Old mother Widdle Waddle jumped out of bed,And out of the casement she popped her head,Crying, "The house is on fire, the grey goose is dead,And the fox has come to the town, oh!"widow
man holding stool chasing dogTwo legs sat upon three legs,With one leg in his lap;In comes four legs,And runs away with one leg;Up jumps two legs,Catches up three legs,Throws it after four legs,And makes him bring one leg back.
boy running from owl
A little boy went into a barn,And lay down on some hay;An owl came out and flew about,And the little boy ran away.
man bowing to lady
As I was going up Primrose Hill,Primrose Hill was dirty;There I met a pretty Miss,And she dropped me a curtsey.Little Miss, pretty Miss,Blessings light upon you;If I had half-a-crown a day,I'd spend it all upon you.
girl and dressed 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.
Little man shooting little gun
There was a little man, and he had a little gun,And his bullets were made of lead, lead, lead;He shot Johnny King through the middle of his wig,And knocked it right off his head, head, head.
Three straws on a staff,Would make a baby cry and laugh.
frustrated student
Multiplication is vexation,Division is as bad;The Rule of Three perplexes me,And Practice drives me mad.
Daffy-down-Dilly has come up to town,In a yellow petticoat and a green gown.
The queenTHE QUEEN OF HEARTS.
The Queen of HeartsShe made some tartsAll on a summer's day;The Knave of HeartsHe stole those tarts,And took them clean away.The King of HeartsCalled for the tarts,And beat the Knave full sore;The Knave of HeartsBrought back the tarts,And vowed he'd steal no more.
There were three crows sat on a stone,Fal la, la la lal de,Two flew away, and then there was one,Fal la, la la lal de,The other crow finding himself alone,Fal la, la la lal de,He flew away, and then there was none,Fal la, la la lal de.
Jack and Jill tumbling down"JACK AND JILL WENT UP THE HILL."
Music: Jack and Jill
[Transcriber's Note: You can play this music (MIDI file) by clickinghere.]
1. Jack and Jill went up the hillTo fetch a pail of water;Jack fell down and broke his crown,And Jill came tumbling after.2. Up Jack got, and home did trot,As fast as he could caper;Dame Jill had the job to plaister his knob,With vinegar and brown paper.3. Jill came in and she did grinTo see his paper plaister,Mother vex'd did whip her next,For causing Jack's disaster.
boy fishing
When the wind is in the East,'Tis neither good for man nor beast;When the wind is in the North,The skilful fisher goes not forth;When the wind is in the South,It blows the bait in the fishes' mouth;When the wind is in the West,Then 'tis at the very best.
Cry, baby, cry,Put your finger in your eye,And tell your mother it wasn't I.
four children
THE TURTLE-DOVE'S NEST.
Veryhigh in the pine-tree,The little Turtle-doveMade a pretty little nursery,To please her little love.She was gentle, she was soft,And her large dark eyeOften turned to her mate,Who was sitting close by."Coo," said the Turtle-dove,"Coo," said she;"Oh, I love thee," said the Turtle-dove."And I love THEE."In the long shady branchesOf the dark pine-tree,How happy were the DovesIn their little nursery!The young Turtle-dovesNever quarrelled in the nest;For they dearly loved each other,Though they loved their mother best."Coo," said the little Doves."Coo," said she.And they played together kindlyIn the dark pine-tree.In this nursery of yours,Little sister, little brother,Like the Turtle-dove's nest—Do you love one another?Are you kind, are you gentle,As children ought to be?Then the happiest of nestsIs your own nursery.
Peter WhiteWill ne'er go right,Would you know the reason why?He follows his noseWherever he goes,And that stands all awry.
Man
He that would thrive,Must rise at five;He that hath thriven,May lie till seven;And he that by the plough would thrive,Himself must either hold or drive.
Woman rocking baby in cradle
Hush-a-bye, baby,Daddy is near;Mamma is a lady,And that's very clear.
woman and shoe house"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 doShe gave them some broth, without any bread,She whipped them all round, and sent them to bed.
woman spanking child
One, two, three,I love coffee,And Billy loves tea,How good you be.One, two, three,I love coffee,And Billy loves tea.
Man holding little house
There was an old woman called Nothing-at-all,Who lived in a dwelling exceedingly small;A man stretched his mouth to its utmost extent,And down at one gulp house and old woman went.
Woman, boy and rocking horse
I had a little hobby horse,And it was dapple grey,Its head was made of pea-straw,Its tail was made of hay.I sold it to an old womanFor a copper groat;And I'll not sing my song againWithout a new coat.
Eggs, butter, cheese, bread,Stick, stock, stone, dead,Stick him up, stick him down,Stick him in the old man's crown.
THE FROG'S CHORUS.
"Yaup, yaup, yaup!"Said the croaking voice of a Frog:"A rainy dayIn the month of May,And plenty of room in the bog.""Yaup, yaup, yaup!"Said the Frog as it hopped away:"The insects feedOn the floating weed,And I'm hungry for dinner to-day.""Yaup, yaup, yaup!"Said the Frog, as it splashed about:"Good neighbours all,When you hear me call,It is odd that you do not come out.""Yaup, yaup, yaup!"Said the Frogs; "it is charming weather;We'll come and sup,When the moon is up,And we'll all of us croak together."
Two men talking
What's the news of the day,Good neighbour, I pray?They say the balloonIs gone up to the moon.
Cross-Patch,Draw the latch,Sit by the fire and spin;Take a cup,And drink it up,And call your neighbours in.
There was an old CrowSat upon a clod.There's an end of my song,That's very odd.
crow
well"DING, DONG, BELL."
Ding, dong, bell, Pussy's in the well.Who put her in? Little Tommy Green.Who pulled her out? Little Tommy Trout.What a naughty boy was that,Thus to drown poor Pussy Cat.
Children looking into well
NURSERY RHYME ALPHABET.
A was the Archer who shot at a frog.B was Bo-peep, with her crook and her dog.C was the Cow that jumped over the moon.D was the Dish that ran off with the spoon.E was Elizabeth, Betsey, and Bess.F was the Forest where stood the bird's-nest.G Gaffer Longlegs; downstairs he'd a fall.H Humpty Dumpty that sat on the wall.I was that "I" who was going to St. Ives.J Jacky Horner, on plum-pie he thrives.K was King Cole with his fiddlers three.L Little Gold-Hair, peeping, you see.M Mother Hubbard who thought her dog dead.N Little Netticoat, with a red head.O the old Woman "upon market day;"P was the "Pedlar" who passed by that way.Q was the Queen of Hearts, tartlets she makes.R was Red Riding Hood carrying the cakes.S Simple Simon, the pieman beside.T Tommy Tucker, for supper who cried.U was the Unicorn, "beat round the town;"V was Victoria—shefought for her crown.W Whittington, who turned again,Over great London as Lord Mayor to reign.X is a letter that here we can spare.Y "Yankee Doodle," that went to the fair;Z is the Zany who laughed at him there.
Swan, swan, over the sea;Swim, swan, swim.Swan, swan, back again;Well, swan, swam.
swan
One misty moisty morning,When cloudy was the weather,I met a little old man,Clothed all in leather,Clothed all in leather,With a strap below his chin.How do you do? and how do you do?And how do you do again?
Two men
Deedle, deedle, dumpling, my son John,He went to bed with his stockings on;One shoe off, and one shoe on,Deedle, deedle, dumpling, my son John.
woman at washtub
The old woman must stand at the tub, tub, tub,The dirty clothes to rub, rub, rub;But when they are clean, and fit to be seen,I'll dress like a lady, and dance on the green.
three men, a woman and a hen"HICKETY, PICKETY, MY BLACK HEN."
Hickety, pickety, my black hen,She lays eggs for gentlemen;Gentlemen come every dayTo see what my black hen doth lay.
People and chickens
I'll tell you a story,About John-a-Nory:And now my story's begun.I'll tell you another,About Jack and his brother:And now my story's done.
I LOVE SIXPENCE.
I lovesixpence, pretty little sixpence,I love sixpence better than my life;I spent a penny of it, I spent another,And took fourpence home to my wife.Oh, my little fourpence, pretty little fourpence,I love fourpence better than my life;I spent a penny of it, I spent another,And I took twopence home to my wife.Oh, my little twopence, my pretty little twopence,I love twopence better than my life;I spent a penny of it, I spent another,And I took nothing home to my wife.Oh, my little nothing, my pretty little nothing,What will nothing buy for my wife?I have nothing, I spend nothing,I love nothing better than my wife.
Dressed snipe walking away with pipe
There was a fat man of Bombay,Who was smoking one sunshiny day,When a bird called a Snipe flew away with his pipe,Which vexed the fat man of Bombay.
birds flying out of pie in front of king"WHEN THE PIE WAS OPENED, THE BIRDS BEGAN TO SING."
Music: Sing a Song of Sixpence
[Transcriber's Note: You can play this music (MIDI file) by clickinghere.]
Sing a song of sixpence,A bag full of rye;Four and twenty blackbirds;Baked in a pie;When the pie was open'd,The birds began to sing,Was not that a dainty dishTo set before the king?
man counting money
TheKing was in his counting-house,Counting out his money;
queen
The Queen was in the parlour,Eating bread and honey;
maid hanging clothes
The maid was in the garden,Hanging out the clothes;By came a little bird,And snapt off her nose.
Polly Flinders
Little Polly FlindersSate among the cindersWarming her pretty little toes!Her mother came and caught her,And whipped her little daughter,For spoiling her nice new clothes.
Great A, littlea,Bouncing B,The cat's in the cupboard,And she can't see.
A and B
Poor old Robinson Crusoe! poor old Robinson Crusoe!They made him a coat of an old Nanny goat,I wonder how they could do so!With a ring-a-ting-tang, and a ring-a-ting-tang,Poor old Robinson Crusoe!
Robinson Crusoe
boy and girl trying to get bat under his hat
Bat, bat, come under my hat,And I'll give you a slice of bacon,And when I bake I'll give you a cake,If I am not mistaken.
The North Wind doth blow,And we shall have snow,And what will poor Robin do then?Poor thing!He will hop to a barn,And to keep himself warm,Will hide his head under his wing,Poor thing!
Bird in winter
woman and pig at marketTHE OLD WOMAN BUYING HER PIG AT MARKET.
woman walking pig home
THE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG.
Anold woman was sweeping her house, and she found a little crooked sixpence. "What," said she, "shall I do with this little sixpence? I will go to market, and buy a little pig." As she was coming home, she came to a stile: the piggy would not go over the stile.
She went a little farther, and she met a dog. So she said to the dog—
"Dog, dog, bite pig;Piggy won't get over the stile;And I shan't get home to-night."
But the dog would not.
She went a little farther, and she met a stick. So she said—
"Stick, stick, beat dog;Dog won't bite pig;Piggy won't get over the stile,And I shan't get home to-night."
But the stick would not.
She went a little farther, and she met a fire. So she said—
"Fire, fire, burn stick;Stick won't beat dog;Dog won't bite pig;Piggy won't get over the stile;And I shan't get home to-night."
But the fire would not.
She went a little farther, and she met some water. So she said—
talking to fire"FIRE, FIRE, BURN STICK."
"Water, water, quench fire;Fire won't burn stick;Stick won't beat dog;Dog won't bite pig;Piggy won't get over the stile;And I shan't get home to-night."
But the water would not.
She went a little farther, and she met an ox. So she said—
"Ox, ox, drink water;Water won't quench fire;Fire won't burn stick;Stick won't beat dog;Dog won't bite pig;Piggy won't get over the stile;And I shan't get home to-night."
But the ox would not.
She went a little farther, and she met a butcher. So she said—
"Butcher, butcher, kill ox;Ox won't drink water;Water won't quench fire;Fire won't burn stick;
butcher will not kill ox"BUTCHER, BUTCHER, KILL OX."
Stick won't beat dog;Dog won't bite pig;Piggy won't get over the stile;And I shan't get home to-night."
But the butcher would not.
She went a little farther, and she met a rope. So she said—
"Rope, rope, hang butcher;Butcher won't kill ox;Ox won't drink water;Water won't quench fire;Fire won't burn stick;Stick won't beat dog;Dog won't bite pig;Piggy won't get over the stile;And I shan't get home to-night."
But the rope would not.
She went a little farther, and she met a rat. So she said—
"Rat, rat, gnaw rope;Rope won't hang butcher;Butcher won't kill ox;Ox won't drink water;
rat will not gnaw"RAT, RAT, GNAW ROPE."
Water won't quench fire;Fire won't burn stick;Stick won't beat dog;Dog won't bite pig;Piggy won't get over the stile;And I shan't get home to-night."
But the rat would not.
She went a little farther, and she met a cat. So shep said—
"Cat, cat, kill rat;Rat won't gnaw rope;Rope won't hang butcher;Butcher won't kill ox;Ox won't drink water;Water won't quench fire;Fire won't burn stick;Stick won't beat dog;Dog won't bite pig;Piggy won't get over the stile;And I shan't get home to-night."
But the cat said to her, "If you will go to yonder cow, and fetch me a saucer of milk, I will kill the rat." So away went the old woman to the cow, and said—
talking to the cow"COW, COW, GIVE ME A SAUCER OF MILK."
"Cow, cow, give me a saucer of milk;Cat won't kill rat;Rat won't gnaw rope;Rope won't hang butcher;Butcher won't kill ox;Ox won't drink water;Water won't quench fire;Fire won't burn stick;Stick won't beat dog;Dog won't bite pig;Piggy won't get over the stile;And I shan't get home to-night."
But the cow said to her, "If you will go to yonder haymakers, and fetch me a wisp of hay, I'll give you the milk." So away the old woman went to the haymakers, and said—
"Haymakers, give me a wisp of hay;Cow won't give me milk;Cat won't kill rat;Rat won't gnaw rope;Rope won't hang butcher;Butcher won't kill ox;Ox won't drink water;Water won't quench fire;
talking to haymakers"HAYMAKERS, GIVE ME A WISP OF HAY."
Fire won't burn stick;Stick won't beat dog;Dog won't bite pig;Piggy won't get over the stile;And I shan't get home to-night."
But the haymakers said to her,—"If you will go to yonder stream, and fetch us a bucket of water, we'll give you the hay." So away the old woman went; but when she got to the stream, she found the bucket was full of holes. So she covered the bottom with pebbles, and then filled the bucket with water, and away she went back with it to the haymakers; and they gave her a wisp of hay.
As soon as the cow had eaten the hay, she gave the old woman the milk; and away she went with it in a saucer to the cat. As soon as the cat had lapped up the milk—
The cat began to kill the rat;The rat began to gnaw the rope;The rope began to hang the butcher;The butcher began to kill the ox;The ox began to drink the water;The water began to quench the fire;The fire began to burn the stick;The stick began to beat the dog;The dog began to bite the pig;
Cat after rat"THE CAT BEGAN TO KILL THE RAT."
The little pig in a fright jumped over the stile;And so the old woman got home that night.
Music: Dickery, Dickery, Dock
[Transcriber's Note: You can play this music (MIDI file) by clickinghere.]
Dickery, dickery, dock!The mouse ran up the clock;The clock struck one, and down the mouse ran,Dickery, dickery, dock!
Teacher and boy
A diller, a dollar, a ten o'clock scholar,What makes you come so soon?You used to come at ten o'clock,But now you come at noon.
Jacky, come give me thy fiddle,If ever thou mean to thrive.Nay, I'll not give my fiddleTo any man alive.If I should give my fiddle,They'll think that I'm gone mad;For many a joyful dayMy fiddle and I have had.
Tommy hitting Richard with a mop"TOMMY KEPT A CHANDLER'S SHOP."
Tommy kept a chandler's shop,Richard went to buy a mop,Tommy gave him such a whop,That sent him out of his chandler's shop.
Whopped with a mop
See a pin and pick it up,All the day you'll have good luck.See a pin and let it lay,Bad luck you'll have all the day.
Crowd for Guy Fawkes
Please to remember the fifth of November,The Gunpowder treason plot;I see no reason why Gunpowder treason,Should ever be forgot.A stick and a stake for Victoria's sake,Hollo, boys! hollo, boys! God save the Queen.