NURSERY RHYMES:

Nursery rhymes.

Introduction:

As Sabidius approaches his ninth decade of life, he finds himself increasingly mumbling to himself some of the nursery rhymes and legends, on which he was brought up when he was a child. For the benefit of those using his blog, some of these are repeated below.

1) Jack and Jill.

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; 

Went to bed to mend his head 

With vinegar and brown paper.

Jill came in, and she did grin

To see his paper plaster. 

Mother, vex'd, did whip her next, 

For causing Jack's disaster.

2) When Good King Arthur Ruled This Land.

When good king Arthur ruled this 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 two 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.  

3) Oranges & Lemons.

Oranges and lemons

Say the bells of St. Clement's.

You owe me five farthings

Say the bells of St. Martin's.

When will you pay me? 

Say the bells of Old Bailey.

When I grow rich,

Say the bells of Shoreditch.

And when will that be? 

Say the bells of Stepney. 

Oh, I do not know, 

Say the great bells of Bow.

Oh, here comes a candle

To light you to bed, 

And here comes a chopper 

To chop off your head. 

4. Robin Hood.

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen,

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, with his band of men, 

Feared by the bad, loved by the good, 

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood.

He called the greatest archers to  a tavern on the green; 

They vowed to help the people of the king, 

They handled all the troubles on the English country scene, 

And still found plenty of time to sing: 

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen,

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, with his band of men, 

Feared by the bad, loved by the good, 

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood.

He came to Sherwood Forest with a feather in his cap,

A fighter never looking for a fight, 

His bow was always ready and he kept his arrows sharp,

He used them, fighting for what was right.

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen,

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, with his band of men, 

Feared by the bad, loved by the good, 

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood.

With Friar Tuck and Little John, they had a roguish look,

They did the deeds that others wouldn't dare,

Recaptured all the money that the evil sheriff took, 

And rescued many a lady fair.

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen,

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, with his band of men, 

Feared by the bad, loved by the good, 

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood.

5. Old King Cole.

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!

And every fiddler, he had a fine fiddle,

And a very fine fiddle had he. 

6. Pop Goes the Weasel.

All around the cobblers' bench

The monkey chased the weasel; 

The monkey thought 'twas all in fun: 

Pop goes the weasel!

Half a pound of tupenny rice.

Half a pound of treacle.

That's the way the money goes, 

Pop goes the weasel! 

7.  The Man in the Moon.

The Man in the Moon 

Came down too soon, and asked his way to Norwich;

He went by the south, and burned his mouth, 

While supping cold plum porridge.  

8. 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.

9. Doctor Foster went to Gloucester.

Doctor Foster went to Gloucester, 

In a shower of rain, 

He stepped in a puddle, right up to his middle, 

And never went there again.  

10. The Ballad of Davy Crockett.

... Born on a mountain top in Tennesee, 

Greenest state in the land of the free, 

Raised in the woods, so's he knew ev'ry tree, 

Kilt him a b'ar when he was only three. 

Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier.

... In eighteen thirteen the Creeks uprose, 

Addin' redskin arrows to the country's woes,

Now injun fighting is somethin' he knows,

So he shoulders his rifle and off he goes, 

Davy, Davy Crockett, the man who don't know fear.

... Off through the woods he's a marchin' along, 

Makin' up yarns and singin' a song, 

Itchin' fer fightin' and rightin' a wrong, 

He's ringy as a b'ar and twice as strong, 

Davy, Davy Crockett, the buckskin buccaneer.

... He fought single-handed through the Injun war.

Till the Creeks was whipped and peace was in store,

An' while he  was handlin' this risky chore,

Made himself a legend for evermore,

Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier.

... He give his word and he give his hand, 

That his Injun friends should keep their land, 

An' the rest of his life he took the stand,

That justice was due every redskin band, 

Davy, Davy Crockett, holdin' his promise dear.

He went off to the Congress an' served a spell, 

Fixin' up the Governments, and laws as well,

Took over Washington, so we heered tell,

An' patched up the crack in the Liberty Bell, 

Davy, Davy Crockett, seein' his duty clear. 

When he come home, his politickin' done,

The big western march had just begun, 

So he packed up his gear and his trusty gun,

An' lit out grinnin' to follow the sun, 

Davy, Davy Crockett, the leadin' pioneer.

... He heard of Houston an' Austin, and so

To the Texas plain he jest had to go,

Where freedom was fightin' another foe, 

And they needed him at the Alamo,

Davy, Davy Crockett, the man who don't know fear.

... His land is biggest, an' his land is best, 

From grassy plains to the mountain crest,

He's ahead of us all in meetin' the test, 

Following his legend into the West, 

Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier.