Nursery Rhymes
Posted on 29th January 2021
Nursery Rhymes originated in the Middle Ages; they are traditional poems written for young children.
Certain rhymes are believed to represent specific events. For example:
Ring a Ring O’Roses – Refers to the great plague of London in 1665, and the high death rate (Atishoo, Atishoo, we all fall down).
Remember, Remember the Fifth of November – Refers to Guy Fawkes attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605..
Click on the links below to read the full rhymes.
A sailor went to sea, sea, sea,
To see what he could see, see, see,
But all that he could see, see, see,
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.
Ding, dong, bell,
Pussy’s in the well.
Who put her in?
Little Johnny Flynn.
Who pulled her out?
Little Tommy Stout.
What a naughty boy was that,
To try and drown poor pussy cat.
Who never did him any harm,
And killed the mice in the farmer’s barn.
Goosey, Goosey, Gander,
Wither shall I wander.
Upstairs and Downstairs,
And in my Lady’s chamber.
There I met an Old Man,
Who would not say his prayers.
So I took him by the left leg,
And threw him down the stairs.
Hey, diddle, diddle
The cat and the fiddle
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little boy laughed to see such fun
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
Hickory, dickory, dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock.
Hot Cross Buns!
Hot Cross Buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot Cross Buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons,
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot Cross Buns!
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King’s horses and all the King’s men,
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
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, cradle and all.
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.
The Itsy Bitsy Spider,
Climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain,
And washed the spider out.
Along came the sun,
And dried up all the rain.
And the Itsy Bitsy spider,
climbed up the spout again.
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.
Up Jack got and home did trot
As fast as he could caper.
He went to bed and patched his head
With vinegar and brown paper.
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 Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey.
Along came a spider,
Who sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
London Bridge is falling down,
falling down, falling down,
London Bridge is falling down,
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.
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was 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 wailed 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.
Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.
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 a living,
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day,
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.
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.
One, two, Buckle my shoe,
Three, four, Knock at the door,
Five, six, Pick up sticks,
Seven, eight, Lay them straight,
Nine, ten, A big fat hen,
Eleven, twelve, Dig and delve,
Thirteen, fourteen, Maids a-courting,
Fifteen, sixteen, Maids in the kitchen,
Seventeen, eighteen, Maids in waiting,
Nineteen, twenty, My plate's empty.
One, two, three, four, five,
Once I caught a fish alive.
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
Then I let it go again.
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on the right.
Oranges and Lemons,
Say the bells of St Clements.
You owe me five farthings,
Say the bells of St Martins.
When will you pay me?
Say the bells of Old Bailey.
When I grow rich,
Say the bells of Shoreditch.
When will that be?
Say the bells of Stepney.
I do not know,
Say the great bell of Bow.
Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
And here comes a chopper to chop off your head.
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man,
Bake me a cake as fast as you can.
Pat it and prick it, and mark it with B,
Put it in the oven for Baby and me.
Peter, Peter pumpkin eater,
Had a wife but 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.
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.
Polly, put the kettle on,
Polly, put the kettle on,
Polly, put the kettle on,
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.
Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle.
That's the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.
Up and down the City road,
In and out the Eagle,
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.
Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?
I've been to London to visit the Queen.
Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you do there?
I frightened a little mouse under her chair.
Remember, Remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder, Treason and plot.
We see no reason, why gunpowder treason,
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, guy, ’twas his intent,
To blow up King and parliament.
Three score barrels were laid below,
To prove old England’s overthrow.
By god’s mercy he was catch’d,
With a darkened lantern and burning match.
So, holler boys, holler boys, let the bells ring,
Holler boys, holler boys, God save the King.
And what shall we do with him?
Burn him!
Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse.
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
And she shall have music wherever she goes.
Ring a ring o’roses
A pocketful of posies.
A-tishoo! A-tishoo!
We all fall down.
Rock-a-bye baby
on the tree top.
When the wind blows
the cradle will rock.
When the bough breaks,
the cradle will fall.
And down will come Baby,
Cradle and all.
Rub-a-dub-dub,
Three men in a tub,
And who do you think they be?
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker,
And all of them out to sea.
See Saw Margery Daw,
Jacky shall have a new master.
Jacky shall earn but a penny a day,
Because he can't work any faster.
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.
Simple Simon went to look
If plums grew on a thistle.
He pricked his fingers very much,
Which made poor Simon whistle.
He went for water in a sieve
But soon it all fell through,
And now poor Simple Simon
Bids you all adieu.
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 that not a dainty dish,
To set before the King?
The King was in his 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.
There came a little black bird,
And snapped off her nose.
Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.
In a dark, dark wood, there was a dark, dark house,
In that dark, dark house, there was a dark, dark room,
And in that dark, dark room, there was a dark, dark cupboard,
And in that dark, dark cupboard, there was a dark, dark shelf,
And on that dark, dark shelf, there was a dark, dark box,
And in that dark, dark box, there was a GHOST.
The Grand Old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men.
He marched them up to the top of the hill,
And he marched them back down again.
And when they were up, they were up,
And when they were down, they were down.
And when they were only half way up,
They were neither up nor down.
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 his 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
Have you seen the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man.
Have you seen the muffin man, who lives on Drury Lane?
Yes, I’ve seen the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man
Yes, I’ve seen the muffin man, who lives on Drury Lane.
Two little clouds, one summer’s day,
Went flying through the sky.
They went so fast they bumped their heads,
And both began to cry.
Old Father Sun looked out and said,
‘Oh, never mind, my dears,
I’ll send my little fairy folk
To dry your falling tears’.
One fairy came in violet,
And one wore indigo,
In blue, green, yellow, orange, red,
They made a pretty row.
They wiped the cloud-tears all away,
And then from out the sky,
Upon the line the sunbeams made,
They hung their gowns to dry.
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat
They took some honey and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
‘O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are, You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!
Pussy said to the Owl, ‘You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! Too long we have tarried,
But what shall we do for a ring?’
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-Tree grows,
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose, His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
‘Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?’ Said the Piggy, ‘I will.’
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon.
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon, The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.
There was a Crooked Man,
and he walked 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.
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 put them to bed.
The Queen of Hearts,
She made some tarts,
All on a summer’s day.
The Knave of Hearts,
He stole the 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.
This Little Pig went to Market
This little pig stayed at home,
This little pig had roast beef,
This little pig had none,
And this little pig cried,
‘Wee-wee-wee-wee-wee’,
All the way home
Three blind mice, see how they run!
They all ran after the farmer’s wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a thing in your life,
As three blind mice?
Three little kittens, they lost their mittens,
And they began to cry,
‘Oh, mother dear, we sadly fear,
Our mittens we have lost’.
‘What! Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie’.
‘Meow, meow, meow,
No, we shall have no pie’.
The three little kittens they found their mittens,
And they began to cry,
‘Oh, mother dear, see here, see here,
Our mittens we have found’.
‘Put on your mittens, you silly kittens
And you shall have some pie’.
‘Purr, purr, purr,
Oh, let us have some pie’.
The three little kittens put on their mittens,
And soon ate up the pie.
‘Oh, mother dear, we greatly fear
Our mittens we have soiled’.
What! Soiled your mittens, you naughty kittens!’
then they began to sigh,
Meow, meow, meow,
Then they began to sigh.
The tree little kittens they washed their mittens,
And hung them out to dry.
‘Oh mother dear, do you not hear
Our mittens we have washed’.
What! Washed your mittens, then you are good kittens,
But I smell a rat close by’.
‘Meow, meow, meow,
We smell a rat close by’.
Two little dicky birds sitting on a wall,
One named Peter, one named Paul.
Fly away, Peter!
Fly away, Paul!
Come back, Peter!
Come back, Paul!
Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Upstairs and downstairs in his nightgown.
Rapping at the windows, crying through the locks,
‘Are all the children in their beds, it’s past eight o’clock’.
Tagged as: Nursery Rhymes
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