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Solomon Grundy

Traditional (Mother Goose) · 1916

Catalog grade guidance: K–5 — Days-of-week life rhyme.

180 content lines · 954 words · Est. recitation about 10 min 4 sec (approx.)

Public-domain text for reading and recitation practice. Source: Project Gutenberg #10607.Estimated time uses ~120 words/minute plus short pauses—not a contest rule.

Of Solomon Grundy.


HUSH-A-BYE

Hush-a-bye, baby, on the tree top!
When the wind blows the cradle will rock;
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall;
Down will come baby, bough, cradle and all.


BURNIE BEE

Burnie bee, burnie bee,
Tell me when your wedding be?
If it be to-morrow day,
Take your wings and fly away.


THREE WISE MEN OF GOTHAM

Three wise men of Gotham
Went to sea in a bowl;
If the bowl had been stronger
My song had been longer.


THE HUNTER OF REIGATE

A man went a-hunting at Reigate,
And wished to leap over a high gate.
  Says the owner, "Go round,
  With your gun and your hound,
For you never shall leap over my gate."


LITTLE POLLY FLINDERS

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.


RIDE AWAY, RIDE AWAY

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.


PIPPEN HILL

As I was going up Pippen Hill,
    Pippen Hill was dirty;
There I met a pretty Miss,
    And she dropped me a curtsy.

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


PUSSY-CAT AND QUEEN

"Pussy-cat, pussy-cat,
    Where have you been?"
"I've been to London
    To look at the Queen."

"Pussy-cat, pussy-cat,
    What did you there?"
"I frightened a little mouse
    Under the chair."


THE WINDS

Mister East gave a feast;
Mister North laid the cloth;
Mister West did his best;
Mister South burnt his mouth
Eating cold potato.


CLAP HANDIES

    Clap, clap handies,
Mammie's wee, wee ain;
    Clap, clap handies,
Daddie's comin' hame,
Hame till his bonny wee bit laddie;
    Clap, clap handies,
    My wee, wee ain.


CHRISTMAS

Christmas comes but once a year,
And when it comes it brings good cheer.


ELIZABETH

Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess,
They all went together to seek a bird's nest;
They found a bird's nest with five eggs in,
They all took one, and left four in.


JUST LIKE ME

"I went up one pair of stairs."
    "Just like me."

"I went up two pairs of stairs."
    "Just like me."

"I went into a room."
    "Just like me."

"I looked out of a window."
    "Just like me."

"And there I saw a monkey."
    "Just like me."


PLAY DAYS

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


HEIGH-HO, THE CARRION CROW

A carrion crow sat on an oak,
    Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,
Watching a tailor shape his cloak;
    Sing heigh-ho, the carrion crow,
    Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do!

Wife, bring me my old bent bow,
    Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,
That I may shoot yon carrion crow;
    Sing heigh-ho, the carrion crow,
    Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do!

The tailor he shot, and missed his mark,
    Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do!
And shot his own sow quite through the heart;
    Sing heigh-ho, the carrion crow,
    Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do!

Wife! bring brandy in a spoon,
    Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do!
For our old sow is in a swoon;
    Sing heigh-ho, the carrion crow,
    Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do!


ABC

Great A, little a,
  Bouncing B!
The cat's in the cupboard,
  And can't see me.


A NEEDLE AND THREAD

Old Mother Twitchett had but one eye,
And a long tail which she let fly;
And every time she went through a gap,
A bit of her tail she left in a trap.


BANBURY CROSS

Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,
To see an old lady upon a white horse.
Rings on her fingers, and bells on her toes,
She shall have music wherever she goes.


THE MAN IN OUR TOWN

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


GEORGY PORGY

Georgy Porgy, pudding and pie,
Kissed the girls and made them cry.
When the boys came out to play,
Georgy Porgy ran away.


FOR EVERY EVIL

For every evil under the sun
There is a remedy or there is none.
If there be one, seek till you find it;
If there be none, never mind it.


CUSHY COW

Cushy cow, bonny, let down thy milk,
And I will give thee a gown of silk;
A gown of silk and a silver tee,
If thou wilt let down thy milk to me.


WEE WILLIE WINKIE

Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Upstairs and downstairs, in his nightgown;
Rapping at the window, crying through the lock,
"Are the children in their beds? Now it's eight o'clock."


ABOUT THE BUSH

About the bush, Willie,
    About the beehive,
About the bush, Willie,
    I'll meet thee alive.


SEE-SAW

See-saw, Margery Daw,
Sold her bed and lay upon straw.


ROBIN-A-BOBBIN

Robin-a-Bobbin
Bent his bow,
Shot at a pigeon,
And killed a crow.


JOHN SMITH

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


SIMPLE SIMON