Children's Literature Part 5

17

Curly locks! curly locks! wilt thou be mine?

Thou shalt not wash the dishes, nor yet feed the swine.

But sit on a cus.h.i.+on and sew a fine seam, And feed upon strawberries, sugar, and cream!

18

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, Backward and forward, round and round; Dance, little baby, and mother will sing, With the merry coral, ding, ding, ding!

19

Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John, He went to bed with his stockings on; One shoe off, the other shoe on, Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John.

20

Ding, dong, bell!

p.u.s.s.y's in the well.

Who put her in?

Little Tommy Green.

Who pulled her out?

Little Johnny Stout.

What a naughty boy was that, To drown the poor, poor p.u.s.s.y-cat, Who never did him any harm, But killed the mice in his father's barn.

21

Doctor Foster Went to Glo'ster, In a shower of rain; He stepped in a puddle, Up to his middle, And never went there again.

22

Eggs, b.u.t.ter, cheese, bread, Stick, stock, stone dead, Stick him up, stick him down, Stick him in the old man's crown.

23

For every evil under the sun, There is a remedy, or there is none.

If there be one, try to find it, If there be none, never mind it.

24

Four-and-twenty tailors went to kill a snail, The bravest man among them dursn't touch her tail; The snail put out her horns, like a little Kyloe cow, Run, tailors, run, or she'll kill you all e'en now.

25

Great A, little a, Bouncing B!

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

26

Hark, hark, The dogs do bark, The beggars are coming to town: Some in tags, Some in rags, And some in velvet gowns.

27

Here sits the Lord Mayor, (_touching forehead_) Here sit his two men, (_eyes_) Here sits the c.o.c.k, (_right cheek_) Here sits the hen, (_left cheek_) Here sit the little chickens, (_tip of nose_) Here they all run in; (_mouth_) Chinchopper, chinchopper, Chinchopper chin! (_chuck the chin_)

28

Here we go up, up, up, And here we go down, down, down; And here we go backwards and forwards, And here we go round, round, round.

29

Given as usually known to children. In some older versions the word "craft" was used instead of "sport," thus making a rhyme. There is an old story of an overly serious parent who was greatly disturbed by the evident exaggerations in this jingle. After calling the attention of his children to the offensive improbabilities, the good man suggested the following "revised version."

Hey diddle diddle, The cat and the fiddle, The cow jumped _under_ the moon; The little dog _barked_, To see the sport, And the _cat_ ran after the spoon!

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

30

Hickery, d.i.c.kery, 6 and 7, Alabone Crackabone, 10 and 11, Spin, span, muskidan; Twiddle 'um, twaddle 'um, 21.