The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then?
Poor thing.
He'll sit in a barn,
And keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing,
Poor thing.
Notes
Here's a slightly different version from The Little Mother Goose (1912), illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith:
The North Wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor Robin do then?
He will hop to a barn,
And to keep himself warm,
Will hide his head under his wing,
Poor thing!
*****
Lisa Maria wrote:
Hello,
I was just enjoying your site and I thought I would contribute something to an existing song...I heard these additional verses when I worked at a Waldorf school last year in British Columbia, Canada. Waldorf schools use classic nursery rhymes and songs like this all the time.
The North Wind Doth Blow
1. (Verse one as posted on site.)
The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then?
Poor thing.
He'll sit in a barn,
And keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing,
Poor thing.
2. The North wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the doormouse do then?
Poor thing.
She'll curl in a ball,
In her nest oh-so small,
And wait for the coming of spring,
Poor thing.
3. The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the daisies do then?
Poor things.
They'll stay in the grass,
'Til winter has passed,
And wait for the coming of spring,
Poor things.
4. The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the swallows do then?
Poor things.
Oh say, don't you know?
They were gone long ago,
To a country much warmer than this,
Poor things.
I love your site, thanks so much!
LM
Photos & Illustrations
Comments
The first illustration comes from Denslow's Mother Goose (1901) illustrated by William Wallace Denslow. The second illustration comes from The Baby's Bouquet, A Fresh Bunch of Rhymes and Tunes by Walter Crane (1878). The third illustration is from The Real Mother Goose (1916), illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright. The fourth image is from The Only True Mother Goose Melodies (published and copyrighted in Boston in 1833 by Munroe & Francis)
Thanks and Acknowledgements
This rhyme can be found in The Only True Mother Goose Melodies (c. 1833).
Many thanks to Monique Palomares for creating the midi music.
Thanks to Lisa Maria for contributing the long version of The North Wind Doth Blow!
Recited by Ruth Golding.
