The Farmer in the Dell

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.’