Johnny Shall Have a New Bonnet
Johnny Shall Have a New Bonnet
Nursery Rhyme
Johnny shall have a new bonnet,
And Johnny shall go to the fair,
And Johnny shall have a new 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 foot 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?
Notes
Here are two more versions of this song:
Jenny Shall have a New Bonnet
Jenny shall have a new bonnet,
And Jenny shall go to the fair,
And Jenny shall have a blue ribbon
To tie up her bonny brown hair.
And why may not I love Jenny?
And why may not Jenny love me?
And why may not I love Jenny,
As well as another body?
And here's a leg for a stocking,
And here is a leg for a shoe,
And she has a kiss for her daddy,
And two for her mammy, I trow.
And why may not I love Jenny?
And why may not Jenny love me?
And why may not I love Jenny,
As well as another body?
*****
Oh Dear, What Can The Matter Be?
Oh dear, what can the matter be?
Oh dear, what can the matter be?
Oh dear, what can the matter be?
Johnny's so long at the fair.
He promised to buy me a bunch of blue ribbons,
He promised to buy me a bunch of blue ribbons,
He promised to buy me a bunch of blue ribbons,
To tie up my bonny brown hair.
Thanks and Acknowledgements
The 1st illustration comes from Kate Greenaway's Mother Goose (1881). The second version of the rhyme comes from A History of Nursery Rhymes (1899) by Percy B. Green, and The Real Mother Goose (1916), illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright (the 2nd illustration is from this latter book too).
