And thus when once, my little dears,_The Big Book of Nursery Rhymes

Produced by David Edwards, Matthew Wheaton and the Online

Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This

file was produced from images generously made available

by The Internet Archive)

_The big book of_ NURSERY RHYMES

_DEDICATION_

_To the_

=Youngest Baby of All=

_with the_

Love

_of the_

Compiler

_and the_

Artist.

_Printed in Great Britain by Blackie & Son, Ltd., Glasgow_

BLACKIE & SON LTD.,

50 OLD BAILEY, LONDON, AND 17 STANHOPE STREET, GLASGOW

BLACKIE & SON (INDIA) LTD.,

BOMBAY; BLACKIE & SON (CANADA) LTD., TORONTO

CURLY LOCKS

Thou shalt sit on a

cushion and sew a

fine seam. And feed

upon strawberries

sugar and cream.

The big book of Nursery Rhymes

_Edited by_ Walter Jerrold

_Illustrated by_ Charles Robinson

_Published by_ Blackie and Son, Ltd London

_INTRODUCTION_

The very title, Nursery Rhymes, which has come to

be associated with a great body of familiar verse, is in itself

sufficient indication of the manner in which that verse has been

passed down from generation to generation. Who composed the little

pieces it is, save in a few cases, impossible to say: some are

certainly very old and were doubtless repeated thousands of times

before their first appearance in print. References to certain

favourites may be found in the pages of the dramatists of Elizabeth's

time.

Attempts are sometimes made to read into these Rhymes a deeper

significance than the obvious and simple one which has accounted for

their enduring popularity in the Nursery, but this volume has no

concern with such profound interpretations, any more than have the

little people who love the old jingles best.

The earliest known collection of Nursery Rhymes was published about

1760 by John Newbery, the first publisher who devoted his attention to

very young readers. In his book, which included songs from the plays

of Shakespeare, some of the Rhymes appeared with titles which sound

strange to our ears; thus "Ding, Dong, Bell" was called "Plato's

Song", while "There were Two Birds sat on a Stone" was "Aristotle's

Song". To each Rhyme was appended a moral maxim, as for example, to

"Is John Smith within?" is added "Knowledge is a treasure, but

practice is the key to it". Most of the Rhymes in this little Newbery

collection, amongst them "There was a little Man and he wooed a little

Maid" and "The Wise Men of Gotham", are repeated in the present volume

so far as may be in accordance with that early text. Others have been

compared with early versions in chap-books issued late in the

eighteenth century or early in the nineteenth.

Students divide our rhymes into narrative pieces, historical,

folk-lore, game rhymes, counting-out rhymes, jingles, fragments, and

so forth, but for the children for whom and by whom they are

remembered, and for whose sake they are here collected and pictured

anew, they are just--Nursery Rhymes.

_CONTENTS_

A AND B AND SEE

A APPLE PIE

A, B, C

A CARRION CROW

A DIFFICULT RHYME

A DILLER, A DOLLAR

A FALLING OUT

A FROG HE WOULD A-WOOING GO

ALL FOR WANT OF A NAIL

A MEDLEY

ANDREW

A NICK AND A NOCK

ANOTHER FALLING OUT

A PIE SAT ON A PEAR-TREE

A STRANGE SIGHT

A SWARM OF BEES

A VARIED SONG

A WARNING

A WAS AN ARCHER

A WONDERFUL THING

BAA, BAA, BLACK SHEEP

BABY BUNTING

BANDY-LEGS

BAT, BAT

BESSIE BELL AND MARY GRAY

BETTY WINKLE'S PIG

BILLY, BILLY

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

BLOW, WIND, BLOW!

BLUE BELL BOY

BOBBY SHAFT

BOBBY SNOOKS

BOW-WOW, SAYS THE DOG

BOYS AND GIRLS

BRIAN O'LIN

BUTTONS

BUY ME A MILKING-PAIL

BUZ AND HUM

CAESAR'S SONG

CAT AND DOG

CHARLEY, CHARLEY

CHRISTMAS

CLAP HANDIES

COCK-A-DOODLE-DO

COCK-CROW

COCK ROBIN'S COURTING

COFFEE AND TEA

COMICAL FOLK

CROSS-PATCH

CURLY LOCKS

CUSHY COW

DAFFY-DOWN-DILLY

DAME TROT

DANCE, LITTLE BABY

DANCE TO YOUR DADDIE

DANTY BABY

DEAR, DEAR!

DICKERY, DICKERY, DARE

DIDDLE DIDDLE DUMPLING

DIDDLEY-DIDDLEY-DUMPTY

DING, DONG, BELL

DOCTOR FAUSTUS

DOCTOR FELL

DOCTOR FOSTER

EARLY RISING

ELIZABETH, ELSPETH, BETSY, AND BESS

FEETIKINS

FINGERS AND TOES

FOR EVERY EVIL

FORTUNE-TELLING BY CHERRY-STONES

FORTUNE-TELLING BY DAISY PETALS

GEORGY PORGY

GOING TO ST. IVES

GOOD-FRIDAY SONG

GOOD KING ARTHUR

GOOSEY, GOOSEY, GANDER

GRACE BEFORE MEAT

GREEN GRAVEL

HANDY PANDY

HARK, HARK! THE DOGS DO BARK

HECTOR PROTECTOR

HEY! DIDDLE, DIDDLE

HO MY KITTEN

HOW DO YOU DO?

HUMPTY-DUMPTY

HUSH-A-BYE, BABY

HUSH, BABY, MY DOLLY

IF WISHES WERE HORSES

I HAD A LITTLE PONY

I LIKE LITTLE PUSSY

I'LL TELL YOU A STORY

I'LL TRY

I LOVE SIXPENCE

IN MARBLE HALLS

I SAW A SHIP A-SAILING

JACK AND JILL

JACK'S FIDDLE

JACK JINGLE

JACK SPRAT'S PIG

JERRY AND JAMES AND JOHN

JOHN COOK'S GREY MARE

JOHNNY

KING PIPPIN'S HALL

LADY-BIRD, LADY-BIRD

LAVENDER BLUE

LENGTHENING DAYS

LITTLE BETTY BLUE

LITTLE BO-PEEP

LITTLE BOY BLUE

LITTLE GIRL, LITTLE GIRL

LITTLE JACK HORNER

LITTLE JENNY WREN

LITTLE MAID

LITTLE MISS MUFFET

LITTLE ROBIN REDBREAST

LITTLE TOM TUCKER

LONDON BRIDGE

LUCY LOCKET

MARGERY DAW

MARY, MARY

MARY'S CANARY

MASTER I HAVE

MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, AND JOHN

MERRY ARE THE BELLS

MONDAY'S CHILD

MORE ABOUT JACK JINGLE

MOTHER GOOSE

MY BLACK HEN

MY BOY TAMMIE

MY LADY WIND

MY MAID MARY

NANCY DAWSON

NANNY ETTICOAT

NEEDLES AND PINS

NONSENSE

NOTHING-AT-ALL

OF ARITHMETIC

OF GOING TO BED

OF PIGS

OF THE CUTTING OF NAILS

OF WASHING

OLD CHAIRS TO MEND

OLD KING COLE

OLD MOTHER HUBBARD

OLD WOMAN, OLD WOMAN

ONE MISTY, MOISTY MORNING

ONE, TWO

ONE, TWO, THREE, AND FOUR LEGS

OVER THE WATER TO CHARLEY

PANCAKE DAY

PEG

PETER PIPER

PETER WHITE

POLLY FLINDERS

POLLY, PUT THE KETTLE ON

POOR OLD ROBINSON CRUSOE

POOR ROBIN

PUNCH AND JUDY

PUSSY CAT

PUSSYCAT MEW

QUEEN ANNE

RIDE A COCK-HORSE

RIDE AWAY, RIDE AWAY

ROBIN-A-ROBIN

ROBIN AND RICHARD

ROBIN AND WREN

ROBIN, THE BOBBIN

ROCK-A-BY, BABY

SAINT SWITHIN'S DAY

SAMMY SOAPSUDS

SATURDAY, SUNDAY

SEE, SEE!

SEEKING A WIFE

SHAVE A PIG

SIMON BRODIE'S COW

SIMPLE SIMON

SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE

SING IVY

SING, SING!

SIX LITTLE MICE

SLEEP, BABY, SLEEP

SNAIL

SOLOMON GRUNDY

ST. VALENTINE'S DAY

SULKY SUE

TAFFY WAS A WELSHMAN

TELL-TALE-TIT

TEN FINGERS

THE BLACKSMITH

THE BOY AND THE OWL

THE BURNY BEE

THE CODLIN WOMAN

THE CROOKED SONG

THE CUCKOO

THE DAYS OF THE MONTH

THE DEATH AND BURIAL OF COCK ROBIN

THE DIVISION OF LABOUR

THE DOVE AND THE WREN

THE FARMER AND HIS DAUGHTER

THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER

THE FLY AND THE HUMBLE-BEE

THE FOUNT OF LEARNING

THE FOX AND THE GOOSE

THE GIRL IN THE LANE

THE HART

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT

THE JOLLY MILLER

THE KILKENNY CATS

THE KING OF FRANCE

THE LADY AND THE SWINE

THE LATEST NEWS

THE LIGHT-HEARTED FAIRY

THE LION AND THE UNICORN

THE LITTLE CLOCK

THE LITTLE COCK SPARROW

THE LITTLE GUINEA-PIG

THE LITTLE HUSBAND

THE LITTLE MAN WITH A GUN

THE LITTLE MOPPET

THE LITTLE MOUSE

THE LOVING BROTHERS

THE MAN AND HIS CALF

THE MAN IN THE MOON

THE MAN IN THE WILDERNESS

THE MAN OF THESSALY

THE MERCHANTS OF LONDON

THE MONTHS OF THE YEAR

THE MOUSE AND THE MILLER

THE MOUSE RAN UP THE CLOCK

THE NUT-TREE

THE OBSTINATE PIG

THE OLD WOMAN TOSSED IN A BASKET

THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE

THE ORANGE STEALER

THE OWL IN THE OAK

THE PIPER'S COW

THE PUMPKIN EATER

THE QUARRELSOME KITTENS

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS

THE ROSE IS RED

THE SONG OF MYSELF

THE TAILORS AND THE SNAIL

THE THREE KITTENS

THE WAY TO LONDON TOWN

THE WIND

THE WISE MEN OF GOTHAM

THE WOOING

THERE WAS A BUTCHER

THERE WAS A LITTLE BOY

THERE WAS A LITTLE MAN

THERE WAS A MAN

THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN

THOMAS A' TATTAMUS

THREE BLIND MICE

THREE BRETHREN OUT OF SPAIN

THREE CHILDREN SLIDING

THREE JOLLY WELSHMEN

THREE MEN IN A TUB

THREE SHIPS

TIT-TAT-TOE

TOAD AND FROG

TO BABYLON

TO BED!

TO MARKET

TOMMY'S CAKE

TOMMY TITTLEMOUSE

TOM, THE PIPER'S SON

TOM, TOM, THE PIPER'S SON

TONGS

TO THE BIRDS

TO THE HAYFIELD

TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR

TWO LITTLE BIRDS

TWO LITTLE DOGS

UP HILL AND DOWN DALE

UP PIPPEN HILL

WASH ME AND COMB ME

WEE WILLIE WINKIE

WHAT ARE LITTLE BOYS MADE OF?

WHAT CARE I?

WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY

WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

WING, WANG, WADDLE, OH!

WINTER HAS COME

YANKEE DOODLE

"Herebe!

ginsthe!!

bigbo !!!

okofnur!!!!

se!ryrh!ymes!"

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 those tarts,

And beat the Knave full sore.

The Knave of Hearts brought back those tarts,

And vowed he'd steal no more.

SAINT SWITHIN'S DAY

St. Swithin's day, if thou dost rain,

For forty days it will remain;

St. Swithin's day, if thou be fair,

For forty days 't will rain no more.

DANCE TO YOUR DADDIE

Dance to your daddie,

My bonnie laddie,

Dance to your daddie, my bonnie lamb!

You shall get a fishie

On a little dishie,

You shall get a fishie when the boat comes hame!

Dance to your daddie,

My bonnie laddie,

Dance to your daddie, and to your mammie sing!

You shall get a coatie,

And a pair of breekies,

You shall get a coatie when the boat comes in!

THE MAN IN THE MOON

The man in the moon

Came tumbling down

And asked the way to Norwich;

He went by the south,

And burnt his mouth

With eating cold pease porridge.

SIMPLE SIMON

Simple Simon met a pie-man,

Going to the fair;

Says Simple Simon to the pie-man,

"Let me taste your ware."

Says the pie-man unto Simon,

"First give me a penny."

Says Simple Simon to the pie-man,

"I have not got any."

He went to catch a dicky-bird,

And thought he could not fail,

Because he had got a little salt

To put upon his tail.

He went to ride a spotted cow,

That had got a little calf,

She threw him down upon the ground,

Which made the people laugh.

Then Simple Simon went a-hunting,

For to catch a hare,

He rode a goat about the street,

But could not find one there.

He went for to eat honey

Out of the mustard-pot,

He bit his tongue until he cried,

That was all the good he got.

Simple Simon went a-fishing

For to catch a whale;

And all the water he had got

Was in his mother's pail.

He went to take a bird's nest,

Was built upon a bough;

A branch gave way, and Simon fell

Into a dirty slough.

He went to shoot a wild duck,

But the wild duck flew away;

Says Simon, "I can't hit him,

Because he will not stay."

Once Simon made a great Snowball,

And brought it in to roast;

He laid it down before the fire,

And soon the ball was lost.

He went to slide upon the ice,

Before the ice would bear;

Then he plunged in above his knees,

Which made poor Simon stare.

He went to try if cherries ripe

Grew upon a thistle;

He pricked his finger very much,

Which made poor Simon whistle.

He washed himself with blacking-ball,

Because he had no soap:

Then, then, said to his mother,

"I'm a beauty now, I hope."

He went for water in a sieve,

But soon it all ran through;

And now poor Simple Simon

Bids you all adieu.

TOAD AND FROG

"Croak," said the toad, "I'm hungry I think,

To-day I've had nothing to eat or to drink;

I'll crawl to a garden and jump through the pales,

And there I'll dine nicely on slugs and on snails."

"Ho, ho!" quoth the frog, "is that what you mean?

Then I'll hop away to the next meadow stream,

There I will drink, and eat worms and slugs too,

And then I shall have a good dinner like you."

LITTLE JACK HORNER

Little Jack Horner

Sat in a corner

Eating of Christmas pie;

He put in his thumb,

And pulled out a plum,

And cried "What a good boy was I!"

THE WOOING

There was a little man,

Who wooed a little maid;

And he said: "Little maid, will you wed, wed, wed?

I have little more to say,

So will you ay or nay

For the least said is soonest mend-ed, ded, ded."

Then the little maid replied:

"Should I be your little bride,

Pray what must we have for to eat, eat, eat?

Will the flame that you're so rich in

Light a fire in the kitchen?

Or the little god of Love turn the spit, spit, spit?"

HANDY PANDY

Handy Pandy, Jack-a-Dandy,

Loves plum-cake and sugar-candy;

He bought some at a grocer's shop,

And out he came, hop, hop, hop.

THE KILKENNY CATS

There were once two cats of Kilkenny,

Each thought there was one cat too many;

So they fought and they fit,

And they scratched and they bit,

Till, excepting their nails

And the tips of their tails,

Instead of two cats, there weren't any.

BLOW WIND BLOW

Blow, wind, blow! and go, mill, go!

That the miller may grind his corn;

That the baker may take it, and into rolls make it,

And send us some hot in the morn.

ONE, TWO, THREE, AND FOUR LEGS

Two 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 back one leg.

BLUE BELL BOY

I had a little boy,

And called him Blue Bell;

Gave him a little work,

He did it very well.

I bade him go upstairs

To bring me a gold pin;

In coal-scuttle fell he,

Up to his little chin.

He went to the garden

To pick a little sage;

He tumbled on his nose,

And fell into a rage.

He went to the cellar

To draw a little beer;

And quickly did return

To say there was none there.

COCK-A-DOODLE-DO

Cock-a-doodle-do!

My dame has lost her shoe;

My master's lost his fiddle-stick,

And don't know what to do.

Cock-a-doodle-do!

What is my dame to do?

Till master finds his fiddle-stick,

She'll dance without her shoe.

JOHN COOK'S GREY MARE

John Cook had a little grey mare; he, haw, hum!

Her back stood up, and her bones they were bare; he, haw, hum!

John Cook was riding up Shuter's bank; he, haw, hum!

And there his nag did kick and prank; he, haw, hum!

John Cook was riding up Shuter's hill; he, haw, hum!

His mare fell down, and she made her will; he, haw, hum!

The bridle and saddle were laid on the shelf; he, haw, hum!

If you want any more you may sing it yourself; he, haw, hum!

BUZ AND HUM

Buz, quoth the blue fly,

Hum, quoth the bee,

Buz and hum they cry,

And so do we.

In his ear, in his nose,

Thus, do you see?

He ate the dormouse,

Else it was he.

TOMMY TITTLEMOUSE

Little Tommy Tittlemouse

Lived in a little house;

He caught fishes

In other men's ditches.

A AND B AND SEE

Great A, little a, bouncing B,

The cat's in the cupboard and she can't see.

DOCTOR FOSTER

Doctor Foster went to Glo'ster,

In a shower of rain;

He stepped in a puddle right up to his middle,

And never went there again.

DAFFY DOWN DILLY

Daffy-down-dilly has come to town,

In a yellow petticoat, and a green gown.

QUEEN ANNE

Queen Anne, Queen Anne, you sit in the sun,

As fair as a lily, as white as a wand.

I send you three letters, and pray read one,

You must read one, if you can't read all

So pray Miss or Master throw up the ball.

HO MY KITTEN

Ho my kitten, a kitten,

And ho! my kitten, my deary!

Such a sweet pet as this

Was neither far nor neary.

Here we go up, up, up,

Here we go down, down, down;

Here we go backwards and forwards,

And here we go round, round, round.

LAVENDER BLUE

Lavender blue and rosemary green,

When I am king you shall be queen;

Call up my maids at four o'clock,

Some to the wheel and some to the rock,

Some to make hay and some to shear corn,

And you and I will keep ourselves warm.

THE QUARRELSOME KITTENS

Two little kittens one stormy night,

They began to quarrel and they began to fight;

One had a mouse and the other had none,

And that's the way the quarrel begun.

"I'll have that mouse," said the biggest cat.

"You'll have that mouse? we'll see about that!"

"I will have that mouse," said the eldest son.

"You sha'n't have the mouse," said the little one.

I told you before 't was a stormy night

When these two little kittens began to fight;

The old woman seized her sweeping broom,

And swept the two kittens right out of the room.

The ground was covered with frost and snow,

And the two little kittens had nowhere to go;

So they laid them down on the mat at the door,

While the old woman finished sweeping the floor.

Then they crept in, as quiet as mice,

All wet with the snow, and as cold as ice,

For they found it was better, that stormy night,

To lie down and sleep than to quarrel and fight.

THE FLY AND THE HUMBLE-BEE

Fiddle-de-dee, fiddle-de-dee,

The fly shall marry the humble-bee;

They went to church and married was she,

The fly has married the humble-bee.

CAT AND DOG

Pussy sits beside the fire,

How can she be fair?

In comes the little dog,

"Pussy, are you there?

So, so, Mistress Pussy,

Pray, how do you do?"

"Thank you, thank you, little dog,

I'm very well just now."

BOBBY SHAFT

Bobby Shaft is gone to sea,

With silver buckles at his knee;

When he'll come home he'll marry me,

Pretty Bobby Shaft!

Bobby Shaft is fat and fair,

Combing down his yellow hair;

He's my love for evermore!

Pretty Bobby Shaft!

THE LITTLE CLOCK

There's a neat little clock,

In the schoolroom it stands,

And it points to the time

With its two little hands.

And may we, like the clock,

Keep a face clean and bright,

With hands ever ready

To do what is right.

LITTLE MAID

"Little maid, pretty maid, whither goest thou?"

"Down in the forest to milk my cow."

"Shall I go with thee?" "No, not now;

When I send for thee, then come thou."

BAT, BAT

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.

CHRISTMAS

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat,

Please to put a penny in an old man's hat;

If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do,

If you haven't got a ha'penny, God bless you.

PETER WHITE

Peter White will ne'er go right,

And would you know the reason why?

He follows his nose where'er he goes,

And that stands all awry.

SLEEP BABY SLEEP

Sleep, baby, sleep,

Our cottage vale is deep;

The little lamb is on the green,

With woolly fleece so soft and clean--

Sleep, baby, sleep!

Sleep, baby, sleep,

Down where the woodbines creep;

Be always like the lamb so mild,

A kind, and sweet, and gentle child--

Sleep, baby, sleep!

UP PIPPEN HILL

As I was going up Pippen Hill,

Pippen 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.

A FALLING OUT

A little old man and I fell out;

How shall we bring this matter about?

Bring it about as well as you can;

Get you gone, you little old man.

TOM, THE PIPER'S SON

Tom, Tom, the piper's son,

Stole a pig and away he run!

The pig was eat and Tom was beat,

And Tom went howling down the street.

PEG

Peg, Peg, with a wooden leg,

Her father was a miller;

He tossed the dumpling at her head,

And said he could not kill her.

A DIFFICULT RHYME

What is the rhyme for porringer?

The king he had a daughter fair,

And gave the Prince of Orange her.

THE OLD WOMAN TOSSED IN A BASKET

There was an old woman tossed up in a basket

Seventeen times as high as the moon;

Where she was going I couldn't but ask it,

For in her hand she carried a broom.

"Old woman, old woman, old woman," quoth I,

"Where are you going to up so high?"

"To brush the cobwebs off the sky!"

"May I go with thee?" "Aye, by-and-by."

POOR OLD ROBINSON CRUSOE

Poor old Robinson Crusoe!

They made him a coat

Of an old nanny goat,

I wonder why they could do so!

With a ring a ting tang,

And a ring a ting tang,

Poor old Robinson Crusoe!

TWO LITTLE DOGS

Two little dogs sat by the fire,

Over a fender of coal-dust;

When one said to the other dog,

"If Pompey won't talk, why, I must."

SATURDAY, SUNDAY

On Saturday night

Shall be all my care

To powder my locks

And curl my hair.

On Sunday morning

My love will come in,

When he will marry me

With a gold ring.

MERCHANTS _of_ LONDON

Hey diddle dinkety, poppety, pet.

The merchants of London they wear scarlet;

Silk in the collar, and gold in hem,

So merrily march the merchantmen.

THE OWL IN THE OAK

There was an owl lived in an oak,

Whiskey, whaskey, weedle;

And all the words he ever spoke

Were fiddle, faddle, feedle.

A sportsman chanced to come that way,

Whiskey, whaskey, weedle;

Says he, "I'll shoot you, silly bird,

So fiddle, faddle, feedle!"

GEORGY PORGY

Georgy Porgy, pudding and pie,

Kissed the girls and made them cry.

When the boys came out to play,

Georgy Porgy ran away.

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.

THE LITTLE GUINEA-PIG

There was a little Guinea-Pig,

Who, being little, was not big;

He always walked upon his feet,

And never fasted when he eat.

When from a place he ran away,

He never at that place did stay;

And while he ran, as I am told,

He ne'er stood still for young or old.

He often squeak'd and sometimes vi'lent,

And when he squeak'd he ne'er was silent:

Though ne'er instructed by a cat,

He knew a mouse was not a rat.

One day, as I am certified,

He took a whim, and fairly died;

And, as I'm told by men of sense,

He never has been living since.

A NICK AND A NOCK

A nick and a nock,

A hen and a cock,

And a penny for my master.

PANCAKE DAY

Great A, little A,

This is pancake day;

Toss the ball high,

Throw the ball low,

Those that come after

May sing heigh-ho!

HUSH-A-BYE BABY

Hush-a-bye, baby,

On the tree top,

When the wind blows,

The cradle will rock;

When the bough breaks,

The cradle will fall,

Down tumbles baby,

Cradle, and all.

IN MARBLE HALLS

In marble halls as white as milk,

Lined with a skin as soft as silk;

Within a fountain crystal clear,

A golden apple doth appear;

No doors there are to this stronghold,

Yet thieves break in and steal the gold.

JACK SPRAT'S PIG

Jack Sprat had a pig, who was not very little,

Nor yet very big;

He was not very lean, he was not very fat;

He'll do well for a grunt,

Says little Jack Sprat.

ROBIN-A-BOBIN

Robin-a-Bobin

Bent his bow,

Shot at a pigeon,

And killed a crow.

BANDY-LEGS

As I was going to sell my eggs,

I met a man with bandy legs;

Bandy legs and crooked toes,

I tripped up his heels, and he fell on his nose.

A APPLE PIE

_A Apple Pie_

+----------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

|A | |B | |

|was an | |bit | |

|apple pie. | |it. | |

+----------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

| |C | |D |

| |cut | |dealt |

| |it. | |it. |

+----------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

|E | |F | |

|eat | |fought | |

|it. | |for it. | |

+----------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

| |G | |H |

| |got | |had |

| |it. | |it. |

+----------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

|J | |K | |

|it. | |it. | |

+----------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

| |L | |M |

+----------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

|N | |O | |

|for it. | |it. | |

+----------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

| |P | |Q |

| |in it. | |it. |

+----------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

|R | |S | |

|ran | |stole | |

|for it. | |it. | |

+----------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

| |T | |V |

| |it. | |it. |

+----------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

|W | |X Y | |

|it. | | | |

+----------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

all wished a piece of it

THE PUMPKIN EATER

Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,

Had a wife and couldn't keep her;

He put her in a pumpkin shell,

And there he kept her very well.

HUSH-A-BYE, BABY

Hush-a-bye, baby,

Daddy is near;

Mamma is a lady,

And that's very clear.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Birds of a feather flock together,

And so will pigs and swine;

Rats and mice will have their choice,

And so will I have mine.

COCK-A-DOODLE-DO

Oh, my pretty cock! Oh, my handsome cock!

I pray you, do not crow before day,

And your comb shall be made of the very beaten gold,

And your wings of the silver so gray.

HUSH, BABY, MY DOLLY

Hush, baby, my dolly, I pray you don't cry,

And I'll give you some bread and some milk by and by;

Or perhaps you like custard, or maybe a tart,

Then to either you're welcome, with all my heart.

I HAD A LITTLE PONY

I had a little pony

His name was Dapple-Grey,

I lent him to a lady,

To ride a mile away.

She whipped him, she lashed him,

She rode him through the mire;

I would not lend my pony now

For all the lady's hire.

SNAIL

Snail, snail, come out of your hole,

Or else I'll beat you as black as a coal.

Snail, snail, put out your horns,

Here comes a thief to pull down your walls.

MY LADY WIND

My lady Wind, my lady Wind,

Went round about the house to find

A chink to get her foot in:

She tried the keyhole in the door,

She tried the crevice in the floor,

And drove the chimney soot in.

And then one night, when it was dark,

She blew up such a tiny spark,

That all the house was pothered:

From it she raised up such a flame,

As flamed away to Belting Lane,

And White Cross folks were smothered.

And thus when once, my little dears,

A whisper reaches itching ears,

The same will come, you'll find:

Take my advice, restrain the tongue,

Remember what old nurse has sung

Of busy lady Wind!

LITTLE JENNY WREN

As little Jenny Wren

Was sitting by the shed,

She waggled with her tail,

And nodded with her head.

She waggled with her tail,

And nodded with her head,

As little Jenny Wren

Was sitting by the shed.

POOR ROBIN

The north wind doth blow,

And we shall have snow,

And what will poor Robin do then?

Poor thing!

He'll sit in a barn,

And to keep himself warm

Will hide his head under his wing.

Poor thing!

PUSSY CAT

Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, where have you been?

I've been up to London to look at the queen.

Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, what did you there?

I frightened a little mouse under the chair.

DANCE, LITTLE BABY

Dance, little Baby, dance up high,

Never mind, Baby, Mother is by;

Crow and caper, caper and crow,

There, little Baby, there you go;

Up to the ceiling, down to the ground,

Backwards and forwards, round and round;

Dance, little Baby, and Mother will sing,

With the merry coral, ding, ding, ding!

OF WASHING

They that wash on Friday, wash in need;

And they that wash on Saturday, oh! they're sluts indeed.

DICKERY, DICKERY, DARE

Dickery, dickery, dare,

The pig flew up in the air;

The man in brown soon brought him down,

Dickery, dickery, dare.

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT

This is the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cat,

That killed the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the dog,

That worried the cat,

That killed the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cow with the crumpled horn,

That tossed the dog,

That worried the cat,

That killed the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the maiden all forlorn,

That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,

That tossed the dog,

That worried the cat,

That killed the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the man all tattered and torn,

That kissed the maiden all forlorn,

That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,

That tossed the dog,

That worried the cat,

That killed the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the priest all shaven and shorn,

That married the man all tattered and torn,

That kissed the maiden all forlorn,

That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,

That tossed the dog,

That worried the cat,

That killed the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cock that crowed in the morn,

That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,

That married the man all tattered and torn,

That kissed the maiden all forlorn,

That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,

That tossed the dog,

That worried the cat,

That killed the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the farmer sowing his corn,

That kept the cock that crowed in the morn,

That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,

That married the man all tattered and torn,

That kissed the maiden all forlorn,

That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,

That tossed the dog,

That worried the cat,

That killed the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

A FROG HE WOULD AWOOING GO

A frog he would a-wooing go,

Heigho! says Rowley,

Whether his mother would let him or no.