Old Mother Goose, when
She wanted to wander,
Would ride through the air
On a very fine gander.

Cock-a-doodle-doo,
My dame has lost her shoe;
My master’s lost his fiddlestick,
And knows not what to do.

Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,
Had a wife and couldn’t keep her;
He put her in a pumpkin shell,
And then 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.

Lady-bird, Lady-bird,
Fly away home,
Your house is on fire,
Your children will burn.

One misty, moisty morning,
When cloudy was the weather,
I chanced to meet an old man clothed all in leather.
He began to compliment, and I began to grin,
How do you do, and how do you do?
And how do you do again?

I like little pussy, her coat is so warm,
And if I don’t hurt her she’ll do me no harm;
So I’ll not pull her tail, nor drive her away,
But pussy and I very gently will play.

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.

Little Nanny Etticoat
In a white petticoat,
And a red nose;
The longer she stands
The shorter she grows.

Jack, be nimble; Jack, be quick;
Jack, jump over the candlestick.

Pretty John Watts,
We are troubled with rats,
Will you drive them out of the house?
We have mice, too, in plenty,
That feast in the pantry,
But let them stay
And nibble away,
What harm in a little brown mouse?

I’ll tell you a story
About Mary Morey,
And now my story’s begun.
I’ll tell you another
About her brother,
And now my story’s done.

Hush-a-bye, Baby, upon the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock;
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
Down tumbles cradle and Baby and all.

Ride away, ride away,
Johnny shall ride,
And he shall have pussy-cat
Tied to one side;
And he shall have little dog
Tied to the other,
And Johnny shall ride
To see his grandmother.

Dickery, dickery, dock,
The mouse ran up the clock;
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Dickery, dickery, dock.

A, B, C, D, E, F, G,
H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P,
Q, R, S, and T, U, V,
W, X, and Y and Z.
Now I’ve said my A, B, C,
Tell me what you think of me.

The little robin grieves
When the snow is on the ground,
For the trees have no leaves,
And no berries can be found.

The air is cold, the worms are hid;
For robin here what can be done?
Let’s strow around some crumbs of bread,
And then he’ll live till snow is gone.

Little Tommy Tittlemouse
Lived in a little house;
He caught fishes
In other men’s ditches.

About the bush, Willie, about the bee-hive,
About the bush, Willie, I’ll meet thee alive.

Bah, bah, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, marry, have I,
Three bags full;
One for my master,
One for my dame,
But none for the little boy
Who cries in the lane.

Hickety, pickety, my black hen,
She lays eggs for gentlemen:
Gentlemen come every day
To see what my black hen doth lay.

Willie boy, Willie boy,
Where are you going?
O, let us go with you
This sunshiny day.

I’m going to the meadow
To see them a-mowing,
I’m going to help the girls
Turn the new hay.

Three children sliding on the ice
Upon a summer’s day,
As it fell out, they all fell in,
The rest they ran away.

Oh, had these children been at school,
Or sliding on dry ground,
Ten thousand pounds to one penny
They had not then been drowned.

Ye parents who have children dear,
And ye, too, who have none,
If you would keep them safe abroad,
Pray keep them safe at home.

Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Upstairs and downstairs, in his nightgown;
Tapping at the window, crying at the lock:
“Are the babes in their beds, for it’s now ten o’clock?”

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 whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.

There was a man and he had naught,
And robbers came to rob him;
He crept up to the chimney top,
And then they thought they had him.
But he got down on the other side,
And then they could not find him;
He ran fourteen miles in fifteen days,
And never looked behind him.

There was an old man,
And he had a calf,
And that’s half;
He took him out of the stall,
And put him on the wall,
And that’s all.

Bow, wow, wow!
Whose dog art thou?
Little Tom Tinker’s dog,
Bow, wow, wow!

Pussy-Cat sits by the fire;
How can she be fair?
In walks the little dog;
Says: “Pussy, are you there?
How do you do, Mistress Pussy?
Mistress Pussy, how d’ye do?”
“I thank you kindly, little dog,
I fare as well as you!”

Here am I, little jumping Joan,
When nobody’s with me
I’m always alone.

There was an old woman lived under the hill,
And if she’s not gone she lives there still.
Baked apples she sold, and cranberry pies,
And she’s the old woman that never told lies.

Simple Simon met a pieman
Going to the fair;
Says Simple Simon to the pieman:
“Pray 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.”

Sing a song of sixpence, a bag full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie;
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
And wasn’t this a dainty dish to set before the king?
The king was in the parlor counting out his money;
The queen was in the kitchen eating bread and honey;
The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
There came a little blackbird and nipped off her nose.

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again, jiggety, jig.

Ride a cock horse
To Banbury Cross
To see what Tommy can buy:
A penny white loaf,
A penny white cake,
And a two-penny apple pie.

Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating some curds and whey;
There came a great spider,
And sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.

Three wise men of Gotham
Went to sea in a bowl,
And if the bowl had been stronger
My song had been longer.

There were two birds sat upon a stone,
Fal de ral-al de ral-laddy.
One flew away and then there was one,
Fal de ral-al de ral-laddy.
The other flew after and then there was none,
Fal de ral-al de ral-laddy.
So the poor stone was left all alone,
Fal de ral-al de ral-laddy.
One of these little birds back again flew,
Fal de ral-al de ral-laddy.
The other came after and then there were two,
Fal de ral-al de ral-laddy.
Says one to the other: “Pray, how do you do?”
Fal de ral-al de ral-laddy.
“Very well, thank you, and pray how are you?”
Fal de ral-al de ral-laddy.

Bye, Baby bunting,
Father’s gone a-hunting,
Mother’s gone a-milking,
Sister’s gone a-silking,
And Brother’s gone to buy a skin
To wrap the Baby bunting in.

Little Polly Flinders
Sat among the cinders
Warming her pretty little toes;
Her mother came and caught her,
Whipped her little daughter
For spoiling her nice new clothes.

Tom, Tom, the piper’s son,
Stole a pig, and away he run;
The pig was eat,
And Tom was beat,
And Tom ran crying down the street.

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.

A dillar, a dollar,
A ten o’clock scholar;
What makes you come so soon?
You used to come at ten o’clock,
But now you come at noon!

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

Pat a cake, pat a cake, Baker’s man;
So I do, master, as fast as I can.
Pat it and prick it and mark it with T,
And then it will serve for Tommy and me.

Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn,
The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn.
What! Is this the way you mind your sheep,
Under the haycock fast asleep?

There was an old woman tossed in a blanket
Seventeen times as high as the moon;
But where she was going no mortal could tell,
For under her arm she carried a broom.

“Old woman, old woman, old woman,” said I,
“Whither, ah whither, ah whither so high?”
To sweep the cobwebs from the sky,
And I’ll be with you by and by.”

Cold and raw the north winds blow
Bleak in the morning early,
All the hills are covered with snow,
And winter’s now come fairly.

The man in the moon came down too soon
To inquire the way to Norridge;
The man in the south, he burnt his mouth
With eating cold plum porridge.

Four-and-twenty tailors
Went to kill a snail;
The best man among them
Durst not touch her tail;
She put out her horns
Like a little Kyloe cow.
Run, tailors, run, or
She’ll kill you all just now.

Lucy Locket lost her pocket,
Kitty Fisher found it;
There was not a penny in it,
But a ribbon round it.

Little Tom Tucker
Sings for his supper.
What shall he eat?
White bread and butter.
How will he cut it
Without e’er a knife?
How will he marry
Without e’er a wife?

“To bed, to bed,” says Sleepy-Head;
“Let’s stay awhile,” says Slow;
“Put on the pot,” says Greedy-Sot,
“We’ll sup before we go.”

Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John,
Went to bed with his breeches on,
One stocking off, and one stocking on,
Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John.

High diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such craft,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

The two gray kits,
And the gray kits’ mother,
All went over
The bridge together.

The bridge broke down,
They all fell in;
“May the rats go with you,”
Says Tom Bolin.

Robin and Richard
Were two pretty men;
They stayed in bed
Till the clock struck ten.
Then up starts Robin
And looks at the sky:
“Oh, brother Richard,
The sun’s very high.
You go before
With the bottle and bag,
And I will come after
On little Jack nag.”

Is John Smith within? Yes, that he is.
Can he set a shoe? Ay, marry, two.
Here a nail and there a nail,
Tick tack too.

I had a little hen, the prettiest ever seen,
She washed me the dishes and kept the house clean.
She went to the mill to fetch me some flour,
And always got home in less than an hour.
She baked me my bread, she brewed me my ale,
She sat by the fire and told many a fine tale.

When I was a little boy I lived by myself,
And all the bread and cheese I got I put upon a shelf;
The rats and the mice, they made such a strife,
I was forced to go to London to buy me a wife.
The streets were so broad and the lanes were so narrow,
I was forced to bring my wife home in a wheelbarrow;
The wheelbarrow broke and my wife had a fall,
And down came the wheelbarrow, wife and all.

’Twas once upon a time, when Jenny Wren was young,
So daintily she danced and so prettily she sung,
Robin Redbreast lost his heart, for he was a gallant bird,
So he doffed his hat to Jenny Wren, requesting to be heard.

“O, dearest Jenny Wren, if you will but be mine,
You shall feed on cherry pie and drink new currant wine,
I’ll dress you like a goldfinch or any peacock gay,
So, dearest Jen, if you’ll be mine let us appoint the day.”

Jenny blushed behind her fan and thus declared her mind:
“Since, dearest Bob, I love you well, I take your offer kind;
Cherry pie is very nice and so is currant wine,
But I must wear my plain brown gown and never go too fine.”

How many days has my baby to play?
Saturday, Sunday, Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,
Saturday, Sunday, Monday.

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.

Little King Boggen he built a fine hall,
Pie-crust and pastry-crust, that was the wall;
The windows were made of black puddings and white,
And slated with pancakes, you ne’er saw the like!

As I went to Bonner
I met a pig
Without a wig,
Upon my word and honor.

Little Jack Horner
Sat in a corner
Eating a Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said: “Oh, what a good boy am I!”

Miss Jane had a bag and a mouse was in it;
She opened the bag, he was out in a minute.
The cat saw him jump and run under the table,
And the dog said: “Catch him, Puss, soon as you’re able.”

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 the tarts,
And beat the Knave full sore;
The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts,
And vowed he’d steal no more.

Goosey, goosey, gander, where dost thou wander?
Upstairs and downstairs and in my lady’s chamber;
There I met an old man that wouldn’t say his prayers,
I took him by his hind legs and threw him downstairs.

See saw, Margery Daw,
Jacky shall have a new master:
Jacky must have but a penny a day
Because he can work no faster.

Daffy-down-dilly is now come to town
With a petticoat green and a bright yellow gown.

“Cock, cock, cock, cock,
I’ve laid an egg,
Am I to gang ba-are-foot?”

“Hen, hen, hen, hen,
I’ve been up and down
To every shop in town,
And cannot find a shoe
To fit your foot,
If I’d crow my hea-art out.”

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;
Some gave them plum-cake,
And sent them out of town.

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.

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

Bonny lass, pretty lass,
Wilt thou be mine?
Thou shalt not wash dishes
Nor yet serve the swine.
Thou shalt sit on a cushion
And sew a fine seam,
And thou shalt eat strawberries,
Sugar and cream.

Handy-spandy, Jacky dandy,
Loves plum cake and sugar candy.
He bought some at a grocer’s shop,
And pleased away went hop, hop, hop.

Ding dong bell, the cat’s in the well.
Who put her in? Little Johnny Green.
Who pulled her out? Great Johnny Stout.
What a naughty boy was that
To drown poor pussy cat
Who never did him any harm,
And killed the mice in his father’s barn.

This pig went to market,
That pig stayed at home;
This pig had roast meat,
That pig had none;
This pig went to the barn door,
And cried “week, week,” for more.

There were two blackbirds sitting on a hill,
One named Jack and the other named Jill.
Fly away, Jack! Fly away, Jill!
Come again, Jack! Come again, Jill!

Cross patch, draw the latch,
Sit by the fire and spin;
Take a cup and drink it up,
Then call your neighbors in.

Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard
To get her poor dog a bone;
But when she came there
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.

Pease-porridge hot,
Pease-porridge cold.
Pease-porridge in the pot
Nine days old.
Spell me that in four letters:
I will: T H A T.

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’re all gone away.

The sow came in with the saddle,
The little pig rocked the cradle,
The dish jumped up on the table
To see the pot swallow the ladle.
The spit that stood behind the door
Threw the pudding-stick on the floor.
“Odsplut!” said the gridiron,
“Can’t you agree?
I’m the head constable,
Bring them to me!”

Little Robin Redbreast sat upon a tree,
Up went the Pussy-Cat, and down went he,
Down came Pussy-Cat, away Robin ran;
Says little Robin Redbreast: “Catch me if you can!”

Little Robin Redbreast jumped upon a spade,
Pussy-Cat jumped after him, and then he was afraid.
Little Robin chirped and sang, and what did Pussy say?
Pussy-Cat said: “Mew, mew, mew,” and Robin flew away.

A farmer went trotting upon his gray mare,
Bumpety, bumpety, bump,
With his daughter behind him, so rosy and fair,
Lumpety, lumpety, lump.

A raven cried “Croak,” and they all tumbled down,
Bumpety, bumpety, bump;
The mare broke her knees and the farmer his crown,
Lumpety, lumpety, lump.

The mischievous raven flew laughing away,
Bumpety, bumpety, bump,
And vowed he would serve them the same next day,
Lumpety, lumpety, lump.

There was an old woman
Sold puddings and pies;
She went to the mill,
And dust flew in her eyes.
While through the streets,
To all she meets
She ever cries:
“Hot Pies Hot Pies.”

“Old woman, old woman, shall we go a-shearing?”
“Speak a little louder, sir, I’m very thick o’ hearing.”
“Old woman, old woman, shall I kiss you dearly?”
“Thank you, kind sir, I hear very clearly.”

My little old man and I fell out;
I’ll tell you what ’twas all about:
I had money and he had none,
And that’s the way the noise begun.

Jack Sprat could eat no fat,
His wife could eat no lean;
So ’twixt them both they cleared the cloth,
And licked the platter clean.

There was an old woman, and what do you think?
She lived upon nothing but victuals and drink;
Victuals and drink were the chief of her diet,
And yet this old woman could never be quiet.

What’s the news of the day,
Good neighbor, I pray?
They say the balloon
Has gone up to the moon.

There was a crooked man,
And he went a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence
Against a crooked stile;
He bought a crooked cat
Which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together
In a little crooked house.

There was a piper had a cow,
And he had naught to give her;
He pulled out his pipes and played her a tune,
And bade the cow consider.

The cow considered very well,
And gave the piper a penny,
And bade him play the other tune,
“Corn rigs are bonny.”

The man in the wilderness
Asked me
How many strawberries
Grew in the sea.
I answered him
As I thought good,
As many red herrings
As grew in the wood.

Hark! Hark!
The dogs do bark,
The beggars are coming to town;
Some in rags,
Some in tags,
And some in velvet gown.

As I was going to St. Ives
I met seven wives.
Every wife had seven sacks,
Every sack had seven cats,
Every cat had seven kits.
Kits, cats, sacks and wives,
How many were going to St. Ives?

I had a little husband no bigger than my thumb,
I put him in a pint pot, and there I bid him drum;
I bought a little handkerchief to wipe his little nose,
And a pair of little garters to tie his little hose.

Great A, little a,
Bouncing B;
The cat’s in the cupboard,
And she can’t see.

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.

As I was going up Primrose Hill,
Primrose Hill was dirty;
There I met a pretty lass,
And she dropped me a curtsey.

Little lass, pretty lass,
Blessings light upon you;
If I had half-a-crown a day,
I’d spend it all upon you.

There was a little boy went into a barn
And lay down on some hay;
A calf came out and smelled about,
And the little boy ran away.

When good King Arthur ruled his land
He was a goodly king;
He stole three pecks of barley meal
To make a bag-pudding.
A bag-pudding the king did make,
And stuffed it well with plums,
And in it put great lumps of fat
As big as my two thumbs.
The king and queen did eat thereof,
And noblemen beside,
And what they could not eat that night
The queen next morning fried.

“Jacky, come give me your fiddle,
If ever you mean to thrive.”
“Nay, I’ll not give my fiddle
To any man alive.

“If I should give my fiddle
They’ll think that I’m gone mad,
For many a joyful day
My fiddle and I have had.”

One, two, three, four, five,
I caught a hare alive;
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
I let him go again.

The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then?
Poor thing!

He’ll sit in the barn
And keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing.
Poor thing!

“You owe me five shillings,”
Say the bells of St. Helen’s.

“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.

“Two sticks in an apple,”
Ring the bells of Whitechapel.

“Halfpence and farthings,”
Say the bells of St. Martin’s.

“Kettles and pans,”
Say the bells of St. Ann’s.

“Brickbats and tiles,”
Say the bells of St. Giles.

“Old shoes and slippers,”
Say the bells of St. Peter’s.

“Pokers and tongs,”
Say the bells of St. John’s.

There was a man in our town,
And he was wondrous wise,
He jumped into a bramble-bush,
And scratched out both his eyes;
And when he saw his eyes were out,
With all his might and main
He jumped into another bush
And scratched them in again.