During the War of Independence, this song was sung with derision by the British troops about the American soldiers, however, after the battle of Bunker Hill, the Americans took it up as a war cry. The phrase Yankee Doodle Dandy was supposedly coined by Dr. Richard Shuckburgh, an English surgeon and wit in 1775. He …
Eenie Meenie Miney Mo is a counting-out rhyme, that is used to choose who is “It” in a playground or other children’s games. Eenie Meenie Miney Mo Origin There are very few children’s songs that have the universality of Eenie Meenie Miney Mo and yet so little is known about their origins and original meaning. …
There is a popular theory in the West Country that Doctor Foster was in fact Edward I. He was rumored to have visited Gloucester on horseback, but the city streets were so deep with mud that his horse floundered and planks had to be laid down to help the horse to regain its footing. Edward …
This rhyme about the wise old owl is always thought to be very old, but there is actually no record of it in print before 1875. While it is unknown when “A Wise Old Owl” was first recorded, it is believed that the nursery rhyme originated in the United States. Calvin Coolidge is said to …
Little Bunny Foo Foo takes its melody from the 1948 song Down By The Station by Tommy Dorsey and the French-Canadian nursery rhyme, Alouette. The well-known nursery rhyme Itsy Bitsy Spider is also sung to the same tune. The nursery rhyme has several versions with slightly different names. Some know this as Little Rabbit Foo …
Dating back to the 1850s, Pop Goes the Weasel is one of the most popular nursery rhymes of all time, with different versions in both the UK and the US. As this rhyme is so old, there are disagreements about its origins and what it actually means. The song is not about a small furry …
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly is an amusing nursery rhyme that is designed to entertain with its absurdity. The version that most people know today was created in 1952 and copyrighted by Rose Bonne and Alan Mills (a folk artist). However, the rhyme had been circulating for several years prior to …
Baby Bumblebee is a nursery rhyme which is a fun new version of a traditional folk song that comes with fun hand motion actions. The melody is based on “The Arkansas Traveler”, a song written in 1847 by Colonel Sandford C. “Sandy” Faulkner. There have been several versions of the lyrics, including Baby Bumblebee. Sandy …
This is a beautiful nursery rhyme written by a young John Roulstone and modified by poet Sarah Josepha Haler back in 1830. The rhyme is actually based on a true story of a girl known as Mary Sawyer who lived in Sterling, Massachusetts. The story goes that Mary took care of a lamb that had …
The Itsy Bitsy Spider, often known as Incy Wincy Spider is one popular traditional nursery rhyme and fingerplay that is often used among children in preschools around the world. The original Itsy Bitsy Spider was published in 1910 when it was known as “The Spider Song”. The song essentially paints a picture of a spider …
