Just nursery rhymes J-P

Jack and Jill

Jack Sprat

Ladybird, ladybird

Lavender’s blue

Little Bo Peep

Little Boy Blue

Little Jack Horner

Little King Pippin

Little Miss Muffet

Mary had a little lamb

Mary, Mary quite contrary

Mitty Matty had a hen

Old King Cole

Old Mother Hubbard

On Saturday night I lost my wife

Pease pudding hot

Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater

Pit, pat, well-a-day

Polly put the kettle on

Poor old Robinson Crusoe!

Last updated: 11/7/2017 5:32 PM

These songs are nursery rhymes and other traditional songs compiled, illustrated and music arranged by Dany Rosevear.

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Jack and Jill O

This rhyme was first published in 1795 but is a lot older than that.

To find out more about this rhyme visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_and_Jill_(nursery_rhyme)

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.

Up Jack got and home did trot

As fast as he could caper.

He went to bed to mend his head

With vinegar and brown paper.

Jill came in and she did grin,

To see Jack's paper plaster;

Her mother though did scold her so,

For causing Jack's disaster

Jack Sprat O

‘Jack Sprat’ was first published around 1765 in the compilation ‘Mother Goose's Melody’. The second verse is part of a longer tale: https://archive.org/details/lifeofjacksprath00yorkiala

Tune and third verse by Dany Rosevear©; the verse was written to provoke a discussion about healthy eating.

Jack Sprat could eat no fat.

His wife could eat no lean.

And so between them both, you see,

They licked the platter clean.

Jack ate all the lean,

Joan ate all the fat,

The bone they pick'd it clean,

Then gave it to the cat.

Sugar mice and all that’s nice

Is what our Joanie ate,

While Jack had fruit and vegetables;

Piled high upon his plate.

Ladybird, ladybird O

We sang this verse as children whenever a ladybird landed on us; blowing it away gently while singing this nursery rhyme.

Sung as ‘Ladybug, ladybug’ in the US.

Find out more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladybird_Ladybird: http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2010/04/1697.html

Ladybird, ladybird fly away home,

Your house is on fire and your children are gone,

All except one, and that’s little Ann,

And she crept under the frying pan.

Ladybird, ladybird fly away home,

Your house is on fire and your children are gone,

All except Nan who sits in a pan,

Weaving her laces as fast as she can.

Lavender’s blue O

This song began as a rather bawdy broadside ballad written between 1672 and 1685; the tune was probably around some time before this.

Versions for children appeared in nursery books from 1805. Find out more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender%27s_Blue

Lavender's blue, dilly, dilly,

Lavender's green;

When I am king, dilly, dilly,

You shall be queen.

Who told you so, dilly, dilly,

Who told you so?

'Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly,

That told me so.

Call up your men, dilly, dilly,

Set them to work,

Some to the plough, dilly, dilly,

Some to the fork.

Some to make hay, dilly, dilly,

Some to cut corn,

While you and I, dilly, dilly,

Keep ourselves warm.

Roses are red, dilly, dilly,

Violets are blue;

If you love me, dilly, dilly,

I will love you

Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly,

And the lambs play;

We shall be safe, dilly, dilly,

Out of harm's way.

I love to dance, dilly, dilly,

I love to sing;

When I am queen, dilly, dilly,

You'll be my king.

Who told me so, dilly, dilly,

Who told me so?

I told myself, dilly, dilly,

I told me so.

Little Bo Peep O

Roud index number 6487.

To find out more about this rhyme visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Bo_Peep

There are many variations of these verses including John Kirkpatricks last verse:

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.

Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,

And doesn't know where to find them;

Leave them alone, and they'll come home,

Dragging their tails behind them.

Now 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.

Then up she took her little crook,

Determined for to find them;

She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,

For they'd left all their tails behind them.

It happened one day, as Bo-peep did stray

Into a meadow close by,

There she espied their tails side by side,

Hung on a tree out to dry.

She heaved a great sigh and wiped her eye,

And over the hills went a-rambling,

And tried what she could, as a shepherdess should,

To tack each again to its lambkin.

Little Boy Blue O

A nursery rhyme from a more agrarian era. It has a Roud number of 11318

To find out more about this rhyme visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Boy_Blue

Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn,

The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn;

But where is the boy who looks after the sheep?

He's under a haystack, fast asleep.

Will you wake him? No, not I!

For if I do he's sure to cry.

Little Jack Horner O

The steward of the last abbot of Glastnbury in the time of HenryVIII supposedly pulled out some plums from a pie being taken to the King. To find out more about this rhyme visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Jack_Horner

It has a Roud index number of 13027.

You will notice the tune is almost identical to the one below.

Little Jack Horner,

Sat in the corner,

Eating a Christmas pie;

He put in his thumb,

And pulled out a plum,

And said “What a good boy am I!”

Little King Pippin O

There have traditionally been buildings made of good things to eat in stories and rhymes of yore; Hansel and Gretel immediately comes to mind.

King Pippin was an early French king and the father of Charlemagne, who founded the idea of a united political Europe. He was already a familiar as a nursery character in the 18^th century. More information can be found in the Opie’s ‘Oxford dictionary of Nursery rhymes’.

Little King Pippin he built a fine hall,

Pie-crust and pastry-crust that was the wall;

The windows were made of black pudding and white,

And slated with pancakes, you ne’er saw the like.

Little Miss Muffet O

If you are not too keen on spiders the second verse might make you feel more positive towards them. Have a go at making curds and whey with full fat milk.

This rhyme possibly had political origins like many nursery rhymes. It has a Roud index number of 20605.

To find out more about this rhyme visit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Miss_Muffet

Little Miss Muffet

Sat on a tuffet,

Eating her curds and whey;

Along came a spider,

Who sat down beside her

And frightened Miss Muffet away.

Now little Miss Muffet

Came back to her tuffet,

To finish her curds and whey;

When back came the spider,

Who sat down beside her

And gave her a lovely bouquet.

Mary had a little lamb O

This rhyme was written by Sarah Josepha Hale of Boston in 1830. Also wonderful to know was that Thomas Edison recorded this on his phonograph.

To find out more about this rhyme visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Had_a_Little_Lamb

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,

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.

"Why does the lamb love Mary so,

Mary so, Mary so,

Why does the lamb love Mary so?"

The eager children cried.

"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,

Lamb, you know, lamb, you know,

Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know."

The teacher did reply.

Mary Mary quite contrary O

‘Mary’ possibly relates to Mary Tudor daughter of Henry VIII or Queen Mary with the maids as her ladies-in-waiting.

It has a Roud number 19626.

To find out more about this rhyme and its historical context visit: http://www.rhymes.org.uk/mary_mary_quite_contrary.htm

Mary, Mary, quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells, and cockle shells,

And pretty maids all in a row,

And pretty maids all in a row.

Mitty Matty had a hen 🔊

A counting out (we called that dipping when we were young) rhyme from Ireland. This was collected by Henry Carrington Bolton and published in "The Counting-out Rhymes of Children" 1888. It was number 799 of 877 counting rhymes gathered from all around the world!

Traditionally it would have been chanted but I have added the tune of a similar Irish nursery rhyme.

Mitty Matty had a hen,

She lays white eggs for gentlemen,

Gentlemen come every day,

Mitty Matty runs away.

Hi ho! Who is at home?

Father, mother, Jumping Joan.

O-U-T spells out,

Take off the latch and walk out.

Old King Cole O

There are many variations on this song, many quite bawdy and not suitable for young children! The tunes also differ; many of the ones I found during my research were in the minor key and rather lovely but I was unsuccessful finding the tune I knew from my childhood on the internet so have made my own arrangement.

The Roud number is 1164. You can find more about this songs origins at: http://www.powerfulwords.info/nursery_rhymes/old_king_cole.htm and also at: http://jloughnan.tripod.com/kingcole.htm .

Continue this song by making new verses to include other instruments. Each time a new verse is sung add a line from the previous verse. Mime playing each instrument.

Old King Cole was a merry old soul,

And a merry old soul was he;

He called for his pipe,

And he called for his bowl,

And he called for his fiddlers three.

Now every fiddler had a fine fiddle,

And a very fine fiddle had he:

Fiddle-diddle-dee, fiddle dee,

Went the fiddlers, merry we shall be;

There’s none so rare as can compare

With King Cole and his fiddlers three.

Old King Cole was a merry old soul,

And a merry old soul was he;

He called for his pipe,

And he called for his bowl,

And he called for his pipers three.

Now every piper had a fine pipe

And a very fine pipe had he:

Tootle-tootle-too, tootle too,

Went the pipers,

Fiddle-diddle-dee, fiddle dee,

Went the fiddlers, merry we shall be;

There’s none so rare as can compare

With King Cole and his pipers three.

…And he called for his drummers three.

Now every drummer had a fine drum

And a very fine drum had he:

Rub-a-dub-dub, Rub-a-dub,

Went the drummers,

Tootle-tootle-too, tootle too,

Went the pipers,

Fiddle-diddle-dee, fiddle dee,

Went the fiddlers, merry we shall be;

There’s none so rare as can compare

With King Cole and his drummers three.

Old Mother Hubbard O

First published in 1805 this nursery rhyme is thought to have much older origins and possibly of a political nature linked to Cardinal Wolsey. Find out more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Mother_Hubbard

It has the Roud number19334.

Old Mother Hubbard, she went to the cupboard,

To fetch her poor dog a bone;

But when she got there, the cupboard was bare,

And so the poor dog had none.

She went to the tailor's to buy him a coat;

But when she came back he was riding a goat.

She went to the hatter's to buy him a hat;

But when she came back he was feeding the cat.

She went to the barber's to buy him a wig

But when she came back he was dancing a jig.

She went to the cobbler's to buy him some shoes;

When she came back he was reading the news.

The Dame made a curtsy, the dog made a bow;

The Dame said, “Your servant,” the dog said, “Bow-wow.”

On Saturday night, I lost my wife O

A Mother Goose rhyme sung in the British Isles and Ireland where we have a common heritage of nursery songs; perhaps as a result of immigration from Eire.

On Saturday night, I lost my wife,

And where do you think I found her?

She was up in the moon, a-playing a tune,

And all of the stars around her.

Pease pudding hot O

A clapping game. In North America it is more familiar as ‘Pease porridge’ and has a different tune.

It has the Roud number 19631

To find out more about its origins visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pease_Porridge_Hot

Pease pudding hot, pease pudding cold,

Pease pudding in the pot, nine days old.

Some like it hot, some like it cold,

Some like it in the pot, nine days old.

Daddy likes it hot, mamma likes it cold,

Ethan likes it in the pot, nine days old.

Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater 🔊

An old rhyme that can be found in many Mother Goose collections.

Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,

Had a wife but couldn't keep her;

He put her in a pumpkin shell

And there he kept her very well.

Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,

Had another and didn't love her;

Peter learned to read and spell,

And then he loved her very well.

Pit, pat, well-a-day 🔊

A clap and tickle with baby nursery rhyme. This one can be found in many of the older Mother Goose collections. I got it from “The Oxford nursery rhyme book” assembled by Iona and Peter Opie published in 1955.

Music by Dany Rosevear.

1.& 2. Clap baby’s hand together. 3. Lift baby’s arms. 4. Tickle under baby’s arms.

Pit, pat, well-a-day,

Little Robin flew away;

Where can little Robin be?

Gone into the cherry-tree.

Polly put the kettle on O

It’s time for a cup of tea.

To find out more about this rhyme visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polly_Put_the_Kettle_On

Polly put the kettle on,

We'll all have tea.

Sukey take it off again,

They've all gone away.

Poor old Robinson Crusoe! 🔊

A chant and nursey rhyme based on the story by Daniel Defoe.

With its steady rhythm it can be used for clapping, ball bouncing or skipping playground games. I’m sure I’ve heard it chanted in the playground in the past!

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!

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