Nursery Rhymes

Row, Row, Row the Boat

1/29/2021

Row, Row, Row the Boat

Row, row, row the boat
     Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
     Life is but a dream!

Row, row, row the boat
     Gently down the stream
If you see a crocodile
     Don’t forget to scream!

Row, row, row the boat
     Gently down the river
If you see a polar bear
     Don’t forget to shiver!

Row, row, row the boat
     Gently to the shore
If you see a lion
     Don’t forget to roar!

Row, row, row the boat
     Gently in the bath
If you see a spider
     Don’t forget to laugh!

Row, row, row the boat
     Gently as can be
’Cause if you’re not careful
     You’ll fall into the sea!

by Author Unknown

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Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

2/12/2020

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There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

There was an old woman
     who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children
    she didn’t know what to do;
She gave them some broth
    without any bread;
Then whipped them all soundly
    and put them to bed.

by Author Unknown: as published in Joseph Ritson (1752 - 1803), author and editor: “Gammer Gurton’s Garland, or the Nursery Parnassus” (1784)

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Old MacDonald Had a Farm

12/7/2018

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Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Old MacDonald had a goat,
     It ate his winter overcoat!

Old MacDonald had a sheep,
     It ate his big red jeep!

Old MacDonald had a cat,
     It ate his furry, winter hat!

Old MacDonald had a goose,
     It ate his can of apple juice!

Old MacDonald had a duck,
     It ate his brand new pick-up truck!

Old MacDonald had a cow,
     It ate ten bags of puppy chow!

Old MacDonald had a horse,
     It ate his rubber boots, of course!

Old MacDonald had a pig,
     It ate his sister’s brand-new wig!

Old MacDonald had a dog,
     It ate the farmer’s catalogue!

by Author Unknown

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The Farmer in the Dell

11/30/2018

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The Farmer in the Dell ¹

The farmer in the dell,
     The farmer in the dell,
Heigh-ho, the Derry-o, ²
     The farmer in the dell.

The farmer takes a wife,
     The farmer takes a wife,
Heigh-ho, the Derry-o,
     The farmer takes a wife.

The wife takes the child,
     The wife takes the child,
Heigh-ho, the Derry-o,
     The wife takes the child.

The child takes the nurse,
     The child takes the nurse,
Heigh-ho, the Derry-o,
     The child takes the nurse.

The nurse takes the cow,
     The nurse takes the cow,
Heigh-ho, the Derry-o,
     The nurse takes the cow.

The cow takes the dog,
     The cow takes the dog,
Heigh-ho, the Derry-o,
     The cow takes the dog.

The dog takes the cat,
     The dog takes the cat,
Heigh-ho, the Derry-o,
     The dog takes the cat.

The cat takes the mouse,
     The cat takes the mouse,
Heigh-ho, the Derry-o,
     The cat takes the mouse.

The mouse takes the cheese,
     The mouse takes the cheese,
Heigh-ho, the Derry-o,
     The mouse takes the cheese.

The cheese stands alone,
     The cheese stands alone,
Heigh-ho, the Derry-o,
     The cheese stands alone.

by Author Unknown

¹ Dell: A wooded valley.

² Derry: Officially called Londonderry, it is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-largest city on the island of Ireland. Despite the official name being Londonderry, the city is commonly called by the shorter ‘Derry,’ which is an Anglicization of the Old Irish ‘Daire’ (modern Irish ‘Doire’), which translates as ‘oak-grove’ or ‘oak-wood.’ The name is derived from the settlement’s earliest name ‘Daire Calgaich’ meaning ‘oak-grove of Calgach.’

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Humpty Dumpty’s Song

10/6/2018

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Humpty Dumpty’s Song

In winter, when the fields are white,
     I sing this song for your delight.

In Spring, when woods are getting green,
     I’ll try and tell you what I mean.

In Summer, when the days are long,
     Perhaps you’ll understand the song.

In Autumn, when the leaves are brown,
     Take pen and ink, and write it down.

I sent a message to the fish:
     I told them, “This is what I wish.”

The little fishes of the sea,
     They sent an answer back to me.

The little fishes’ answer was,
     “We cannot do it, Sir, because -”

I sent to them again to say,
     “It will be better to obey.”

The fishes answered, with a grin,
     “Why, what a temper you are in!”

I told them once, I told them twice:
     They would not listen to advice.

I took a kettle large and new,
     Fit for the deed I had to do.

My heart went hop, my heart went thump:
     I filled the kettle at the pump.

Then someone came to me and said,
     “The little fishes are in bed.”

I said to him, I said it plain,
     “Then you must wake them up again.”

I said it very loud and clear:
     I went and shouted in his ear.

But he was very stiff and proud:
     He said, “You needn’t shout so loud!”

And he was very proud and stiff:
     He said, “I’d go and wake them, if -”

I took a corkscrew from the shelf:
     I went to wake them up myself.

And when I found the door was locked,
     I pulled and pushed and kicked and knocked.

And when I found the door was shut,
     I tried to turn the handle, but -

by Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll is a pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who was born on 27 January 1832 in England. He became a writer, a mathematician, a logician, an Anglican deacon, and a photographer. His is known for the books, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” (1865) and its sequel, “Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There” (1871), as well as the poems, “The Hunting of the Snark” and “Jabberwocky,” all examples of the genre of literary nonsense. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson passed on at 65 years of age on 14 January 1898.

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Bed-Time Song

9/17/2018

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Bed-Time Song

Sleep, my baby, while I sing
     Bed-time news of everything.
Chickens run to mother hen;
     Piggy curls up in the pen.
In the field, all tired with play,
     Quiet now the lambkins stay.
Kittens cuddle in a heap -
     Baby, too, must go to sleep!

Sleep, my baby, while I sing
     Bed-time news of everything.
Now the cows from pasture come;
     Bees fly home with drowsy hum.
Little birds are in the nest,
     Under mother-bird’s soft breast.
Over all soft shadows creep -
     Baby now must go to sleep.

Sleep, my baby, while I sing
     Bed-time news of everything.
Sleepy flowers seem to nod,
     Drooping toward the dewy sod;
While the big sun’s fading light
     Bids my baby dear good-night.
Mother loving watch will keep;
     Baby now must go to sleep.

by Emilie Poulsson

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To Market, To Market

9/16/2018

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To Market

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig.
     Home again, home again, jiggety jig.

To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,
     Home again, home again, jiggety jog.

To market, to market, to buy a plum bun,
     Home again, home again, market is done.

by Author Unknown

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Two Blackbirds Sitting on a Hill

8/29/2018

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Two Blackbirds Sitting on a Hill

Two blackbirds were sitting on a hill,
The one named Jack, the other named Jill;
Fly away, Jack! Fly away, Jill!
Come again, Jack! Come again, Jill!

by Author Unknown

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The Little Bird

8/28/2018

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The Little Bird

Once I saw a little bird
    Come hop, hop, hop;
So I cried, “Little bird,
    Will you stop, stop, stop?”

And was going to the window
    To say, “How do you do?”
But he shook his little tail,
    And far away he flew.

by Author Unknown

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The Blacksmith

8/27/2018

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The Blacksmith

“Robert Barnes, my fellow fine,
     Can you shoe this horse of mine?”
“Yes, good sir, that I can,
     As well as any other man;
There’s a nail, and there’s a prod,
     Now, good sir, your horse is shod.”

by Author Unknown

Images Shown
1. Horse.
2. Blacksmith anvil, hammer, and horseshoe.

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The Moon Lullaby

8/26/2018

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The Moon Lullaby

I see the Moon.
     The Moon sees me.
God bless the Moon,
     And God bless me.

I see the stars.
     The stars see me.
God bless the stars,
     And God bless me.

I see the world.
     The world sees me.
God bless the world,
     And God bless me.

I know an angel
     Watches over me.
God bless the angels,
     And God bless me.

by Author Unknown

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Buttons

8/26/2018

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Buttons

Buttons, a farthing a pair!
     Come, who will buy them of me?
They’re round and sound and pretty,
     And fit for girls of the city.
Come, who will buy them of me?
     Buttons, a farthing a pair!

by Author Unknown

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Billy, Billy

8/25/2018

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Billy, Billy

“Billy, Billy, come and play,
While the sun shines bright as day.”

“Yes, my Polly, so I will,
For I love to please you still.”

“Billy, Billy, have you seen
Sam and Betsy on the green?”

“Yes, my Poll, I saw them pass,
Skipping o’er the new-mown grass.”

“Billy, Billy, come along,
And I will sing a pretty song.”

by Author Unknown

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Higgleby, Piggleby, My Black Hen

8/24/2018

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Higgleby, Piggleby, My Black Hen

Higgleby, piggleby, my black hen,
She lays eggs for gentlemen;
Sometimes nine, and sometimes ten,
Higgleby, piggleby, my black hen.

by Author Unknown

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The Queen of Hearts

8/19/2018

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The Queen of Hearts

The Queen of Hearts
     She made some tarts,
All on a summer’s day;
     The Knave of Hearts
He stole those tarts,
     And took them clean away.
The King of Hearts
     Called for the tarts,
And beat the knave full sore;
     The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts,
     And vowed he’d steal no more.

by Author Unknown

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Mary’s Canary

8/18/2018

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Mary’s Canary

Mary had a pretty bird,
   Feathers bright and yellow,
Slender legs - upon my word
   He was a pretty fellow!

The sweetest note he always sung,
   Which much delighted Mary.
She often, where the cage was hung,
   Sat hearing her canary.

by Author Unknown

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All Through the Night

8/8/2018

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All Through the Night

Sleep my child and peace attend thee,
All through the night.
Guardian angels God will send thee,
All through the night.
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping
I my loved ones’ watch am keeping,
All through the night.

Angels watching, e’er around thee,
All through the night.
Midnight slumber close surround thee,
All through the night.
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping
I my loved ones’ watch am keeping,
All through the night.

by Author Unknown

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Humpty Dumpty

8/4/2018

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Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

by Author Unknown

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Rock-a-Bye Baby

8/3/2018

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Rock-a-Bye Baby

Rock-a-bye baby on the treetop,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
Baby is drowsing cozy and fair,
Mother sits near in her rocking chair.
Forward and back the cradle she swings,
And though baby sleeps he hears what she sings,
From the high rooftops down to the sea.
No one’s as dear as baby to me,
Wee little fingers, eyes wide and bright,
Now sound asleep until morning light.

by Author Unknown

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Lullaby

8/2/2018

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Lullaby

     Lullaby, oh, lullaby!
Flowers are closed and lambs are sleeping;
     Lullaby, oh, lullaby!
Stars are up, the moon is peeping;
     Lullaby, oh, lullaby!
While the birds are silence keeping,
     Lullaby, oh, lullaby!
Sleep, my baby, fall a-sleeping,
     Lullaby, oh, lullaby!

by Christina G. Rossetti: “Sing-Song: A Nursery Rhyme Book” (1893), page 134

Christina Georgina Rossetti was born on 5 December 1830 in London, England. She became a poet. She is known for “Goblin Market” and “Remember,” among other works. Christina Georgina Rossetti passed on at 64 years of age on 29 December 1894 in London, England.

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The Clever Hen

7/17/2018

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The Clever Hen

I had a little hen, the prettiest ever seen,
She washed me the dishes and kept the house clean;
She went to the mill to fetch me some flour,
She brought it home in less than an hour;
She baked me my bread, she brewed me my ale,
She sat by the fire and told many a fine tale.

by Author Unknown

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All the Pretty Horses

7/17/2018

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All the Pretty Horses

Hush-a-bye don’t you cry,
     Go to sleep-y, little baby.
When you wake you shall have
     All the pretty little horses.
Blacks and bays, dapple grays,
     Coach and six white horses.
Hush-a-bye don’t you cry,
     Go to sleep-y, little baby.

by Author Unknown

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Wash on Monday

7/16/2018

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Wash on Monday

Wash on Monday,
Iron on Tuesday,
Bake on Wednesday,
Brew on Thursday,
Churn on Friday,
Mend on Saturday,
Go to meeting on Sunday.
Wash on Monday

by Author Unknown

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Mary's Lamb

7/15/2018

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Mary’s Lamb

Mary had a little lamb
     Its fleece was white as snow,
And everywhere that Mary went
     The lamb was sure to go;
He followed her to school one day -
     That was against the rule,
It made the children laugh and play,
     To see a lamb at school.
And so the Teacher turned him out,
     But still he lingered near.
And waited patiently about,
     Till Mary did appear;
And then he ran to her, and laid
     His head upon her arm,
As if he said - ‘I’m not afraid -
     You’ll keep me from all harm.’
‘What makes the lamb love Mary so?’
     The eager children cry -
‘O, Mary loves the lamb, you know.’
     The Teacher did reply;
‘And you each gentle animal
     In confidence may bind,
And make them follow at your call,
     If you are always kind.’

by Sarah Hale: “Poems for Our Children” (1830)

Shown above is what is believed to be the true and original version of the poem “Mary’s Lamb.” When first published in 1830, it became an immediate success. It was printed on silk handkerchiefs and sold in Boston bookstores. Currier and Ives made a print of Mary and her lamb. Mrs. Hale later set the words to music and published it in her “School Song Book” (1834). The poem was published as a lesson in “The First Eclectic Reader” (1844), by its writer and editor, William Holmes McGuffey, without attribution to Sarah Josepha Hale, and so mistakenly became known as a ‘Mother Goose Rhyme.’ In 1877, Thomas Alva Edison made a phonograph recording, uttering the first ever recording of human speech, as “Mary had a little lamb.”

A variation of the poem exists as a nursery rhyme, shortened to eight lines and titled, “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” as shown below.

Mary Had a Little Lamb

Mary had a little lamb,
   Its fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went
     The lamb was sure to go.

It followed her to school one day,
    Which was against the rule.
It made the children laugh and play
     To see a lamb at school.

by Author Unknown

Another variation of the poem exists as a song, as shown below.

Mary Had a Little Lamb

Lyrics:
Mary had a little lamb,
little lamb, little lamb,
Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went,
Mary went, Mary went,
and everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.
It followed her to school one day
school one day, school one day,
It followed her to school one day, which was against the rules.
It made the children laugh and play,
laugh and play, laugh and play,
it made the children laugh and play to see a lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned it out,
turned it out, turned it out,
And so the teacher turned it out, but still it lingered near,
And waited patiently about,
patiently about, patiently about,
And waited patiently about till Mary did appear.
“Why does the lamb love Mary so?”
Love Mary so? Love Mary so?
“Why does the lamb love Mary so,” the eager children cry.
“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know.”
The lamb, you know, the lamb, you know,
“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,” the teacher did reply.

by Author Unknown

Sarah Josepha Hale (maiden name Buell) was born on 24 October 1788 in Newport, New Hampshire, United States of America. She was a writer and an editor (1837 - 1877) for “Godey’s Lady Book” magazine, a poet, and a book author. She campaigned successfully to have Thanksgiving made into an American national holiday. Sarah Joseph Hale passed on at 90 years of age on 30 April 1879 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.

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