Our Old
Nursery Rhymes

“Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?”
“I’ve been to London to see the new Queen.”
“Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?”
“I caught a little mouse under her chair.”

Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow,
And ev’rywhere 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.

2. 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.”

3. “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.”

Sing a song of Sixpence
A pocket full of rye;
Four and twenty Blackbirds
Baked in a pie;
When the pie was open’d
The birds began to sing,
Oh, was not that a dainty dish
To set before the King.

2. The King was in his counting-house
Counting out his money,
The Queen was in the parlour
Eating bread and honey;
The Maid was in the garden
Hanging out the clothes,
There came a little blackbird
And pecked off her nose.

Little Jack Horner
Sat in a corner
Eating his Christmas pie;
He put in his Thumb
And pulled out a plum
And said “What a good boy am I!”

Ding dong bell!
Pussy’s in the well!
Who put her in?
Little Tommy Green.
Who pulled her out?
Little Tommy Stout.
What a naughty boy was that
To drown poor pussycat,
Who ne’er did any harm,
But killed all the mice in father’s barn.

Three blind mice, see how they run!
They all ran after the farmer’s wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever hear such a tale in your life,
As three blind mice!

Here we go round the Mulberry bush,
The Mulberry bush,
The Mulberry bush;
Here we go round the Mulberry bush
On a cold and frosty morning.

This is the way we wash our hands
We wash our hands
We wash our hands
This is the way we wash our hands
On a cold and frosty morning.

“dry our hands”
“clap our hands”
“warm our hands”

1. Three little kittens they lost their mittens,
And they began to cry,
“Oh, mammy dear!
We sadly fear,
Our mittens we have lost.”
“What! lost your mittens, you naughty kittens,
Then you shall have no pie.”
Miew, miew, miew, miew.

2. Three little kittens they found their mittens,
And they began to cry,
“Oh, mammy dear!
See here, see here!
Our mittens we have found.”
“What! Found your mittens, you little kittens,
Then you shall have some pie.”
Purr, purr, purr, rr-rr.

3. The three little kittens put on their mittens
And soon ate up the pie,
“Oh, mammy dear!
We greatly fear,
Our mittens we have soiled.”
“What! soiled your mittens, you naughty kittens,”
Then they began to sigh,
Miew, miew, miew, miew,
Miew, miew, miew.

4. The three little kittens they washed their mittens,
And hung them up to dry.
“Oh, mammy dear!
Look here, look here!
Our mittens we have washed.”
“What! washed your mittens, you darling kittens,
But I smell a rat close by.
Hush, hush! miew, miew,
Miew, miew, miew.”

Pat-a-cake pat-a-cake, baker’s man!
That I will master as quick as I can
Prick it and nick it and mark it with T
And there will be plenty for baby and me
For baby and me
For baby and me
And there will be plenty for baby and me.

“Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?”
“With silver bells and cockle-shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.”

Lucy Locket lost her pocket
Kitty Fisher found it
But ne’er a penny was there in’t
Except the binding round it.

1. I love little pussy,
Her coat is so warm
And if I don’t hurt her,
She’ll do me no harm.

2. So I’ll not pull her tail,
Or drive her away;
But Pussy and I
Together will play.

3. She will sit by my side
And I’ll give her some food;
And she’ll like me because
I’m gentle and good.

“Baa! Baa! Black sheep,
Have you any wool?”
“Yes, marry have I,
Three bags full;
One for my master,
And one for my dame,
But none for the little boy
That cries in the lane!”

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 Dumpty together again.

Oh where, oh where is my little dog gone
Oh where, oh where can he be?
With his ears cut short and his tail cut long
Oh where, oh where is he?

Georgy-Porgy puddinggy pie;
Kissed the girls and made them cry;
When the boys came out to play
Georgy-Porgy ran away.

Little Miss Muffet,
She sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey;
Down came a spider,
Which sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away.

1. Dickory, Dickory, Dock!
The mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down
Dickory, Dickory, Dock!

2. Dickory, dickory, dare!
The pig flew up in the air
The man in brown
Soon brought him down,
Dickory, dickory, dare.

Girls and boys come out to play,
The moon doth shine as bright as day
Leave your supper and leave your sleep
And join your play-fellows down the street.

Come with a whoop and come with a call
And come with a good-will or not at all
Up the ladder and down the wall
A half penny loaf will serve us all.

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.

1. Yankee doodle came to town,
Upon a little pony,
He stuck a feather in his cap
And called it macaroni.
Yankee doodle, doodle do,
Yankee doodle dandy;
All the lassies are so smart,
And sweet as sugar candy.

2. Marching in and marching out,
And marching round the town, O!
Here there comes a regiment
With Captain Thomas Brown, O!
Yankee doodle, &c.

3. Yankee doodle is a tune
That comes in mighty handy;
The enemy all runs away
At Yankee doodle dandy.
Yankee doodle &c.

1. Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are:
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
When the blazing sun is gone
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

2. Then the traveller in the dark
Thanks you for your little spark,
He could not see which way to go
If you did not twinkle so.
In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye
Till the sun is in the sky.

Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,
And can’t tell where to find them:
Leave them alone, and they’ll come home
And bring their tails behind them.

2. Little Bo-Peep fell fast asleep
And dreamt she heard them bleating.
But when she awoke, she found it a joke.
For they were still a-fleeting.

3. She took up her crook, intending to look,
Determined for to find them;
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed
For they’d left their tails behind them.

4. She heaved a sigh, and wiped her eye
And ran over hill and dale, O!
And tried what she could, as a shepherdess should,
To tack to each sheep its tail, O!

“Oranges and lemons,” say the bells of St. Clements;
“You owe me five farthings,” say the bells of St. Martins;
“When will you pay me?” say the bells of Old Bailey;
“When I grow rich,” say the bells of Shoreditch;
“When will that be?” say the bells of Stepney;
“I do not know,” says the great bell of Bow;
Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!

Ride a Cock-horse
To Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady ride on a white horse;
With rings on her fingers
And bells on her toes
So she shall have music
Wherever she goes.

1. What are little boys made of, made of?
What are little boys made of?
Frogs and snails and puppy dog’s tails,
And such are little boys made of.

Chorus.

Frogs and snails and puppy dog’s tails,
And such are little boys made of.

2. What are little girls made of, made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice and all things nice,
And such are little girls made of;
Sugar and spice and all things nice,
And such are little girls made of.

3. What are our young men made of, made of?
What are our young men made of?
Sighs and leers, and crocodile tears,
And such are our young men made of;
Sighs and leers, and crocodile tears,
And such are our young men made of.

4. What are young women made of, made of?
What are young women made of?
Ribbons and laces, and sweet pretty faces,
And such are young women made of;
Ribbons and laces, and sweet pretty faces,
And such are young women made of.

1. There was a little man,
And he wooed a little maid,
And he said “Little maid! will you wed, wed, wed?
I have little more to say,
Then will you? yea, or nay!
For least said is soonest mended, ded, ded, ded!”

2. The little maid replied,
(Some say a little sighed)
But what shall we have to eat, eat, eat?
Will the love that you're so rich in,
Put a fire into the kitchen?
Or the little God of Love turn the spit, spit, spit.

3. The little man replied,
(Some say a little cried,)
For his little heart was filled with sorrow, row;
With the little that I have,
I will be your little slave,
And the rest my little dear we will borrow, row.

4. Thus did the little gent,
Make the little maid relent,
For her little heart began to beat, beat, beat;
Through his offers were but small,
She accepted of them all,
Now she thanks her little stars for her fate, fate, fate.

Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn,
The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn.
Where’s the boy that looks after the sheep?
He’s under the haycock fast asleep.
Will you wake him? No, not I!
For if I do, he’ll be sure to cry.

Polly put the kettle on,
Polly put the kettle on,
Polly put the kettle on,
We’ll all have tea.

Sukey take it off again,
Sukey take it off again,
Sukey take it off again,
They’ve all gone away.

Hush-a-by Baby on the tree-top,
When the wind blows
The cradle will rock;
When the bough breaks
The cradle will fall;
Down comes baby, cradle and all!