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Contents
Posts
Can Anyone Help with a Song with the Line, “Summer Has Come from the Sunny Lands”?
Thursday, March 26th, 2009Geri wrote looking for help with a childhood song from England:
As a child in the UK (England) we used to sing a song at school (infant or juniors) that I thought started like this:
Summer has come from the sunny lands,
Summer is here again,
Bringing the birdies (not sure of this line)
In every woodland lane
Chirruping, chirruping high and low.*****
That is all I can remember.
This song has haunted me for years and I am now 65, it would be an old song from the late 40’s to the 50’s. I have searched and searched but found nothing I am not sure I have all the word’s down correctly but it does go something like that.
Can anyone help me please.
Thank you.
Geri
If anyone can help with this song, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks in advance!
Mama Lisa
Can Anyone Help with a Hindi Song about a Pussy Cat? It’s from an English Album – Also looking for the album!
Friday, February 20th, 2009Kathy emailed me asking for help finding a 30 year old album…
Hi Lisa,
My daughter had an album of children’s songs, which came out about 30 years ago. The album has long since disappeared but we really enjoyed one song on it. It starts off in English…
Pussy cat, pussycat with eyes so bright,
You sleep all day and you go out in the night,
There’s another line I can’t remember, and then..
…that a doggie doesn’t catch you up a tree!The singer then sings in Hindi (I think). It’s very lively – my daughter sang it all the time. Have you any idea where we can find it? Thanks,
Kathy
If anyone can help with the song or album, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
Can Anyone Help Us Find a Welsh Children’s Song?
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009Beth wrote looking for a Welsh song…
Hiya
When I was in primary school in the 90’s we used to sing a song that went something like:
‘tedi twp, doli glwt, mary mel a mwnci’
have you any idea what it is?!
Thanks
Beth
If anyone can help with this song, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe: How High Can You Do?
Thursday, November 6th, 2008
In my last blog post, I gave a couple of variations of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe that go up to the number twenty. It’s rare that this rhyme goes past that. When it does, it seems to be to play it as a ball bouncing game… how high can you go bouncing the ball?
This whole search for different variations of the One, Two, Buckle My Shoe rhyme, was all inspired by an email I received from Fran. She wrote…
Lisa, We used to do this rhyme up to 40 when we were kids. Have you ever heard the second part? I am trying to find the parts I can’t remember. Thanks, Fran
As I mentioned in my last post, most people know One, Two, Buckle My Shoe up to 10. Some people know it up to 20. Most people don’t know it past that. I myself had a hard time finding versions beyond 20. After some research, the highest I was able to find was 30. Given Fran’s email, there seems to be a version of this rhyme that goes up to forty. Do you know any versions that go that high?
Below are the different versions I found that go higher than twenty…
First are two versions that go up to twenty-four. They’re from Southern California Jump-Rope Rhymes: A Study in Variants by Ray B. Browne (Western Folklore, Jan. 1955). The first one was “Given as a ball bouncing game”…
One, two,
Buckle my shoe.
Three, Four,
Open the door.
Five, Six,
Pick up sticks.
Seven, Eight,
Lay them straight.
Nine, Ten,
A big fat Hen.Eleven, twelve,
Mind your self (or, roast ‘er well).
Thirteen, fourteen, maids are sporting.
Fifteen, sixteen, maids are kissing.
Seventeen, eighteen, maids are waiting.
Nineteen, twenty, maids are plenty.
Twenty-one, twenty-two,
If you love me as I love you
My knife can cut our love in two.
Twenty-three, twenty-four,
Mary at the kitchen door
Eating apples by the score.
One, two, three, four.[Original Source: Nebraska: Sue Hall, "That Spring Perennial-Rope Jumping!" Recreation, XXXIV (March, 1941), 713-716. (verbal changes only, 11. 1-2)]
Here’s a variation Brown gave on the second verse:
Eleven, twelve, in the well.
Thirteen, fourteen, boys are courting.
Fifteen, sixteen, maids in the kitchen.
Seventeen, eighteen, maids in waiting.
Nineteen, twenty, my plate is empty
(and sometimes ends,…
Twenty-four, Mary’s at the cottage door
Eating grapes upon a plate,
Five, six, seven, eight.)[Original Source: Paul G. Brewster, "Rope-Skipping, Counting-out, and other Rhymes of Children," SFQ, III (1939), 173-185. (verbal changes only, 11. 1-2)]
Western Folklore by California Folklore Society (1954) has the ending simply as:
Twenty-one, twenty-two,
If you love me as I love you
My knife can cut our love in two.The book 10,000 reasons for everything; How to win; Why you lost; Folklore supporting our best superstitions (1998), by William Carroll, has the ending as:
Twenty-one, twenty-two,
That will do.Beverly Flanigan, from the American Dialect Society, posted this: “I only know the 4-and-20 rhyme as the ending of ‘One, two, buckle my shoe’ which we chanted while trying to bounce a ball non-stop without grasping it or losing it (I can still do it!)”…
One, two, buckle my shoe
Three, four, shut 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 a-kissing
Seventeen, eighteen, maids a-waiting
Nineteen, twenty, the larder is empty
Twenty-one, twenty-two, my old shoe,
Dressed in blue, died last night at half-past two,
Twenty-three, twenty-four, last night at half-past four,
Twenty-four burglars came up to my door;
I opened the door and let them in;
I knocked them down with a rolling pin!Finally, here’s an incomplete version of the rhyme that goes up to thirty. It’s from The Counting-out Rhymes of Children by Henry Carrington Bolton (1888). Bolton wrote that it was “Used in Wrentham Mass as early as 1780″…
One, two, buckle my shoe
Three, four, open the door
Five six, pick up sticks
Seven, eight, lay them straight
Nine, ten, kill a fat hen
Eleven, twelve, bake it well
Thirteen, fourteen, go a courtin’
Fifteen, sixteen, go to milkin’
Seventeen, eighteen, do the bakin’
Nineteen, twenty, the mill is empty
Twenty-one, charge the gun
Twenty-two, the partridge flew
Twenty-three, she lit on a tree
Twenty-four, she lit down lower
Twenty-five*,
Twenty-six*,
Twenty-seven*,
Twenty-eight*,
Twenty-nine the game is mine,
Thirty make a kerchy.*Asterisks denote portions forgotten by the aged contributor.
If anyone knows of any other versions of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe that go higher than twenty, please let us know about it in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
Illustration from “National Rhymes of the Nursery” (circa 1895), illustrated by Gordon Browne (with a little graphical editing by Lisa Yannucci).
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
Most people know One, Two, Buckle My Shoe up to the number 10. Here’s a well-known version…
One Two,
Buckle my shoe.
Three, Four,
Open the door.
Five, Six,
Pick up sticks.
Seven, Eight,
Lay them straight.
Nine, Ten
Do it again.Some people know One, Two, Buckle My Shoe up to 20. Below is the version from Walter Crane’s The Buckle My Shoe Picture Book (1910). I’ve posted his illustrations after the rhyme…
One Two,
Buckle my shoe.
Three, Four,
Open the door.
Five, Six,
Pick up sticks.
Seven, Eight,
Lay them straight.
Nine, Ten,
A good fat Hen.Eleven, Twelve,
Ring the Bell.
Thirteen, Fourteen,
Maids are courting.
Fifteen, Sixteen,
Maids in the Kitchen.
Seventeen, Eighteen,
Maids in waiting.
Nineteen, Twenty,
My plate is empty.
Here’s another version that goes up to 20, from A Gift for All Seasons, edited by Lawrence Lovechild (1847)…
One, two, buckle my shoe ;
Three, four, open the door ;
Five, six, pick up sticks ;
Seven, eight, lay them straight ;
Nine, ten, a good fat hen ;
Eleven, twelve, I hope you ‘re well ;
Thirteen, fourteen, draw the curtain ;
Fifteen, sixteen, the maid ’s in the kitchen ;
Seventeen, eighteen, she ’s in waiting ;
Nineteen, twenty, my plate is empty ;
Please, mamma, to give me some dinner.The Counting-out Rhymes of Children by Henry Carrington Bolton gave this variation of the second part of this rhyme…
9, 10, a good fat hen,
11, 12, roast her well,
13, 14, boys a courtin’,
15, 16, girls a fixin’,
17, 18, maids a bakin’,
19, 20, weddings plenty.Check out more versions of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe on my nursery rhyme site.
Please feel free to post any versions of this rhyme that you know in the comments below.
Mama Lisa
Coming next on the blog: Versions of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe that go past the number 20!
The Hearse Song Animation for Halloween
Saturday, October 18th, 2008I’ve talked in the past about how all the kids in my neighborhood loved The Hearse Song when I was growing up. (We called the song The Worms Crawl In the Worms Crawl Out.) Evidently, we weren’t the only ones who loved this song. I’ve gotten many people writing in about the different versions of The Hearse Song they sang as kids.
Here’s an animation of a vampire singing the song from YouTube, for you to enjoy for Halloween. It’s followed by the lyrics to read along with while watching…
The Hearse Song
Didn’t you ever think, as a hearse goes by,
That you may be the next to die?They wrap you up in a big white sheet,
And bury you down in the 6 feet deep.They put you in a big black box,
And cover you up with dirt and rocks.And all goes well for about a week,
And then the coffin begins to leak.The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out,
The worms play pinochle on your snout.They eat your eyes, they eat your nose,
They eat the jelly between your toes.A great big worm with rolling eyes,
Crawls in your stomach and out your eyes.Your stomach turns a slimy green,
And puss pours out like whipping cream.You spread it on a slice of bread,
And that’s what the worms eat, when you are dead.Have a spooky Halloween!
Mama Lisa
Can Someone Help with a Swedish or English Nursery Rhyme?
Monday, September 15th, 2008Ronnie wrote:
My Father and uncle used to put us on their knees and bounce us and say this rhyme. Something about a fox. I don’t know if they were speaking Swedish or English (and pronouncing the words badly)…
“A raven come a walkin
a balkin, a talkin a piddlee peekin.”They’d start down at our bellies and work their hand up under our chins.
Have you ever heard of this?
Thank you for your time,
Ronnie LarsonIf anyone can help out with any information about this rhyme and/or provide the words to it, please comment below.
Thanks in advance!
Lisa
Horse Trotting Rhymes to Play with Older Kids
Sunday, July 27th, 2008In my previous blog post I mentioned some English rhymes which can be played with children sitting on adults’ laps, with either babies or older kids.
This time, I’d like to discuss another genre of lap rhymes called Horse Trotting Rhymes.
Horse Trotting Rhymes are usually done with older kids. You wouldn’t want to play these babies since you don’t want to jiggle their heads.
When singing these songs you move your legs up and down with the child on your knees as if they’re riding a horse. Older kids love these rhymes.
Ride a Cock-horse to Banbury Cross is one of the best-known English Horse Trotting Rhymes…
Ride a Cock-horse to Banbury Cross
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.*A cock-horse is anything a kid rides on and pretends is a horse (i.e. someone’s lap, a rocking horse or a wooden stick with a wooden horses head).
Trot, Trot, Trot to Boston is another well-known Horse Trotting Rhyme. Below I’ve listed some of the variations of the rhyme…
Trot, Trot, Trot to Boston
Trot, trot, trot to Boston
(Gently bounce the child on your knees)Trot, trot, trot to Lynn.
(Gently bounce again)Watch out Little One/Girl/Boy/or kids’ name
(Gently bounce knees again)Or you’ll fall in/You’re going to fall in!/or Cause you might fall in!
(Open knees/Gently bring child down between knees and then lift back up)Variation:
Trot, trot to Boston
Trot, trot to Maine
Trot, trot
And home, home again.Or:
Trot, trot, to Boston;
Trot, trot, to Lynn;
Trot, trot, to Salem;
Home, home again.When singing this next song you move your legs up and down with the child on your knees. With each verse you move your legs a little higher…
This Is the Way the Ladies Ride
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, tre, 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!Here’s a similar one…
Here Goes My Lord
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.*To jockey is to ride a horse like in a race as if you’re a jockey. To hitch is to raise with a jerk. So I believe jockey-hitch describes riding a horse quickly, yet, fitfully up and down.
**To drinkHere’s one more…
Little Shon a Morgan
Little Shon a Morgan
Shentleman of Wales,
Came riding on a nanny-goat,
Selling of pigs’ tails.Chicky, cuckoo, my little duck,
See-saw, sickna downy;
Gallop a trot, trot, trot,
And hey for Dublin a towny!If you would like to share any more Horse Trotting Rhymes with us, feel free to tell us about them in the comments below.
The illustration comes from The National Nursery Book.
Enjoy and have fun!
Mama Lisa
Can Anyone Give Info about a Song about a Mother Bathing Her Baby and the Baby Goes Down the Drainpipe?
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008Bettina wrote to me asking about a song:
20 years ago I was in Sale, Manchester as an Au Pair. Lorraine, the Mom in “my” family sometimes sang this song to her two boys Zac and Jake when they had their bath. I have never seen or heard it since then. Can anyone tell me something about this song? I didn’t ask her at the time and they don’t live at the address from back then anymore so I can’t ask her now.
Here it comes:
A mother was bathing her baby,
Bathing her baby one day.
The mother was fat, and the baby was thin,
Just like a skeleton wrapped up in skin.She only turned ’round for a minute,
To fetch some soap of the rag.
She only turned ’round for a minute,
But oh when she turned back…The baby had gone down the plughole,
The baby had gone down the plug.
He wasn’t too small to be bathed at all,
But should have been bathed in a jug.Now sailing away down the drainpipe,
Happy as happy can be,
Sailing away down the drainpipe,
Into the deep blue sea.I hope to get wiser on this quite dramatic song.
Bettina Damm
Sydals, DenmarkIf anyone knows anything about this song, please let us know about it in the comments below. If anyone would like to sing this song for us, we’d love to hear it!
Thanks in advance!
Mama Lisa
Can Anyone Help with a Song about an Acorn, most likely from Britain, with the line, “A little Brown Baby Round and Wee”?
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008Brenda wrote to me from Australia…
Dear Mama Lisa,
I am trying to find the words of a song our mother sang to us, and then to my children and I would like to sing to my grandsons about “A little Brown Baby Round and Wee”. It is a song about an acorn who fell down thru’ the treetops right to the ground but he wasn’t hurt at all. I can only remember bits and pieces of this song, I am not sure of its origin possibly English because of it being an acorn from the Oak Tree?
Hope one of your readers can help?
Brenda Taylor
Australia
If anyone is familiar with this song, please let us know about it in the comments below.
Thanks in advance!
Mama Lisa
Can Anyone Help with an English Song that Starts “Sing a song of winter…”?
Saturday, February 23rd, 2008Krissy wrote to me from Germany, looking for help with an English song:
Hi Mama Lisa,
I wonder if you could help me.
At school – in our English lessons, which is long, long ago – we had learnt an English song, which I know the melody of and the beginning of the text.
For some other old songs I have found answers by “Google”, but not for my song which goes like that:
Sing a song of winter,
Happiness and fun.
Frosty nights and mornings
Tell us it’s begun.I would be very glad to hear from you.
Kind regards
Krissy from Germany
(Jadebusen/North Sea)If anyone can help with the lyrics to this song, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks in advance!
-Mama Lisa
Can Someone Help with a Lullaby with the Line “I’m Not Tired. I’m Not Sleepy.”?
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008Brenda wrote to me:
Maybe you can help me? I’m looking for a lullaby that has the following refrain:
I’m not tired.
I’m not sleepy.
My eyes are open wide.
I’m not tired.It was on a cd that I used to play for my oldest son (who is now 19) and I would love to have it now for my 2nd son (who is now 7 months).
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Brenda
If anyone knows the lyrics to the song, or if you’re familiar with the cd, please let us know about it in the comments below.
Thanks in advance!
Lisa
Does Anyone Know a Song about Putting Something in a Box in Your Pocket?
Friday, January 11th, 2008Janice wrote:
Hello,
I was wondering if you could help me find the children’s song I am looking for. I don’t know the name of it just some of the lyrics… Putting something in a box and putting it in your pocket to keep it safe. If you could help me I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
Janice
If anyone can help out with this song, please comment below.
Thanks!
Lisa
Does Anyone Know of a Lullaby with a Cucumber from Suriname?
Saturday, January 5th, 2008Amelia wrote:
Hello,
I am looking for a certain lullabye or nursery rhyme that has to do with a cucumber…
‘Go to sleep baby and I will give you a cucumber’ or ‘Stop to cry baby…’
I would have posted it but I have no idea where this rhyme is from. Have you heard of it?
Thank you very much,
Amelia Smithps. Your site is WONDERFUL.
If anyone is familiar with this lullaby, please let us know about it in the comments below.
Thanks in advance!
Lisa
Does Anyone Know of Hand Gestures That Go with the 12 Days of Christmas?
Sunday, December 23rd, 2007Rich Berrett wrote:
Growing up I recall hearing the 12 days of Christmas accompanied by hand gestures for each day… when I googled that issue it referred me to your site with this notation.. “The Twelve Days of Christmas actually start on Christmas and go up to the …. As with many children’s songs, there are different hand gestures that can be. . .” when I went to the link however I cannot find the remainder of the entry… I would love to find the gestures to teach my grandchildren. Any suggestions? Thanks for all you do. Rich
I think the Google entry must have been referring to two different blog posts.
Would anyone know of gestures that go with the 12 Days of Christmas? I’d love to learn them too!
Please comment below if you can help out. Thanks in advance!
-Mama Lisa
Can Anyone Help with a Song with the Line, “”Darling swine will you be mine?”"
Wednesday, November 7th, 2007I received this email recently:
Hi,
I’m looking for a children’s ditty and have had no luck so far. I think it may be British, because I got it from my mother, who although American herself, had Scottish parents. Here’s what I know of the song:
Once a lady had a pig, “Honey” said she, “Darling swine will you be mine?”
“Oink” (here the singer snorts, piggy-fashion), said he.
“You shall have a silver sty, Honey” said she, “and a piece of pumpkin pie.”
“Oink” said he.I’d love the rest of lyrics to this silly song. Pumpkin pie . . .
maybe it’s American. I don’t think Brits have pumpkin pie.Thanks.
SGCIf anyone knows anything about this song, please comment below.
Thanks!
Lisa
More Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Sunday, July 22nd, 2007Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star seems to inspire everyone! Previously I wrote about Mozart’s variations on the tune, and Ernő Dohnányi’s. Now, my friend David Solomon wrote to tell me about a piece of his own called Twinkle, Twinkle Variations performed by Bruce Paine on the guitar. (Scroll to the bottom of the page.)
Does Anyone Know a Song with the Line “”My father had an old grey goose ho Nellie ho”"?
Saturday, July 21st, 2007Julie wrote:
My granny sang a song about a fat goose I think it may have been called “Ho Nellie Ho”:
My father had an old grey goose ho Nellie ho. My father had an old grey goose ho Nellie ho. He put her up and he fattenned her ho Nellie ho, etc, etc.
Maybe the next verse was: “He put her up on the table ho Nellie ho.” (Repeat.) Then, “She broke all the table legs off ho Nellie ho.”
That’s all I can remember. I don’t know how it ends… Julie
If anyone can help with the rest of the lyrics to this song, please comment below or email me.
Thanks!
Lisa
Can Someone Help with a Song about Swinging with the Line: “”Who wants to ride up to tree top land?”"
Wednesday, July 18th, 2007I received this email:
I just came across your web site and thought maybe you could help me. We used to sing a song as a child, that I am now trying to teach my little grandchildren but I can’t remember all the words. It was a very sweet song. We would sing it as we were swinging. It went in part like this:
Who wants to ride up to tree top land?
Who wants to join in the dolly band?
Who wants to ride like a bird on the wing?
Come with me now, let’s swing.Up we go, to and fro,
Swinging, swinging, swinging,
Wild and free like a bird are we,
?If you are able to help me, I would be grateful.
Sincerely,
L. Van GorpIf anyone can help with the lyrics to this song, please comment below or email me.
Thanks!
Lisa
Does Anyone Know the Lyrics to a Song about Bees Giving a Party?
Friday, July 13th, 2007Louise wrote me:
Hello,
I’ve been trying to find the lyrics and author of a favorite childhood song that begins: “The bees gave a party and invited all they knew. A wasp and some hornets and a few mosquitoes too…”
Do you know what it is?Thanks,
Louise Ciampi
If anyone can help with the lyrics to this song, or any other info, please comment below or email me.
Thanks!
Lisa
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