Here’s an old Mother Goose rhyme that’s known to have been around since 1812…

Barney Bodkin Broke His Nose

Barney Bodkin broke his nose,
Without feet we can’t have toes;
Crazy folks are always mad,
Want of money makes us sad.

Here is an MP3 of this Nursery Rhyme

Nursery rhymes have come from various sources, including other songs that were around in the past. Barney Bodkin Broke His Nose is the first verse in a song called A Bundle of Truths, recorded on paper by Francis Douce in 1812. Here’s the next verse, which is fairly nonsensical…

A farthing rushlight’s* very small,
Doctors wear large bushy wigs.
One that’s dumb can never bawl,
Prickled pork is made of pigs.

*”Farthing rushlight” is the term for a cheap candle

Here’s the refrain from the same song, which is close to another nursery rhyme called Hyder Iddle Diddle Dell…

Right fol de riddle del
A yard of pudding’s not an ell*
Not forgetting didderum hi,
A taylor’s goose can never fly**.

*An “ell” is 45 inches, tailors used it to measure cloth
**A taylor’s goose can never fly because it’s an iron

The nursery rhyme version is…

Hyder Iddle Diddle Dell

Hyder iddle diddle dell
A yard of pudding’s not an ell
Not forgetting tweedle-dye,
A tailor’s goose can never fly.

It’s interesting to see where nursery rhymes come from. In this case two seemingly separate rhymes originated in the one song A Bundle of Truths.

Many thanks to Jason Pomerantz for recording this rhyme for Mama Lisa’s World.

Come visit Mama Lisa’s House of Nursery Rhymes for more Mother Goose rhymes!