The Nursery Rhyme Book Read online

perhaps she’ll die!

  There was an old lady who swallowed a cat;

  Fancy that, to swallow a cat!

  She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,

  She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,

  She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;

  I don’t know why she swallowed a fly –

  perhaps she’ll die!

  There was an old lady who swallowed a dog;

  What a hog, to swallow a dog;

  She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,

  She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,

  She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,

  She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;

  I don’t know why she swallowed a fly –

  perhaps she’ll die!

  There was an old lady who swallowed a cow,

  I don’t know how she swallowed a cow;

  She swallowed the cow to catch the dog,

  She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,

  She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,

  She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,

  She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;

  I don’t know why she swallowed a fly –

  perhaps she’ll die!

  There was an old lady who swallowed a horse . . .

  She’s dead, of course!

  Little Tommy Tucker

  Little Tommy Tucker

  Sings for his supper:

  What shall we give him?

  White bread and butter.

  How shall he cut it

  Without a knife?

  How shall he marry

  Without a wife?

  Where Are You Going To, My Pretty Maid?

  ‘Where are you going to, my pretty maid?’

  ‘I’m going a-milking, sir,’ she said.

  ‘May I go with you, my pretty maid?’

  ‘You’re kindly welcome, sir,’ she said.

  ‘Say, will you marry me, my pretty maid?’

  ‘Yes, if you please, kind sir,’ she said.

  ‘What is your father, my pretty maid?’

  ‘My father’s a farmer, sir,’ she said.

  ‘What is your fortune, my pretty maid?’

  ‘My face is my fortune, sir,’ she said.

  ‘Then I can’t marry you, my pretty maid!’

  ‘Nobody asked you, sir,’ she said.

  Goosey, Goosey Gander

  Goosey, Goosey Gander,

  Where shall I wander?

  Upstairs, downstairs

  And in my lady’s chamber.

  There I met an old man

  Who wouldn’t say his prayers,

  I took him by the left leg

  And threw him down the stairs.

  Hot Cross Buns

  Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns!

  One a penny, two a penny,

  Hot cross buns!

  If you have no daughters,

  Give them to your sons.

  One a penny, two a penny,

  Hot cross buns!

  If All The Seas Were One Sea

  If all the seas were one sea,

  What a great sea that would be!

  And if all the trees were one tree,

  What a great tree that would be!

  And if all the axes were one axe,

  What a great axe that would be!

  And if all the men were one man,

  What a great man he would be!

  And if the great man took the great axe,

  And cut down the great tree,

  And let it fall into the great sea,

  What a splish-splash that would be!

  Horsey Horsey

  Horsey horsey don’t you stop,

  Just let your feet go clippetty-clop;

  The tail goes swish and the wheels go round,

  Giddy up, we’re homeward bound.

  Little Robin Redbreast

  Little Robin Redbreast sat upon a tree,

  Up went pussy cat and down went he;

  Down came pussy cat, and away Robin ran;

  Says little Robin Redbreast, ‘Catch me if you can.’

  Little Robin Redbreast jumped upon a wall,

  Pussy cat jumped after him, and almost had a fall;

  Little Robin chirped and sang, and what did pussy say?

  Pussy cat said, ‘Meow,’ and Robin flew away.

  Ring-A-Ring O’ Roses

  Ring-a-ring o’ roses,

  A pocket full of posies,

  A-tishoo! A-tishoo!

  We all fall down.

  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 her chair.’

  There Was A Little Girl

  There was a little girl,

  Who had a little curl,

  Right in the middle of her forehead.

  When she was good,

  She was very, very good,

  But when she was bad she was horrid.

  This Is The House That Jack Built

  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.

  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!

  Old Father Long-Legs

  Old father Long-Legs

  Can’t say his prayers.

  Take him by the left leg,

  And throw him down the stairs.

 
And when he’s at the bottom,

  Before he long has lain,

  Take him by the right leg,

  And throw him up again.

  Once I Saw A Little Bird

  Once I saw a little bird

  Come hop, hop, hop,

  And I cried, ‘Little bird,

  Will you stop, stop, stop?’

  I was going to the window

  To say, ‘How do you do?’

  But he shook his little tail

  And away he flew.

  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.

  Curly Locks

  Curly locks, Curly locks,

  Wilt thou be mine?

  Thou shalt not wash dishes

  Nor yet feed the swine,

  But sit on a cushion

  And sew a fine seam,

  And feed upon strawberries,

  Sugar and cream.

  I Had A Little Pony

  I had a little pony,

  His name was Dapple Gray;

  I lent him to a lady

  To ride a mile away.

  She whipped him, she slashed him,

  She rode him through the mire;

  I would not lend my pony now,

  For all the lady’s hire.

  One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

  One, two,

  Buckle my shoe;

  Three, four,

  Knock at the door;

  Five, six,

  Pick up sticks;

  Seven, eight,

  Lay them straight;

  Nine, ten,

  A big fat hen;

  Eleven, twelve,

  Dig and delve;

  Thirteen, fourteen,

  Maids a-courting;

  Fifteen, sixteen,

  Maids in the kitchen;

  Seventeen, eighteen,

  Maids in waiting;

  Nineteen, twenty,

  My plate’s empty.

  One, Two, Three, Four, Five

  One, two, three, four, five,

  Once I caught a fish alive,

  Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,

  Then I let it go again.

  Why did you let it go?

  Because it bit my finger so.

  Which finger did it bite?

  This little finger on the right.

  Cry Baby Bunting

  Cry Baby Bunting,

  Daddy’s gone a-hunting.

  Gone to fetch a rabbit skin,

  To wrap the Baby Bunting in.

  Cry Baby Bunting.

  Solomon Grundy

  Solomon Grundy,

  Born on a Monday,

  Christened on Tuesday,

  Married on Wednesday,

  Took ill on Thursday,

  Worse on Friday,

  Died on Saturday,

  Buried on Sunday.

  This is the end of

  Solomon Grundy.

  Whistle, Daughter, Whistle

  Whistle, daughter, whistle,

  And you shall have a sheep.

  Mother, I cannot whistle,

  Neither can I sleep.

  Whistle, daughter, whistle,

  And you shall have a cow.

  Mother, I cannot whistle,

  Neither know I how.

  Whistle, daughter, whistle,

  And you shall have a man.

  Mother, I cannot whistle,

  But I’ll do the best I can.

  Dame Trot

  Dame Trot and her cat

  Sat down for a chat;

  The Dame sat on this side

  And puss sat on that.

  ‘Puss,’ says the Dame,

  ‘Can you catch a rat

  Or a mouse in the dark?’

  ‘Purr,’ says the cat.

  Boys And Girls Come Out To Play

  Boys and girls come out to play,

  The moon doth shine as bright as day.

  Leave your supper and leave your sleep,

  And join your playfellows in the street.

  Come with a whoop and come with a call,

  Come with a good will or not at all.

  Up the ladder and down the wall,

  A half-penny loaf will serve us all;

  You find milk, and I’ll find flour,

  And we’ll have a pudding in half an hour.

  Three Little Kittens

  Three little kittens they lost their mittens,

  And they began to cry,

  ‘Oh, mother dear, we sadly fear

  That we have lost our mittens.’

  ‘What? Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!

  Then you shall have no pie.’

  ‘Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.

  Now we shall have no pie.’

  The three little kittens they found their mittens,

  And they began to cry,

  ‘Oh, mother dear, see here, see here,

  For we have found our mittens.’

  ‘Put on your mittens, you silly kittens,

  And you shall have some pie.’

  ‘Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow,

  Oh, let us have some pie.’

  The three little kittens put on their mittens,

  And soon ate up the pie;

  ‘Oh, mother dear, we greatly fear

  That we have soiled our mittens.’

  ‘What? Soiled your mittens, you naughty kittens!’

  Then they began to sigh,

  ‘Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.’

  Then they began to sigh.

  The three little kittens they washed their mittens,

  And hung them out to dry;

  ‘Oh, mother dear, do you not hear

  That we have washed our mittens?’

  ‘What? Washed your mittens, then you are good kittens,

  But I smell a rat close by.’

  ‘Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.

  We smell a rat close by.’

  Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

  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.

  Then the traveller in the dark,

  Thanks you for your tiny 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.

  As your bright and tiny spark,

  Lights the traveller in the dark,

  Though I know not what you are,

  Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

  Three Blind Mice

  Three blind mice, three blind mice,

  See how they run, see how they run.

  They all ran after the farmer’s wife,

  Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,

  Did you ever see such a thing in your life,

  As three blind mice?

  The Cock Crows

  The cock crows in the morn

  To tell us all to rise,

  And he that lies late

  Will never be wise:

  For early to bed,

  And early to rise,

  Is the way to be healthy

  And wealthy and wise.

  Rub-A-Dub-Dub

  Rub-a-dub-dub,

  Three men in a tub,

  And how do you think they got there?

  The butch
er, the baker,

  The candlestick-maker,

  They all jumped out of a rotten potato,

  ’Twas enough to make a man stare.

  Hark, Hark, The Dogs Do Bark

  Hark, hark,

  The dogs do bark,

  The beggars are coming to town.

  Some in rags,

  And some in jags,

  And one in a velvet gown.

  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.

  Simple Simon

  Simple Simon met a pieman,

  Going to the fair;

  Said Simple Simon to the pieman,

  ‘Let me taste your ware.’

  Said the pieman to Simple Simon,

  ‘Show me first your penny.’

  Said 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.’

  Sleepy-Head

  ‘Come, let’s to bed,’ says Sleepy-head;

  ‘Tarry a while,’ says Slow;

  ‘Put on the pan,’ says Greedy Nan,

  ‘Let’s sup before we go.’

  Higgledy, Piggledy, My Black Hen

  Higgledy, piggledy, my black hen,

  She lays eggs for gentlemen;

  Sometimes nine, sometimes ten;

  Higgledy, piggledy, my black hen.