Just nursery rhymes S-W

Simple Simon

Sing, sing, what shall I sing?

Sippity sup, sippity sup

The lion and the unicorn

There was a crooked man

There was an old woman lived under the stairs

There was an old woman tossed up in a basket

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe

This is the House that Jack built

Three men in a tub

Tom, he was a piper’s son

Wee Willie Winkie

Willie Foster had a coo

Who killed Cock Robin?

Last updated: 11/2/2020 3:18 PM

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

Return to the ‘Singing games for children’ home page

To listen to music from these songs click on 🔊

To watch the author sing a song click on the title at:

© Dany Rosevear 2013 All rights reserved

You are free to copy, distribute, display and perform these works under the following conditions:

· you must give the original author credit

· you may not use this work for commercial purposes

· for any re-use or distribution, you must make clear to others the licence terms of this work

· any of these can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder

Your fair use and other rights are no way affected by the above.

Simple Simon 🔊

This nursery rhyme has many verses but this one comes from ‘The Oxford nursery song book’ published 1933. Last verse added from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Simon_(nursery_rhyme) where you can also find more about its origins.

Simple Simon met a pieman,

Going to the fair;

Says Simple Simon to the pieman,

Let me taste your ware.

Says the pieman to Simple Simon,

Show me first your penny;

Says Simple Simon to the pieman,

Indeed I have not any.

Simple Simon went a-fishing,

For to catch a whale;

All the water he had got,

Was in his mother's pail.

Simple Simon went to look

If plums grew on a thistle;

He pricked his fingers very much,

Which made poor Simon whistle.

He went for water in a sieve

But soon it all fell through;

And now poor Simple Simon,

Bids you all adieu.

Sing, sing, what shall I sing? O

When I was young puddings were wrapped in muslin, tied to secure and then steamed for a very long time. Nowadays even Christmas puddings are cooked in the microwave.

The verses below are an amalgam of two variants that can be found in many Mother Goose collections.

Sing, sing, what shall I sing?

The cat's run away with the pudding-bag string!

Do, do, what shall I do?

The cat has bitten it quite in two.

Do, do, oh, what shall I do?

The cat's run away with the pudding, too!

Sippity sup, sippity sup 🔊

This nursery rhyme is also a nod to the tune of Lilliburlero.

Arrangement by Dany Rosevear.

Sippity sup, sippity sup,

Bread and milk from a china cup.

Bread and milk from a bright silver spoon

Made of a piece of the bright silver moon.

Sippity sup, sippity sup,

Sippity, sippity sup.

The lion and the unicorn O

You can see these symbols of the United Kingdom in many official places. The title refers to two heraldic icons; the lion represents England and the unicorn Scotland. It has a Roud number 20170 Find out more about the origins of this song at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_and_the_Unicorn

The lion and the unicorn

Were fighting for the crown;

The lion beat the unicorn

All about the town.

Some gave them white bread,

And some gave them brown;

And some gave them plum cake

And drummed them out of town.

There was a crooked man O

Another nursery rhyme that has likely political origins; in this case the agreement between England and Scotland to ‘live together’ at the time of Charles 1. See::http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Was_a_Crooked_Man.

The second two verses are written by Dany Rosevear.

There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile,

He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile;

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

Now that crooked little house had a crooked little door,

With crooked little windows and a crooked little floor.

And on the crooked mantel sat a crooked little clock.

That kept them all awake with its ticking and its tock.

So the crooked little man with a crooked little hop,

Took his crooked sixpence to the baker’s crooked shop;

Then he stuffed the crooked clock with brown crooked bread,

And now they all sleep soundly in their crooked little beds.

There was an old woman lived under the stairs O

A less familiar nursery rhyme.

There was an old woman lived under the stairs.

Hee-haw, hee-haw,

She sold apples and she sold pears.

Hee-haw- hum.

All her bright money she laid on a shelf.

Hee-haw, hee-haw,

If you want any more you can sing it yourself.

Hee-haw- hum.

There was an old woman tossed up in a basket O

This nursery rhyme is sung to the tune of Lilliburlero. Purcell used it in his music. Many variations on the lyrics can be found including ‘Wither, o wither, o wither so high’. The version below is as I remember it as a child in the 1950s.

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 there so high?’

‘To sweep the cobwebs down from the sky!’

‘May I go with you?’ ‘Aye, by and by.’

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe 🔊

A cross and kind verse; pick the one you prefer!

The tune of this nursery rhyme comes from ‘The Oxford nursery song book’ published in 1933 It was collected and arranged by Sir Percy Buck. Dany Rosevear added the chords and adapted words- scolded for whipped and added the kinder but still traditional verse. Pick which you wish.

Though it was first recorded in 1794 in the Gammer Gurton’s Garland collection by Joseph Ritson some researchers beleive the lyrics could be even older. Indeed King George II and Queen Caroline claimed to be the character of this song, as they had a family of eight children. Find out more at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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 do;

She gave them some broth, without any bread,

She scolded them soundly and sent them to bed.

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,

She had so many children she didn't know what to do;

She gave them some broth, with plenty of bread,

She kissed them all fondly and sent them to bed.

This is the House that Jack built O

I first came across this nursery rhyme in 1950 as a four year old in a Ladybird book. It helped me to learn to read!

This is 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.

Three men in a tub O

There are many variants of this nursery rhyme, you can find some at: http://www.mothergooseclub.com/rhymes_parent.php?id=162

Rub-a-dub-dub,

Three men in a tub,

And who do you think they be?

The butcher, the baker,

The candlestick maker.

Turn them out, knaves all three.

Rub-a-dub-dub,

Three men in a tub,

And how do you think they got there?

The butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker,

They all jumped out of a rotten potato,

'Twas enough to make a man stare.

Tom, he was a piper’s son O

This nursery rhyme began as a recruiting song designed to gain volunteers for the Duke of Marlborough’s campaign in 1705 To find out more visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom,_Tom,_the_Piper's_Son .

Tom, he was a piper's son,

He learned to play when he was young;

The only tune that he could play

Was "Over the hills and far away".

Over the hills and a great way off,

The wind shall blow my top-knot off.

Tom with his pipe made such a noise,

That he pleased both the girls and boys,

They all stopped to hear him play

"Over the hills and far away."

Tom played his pipe with such good skill,

That those who heard him couldn’t keep still;

As soon as he played they began to dance,

Even the pigs on their hind legs pranced.

Dolly was milking her cow one day,

Tom took his pipe and began to play;

So Doll and the cow danced ‘The Cheshire round’,

Till the pail was broke and the milk ran on the ground.

He met old Dame Trot with a basket of eggs,

Tom used his pipe and she used her legs.

She danced about and the eggs all broke;

Dame Trot did fret and he laughed at the joke.

Wee Willie Winkie O

Wee Willie Winkie always makes you think of bedtime rather like the sandman. It is a Scottish nursery rhyme by William Miller that became popular all over the English speaking world. You can find the Scottish words at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wee_Willie_Winkie

There also seems to be two distinct tunes but the one below I learnt as a child.

Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,

Upstairs and downstairs in his nightgown

Tapping at the window, crying through the locks,

“Are all the children in their bed,

It's past eight o'clock?”

Hey, Willie Winkie, are you coming in?

The cat is softly purring, with paws beneath the chin,

The dog is spread out on the floor, and doesn't make a peep,

But here's a wakeful little boy who will not fall asleep!

Willie Foster had a coo 🔊

This Northumberland song can be found in ‘Jim along, Josie: a collection of folk songs and singing games for young children” compiled by Nancy and John Langstaff and published in 1970. It comes from “A yacre of land”: sixteen folk-songs from the manuscript collection of Ralph Vaughan Williams published by OUP 1961. It is also mentioned in ‘The Oxford nursery song book’ published in 1933 as a precuror of ‘Bobby Shaftoe’ and is played as a fiddle tune.

Find out more at: http://www.folknortheast.com/learn/core-tunes/bobby-shaftoe

Willie Foster had a coo,

Black and brown about the moo,

Open the gate and wish her through,

Willie Foster’s aan coo.

Willie Foster had a hen,

Cockle butt and cockle ben,

She lays eggs for gentlemen,

But none for Willie Foster.

Who killed Cock Robin? O

This song can be found in several nursery rhyme collections though it is not the most cheerful song or suitable for young children.

This version has a meagre six verses, you can find many more online though often without the chorus. Find further verses and more about the origins of this song at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cock_Robin

Who killed Cock Robin?

I, said the sparrow with my bow and arrow,

I killed Cock Robin.

Chorus

All the birds of the air fell a-sighing and a-sobbing,

When they heard of the death of poor Cock Robin,

When they heard of the death of poor Cock Robin.

Who saw him die?

I, said the fly, with my little eye,

I saw him die.

Who'll toll the bell?

I, said the bull, because I can pull,

I'll toll the bell.

Who'll dig his grave?

I, said the owl, with my little trowel,

I'll dig his grave.

Who'll be the parson?

I, said the rook, with my bell and book,

I'll be the parson.

Who'll be chief mourner?

I, said the dove, I'll mourn for my love,

I'll be chief mourner.

Return to the ‘Singing games for children’ home page