of bees in May

Is worth a load of hay;

A swarm of bees in June

Is worth a silver spoon;

A swarm of bees in July

Is not worth a fly.

—

Bobby Shaftoe’s gone to sea,

Silver buckles on his knee;

He’ll come back and marry me,

Bonny Bobby Shaftoe!

Bobby Shaftoe’s young and fair,

Combing down his yellow hair,

He’s my love for evermore,

Bonny Bobby Shaftoe.

—

Bryan O’Lin had no breeches to wear,

So he bought him a sheepskin and made him a pair,

With the skinny side out, and the woolly side in,

“Ah ha, that is warm!” said Bryan O’Lin.

—

Charley, Charley, stole the barley

Out of the baker’s shop;

The baker came out, and gave him a clout,

And made poor Charley hop.

—

Cushy cow bonny,

Let down thy milk,

And I will give thee a gown of silk;

A gown of silk and a silver fee,

If thou wilt let down thy milk to me.

—

“Croak!” said the Toad, “I’m hungry, I think,

Today I’ve had nothing to eat or to drink;

I’ll crawl to a garden and jump through the pales,

And there I’ll dine nicely on slugs and on snails.”

“Ho, ho!” quoth the Frog, “is that what you mean?

Then I’ll hop away to the next meadow stream,

There I will drink, and eat worms and slugs too,

And then I shall have a good dinner like you.”

—

Doctor Foster went to Glo’ster,

In a shower of rain;

He stepped in a puddle, up to his middle,

And never went there again.

—

Doctor Faustus was a good man,

He whipped his scholars now and then;

When he whipped them he made them dance,

Out of Scotland into France,

Out of France into Spain,

And then he whipped them home again.

—

Elsie Marley is grown so fine,

She won’t get up to serve the swine,

But lies in bed till eight or nine,

And surely she does take her time.

—

Early to bed, and early to rise,

Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise,

—

Fa, Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum!

I smell the blood of an Englishman:

Be he alive or be he dead,

I’ll grind his bones to make me bread.

—

1   He loves me,

2   He don’t!

3   He’ll have me,

4   He won’t!

5   He would if he could,

6   But he can’t,

7   So he don’t!

—

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost,

For want of the shoe, the horse was lost,

For want of the horse, the rider was lost,

For want of the rider, the battle was lost,

For want of the battle, the kingdom was lost,

And all from the want of a horseshoe nail!

—

Four and twenty tailors went to kill a snail,

The best man among them durs’n’t touch her tail,

She put out her horns like a little Kyloe cow,

Run, tailors, run! or she’ll kill you all e’en now.

—

He that would thrive,

Must rise at five;

He that hath thriven,

May lie till seven;

And he that by the plough would thrive,

Himself must either hold or drive.

—

Higgledy piggledy

Here we lie,

Pick’d and pluck’d,

And put in a pie.

My first is snapping, snarling, growling,

My second’s industrious, romping and prowling.

Higgledy piggledy

Here we lie,

Pick’d and pluck’d,

And put in a pie.

(currant berries)

—

Eena, deena, dina, duss,

Kattla, weela, wila, wuss,

Spit, spot, must be done,

Twiddlum, twaddlum, twenty-one,

O-U-T spells out!

—

I had four brothers over the sea,

Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.

And they each sent a present unto me,

Petrum, Partrum, Paradise, Temporie,

Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.

The first sent a chicken, without any bones;

The second sent a cherry, without any stones.

Petrum, Partrum, Paradise, Temporie,

Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.

The third sent a book, which no man if could read;

The fourth sent a blanket, without any thread.

Petrum, Partrum, Paradise, Temporie,

Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.

How could there be a chicken without any bones?

How could there be a cherry without any stones?

Petrum, Partrum, Paradise, Temporie,

Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.

How could there be a book which no man could read?

How could there be a blanket without a thread?

Petrum, Partrum, Paradise, Temporie,

Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.

When the chicken’s in the egg-shell, there are no bones;

When the cherry’s in the blossom, there are no stones.

Petrum, Partrum, Paradise, Temporie,

Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.

When the book’s in ye press no man it can read;

When the wool is on the sheep’s back, there is no thread.

Petrum, Partrum, Paradise, Temporie,

Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.

—

If you sneeze on a Monday, you sneeze for danger;

Sneeze on a Tuesday, kiss a stranger;

Sneeze on a Wednesday, sneeze for a letter;

Sneeze on a Thursday, something better;

Sneeze on a Friday, sneeze for sorrow;

Sneeze on a Saturday, see your sweetheart tomorrow.

—

—AN ALPHABET GAME—

I love my love with an A, because he’s Agreeable.

I hate him because he’s Avaricious.

He took me to the Sign of the Acorn,

And treated me with Apples.

His name’s Andrew,

And he lives at Arlington.

(This can be continued through the alphabet)

—

If all the seas were one sea,

What a great sea it would be!

And if all the trees were one tree,

What a great tree it would be!

And if all the axes were one axe,

What a great axe that would be!

And if all the men were one man,

What a great man he would be!

And if the great man took the great axe,

And cut down the great tree,

And let it fall into the great sea,

What a splish splash that would be!

—

I love sixpence, pretty little sixpence,

I love sixpence better than my life;

I spent a penny of it, I spent another,

And I took fourpence home to my wife.

Oh, my little fourpence, pretty little fourpence,

I love fourpence better than my life;

I spent a penny of it, I spent another,

And I took twopence home to my wife.

Oh, my little twopence, pretty little twopence,

I love twopence better than my life;

I spent a penny of it, I spent another,

And I took nothing home to my wife.

Oh, my little nothing, my pretty little nothing,

What will nothing buy for my wife?

I have nothing, I spent nothing,

I love nothing better than my wife.

—

If I’d as much money as I could spend,

I never would cry old chairs to mend;

Old chairs to mend, old chairs to mend;

I never would cry old chairs to mend.

If I’d as much money as I could tell,

I never would cry old clothes to sell;

Old clothes to sell, old clothes to sell;

I never would cry old clothes to sell.

—

If ifs and ands

Were pots and pans

There’d be no need for tinkers!

—

If all the world was apple pie,

And all the sea was ink,

And all the trees were bread and cheese,

What should we have to drink?

—

January brings the snow,

Makes our feet and fingers glow.

February brings the rain,

Thaws the frozen lake again.

March brings breezes loud and shrill,

Stirs the dancing daffodil.

April brings the primrose sweet,

Scatters daisies at our feet.

May brings flocks of pretty lambs,

Skipping by their fleecy dams.

June brings tulips, lilies, roses,

Fills the children’s hands with posies,

Hot July brings cooling showers,

Apricots and gillyflowers.

August brings the sheaves of corn,

Then the harvest home is borne.

Warm September brings the fruit,

Sportsmen then begin to shoot.

Fresh October brings the pheasant,

Then to gather nuts is pleasant.

Dull November brings the blast,

Then the leaves are whirling fast.

Chill December brings the sleet,

Blazing fire and Christmas treat.

—

I had a little pony,

His name was Dapple Grey,

I lent him to a lady,

To ride a mile away.

She whipped him, she lashed him,

She rode him through the mire,

I would not lend my pony now,

For all the lady’s hire.

—

Leg over leg,

The dog went to Dover;

When he came to a stile,

Jump, he went over.

—

London Bridge is broken down,

Dance o’er my Lady Lee;

London Bridge is broken down,

With a gay lady.

How shall we build it up again?

Dance o’er my Lady Lee;

How shall we build it up again?

With a gay lady.

Build it up with silver and gold,

Dance o’er my Lady Lee;

Build it up with silver and gold,

With a gay lady.

Silver and gold will be stole away,

Dance o’er my Lady Lee;

Silver and gold will be stole away,

With a gay lady.

Build it up with iron and steel,

Dance o’er my Lady Lee;

Build it up with iron and steel,

With a gay lady.

Iron and steel will bend and bow,

Dance o’er my Lady Lee;

Iron and steel will bend and bow,

With a gay lady.

Build it up with wood and clay,

Dance o’er my Lady Lee;

Build it up with wood and clay,

With a gay lady.

Wood and clay will wash away,

Dance o’er my Lady Lee;

Wood and clay will wash away,

With a gay lady.

Build it up with stone so strong,

Dance o’er my Lady Lee;

Hurrah! ’twill last for ages long,

With a gay lady.

—

My dear, do you know,

How a long time ago,

Two poor little children,

Whose names I don’t know,

Were stolen away on a fine summer’s day,

And left in a wood, as I’ve heard people say.

And when it was night,

So sad was their plight,

The sun it went down,

And the moon gave no light!

They sobbed, and they sighed, and they bitterly cried,

And the poor little things, they lay down and died.

And when they were dead,

The robins so red

Brought strawberry leaves,

And over them spread;

And all the day long,

They sung them this song:

“Poor babes in the wood! poor babes in the wood!

And don’t you remember the babes in the wood?”

—

Mollie, my sister, and I fell out,

And what do you think it was about?

She loved coffee, and I loved tea,

And that was the reason we couldn’t agree.

—

March winds and April showers

Bring forth May flowers.

—

Bow, wow, wow!

Whose dog art thou?

“I’m little Tom Tinker’s dog,

Bow, wow, wow!”

—

Needles and pins, needles and pins,

When a man marries his trouble begins.

—

Old King Cole

Was a merry old soul,

And a merry old soul was he;

He called for his pipe,

And he called for his bowl,

And he called for his fiddlers three.

Now every fiddler, he had a fiddle,

And a very fine fiddle had he;

Twee tweedle dee, tweedle dee, went the fiddlers.

Oh, there’s none so rare,

As can compare

With King Cole and his fiddlers three!

Old King Cole

Was a merry old soul,

And a merry old soul was he;

He called for his pipe,

And he called for his bowl,

And he called for his harpers three.

Now every harper, he had a harp,

And a very fine harp had he;

Twang, twang, twang, went the harpers,

Twee tweedle dee, tweedle dee, went the fiddlers.

Oh, there’s none so rare,

As can compare

With King Cole and his harpers three!

Old King Cole

Was a merry old soul,

And a merry old soul was he;

He called for his pipe,

And he called for his bowl,

And he called for his trumpeters three.

Now every trumpeter, he had a trumpet,

And a very fine trumpet had he;

Tantara, tantara, went the trumpeters,

Twang, twang, twang, went the harpers,

Twee tweedle dee, tweedle dee, went the fiddlers.

Oh, there’s none so rare,

As can compare

With King Cole and his trumpeters three!

Old King Cole

Was a merry old soul,

And a merry old soul was he;

He called for his pipe,

And he called for his bowl,

And he called for his pipers three.

Now every piper, he had a pipe,

And a very fine pipe had he;

Whew, whew, whew, went the pipers,

Tantara, tantara, went the trumpeters,

Twang, twang, twang, went the harpers,

Twee tweedle dee, tweedle dee, went the fiddlers.

Oh, there’s none so rare,

As can compare

With King Cole and his three!

Old King Cole

Was a merry old soul,

And a merry old soul was he;

He called for his pipe,

And he called for his bowl,

And he called for his fifers three.

Now every fifer, he had a fife,

And a very fine fife had he;

Tootle, tootle, toot, went the fifers,

Whew, whew, whew, went the pipers,

Tantara, tantara, went the trumpeters,

Twang, twang, twang, went the harpers,

Twee tweedle dee, tweedle dee, went the fiddlers.

Oh, there’s none so rare,

As can compare

With King Cole and his fifers three!

Old King Cole

Was a merry old soul,

And a merry old soul was he;

He called for his pipe,

And he called for his bowl,

And he called for his drummers three.

Now every drummer, he had a drum,

And a very fine drum had he;

Rub-a-dub-dub went the drummers,

Tootle, tootle, toot, went the fifers,

Whew, whew, whew, went the pipers,

Tantara, tantara, went the trumpeters,

Twang, twang, twang, went the harpers,

Twee tweedle dee, tweedle dee, went the fiddlers.

Oh, there’s none so rare,

As can compare

With King Cole and his drummers three!

—

One misty, moisty morning,

When cloudy was the weather,

There I met an old man

Clothed all in leather;

Clothed all in leather,

With cap under his chin,—

How do you do, and how do you do,

And how do you do again!

—

Old Mother Goose,

When she wanted to wander,

Would ride through the air

On a very fine gander.

Mother Goose had a house,

’Twas built in the wood,

Where an owl at the door

For sentinel stood.

She had a son Jack,

A plain-looking lad,

He was not very good,

Nor yet very bad.

She sent him to market,

A live goose he bought,

“Here, mother,” says he,

“It will not go for nought.

Jack’s goose and her gander

Grew very fond;

They’d both eat together,

Or swim in one pond.

Jack found one morning,

As I have been told,

His goose had laid him

An egg of pure gold.

Jack rode to his mother,

The news for to tell,

She called him a good boy,

And said it was well.

Jack sold his gold egg,

To a rogue of a Jew,

Who cheated him out of

The half of his due.

Then Jack went a-courting,

A lady so gay,

As fair as the lily,

And sweet as the May.

The Jew and the Squire

Came behind his back,

And began to belabour

The sides of poor Jack.

But old Mother Goose

That instant came in,

And turned her son Jack

Into famed Harlequin.

She then with her wand,

Touched the lady so fine,

And turned her at once

Into sweet Columbine.

The gold egg into the sea

Was thrown then,—

When Jack jumped in,

And got the egg back again.

The Jew got the goose,

Which he vowed he would kill,

Resolving at once

His pockets to fill.

Jack’s mother came in,

And caught the goose soon,

And mounting its back,

Flew up to the moon.

—

One, two, three, four,

Mary at the cottage door;

Five, six, seven, eight,

Eating cherries off a plate;

O-U-T spells out!

—

O, the grand old Duke of York,

He had ten thousand men;

He marched them up a great big hill,

And he marched them down again!

So when they were up, they were up,

And when they were down, they were down;

And when they were neither down nor up,

They were neither up nor down.

—

One, he loves; two, he loves;

Three, he loves, they say;

Four, he loves with all his heart;

Five, he casts away.

Six, he loves; seven, she loves;

Eight, they both love.

Nine, he comes; ten, he tarries;

Eleven, he courts; twelve, he marries.

—

O the little rusty, dusty, rusty miller!

I’ll not change my wife for either gold or siller.

—

Please to remember

The fifth of November,

Gunpowder treason and plot;

I know no reason

Why gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot.

—

One to make ready,

And two to prepare;

Good luck to the rider,

And away goes the mare.

—

One for the money,

Two for the show;

Three to get ready,

And four to go!

—

Pease-pudding hot,

Pease-pudding cold,

Pease-pudding in the pot,

Nine days old.

Some like it hot,

Some like it cold,

Some like it in the pot,

Nine days old.

—

Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater,

Had a wife, and couldn’t keep her;

He put her in a pumpkin-shell,

And there he kept her very well.

Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater,

Had another and didn’t love her;

Peter learned to read and spell,

And then he loved her very well.

—

Punch and Judy

Fought for a pie,

Punch gave Judy

A knock in the eye.

Says Punch to Judy,

“Will you have any more?”

Says Judy to Punch,

“My eyes are too sore.”

—

Poor old Robinson Crusoe!

Poor old Robinson Crusoe!

They made him a coat

Of an old nanny goat,

I wonder how they could do so!

With a ring a ting tang,

And a ring a ting tang,

Poor old Robinson Crusoe!

—

Robin and Richard were two pretty men;

They lay in bed till the clock struck ten;

Then up starts Robin, and looks at the sky,

Oh! brother Richard, the sun’s very high:

The bull’s in the barn, threshing the corn;

The cock’s on the dunghill, blowing his horn;

The cat’s at the fire, frying of fish,

The dog’s in the pantry, breaking his dish.

—

Some little mice sat in a barn to spin,

Pussy passed by, and popped her head in.

“Shall I come in and cut your threads off?”

“No, no, kind sir, you’ll snap our heads off.”

—

Ring a ring o’ roses,

A pocketful of posies,

Tisha! tisha!

We all fall down.

—

See a pin and pick it up,

All the day you’ll have good luck;

See a pin and let it lay,

Bad luck you’ll have all day.

—

Solomon Grundy,

Born on Monday,

Christened on Tuesday,

Married on Wednesday,

Took ill on Thursday,

Worse on Friday,

Died on Saturday,

Buried on Sunday;

This is the end Of Solomon Grundy.

—

Saw ye aught of my love a-coming from the market?

A peck of meal upon her back,

A baby in her basket;

Saw ye aught of my love coming from the market?

—

St. Swithin’s day, if thou dost rain,

For forty days it will remain;

St. Swithin’s day, if thou be fair,

For forty days ’twill rain na mair.

—

There once were two cats of Kilkenny,

Each thought there was one cat too many,

So they fought and they fit,

And they scratched and they bit,

Till, excepting their nails

And the tips of their tails,

Instead of two cats, there weren’t any.

—

Tit, tat, toe,

My first go,

Three jolly butcher boys

All of a row;

Stick one up,

Stick one down,

Stick one on the old man’s crown.

—

The rule of the road is a paradox quite,

And custom has proved it so long;

If you go to the left, you go right,

If you go to the right, you go wrong.

—

The Lion and the unicorn

Were fighting for the crown;

The Lion beat the unicorn

All round the town.

Some gave them white bread,

And some gave them brown;

Some gave them plum-cake,

And sent them out of town.

—

There was a fat man of Bombay,

Who was smoking one sunshiny day,

When a bird, called a snipe,

Flew away with his pipe,

Which vexed the fat man of Bombay.

—

There was a jolly miller

Lived on the river Dee:

He worked and sang from morn till night,

No lark so blithe was he,

And this the burden of his song

Forever used to be—

“I jump mejerrime jee!

I care for nobody—no! not I,

Since nobody cares for me.”

—

There was an old woman, as I’ve heard tell,

She went to market her eggs for to sell;

She went to market all on a market-day,

And she fell asleep on the King’s highway.

There came by a pedlar whose name was Stout,

He cut her petticoats all around about;

He cut her petticoats up to the knees,

Which made the old woman to shiver and freeze.

When this little woman first did wake,

She began to shiver and she began to shake,

She began to wonder and she began to cry,

“Oh! deary, deary me, this is none of I!”

“But if it be I, as I do hope it be,

I’ve a little dog at home, and he’ll know me;

If it be I, he’ll wag his little tail,

And if it be not I, he’ll loudly bark and wail.

Home went the little woman all in the dark,

Up got the little dog, and he began to bark;

He began to bark, so she began to cry,

“Oh! deary, deary me, this is none of I!”

—

There was an old woman called Nothing-at-all,

Who rejoiced in a dwelling exceedingly small;

A man stretched his mouth to its utmost extent,

And down at one gulp house and old woman went.

—

There was an old woman tossed up in a basket,

Nineteen times as high as the moon;

Where she was going I couldn’t but ask it,

For in her hand she carried a broom.

“Old woman, old woman, old woman,” quoth I,

Oh whither, oh whither, oh whither so high?”

“To brush the cobwebs off the sky!”

“Shall I go with thee?”  “Aye, by-and-by.”

—

There was a little man,

And he wooed a little maid,

And he said,“Little maid, will you wed, wed, wed?

I have little more to say,

Then will you, yea or nay,

For least said is soonest mended-ded, ded, ded.”

The little maid she sighed,

And very soon replied,

“But what shall we have to eat, eat, eat?

Will the love that you’re so rich in

Make a fire in the kitchen?

Or the little god of Love turn the spit, spit, spit?”

—

There’s a neat little clock,

In the schoolroom it stands,

And it points to the time

With its two little hands.

And may we, like the clock,

Keep a face clean and bright,

With hands ever ready

To do what is right.

—

Twelve pears hanging high,

Twelve knights riding by;

Each took a pear,

And yet left eleven there!

(“Each” was the name of the first man who passed the tree.)

—

There was an old woman, and what do you think?

She lived upon nothing but victuals and drink:

Victuals and drink were the chief of her diet;

Yet this little old woman could never keep quiet.

—

Tell-tale-tit!

Your tongue shall be slit,

And all the dogs in the town

Shall have a little bit.

—

The man in the wilderness asked me,

How many strawberries grew in the sea?

I answered him, as I thought good,

As many as red herrings grew in the wood.

—

There was a little man,

And he had a little gun,

And his bullets were made of lead, lead, lead.

He went to the brook,

And saw a little duck,

And he shot it through the head, head, head.

He carried it home,

To his old wife Joan,

And bade her a fire to make, make, make.

To roast the little duck,

He had shot in the brook,

And he’d go and fetch her the drake, drake, drake.

The drake swam by

With his curly tail,

The little man made it his mark, mark, mark.

But he let off his gun,

And he fired too soon,

So the drake flew away with a quack, quack, quack.

—

Three wise men of Gotham,

Went to sea in a bowl;

And if the bowl had been stronger,

My song would have been longer.

—

For every evil under the sun,

There is a remedy, or there is none.

If there be one, try and find it;

If there be none, never mind it.

—

Two legs sat upon three legs,

With one leg in his lap;

In comes four legs,

Runs away with one leg.

Up jumps two legs,

Catches up three legs,

Throws it after four legs,

And makes him bring back one leg.

(One leg is a leg of mutton; two legs: a man; three legs: a stool; four legs: a dog.)

—

The Queen of Hearts,

She made some tarts,

All on a summer’s day;

The Knave of Hearts,

He stole those tarts,

And took them clean away.

The King of Hearts

Called for the tarts,

And beat the Knave full sore;

The Knave of Hearts

Brought back the tarts,

And vowed he’d steal no more.

—

Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee,

Resolved to have a battle,

For Tweedle-dum said Tweedle-dee

Had spoiled his nice new rattle.

Just then flew by a monstrous crow,

As big as a tar barrel,

Which frightened both the heroes so,

They quite forgot their quarrel.

—

There was a crooked man, and he went a crooked mile,

He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile;

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

—

Thirty days hath September,

April, June, and November;

February has twenty-eight alone,

All the rest have thirty-one,

Excepting leap-year, that’s the time

When February’s days are twenty-nine.

—

Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief;

Taffy came to my house and stole a piece of beef:

I went to Taffy’s house, Taffy was not at home;

Taffy came to my house and stole a marrow-bone.

I went to Taffy’s house, Taffy was not in;

Taffy came to my house and stole a silver pin;

I went to Taffy’s house, Taffy was in bed,

I took up the marrow-bone and flung it at his head.

—

The fair maid who the first of May,

Goes to the fields at break of day,

And washes in dew from the hawthorn tree,

Will ever after handsome be.

—

There was a little woman, as I’ve been told,

Who was not very young, not yet very old,

Now this little woman her living got,

By selling codlins, hot, hot, hot!

—

They that wash on Monday,

Have all the week to dry;

They that wash on Tuesday,

Are not so much awry;

They that wash on Wednesday,

Are not so much to blame;

They that wash on Thursday,

Wash for shame;

They that wash on Friday,

Wash in need;

And they that wash on Saturday,

O! they’re sluts indeed.

—

Upon my word and honour,

As I was going to Bonner,

I met a pig,

Without a wig,

Upon my word and honour!

—

When the wind is in the east,

’Tis neither good for man nor beast;

When the wind is in the north,

The skilful fisher goes not forth;

When the wind is in the south,

It blows the bait in the fishes’ mouth;

When the wind is in the west,

Then ’tis at the very best.

—

“Where are you going to, my pretty maid?”

“I’m going a-milking, sir,” she said.

“May I go with you, my pretty maid?”

“You’re kindly welcome, sir,” she said.

“What is your father, my pretty maid?”

“My father’s a farmer, sir,” she said.

“What is your fortune, my pretty maid?”

“My face is my fortune, sir,” she said.

“Then I can’t marry you, my pretty maid!”

“Nobody asked you, sir!” she said.

—

When a Twister, a twisting, will twist him a twist;

For the twisting of his twist, he three times doth intwist;

But if one of the twines of the twist do untwist,

The twine that untwisteth, untwisteth the twist.

Untwirling the twine that untwisteth between,

He twirls, with the twister, the two in a twine:

Then twice having twisted the twines of the twine,

He twisteth the twine he had twined in twain.

The twain that, in twining, before in the twine,

As twines were untwisted; he now doth untwine:

’Twixt the twain inter-twisting a twine more between,

He, twirling his twister, makes a twist of the twine.

—

Where have you been all the day,

Where have you been all the day,

My boy, Willy?

“I been all the day

Courting of a lady gay;

But O! she’s too young

To be taken from her mammy.”

What work can she do,

Can she bake, and can she brew,

My boy, Willy?

“She can brew, and she can bake,

And she can make our wedding-cake;

But O! she’s too young

To be taken from her mammy.”

Can she card and can she spin,

Can she card and can she spin,

My boy, Willy?

“Yes, she can card and she can spin,

Yes, she can do everything;

But O! she’s too young

To be taken from her mammy.”

What age may she be?

What age may she be?

My boy, Willy?

“She is twice six, twice seven,

Twice ten, twice eleven;

But O! she’s too young

To be taken from her mammy.”

—

When good King Arthur ruled this land,

He was a goodly King;

He stole three pecks of barley-meal,

To make a bag-pudding.

A bag-pudding the King did make,

And stuffed it well with plums;

And in it put great lumps of fat,

As big as my two thumbs.

The King and Queen did eat thereof,

And noblemen besides;

And what they could not eat that night,

The Queen next morning fried.

—

When I was a bachelor, I lived by myself,

And all the bread and cheese I got I put upon a shelf;

The rats and mice did lead me such a life,

That I went to London to get myself a wife;

The streets were so broad, and the lanes were so narrow,

I could not get my wife home without a wheelbarrow.

The wheelbarrow broke, my wife got a fall,

Farewell wheelbarrow, little wife and all.

—

Who killed Cock Robin?

“I,” said the sparrow,

“With my little bow and arrow,

I killed Cock Robin.”

Who saw him die?

“I,” said the fly,

“With my little eye,

I saw him die.”

Who caught his blood,

“I,” said the fish,

“With my little dish,

I caught his blood.”

Who’ll make his shroud?

“I,” said the beetle,

“With my thread and needle,

I’ll make his shroud.”

Who’ll carry the link?

“I,” said the linnet,

“I’ll come in a minute,

I’ll carry the link.”

(a link is a torch.)

Who’ll be the clerk?

“I,” said the lark,

“If it’s not in the dark,

I’ll be the clerk.”

Who’ll dig his grave?

“I,” said the owl,

“With my spade and trowel,

I’ll dig his grave.”

Who’ll be the parson?

“I,” said the rook,

“With my little book,

I’ll be the parson.”

Who’ll be chief mourner?

“I,” said the dove,

“I mourn for my love,

I’ll be chief mourner.”

Who’ll sing the psalm?

“I,” said the thrush,

“As I sit in a bush,

I’ll sing the psalm.”

Who’ll carry his coffin?

“I,” said the kite,

“If it’s not in the night,

I’ll carry the coffin.”

Who’ll toll the bell?

“I,” said the bull,

“Because I can pull,

I’ll toll the bell.”

All the birds of the air

Fell a-sighing and sobbing,

When they heard the bell toll

For poor Cock Robin.

—

A Fox started out in a hungry plight,

And begged of the moon to give him good light,

For he’d many a mile to go that night

Before he could reach the downs, O!

Downs, O! Downs, O!

For he’d many a mile to go that night

Before he could reach the downs, O!

The Fox when he came to the farmer’s gate,

What should he see but the farmer’s black drake!

“I love you,” says he, “for your master’s sake,

And I long to be picking your bones, O!

Bones, O! Bones, O!

I love you,” says he, “for your master’s sake,

And I long to be picking your bones, O!”

Then he seized the black drake by the neck,

And swung him all across his back,

The black drake cried out, “Quack! Quack! Quack!”

With the legs of him dangling down, O!

Down, O! Down, O!

The black drake cried out, “Quack! Quack! Quack!”

With the legs of him dangling down, O!

Old Mother Slipper-slopper jumped out of bed,

And out of the window she popped her old head,

Crying, “John, John, John, the black drake is dead,

And the Fox has run off to his den, O!

Den, O! Den, O!

John, John, John, the black drake is dead,

And the Fox has run off to his den, O!”

Then John, he went up to the top of the hill,

And blew his horn both loud and shrill.

Says the Fox, “That’s sweet music, still

I’d rather be safe in my den, O!

Den, O! Den, O!”

Says the Fox, “That’s sweet music, still

I’d rather be safe in my den, O!”

At last Mr. Fox got home to his den,

To his dear little foxes, eight, nine, ten.

Quoth they, “Daddy, you must go there again,

For sure ’tis a lucky town, O!”

Town, O! Town, O!”

Quoth they, “Daddy, you must go there again,

For sure ’tis a lucky town, O!”

Then the Fox sat down with his cubs and his wife;

They cut up the drake without fork and knife,

And said ’twas the best they’d ate in their life,

And the little ones picked the bones, O!

Bones, O! Bones, O!

They said ’twas the best they’d ate in their life,

And the little ones picked the bones, O!

—

All of a row,

Bend the bow.

Shot at a pigeon,

And killed a crow.

—

As I was going up Primrose Hill,

Primrose Hill was dirty,

There I met a pretty miss,

And she dropped me a curtsey.

Little miss, pretty miss,

Blessings light upon you.

If I had half-a-crown a day,

I’d spend it all upon you.

—

Little Brown Betty lived in a lane,

She brewed good ale for gentlemen:

Gentlemen came every day,

Till little Brown Betty hopped away.

She hopped upstairs to make her bed,

But tumbled down and broke her head.

—

There was a little boy and a little girl

Lived in an alley;

Says the little boy to the little girl,

“Shall I, oh! shall I?”

Says the little girl to the little boy,

“What shall we do?”

Says the little boy to the little girl,

“I will kiss you.”

—

As Tommy Snooks and Bessy Brooks

Were walking out one Sunday,

Says Tommy Snooks to Bessy Brooks,

“Tomorrow will be Monday.”

—

“Willy boy, Willy boy, where are you going?

I will go with you, if I may.”

“I am going to the meadows, to see them mowing,

I am going to see them make hay.”

—

What are little boys made of?

What are little boys made of?

“Snaps and snails, and puppy-dog’s tails;

And that’s what little boys are made of.”

What are little girls made of?

What are little girls made of?

“Sugar and spice, and all that’s nice;

And that’s what little girls are made of.”

—

Monday’s child is fair of face,

Tuesday’s child is full of grace,

Wednesday’s child is full of woe,

Thursday’s child has far to go,

Friday’s child is loving and giving,

Saturday’s child works hard for its living,

But the child that is born on the Sabbath day

Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.

APPENDIX

Rackham’s selections were, of course, popular in England during the nineteenth century. Here are a few additional rhymes and songs that circulated in the American Midwest (where Your Editor grew up) during the mid-twentieth century.

—

Roses are red, violets are blue;

Sugar is sweet, and so are you.

—

(JOHN) and (MARY) sitting in a tree;

K - I - S - S - I - N - G!

First comes love, then comes marriage,

Then comes (MARY) with a baby carriage!

(a rhyme for skipping rope, using the names of the girl skipping and her sweetheart)

—

A-tisket a-tasket,

A green and yellow basket,

I wrote a letter to my love

And on the way I dropped it.

I dropped it, I dropped it,

Yes, on the way I dropped it.

A little boy he picked it up

And put it in his pocket.

—

Lavender’s blue, dilly, dilly, lavender’s green

When I am king, dilly, dilly, you’ll be my queen.

Who told you so, dilly, dilly, who told you so?

’Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly,that told me so.

Call up your men, dilly, dilly, set them to work,

Some to the plow, dilly, dill, some to the fork,

Some to make hay, dilly, dilly, some to cut corn,

While you and I, dilly, dilly, keep ourselves warm.

Lavender’s green, dilly, dilly, lavender’s blue,

If you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you.

I love to dance, dilly, dilly, I love to sing,

When I am queen, dilly, dilly, you’ll be my king.

—

A birdy with a yellow bill

Hopped upon my windowsill;

He cocked his shining eye and said,

“Ain’t you ’shamed, you sleepy-head?”

—

It’s raining, it’s pouring,

The old man is snoring.

He went to bed, and bumped his head,

And couldn’t get up in the morning.

—

Hush, little Baby, don’t say a word,

Mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.

And if that mockingbird don’t sing,

Mama’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.

And if that diamond ring turns brass,

Mama’s gonna buy you a looking glass.

And if that looking glass gets broke,

Mama’s gonna buy you a billy goat,

And if that billy goat get cross,

Mama’s gonna buy you a rocking horse.

And if that rocking horse turns over,

Mama’s gonna buy you a dog named Rover.

And if that dog named Rover won’t bark,

Mama’s gonna buy you a horse and a cart.

And if that horse and cart fall down,

You’ll still be the sweetest little baby in town.

—

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently down the stream.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

Life is but a dream.

—

Merrily we roll along,

Roll along, roll along;

Merrily we roll along,

O’er the deep blue sea.

—

Star light, star bright,

The first star I see tonight;

I wish I may, I wish I might,

Have the wish I wish tonight.

—

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are.

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky.

When the blazing sun is gone,

When he nothing shines upon,

Then you show your little light,

Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveller in the dark,

Thanks you for your tiny spark,

He could not see which way to go,

If you did not twinkle so.

—

Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?

Brother John, Brother John,

Morning bells are ringing! Morning bells are ringing!

Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong.

—

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat,

Please put a penny in the old man’s hat.

If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do.

If you haven’t got a ha’penny, then God bless you!

—

All around the mulberry bush,

The monkey chased the weasel.

The monkey stopped to pull up his sock,

Pop! goes the weasel.

Half a pound of flour and rice,

Half a pound of treacle.

That’s the way the money goes,

Pop! goes the weasel.

—

—A GAME WITH THE FACE—

Ring the bell!

(giving a lock of the hair a pull)

Knock at the door!

(tapping the forehead)

Open the latch!

(pulling up the nose)

And walk in!

(opening the mouth and putting in the finger)

—

I’m a little teapot

Short and stout,

Here is my handle,

(one hand on hip)

Here is my spout.

(other arm out straight)

When I get all steamed up

Hear me shout,

“Tip me over

And pour me out!”

(lean over toward spout)

I’m a clever teapot,

Yes it’s true!

Let me show you

What I can do.

I can change my handle

And my spout,

(switch arm positions)

Just tip me over

And pour me out!

(lean over toward spout)

—

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout.

(alternately touch the thumb of one hand to the index finger of the other and repeat)

Down came the rain

(place hands palm side down and wiggle fingers for “raindrops”)

And washed the spider out.

(make a sweeping motion with the hands out to the side)

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain

(bring both hands up to form a circle, as a “rising sun”)

And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.

(again, alternately touch the thumb of one hand to the index finger of the other and repeat)

—

Here we go loopty-loo,

Here we go loopty-light,

Here we go loopty-loo,

All on a Saturday night.

You put your right hand in,

You take your right hand out,

You give your hand a shake, shake, shake,

And turn yourself about.

(A bathtime or party game. Repeats with left hand, right foot, left foot, whole self.)

—

London Bridge is falling down,

Falling down, falling down,

London Bridge is falling down,

My fair Lady.

Build it up with needles and pins,

Needles and pins, needles and pins.

Build it up with needles and pins,

My fair Lady.

Pins and needles rust and bend,

Rust and bend, rust and bend.

Pins and needles rust and bend,

My fair Lady.

Build it up with wood and clay,

Wood and clay, wood and clay,

Build it up with wood and clay,

My fair Lady.

Wood and clay will wash away,

Wash away, wash away,

Wood and clay will wash away,

My fair Lady.

Build it up with bricks and mortar,

Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar,

Build it up with bricks and mortar,

My fair Lady.

Bricks and mortar will not stay,

Will not stay, will not stay,

Bricks and mortar will not stay,

My fair Lady.

Build it up with iron and steel,

Iron and steel, iron and steel,

Build it up with iron and steel,

My fair Lady.

Iron and steel will bend and bow,

Bend and bow, bend and bow,

Iron and steel will bend and bow,

My fair Lady.

Build it up with silver and gold,

Silver and gold, silver and gold,

Build it up with silver and gold,

My fair Lady.

Silver and gold will be stolen away,

Stolen away, stolen away,

Silver and gold will be stolen away,

My fair Lady.

Set a man to watch all night,

Watch all night, watch all night,

Set a man to watch all night,

My fair Lady.

Suppose the man should fall asleep,

Fall asleep, fall asleep,

Suppose the man should fall asleep?

My fair Lady.

Give him a pipe to smoke all night,

Smoke all night, smoke all night,

Give him a pipe to smoke all night,

My fair Lady.

—

My Bonnie lies over the ocean,

My Bonnie lies over the sea,

My Bonnie lies over the ocean,

Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.

Bring back, bring back,

Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me;

Bring back, bring back,

Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.

Oh, blow ye winds over the ocean,

Oh, blow ye winds over the sea,

Oh, blow ye winds over the ocean,

And bring back my Bonnie to me.

Bring back, bring back,

Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me.

Bring back, bring back,

Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.

Last night as I lay on my pillow,

Last night as I lay on my bed,

Last night as I lay on my pillow,

I dreamt that my Bonnie was dead.

Bring back, bring back,

Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me,

Bring back, bring back,

Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.

The winds have blown over the ocean,

The winds have blown over the sea,

The winds have blown over the ocean,

And brought back my Bonnie to me.

Bring back, bring back,

Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me,

Bring back, bring back,

Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.

—

Oh, where have you been,

Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

Oh, where have you been,

Charming Billy?

I have been to seek a wife,

She’s the joy of my life,

She’s a young thing

And cannot leave her mother.

Did she bid you to come in,

Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

Did she bid you to come in,

Charming Billy?

Yes, she bade me to come in,

There’s a dimple in her chin.

She’s a young thing

And cannot leave her mother.

Did she set for you a chair,

Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

Did she set for you a chair,

Charming Billy?

Yes, she set for me a chair.

She has ringlets in her hair.

She’s a young thing

And cannot leave her mother.

Can she make a cherry pie,

Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

Can she make a cherry pie,

Charming Billy?

She can make a cherry pie,

Quick as a cat can wink an eye,

She’s a young thing

And cannot leave her mother.

How old is she now,

Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

How old is she now,

Charming Billy?

Three times six and three times seven,

Twenty-eight and twice eleven,

She’s a young thing

And cannot leave her mother.

—

O dear, what can the matter be?

Dear, dear, what can the matter be?

O dear, what can the matter be?

Johnny’s so long at the fair.

He promised he’d buy me a fairing to please me,

And then for a kiss, oh! he vowed he would tease me,

He promised he’d bring me a bunch of blue ribbons,

To tie up my bonny brown hair.

—

This old man, he played one,

He played knick-knack on my thumb;

With a knick-knack paddywhack,

Give the dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played two,

He played knick-knack on my shoe;

With a knick-knack paddywhack,

Give the dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played three,

He played knick-knack on my knee;

With a knick-knack paddywhack,

Give the dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played four,

He played knick-knack on my door;

With a knick-knack paddywhack,

Give the dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played five,

He played knick-knack on my hive;

With a knick-knack paddywhack,

Give the dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played six,

He played knick-knack on my sticks;

With a knick-knack paddywhack,

Give the dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played seven,

He played knick-knack up in heaven;

With a knick-knack paddywhack,

Give the dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played eight,

He played knick-knack on my gate;

With a knick-knack paddywhack,

Give the dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played nine,

He played knick-knack on my spine;

With a knick-knack paddywhack,

Give the dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played ten,

He played knick-knack once again;

With a knick-knack paddywhack,

Give the dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

—

The farmer in the dell,

The farmer in the dell,

Heigh-ho,the derry-o,

The farmer in the dell.

The farmer takes a wife,

The farmer takes a wife,

Heigh-ho, the derry-o,

The farmer takes a wife.

The wife takes the child,

The wife takes the child,

Heigh-ho, the derry-o,

The wife takes the child.

The child takes the nurse,

The child takes the nurse,

Heigh-ho, the derry-o,

The child takes the nurse.

The nurse takes the cow,

The nurse takes the cow,

Heigh-ho, the derry-o,

The nurse takes the cow.

The cow takes the dog,

The cow takes the dog,

Heigh-ho, the derry-o,

The cow takes the dog.

The dog takes the cat,

The dog takes the cat,

Heigh-ho, the derry-o,

The dog takes the cat.

The cat takes the mouse,

The cat takes the mouse,

Heigh-ho, the derry-o,

The cat takes the mouse.

The mouse takes the cheese,

The mouse takes the cheese,

Heigh-ho, the derry-o,

The mouse takes the cheese.

The cheese stands alone,

The cheese stands alone,

Heigh-ho, the derry-o,

The cheese stands alone.

INDEX OF FIRST LINES

A  -  B  -  C  -  D  -  E  -  F  -  G  -  H  -  I  -  J  -  L  -  M  -  N  -  O  -  P  -  R  -  S  -  T  -  U  -  W  -  Y

•   (JOHN) and (MARY) sitting in a tree (appendix)

A
•   A, apple-pie
•   A, B, C, tumble down D
•   A birdy with a yellow bill (appendix)
•   A carrion crow sat on an oak
•   A curious discourse about an Apple-pie
•   A diller, a dollar
•   A farmer went trotting
•   A fox started out in a hungry plight
•   A frog he would a-wooing go
•   A little cock sparrow sat on a green tree
•   A long-tailed pig, or a short-tailed pig
•   A magpie sat on a pear-tree
•   A man of words and not of deeds
•   A red sky at night
•   A sunshiny shower
•   A swarm of bees in May
•   A was an Archer
•   All around the mulberry bush (appendix)
•   All of a row
•   An apple pie, when it looks nice
•   An old woman was sweeping her house
•   Apple-pie, pudding, and pancake

•   Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping? (appendix)

•   Around the green gravel the grass grows green

•   As I was going to sell my eggs
•   As I was going to St. Ives
•   As I was going up Primrose Hill

•   As little Jenny Wren was sitting by the shed

•   As soft as silk, as white as milk
•   As Tommy Snooks and Bessy Brooks
•   A-tisket a-tasket (appendix)
TOP
B
•   Baa, baa, black sheep
•   Barber, barber, shave a pig
•   Bat, bat, come under my hat
•   Bessy Bell and Mary Gray
•   Billy, Billy, come and play
•   Bless you, bless you, burny-bee
•   Bobby Shaftoe’s gone to sea
•   Bow, wow, says the dog
•   Bow, wow, wow
•   Bryan O’Lin had no breeches to wear
•   Bye, baby bunting
TOP
C
•   Charley, Charley, stole the barley
•   Christmas is coming (appendix)
•   Cock a doodle doo!
•   Come when you’re called
•   Come, let’s to bed
•   Croak! said the Toad
•   Cross Patch
•   Cry, baby, cry

•   Curly locks! curly locks! wilt thou be mine?

•   Cushy cow bonny
TOP
D
•   Daffy-Down-Dilly has come up to town
•   Dance to your daddy
•   Dance, Thumbkin, dance
•   Danty, baby, diddy
•   Deedle, deedle dumpling, my son John
•   Diddlety diddlety dumpty
•   Ding, dong, bell
•   Doctor Faustus was a good man
•   Doctor Foster went to Glo’ster
TOP
E
•   Early to bed, and early to rise
•   Eena, deena, dina, duss
•   Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess
•   Elsie Marley is grown so fine
TOP
F
•   Fa, Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum!
•   Fiddle-de-dee, fiddle-de-dee
•   For every evil under the sun
•   For want of a nail, the shoe was lost

•   Four and twenty tailors went to kill a snail

TOP

G

•   Gay go up and gay go down
(Oranges and Lemons)

•   Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie
•   Girls and boys, come out to play
•   Goosey, goosey, gander
•   Great A, little A, bouncing B
•   Great A, little A, this pancake day
TOP
H
•   Handy-Spandy, Jack-a-dandy
•   Hark, hark, the dogs do bark
•   He loves me, He don’t
•   He that would thrive
•   Hector Protector was dressed all in green
•   Here am I, little jumping Joan
•   Here goes my lord
•   Here sits the Lord Mayor
•   Here we go loopty-loo (appendix)
•   Here we go round the mulberry bush
•   Here’s Sulky Sue
•   Hey! diddle, diddle
•   Hickety, pickety, my black hen
•   Hickory, Dickory, Dock
•   Higgledy piggledy
•   Hot-cross Buns!
•   How many days has my baby to play?
•   How many miles is it to Babylon?
•   Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
•   Hush-a-bye, baby, on the tree top

•   Hush, little Baby, don’t say a word (appendix)

TOP
I
•   I am a gold lock

•   I had a little hen, the prettiest ever seen

•   I had a little husband
•   I had a little moppet
•   I had a little nut tree
•   I had a little pony
•   I had four brothers over the sea
•   I love little pussy, her coat is so warm
•   I love my love with an A
•   I love sixpence, pretty little sixpence
•   I saw a ship a-sailing
•   I saw three ships come sailing by
•   I went up one pair of stairs
•   I will sing you a song
•   I won’t be my father’s Jack
•   I’ll tell you a story
•   If a man who turnips cries
•   If all the seas were one sea
•   If all the world was apple pie
•   If I’d as much money as I could spend
•   If ifs and ands
•   If wishes were horses
•   If you sneeze on a Monday
•   I’m a little teapot (appendix)
•   Intery, mintery, cutery-corn
•   Is John Smith within?
•   It’s raining, it’s pouring (appendix)
J
•   Jack and Jill went up the hill
•   Jack be nimble
•   Jack Sprat had a cat
•   Jack Sprat could eat no fat
•   January brings the snow
•   Jeanie, come tie my
•   John Cook had a little grey mare
•   Johnny shall have a new bonnet
TOP
L
•   Lady bird, lady bird, fly away home
•   Lavender’s blue, dilly, dilly (appendix)
•   Leg over leg
•   Lend me thy mare to ride a mile?
•   Little Betty Blue
•   Little Bob Snooks was fond of his books
•   Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep
•   Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn
•   Little Brown Betty lived in a lane

•   Little girl, little girl, where have you been?

•   Little Jack Horner

•   Little Jack-a-Dandy

•   Little maid, pretty maid, whither goest thou?

•   Little Miss Muffett
•   Little Nancy Etticoat
•   Little Polly Flinders
•   Little Tee Wee
•   Little Tom Tucker
•   Little Tommy Tittlemouse
•   London Bridge is broken down
•   London Bridge is falling down (appendix)
•   Long legs, crooked thighs
•   Love your own, kiss your own
•   Lucy Locket lost her pocket
TOP
M
•   March winds and April showers
•   Mary had a little lamb
•   Mary, Mary, quite contrary
•   Master I have, and I am his man
•   Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
•   Merrily we roll along (appendix)
•   Mollie, my sister, and I fell out
•   Monday’s child is fair of face

•   Mrs. Bond she went down to the pond in a rage

•   My Bonnie lies over the ocean (appendix)
•   My dear, do you know
•   My little old man and I fell out
TOP
N
•   Needles and pins, needles and pins
•   Nose, nose, jolly red nose
•   Now what do you think
TOP
O
•   O, the grand old Duke of York
•   O the little rusty, dusty, rusty miller!

•   O dear, what can the matter be? (appendix)

•   Oh, where have you been, Billy Boy (appendix)

•   Old King Cole
•   Old Mother Goose
•   Old Mother Hubbard
•   Old mother Twitchett had but one eye

•   Old woman, old woman, shall we go a shearing?

•   Once I saw a little bird
•   One for the money
•   One misty, moisty morning
•   One to make ready
•   One, he loves; two, he loves
•   One, two, buckle my shoe
•   One, two, three, four
•   One, two, three, four, five,

•   Oranges and Lemons
(Gay go up and gay go down)

•   Over the water, and over the sea
TOP
P
•   Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man!
•   Pease-pudding hot

•   Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper

•   Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater
•   Please to remember
•   Polly, put the kettle on
•   Poor old Robinson Crusoe!
•   Punch and Judy
•   Pussy-cat Mole jumped over a coal

•   Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, where have you been?

•   Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, with a white foot
TOP
R
•   Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit Pie!
•   Rain, rain, go away
•   Rain, rain, go to Spain
•   Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross
•   Ride away, ride away, Johnny shall ride
•   Ring a ring o’ roses
•   Ring the bell! (appendix)
•   Robin and Richard were two pretty men
•   Robin the Bobbin, the big bouncing Ben
•   Rock-a-bye, baby, thy cradle is green

•   Roses are red, violets are blue (appendix)

•   Row, row, row your boat (appendix)
•   Rub-a-dub-dub
TOP
S
•   Saw ye aught of my love
•   See a pin and pick it up
•   See, see! what shall I see?
•   See-saw, Margery Daw
•   See-saw, sacaradown
•   Shoe the horse, and shoe the mare
•   Simple Simon met a pieman
•   Sing a song of sixpence
•   Sing, sing, what shall I sing?
•   Solomon Grundy
•   Some little mice sat in a barn to spin
•   St. Swithin’s day, if thou dost rain
•   Star light, star bright (appendix)
TOP
T
•   Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief
•   Tell-tale-tit!

•   The cock’s on the housetop blowing his horn

•   The cuckoo’s a fine bird
•   The dove says coo, coo, what shall I do?
•   The fair maid who the first of May
•   The farmer in the dell (appendix)

•   The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout (appendix)

•   The King of France went up the hill
•   The Lion and the unicorn
•   The man in the moon
•   The man in the wilderness asked me
•   The north wind doth blow
•   The Queen of Hearts
•   The rule of the road is a paradox quite
•   The winds they did blow
•   There once were two cats of Kilkenny
•   There was a crooked man
•   There was a fat man of Bombay
•   There was a jolly miller
•   There was a little boy and a little girl

•   There was a little man, and he had a little gun

•   There was a little man, and he wooed a little maid

•   There was a little woman, as I’ve been told

•   There was a man of Thessaly

•   There was a man, and he had naught

•   There was an old woman called Nothing-at-all

•   There was an old woman had three sons
•   There was an old woman lived under a hill
•   There was an old woman lived under a hill

•   There was an old woman tossed up in a basket

•   There was an old woman who lived in a shoe

•   There was an old woman, and what do you think?

•   There was an old woman, as I’ve heard tell

•   There was an old woman, her name it was Peg

•   There were two blackbirds
•   There’s a neat little clock
•   They that wash on Monday
•   Thirty days hath September
•   This is the house that Jack built
•   This is the way the ladies ride
•   This little pig went to market
•   This pig went to the barn
•   This old man, he played one (appendix)
•   Three blind mice! Three blind mice!

•   Three little kittens they lost their mittens

•   Three wise men of Gotham
•   Tit, tat, toe
•   To market ride the gentlemen
•   To market, to market, to buy a fat pig
•   To market, to market, to buy a plum cake
•   Tom he was a piper’s son
•   Tom, Tom, the piper’s son
•   Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee
•   Twelve pears hanging high
•   Twinkle, twinkle, little star (appendix)
•   Two legs sat upon three legs
TOP
U
•   Upon my word and honour
•   Upon St. Paul’s steeple stands a tree
TOP
W
•   Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town
•   What are little boys made of?

•   When a Twister, a twisting, will twist him a twist

•   When good King Arthur ruled this land

•   When I was a bachelor, I lived by myself

•   When the wind is in the east

•   Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

•   Where have you been all the day?

•   Who goes here?

•   Who killed Cock Robin?

•   Willy boy, Willy boy, where are you going?

TOP
Y
•   Yankee Doodle went to town
•   Yet didn’t you see, yet didn’t you see

ABOUT THIS EBOOK

Mother Goose

THE OLD NURSERY RHYMES

SELECTED AND
ILLUSTRATED BY
Arthur Rackham
(1867–1939)

Many a child might believe that “Mother Goose” wrote all the nursery rhymes in the universe! She has been attributed as the author of many, but there is no proof that such a person ever existed. Actually, most of these hundreds of children’s songs and rhymes have been passed down through oral tradition, some for centuries. Others have actual authors, but have been adopted into the flock. Every generation and every teller creates variations, and this continues into the present time.

This book collects nearly three hundred rhymes and songs (24 appear in the Editor’s Appendix.) The incomparable Mr. Rackham has illustrated sixty of the rhymes with dozens of line drawings and seventeen color plates. Additional small decorative sketches have been added from later editions and other Rackham books.

This ebook was created by ECM for MobileRead.com, March 2020, and may be freely distributed for non-commercial purposes.

Based on source files obtained from the Internet Archive.

First published in 1913, this book is in the public domain in countries where copyright is “Life+80” or less, and in the USA.

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