I'll sing you a song,
It's not very long:
The woodcock and the sparrow,
The little dog has burnt his tail,
And he shall be hang'd to-morrow.
Notes
Here's a version of "I'll Sing You a Song" from The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang and illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke (1897):
I'LL sing you a song,
Though not very long,
Yet I think it as pretty as any.
Put your hand in your purse,
You'll never be worse,
And give the poor singer a penny.
Here's another version from The Big Book of Nursery Rhymes (circa 1920) edited by Walter Jerrold:
I'll sing you a song,
The days are long,
The woodcock and the sparrow;
The little dog he has burned his tail,
And he must be hanged to-morrow.
Thanks and Acknowledgements
This rhyme can be found in Harry's Ladder to Learning (1850) and Traditional Nursery Songs of England with Pictures by Eminent Modern Artists edited by Felix Summerly (1843). This illustration can be found in The Big Book of Nursery Rhymes (circa 1920) edited by Walter Jerrold (1865 - 1929) and illustrated by Charles Robinson (with some graphical editing of the above image by Lisa Yannucci).
