Skip to My Lou is often sung as a children’s skipping song, and is popular in the playground. It originated in the US and was written in 1844. It wasn’t originally a song for children; it was used as a dance and melody to “steal” partners on the dance floor. With a fiddle providing the music, the man who had been displaced would wait for the next verse to steal his own new partner!
The song was also sung on the frontier to keep up the spirits of the fighters as they battled against the opposition as well as the extreme weather conditions that made it hard to gain ground.
The title is sometimes spelled as “Loo” which is a variation of the original, but actually closer to the original meaning. “Lou” derives from the Scottish word “loo” which means love and reminds us of the romantic nature of the song’s origins.
Skip to My Lou Lyrics
Chorus
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip to my Lou, my darling.
Lost my partner, what’ll I do?
Lost my partner, what’ll I do?
Lost my partner, what’ll I do?
Skip to my Lou, my darling.
Chorus
I’ll get another one, prettier than you,
I’ll get another one, prettier than you,
I’ll get another one, prettier than you,
Skip to my Lou, my darling
Chorus
Little red wagon painted blue,
Little red wagon painted blue,
Little red wagon painted blue,
Skip to my Lou, my darling.
Chorus
Can’t get a red bird, jay bird’ll do,
Can’t get a red bird, jay bird’ll do,
Can’t get a red bird, jay bird’ll do,
Skip to my Lou, my darling.
Chorus
Fly’s in the buttermilk, shoo, fly, shoo,
Fly’s in the buttermilk, shoo, fly, shoo,
Fly’s in the buttermilk, shoo, fly, shoo,
Skip to my Lou, my darling.
Chorus
Fly’s in the sugar bowl, shoo, shoo, shoo,
Fly’s in the sugar bowl, shoo, shoo, shoo,
Fly’s in the sugar bowl, shoo, shoo, shoo,
Skip to my Lou, my darling.
Chorus
Cow’s in the barnyard, moo, moo, moo,
Cow’s in the barnyard, moo, moo, moo,
Cow’s in the barnyard, moo, moo, moo,
Skip to my Lou, my darling.
Chorus
Cat’s in the cream jar, ooh, ooh, ooh,
Cat’s in the cream jar, ooh, ooh, ooh,
Cat’s in the cream jar, ooh, ooh, ooh,
Skip to my Lou, my darling.
Chorus
Off to Texas, two by two,
Off to Texas, two by two,
Off to Texas, two by two,
Skip to my Lou, my darling.
Chorus
Skip to My Lou Music Sheet
