LIST OF THE RHYMES
Reading edition
Page
A Copper Down a Crack 9
I'm Much Too Big for a Fairy 9
Did You Ever Play Tag with a Tiger? 9
The Blue Song 10
Hippity Hop to Bed 10
Away to the River 11
Our Little Pat 12
The Animal Show 12
Tommy Trimble12
Dickie, Dickie Dexter14
On the Road to Tattletown14
Polly and Peter14
I Went to Town on Monday15
Where Are You Going?16
Christopher Crump17
Pinky, Pinky, Pang18
Tick, Tock18
Under the Willow20
High on the Mantel20
Boots, Boots, Boots21
Butterfly22
Beela By the Sea22
A Matter of Taste23
Tommy, My Son23
Oh, Said the Worm23
Buzzy Brown24
The Wind24
The Hobo Band24
A Beetle on a Broomstraw26
Mule Thoughts26
A Candle, a Candle27
Baxter28
Loddy, Gin, and Ella Zander28
As I Was Going Down the Hill28
A Little Boy Ran to the End of the Sky30
Discretion31
A Beetle Once Sat on a Barberry Twig31
The Thieves32
Upon The Irish Sea32
Duckle, Daisy32
I’ve Got a New Book34
The Carrot and the Rabbit35
Hippy-Hi-Hoppy35
Up on the Garden Gate37
’Most Any Chip37
A Moon Song37
What Makes You Laugh?38
Timmy O’Toole38
A Man Came From Malden39
Baron Batteroff39
Six Little Salmon39
To Carry on the Toot-Toot40
Doubbledoon40
The Party42
I’ve Got a Yellow Puppy43
Doctor McSwattle45
Columbus45
Terrible Tim46
What’s the Use?46
All Aboard for Bombay47
Water47
Old Molly is Lowing48
Snowflakes48
Dippy-Dippy-Davy48
When I’m as Rich as Uncle Claus50
Rinky-Tattle50
Twenty Little Snowflakes51
Slippery Slim51
The Freighter53
No One at Home53
Patters and Tatters53
Crown the King with Carrot Tops54
The Canada Goose54
Hipperty, Clickerty, Clackerty, Bang55
Sonny56
The Stove56
The Thunder Baby58
Hinky, Pinky, Pearly Earl59
Tipsy Tom60
Jolly Jinks60
Transformation60
The Thief Chase62
Somebody62
Consolation 63
The Robin and the Squirrel63
The King Had a Platter63
Rain64
Old Father McNether64
Jerry Was a Joker 64
King Kokem66
Old Missus Skinner67
Oh, Mother69
Cella Ree and Tommy To69
If I Were Richer70
The Army of the Queen70
Romulus70
The Hero72
Pensive Percy72
Moon, O Moon in the Empty Sky73
The Rag-Man75
Whenever I Go Out to Walk75
A Free Show76
Billy Bumpkins76
Blue Flames and Red Flames77
Timothy Grady77
Captain Tickle and his Nickel77
Grandmother Grundy78
Needles and Pins78
A Toe Rime78
Harry Hooker78
Jelly Jake and Butter Bill80
Cut Up a Caper 81
Eat, Eat, Eat83
Hetty Hutton83
A Big, Fat Potato84
A Bundle of Hay85
Peter, Popper86
Old Father Annum86
The Tippany Flower86
Here Comes a Cabbage88
Plenty89
The Runaways89
A Race, A Race to Moscow91
The Salesman91
A Prince from Pepperville91
Boats92
Pretty Things92
Did You Ever?92
Hootem, Tootem, Clear the Track94
Doctor Drake94
Babies95
Twenty Thieves From Albion95
As I Came Out of Grundy Greet96
—B. F. Wright— JINGLE, JINGLE, JACK, A COPPER DOWN A CRACK View larger image
A COPPER DOWN A CRACK
Jingle, jingle, Jack, A copper down a crack. Twenty men and all their wives, With sticks and picks and pocket knives, Digging for their very lives To get the copper back.
I’M MUCH TOO BIG FOR A FAIRY
I’m much too big for a fairy, And much too small for a man, But this is true: Whatever I do, I do it the best I can.
DID YOU EVER PLAY TAG WITH A TIGER?
Did you ever play tag with a tiger, Or ever play boo with a bear; Did you ever put rats in the rain-barrel To give poor old Granny a scare? It’s fun to play tag with a tiger, It’s fun for the bear to say “boo,” But if rats are found in the rain-barrel Old Granny will put you in too.
View larger image
THE BLUE SONG
Hot mush and molasses all in a blue bowl— Eat it, it’s good for you, sonny. ’T will make you grow tall as a telephone pole— Eat it, it’s good for you, sonny. Fresh fish and potatoes all on a blue plate— Eat it up smart now, my sonny. ’T will make you as jolly and fat as Aunt Kate— Eat it up quick now, my sonny. Sweet milk from a nanny-goat in a blue cup— Drink it, it’s good for you, sonny, ’T will fill you, expand you, and help you grow up, And make a real man of you, sonny.
HIPPITY HOP TO BED
O it’s hippity hop to bed! I’d rather sit up instead. But when father says “must,” There’s nothing but just Go hippity hop to bed.
View larger image
View larger image
AWAY TO THE RIVER
Away to the river, away to the wood, While the grasses are green and the berries are good! Where the locusts are scraping their fiddles and bows, And the bees keep a-coming wherever one goes. Oh, it’s off to the river and off to the hills, To the land of the bloodroot and wild daffodils, With a buttercup blossom to color my chin, And a basket of burs to put sandberries in.
View larger image
OUR LITTLE PAT
Our little Pat Was chasing the cat And kicking the kittens about. When mother said “Quit!” He ran off to sit On the top of the woodpile and pout; But a sly little grin Soon slid down his chin And let all the sulkiness out.
THE ANIMAL SHOW
Father and mother and Bobbie will go To see all the sights at the animal show. Where lions and bears Sit on dining room chairs, Where a camel is able To stand on a table, Where monkeys and seals All travel on wheels, And a Zulu baboon Rides a baby balloon. The sooner you’re ready, the sooner we’ll go. Aboard, all aboard, for the Animal Show!
THE ANIMAL SHOW View larger image
TOMMY TRIMBLE
Billy be nimble, Hurry and see Old Tommy Trimble Climbing a tree. He claws with his fingers And digs with his toes. The longer he lingers The slower he goes.
View larger image
DICKIE, DICKIE DEXTER
Dickie, Dickie Dexter Had a wife and vexed her. She put him in a rabbit cage And fed him peppermint and sage— Dickie, Dickie Dexter.
ON THE ROAD TO TATTLETOWN
On the road to Tattletown What is this I see? A pig upon a pedestal, A cabbage up a tree, A rabbit cutting capers With a twenty dollar bill— Now if I don’t get to Tattletown Then no one ever will.
POLLY AND PETER
Polly had some china cows And Peter had a gun. She turned the bossies out to browse, And Peterkin, for fun, Just peppered them with butter beans And blew them all to smithereens. * * * Now what will pretty Polly do For milk and cream and butter too?
I WENT TO TOWN ON MONDAY
I went to town on Monday To buy myself a coat, But on the way I met a man Who traveled with a caravan, And bought a billy-goat. I went to town on Tuesday And bought a fancy vest. I kept the pretty bucklestraps, Buttonholes and pocketflaps, And threw away the rest.
View larger image
I went to town on Thursday To buy a loaf of bread, But when I got there, goodness sakes! The town was full of rattlesnakes— The bakers all were dead.
View larger image
I went to town on Saturday To get myself a wife, But when I saw the lady fair I gnashed my teeth and pulled my hair And scampered for my life.
View larger image
WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
Where are you going, sister Kate? I’m going to swing on the garden gate, And watch the fairy gypsies dance Their tim-tam-tum on the cabbage-plants— The great big one with the purple nose, And the tiny tad with the pinky toes. Where are you going, brother Ben? I’m going to build a tiger-pen. I’ll get iron and steel and ’lectric wire And build it a hundred feet, or higher, And put ten tigers in it too, And a big wildcat, and—mebbe—you.
View larger image
Where are you going, mother mine? I’m going to sit by the old grapevine, And watch the gliding swallow bring Clay for her nest from the meadow spring— Clay and straw and a bit of thread To weave it into a baby’s bed.
View larger image
Where are you going, grandma dear? I’m going, love, where the skies are clear, And the light winds lift the poppy flowers And gather clouds for the summer showers, Where the old folks and the children play On the warm hillside through the livelong day.
CHRISTOPHER CRUMP
Christopher Crump, All in a lump, Sits like a toad on the top of a stump. He stretches and sighs, And blinks with his eyes, Bats at the beetles and fights off the flies.
View larger image
PINKY, PINKY, PANG
A tortoise sat on a slippery limb And played his pinky pang For a dog-fish friend that called on him, And this is what he sang: “Oh, the skies are blue, And I wait for you To come where the willows hang, And dance all night By the white moonlight To my pinky, pinky, pang!”
TICK, TOCK
Tick, tock! Tick, tock! Forty ’leven by the clock. Tick, tock! Tick, tock! Put your ear to Grandpa’s ticker, Like a pancake, only thicker. Tick, tock! Tick, tock! Catch a squirrel in half a minute, Grab a sack and stick him in it. Tick, tock! Tick, tock! Mister Bunny feeds on honey, Tea, and taters—ain’t it funny? Tick, tock! Tick, tock! When he goes to bed at night, Shoves his slippers out of sight; That is why Old Fox, the sinner, Had to go without his dinner. Tick, tock! Tick, tock! So says Grandpa’s clock.
TICK, TOCK! TICK, TOCK! FORTY ’LEVEN BY THE CLOCK View larger image
View larger image
UNDER THE WILLOW
Put down your pillow under the willow, Hang up your hat in the sun, And lie down to snooze as long as you choose, For the plowing and sowing are done. Pick up your pillow from under the willow, And clamber out into the sun. Get a fork and a rake for goodness’ sake, For the harvest time has begun.
HIGH ON THE MANTEL
High on the mantel rose a moan— It came from an idol carved in bone— “Oh, it’s so lonesome here alone, With no one near to love me!” A cautious smile came over the face Of a pensive maid on a Grecian vase “Are you sure,” she said, with charming grace, “There’s no one near to love you?”
View larger image
View larger image
BOOTS, BOOTS, BOOTS
Buster’s got a popper gun, A reg’lar one that shoots, And Teddy’s got an engine With a whistler that toots. But I’ve got something finer yet— A pair of rubber boots. Oh, it’s boots, boots, boots, A pair of rubber boots! I could walk from here to China In a pair of rubber boots.
View larger image
BUTTERFLY
Butterfly, butterfly, Sit on my chin, Your wings are like tinsel, So yellow and thin. Butterfly, butterfly, Give me a kiss; If you give me a dozen There’s nothing amiss. Butterfly, butterfly, Off to the flowers,— Wee, soulless sprite Of the long summer hours.
BEELA BY THE SEA
Catch a floater, catch an eel, Catch a lazy whale, Catch an oyster by the heel And put him in a pail. There’s lots of work for Uncle Ike, Fatty Ford and me All day long and half the night At Beela by the sea.
View larger image
A MATTER OF TASTE
“Thank you, dear,” said the big black ant, “I’d like to go home with you now, but I can’t. I have to hurry and milk my cows— The aphid herds on the aster boughs.” And the ladybug said: “No doubt it’s fine, This milk you get from your curious kine, But you know quite well it’s my belief Your cows are best when turned to beef.”
TOMMY, MY SON
“Tommy, my son,” said the old tabby cat, “Go catch us some mice, and be sure that they’re fat. There’s one family lives in the carpenter’s barn; They’ve made them a nest of the old lady’s yarn. But the carpenter has a young cat of his own That is healthy and proud and almost full grown, And consider it, son, an eternal disgrace To come home at night with a scratch on your face.”
View larger image
OH, SAID THE WORM
“Oh,” said the worm, “I’m awfully tired of sitting in the trees; I want to be a butterfly And chase the bumblebees.”
View larger image
BUZZY BROWN
Buzzy Brown came home from town As crazy as a loon, He wore a purple overcoat And sang a Sunday tune. Buzzy Brown came home from town As proud as he could be, He found three doughnuts and a bun A-growing on a tree.
THE WIND
The wind came a-whooping, down Cranberry Hill And stole an umbrella from, Mother Medill. It picked up a paper on Patterson’s place And carried it clean to the Rockaby Race. And what was more shocking and awful than that, It blew the new feather off grandmother’s hat.
THE WIND CAME A-WHOOPING DOWN CRANBERRY HILL View larger image
THE HOBO BAND
The roads are good and the weather’s grand, So I’m off to play in the Hobo Band; With a gaspipe flute and a cowhide drum I’m going to make the music come. With a toot, toot, toot, and a dum, dum, dum, Just hear me make the music come!
View larger image
A BEETLE ON A BROOMSTRAW
A robin and a wren, as they walked along one night, Saw a big brown beetle on a broomstraw. Said the robin to the wren: “What a pretty, pretty sight— That big brown beetle on a broomstraw!” So they got their plates and knives, Their children and their wives, And gobbled up the beetle on the broomstraw.
MULE THOUGHTS
A silly little mule Sat on a milking stool And tried to write a letter to his father. But he couldn’t find the ink, So he said: “I rather think This writing letters home is too much bother.”
View larger image
View larger image
A CANDLE, A CANDLE
A candle, a candle To light me to bed; A pillow, a pillow To tuck up my head. The moon is as sleepy as sleepy can be, The stars are all pointing their fingers at me, And Missus Hop-Robin, way up in her nest, Is rocking her tired little babies to rest. So give me a blanket To tuck up my toes, And a little soft pillow To snuggle my nose.
View larger image
BAXTER
Baxter had a billy-goat Wall-eyed and double jointed. He took him to the barber shop And had his head anointed.
LODDY, GIN, AND ELLA ZANDER
Loddy, Gin, and Ella Zander Rode to market on a gander; Bought a crane for half a dollar; Loddy led him by the collar. Mister Crane said: “Hi there, master, Can’t you make your legs work faster? We can’t poke along this way.” Then he slowly flew away. Loddy held him fast, you bet, And he hasn’t come home yet.
AS I WAS GOING DOWN THE HILL
As I was going down the hill In front of Missus Knapp’s I saw the little Knapperines All in their winter wraps— Purple mitts and mufflers And knitted jersey caps. As I was coming back again In front of Missus Knapp’s I saw that awful lady Give about a dozen slaps To every little Knapperine— I thought it was, perhaps, Because they gathered stickers In their knitted jersey caps.
GOING DOWN THE HILL IN FRONT OF MRS. KNAPP’S View larger image
View larger image
A LITTLE BOY RAN TO THE END OF THE SKY
A little boy ran to the end of the sky With a rag and a pole and a gooseberry pie. He cried: “Three cheers for the Fourth of July!” With a rag and a pole and a gooseberry pie. He saw three little donkeys at play, He tickled their noses to make them bray, And he didn’t come back until Christmas Day— With a rag and a pole and a gooseberry pie.
DISCRETION
A man with a nickel, A sword, and a sickle, A pipe, and a paper of pins Set out for the Niger To capture a tiger— And that’s how my story begins. When he saw the wide ocean, He soon took a notion ’T would be nicer to stay with his friends. So he traded his hat For a tortoise-shell cat— And that’s how the chronicle ends.
View larger image
View larger image
A BEETLE ONCE SAT ON A BARBERRY TWIG
A beetle once sat on a barberry twig, And turned at the crank of a thingum-a-jig. Needles for hornets, nippers for ants, For the bumblebee baby a new pair of pants, For the grizzled old gopher a hat and a wig, The beetle ground out of his thingum-a-jig.
View larger image
THE THIEVES
Tibbitts and Bibbitts and Solomon Sly Ran off one day with a cucumber pie. Tibbitts was tossed by a Kensington cow, Bibbitts was hanged on a brambleweed bough, And poor little Solomon—what do you think? Was drowned one dark night in a bottle of ink.
UPON THE IRISH SEA
Some one told Maria Ann, Maria Ann told me, That kittens ride in coffee cans Upon the Irish Sea. From quiet caves to rolling waves, How jolly it must be To travel in a coffee can Upon the Irish Sea! But when it snows and when it blows, How would you like to be A kitten in a coffee can Upon the Irish Sea?
DUCKLE, DAISY
Duckle, duckle, daisy, Martha must be crazy, She went and made a Christmas cake Of olive oil and gluten-flake, And set it in the sink to bake, Duckle, duckle, daisy.
DUCKLE, DUCKLE, DAISY View larger image
View larger image
I’VE GOT A NEW BOOK
I’ve got a new book from my Grandfather Hyde. It’s skin on the cover and paper inside, And reads about Arabs and horses and slaves, And tells how the Caliph of Bagdad behaves. I’d not take a goat and a dollar beside For the book that I got from my Grandfather Hyde.
THE CARROT AND THE RABBIT
A carrot in a garden And a rabbit in the wood. Said the rabbit, “Beg your pardon, But you’re surely meant for food; Though you’ve started in to harden, You may still be very good.”
HIPPY-HI-HOPPY
Hippy-Hi-Hoppy, the big fat toad, Greeted his friends at a turn of the road. Said he to the snail: “Here’s a ring for your tail If you’ll go into town for my afternoon mail.” Said he to the rat: “I have talked with the cat; And she’ll nab you so quick you won’t know where you’re at.” Said he to the lizard: “I’m really no wizard, But I’ll show you a trick that will tickle your gizzard.” Said he to the lark: “When it gets fairly dark We’ll chase the mosquitoes in Peek-a-Boo Park.” Said he to the owl: “If it were not for your scowl I’d like you as well as most any wild fowl.” Said he to the wren: “You’re tiny, but then I’ll marry you quick, if you’ll only say when.”
View larger image
I’LL TREAT THE CLOWN View larger image
UP ON THE GARDEN GATE
Set me up on the garden gate And put on my Sunday tie; I want to be there With a round-eyed stare When the circus band goes by. Give me a bag of suckerettes And give me a piece of gum, Then I’ll get down And treat the clown, And give the monkey some.
’MOST ANY CHIP
’Most any chip Will do for a ship, If only the cargo be Golden sand From the beautiful land Of far-off Arcady. For faith will waft The tiny craft O’er Fancy’s shining sea.
View larger image
A MOON SONG
Who hung his hat on the moon? The owl in his bubble balloon. One bright summer night He sailed out of sight, And, hooting like Lucifer, hung in delight His three-cornered hat on the moon.
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
“What makes you laugh, my little lass, From morning until noon?” “I saw a dappled donkey Throwing kisses at the moon.”
View larger image
“What makes you cry, my little lass, And get your eyes so red?” “I saw a cruel gardener cut A poor old cabbage head.”
View larger image
“What makes you run, my little lass? You’re almost out of breath.” “A pumpkin made a face at me, And scared me half to death.”
TIMMY O’TOOLE
When Timmy O’Toole Was going to school He picked up a package of gum. He treated the preacher And Sunday-school teacher, And gave a policeman some.
A MAN CAME FROM MALDEN
A man came from Malden to buy a blue goose. And what became of the gander? He went and got tipsy on blackberry juice, And that was the end of the gander.
BARON BATTEROFF
The mighty baron, Batteroff, Raised a whale in a watering trough. When the whale grew large and fat He ate the baron’s brindle cat. But pussy, once inside the whale, Began to tickle with her tail. This the monster could not stand, And spewed her out upon dry land. That night, when all was fine as silk And she had supped her bread and milk, She grinned and told old Batteroff How she got the whale to cough.
SIX LITTLE SALMON
I sing a funny song from away out west, Of six little salmon with their hats on; How they all left home—but I forget the rest— The six little salmon with their hats on.
View larger image
View larger image
TO GARRY ON THE TOOT-TOOT
Oh, I want to go to Garry On the toot-toot, toot-toot, You and I together On the toot-toot, toot-toot. Go run and ask your mother For some kind of cake or other, And a bit of cotton wadding For your ball-suit. Get your bobber and a bat, And be back as quick as scat, For we’ve got to go to Garry On the toot-toot.
DOUBBLEDOON
Bobbin rode a rocking-horse ’Way down to Doubbledoon, He told his little sister He’d be back that afternoon. But maybe after all she didn’t Understand him right, For he wasn’t back again Till the middle of the night. And what did little Bobbin see ’Way down at Doubbledoon? He saw a crazy Arab Throwing bubbles at the moon, A monkey making faces And a rabbit in a rage, A parrot shouting “Murder!” From the ceiling of his cage. At last a yellow jumping-jack, A camel, and a coon, Chased poor little Bobbin All the way from Doubbledoon.
BOBBIN RODE A ROCKING-HORSE TO DOUBBLEDOON View larger image
View larger image
THE PARTY
Billy Bluebird had a party In an elder tree, But the little black-eyed smarty Didn’t ask us to his party Neither you nor me. This is what they had for dinner, For I peeked to see: Apple seeds and beetle finner, And for drink the little sinner Gave them tansy tea. But there came an awful clatter From that elder tree, When he served them on a platter Hopper-hash and brick-dust batter Trimmed with celery! All the folks were hale and hearty, Happy as could be; And that little black-eyed smarty Left out of his funny party Only you and me.
View larger image
View larger image
I’VE GOT A YELLOW PUPPY
I’ve got a yellow puppy, And I’ve got a speckled hen, I’ve got a lot of little Spotted piggies in a pen. I’ve got a gun that used to shoot, Another one that squirts, I’ve got some horehound candy And a pair of woolen shirts. I’ve got a little rubber ball They use for playing golf, And mamma thinks that’s maybe why I’ve got the whooping-cough.
DOCTOR McSWATTLE FILLED UP A BOTTLE View larger image
DOCTOR McSWATTLE
Doctor McSwattle Filled up a bottle With vinegar, varnish, and rum. And offered a swallow To all who would follow The call of his trumpet and drum. It’s good, I am told, For a cough or a cold; It’s good for a pain in your thumb.
COLUMBUS
Columbus sailed over the ocean blue To find the United States. In three small ships he carried his crew, And none of the three were mates. He found a land in the western seas, And Indians galore, With jabbering parrots in the trees, And sharks along the shore.
View larger image
He filled his pockets with sparkling stones And took to the mighty main, With a couple of slaves, some nuts and cones For the glorious king of Spain. Now this is the tale Columbus told, And most of the tale is true, How he crossed the seas, a sailor bold, In fourteen-ninety-two.
View larger image
TERRIBLE TIM
Haven’t you heard of Terrible Tim! Well, don’t you get in the way of him. He eats lions for breakfast And leopards for lunch, And gobbles them down With one terrible crunch. He could mix a whole city All up in a mess, He could drink up a sea Or an ocean, I guess. You’d better be watching for Terrible Tim, And run when you first get your peepers on him.
WHAT’S THE USE?
“What’s the use,” Said the goose, “To swim like a frog, When you go just as far If you float on a log?” “Why should I,” Said the fly, “Suck an old apple-core, When there’s sugar and fruit In the grocery store?” “It’s but right,” Said the kite, “That I follow the wind. What’s a fellow to do If he hasn’t a mind?” “You’ll allow,” Said the cow, “That I’m really no thief, When I turn all the clover I steal, into beef.” “Come again,” Said the hen, “On some other fine day. Don’t think ’cause I cackle I always must lay.”
ALL ABOARD FOR BOMBAY
All aboard for Bombay, All aboard for Rome! Leave your little sisters And your loving aunts at home. Bring a bit of bailing wire, A pocketful of nails, And half a dozen wiener-wursts For every man that sails. Tell Terry Tagg, when you go by, Be sure to bring his dog. All aboard for Bombay On a floating cedar log!
View larger image
View larger image
WATER
There’s water in the rain barrel, And water in the well, There’s lots of water in the pond Where Hannah Hawkins fell. There’s water in the ocean, And water in the skies, And when a fellow blubbers He gets water in his eyes. But in the Barca desert Where the hippodoodles play, The water in the rivers Just dries up and blows away.
OLD MOLLY IS LOWING
Old Molly is lowing and lowing ’Way down in the old meadow lot. I’ve given her water and clover, And all of the apples I’ve got; But she won’t eat a thing that I give her, And never drinks even a sup, For they’ve taken her baby to market And some one has eaten it up. I’d just like to go to the city And cut them all up into halves And feed them to sharks and to lions— Those people that eat little calves.
View larger image
SNOWFLAKES
The snowflakes are falling by ones and by twos; There’s snow on my jacket, and snow on my shoes; There’s snow on the bushes, and snow on the trees— It’s snowing on everything now, if you please.
THE SNOWFLAKES ARE FALLING BY ONES AND BY TWOS View larger image
DIPPY-DIPPY-DAVY
Dippy-Dippy-Davy, Half the Royal Navy In the dampness and the dark Was driving off a savage shark To Dippy-Dippy-Davy.
View larger image
WHEN I’M AS RICH AS UNCLE CLAUS
When I’m as rich as Uncle Claus, With whiskers on my chin, I’m going to have a great big house To put my people in. I’ll never let them wander out Or ride with me to town; They’ll come a-running when I shout And tremble when I frown. I’ll have some men in soldier tents, A pirate and his mate, And wildcats all around the fence, And mad dogs on the gate.
RINKY-TATTLE
Rinky-tattle, rinky-tattle, Rinky-tattle—who? Little Tommy Taylor Is a rinky-tattle too.
View larger image
TWENTY LITTLE SNOWFLAKES
Twenty little snowflakes climbing up a wire. “Now, listen,” said their mother, “don’t you climb up any higher. The sun will surely catch you, and scorch you with his fire.” But the naughty little snowflakes didn’t mind a word she said, Each tried to clamber faster than his fellow just ahead; They thought that they’d be back in time enough to go to bed. But they found out that their mother wasn’t quite the dunce they thought her, The sun bobbed up—remember this, my little son and daughter— And turned those twenty snowflakes into twenty drops of water.
View larger image
SLIPPERY SLIM
Slippery Slim, a garter snake, Leaned against a garden rake And smiled a sentimental smile At Tilly Toad, on the gravel pile, Till that bashful miss was forced to hop And hide her face in a carrot-top.
THROUGH FOG AND RAIN I RUN MY TRAIN View larger image
THE FREIGHTER
Through fog and rain I run my train Wherever the track is laid, And over the road I carry a load Whenever the freight is paid. A kaddy of tea For Genessee, For Troy an empty crate, A man in brown For Uniontown To help them celebrate.
NO ONE AT HOME
No one at home in the hen-house, And no one at home in the barn, Old Brindle has gone to the neighbor’s To borrow a skein of brown yarn, To borrow yarn for the darning Of socks for her wee spotted calf— The little rollicking rascal Has never enough by half. And Speckle is down by the willow Washing her chicks in the lake, While old Daddy Cockle is lying Abed with a bad toothache.
PATTERS AND TATTERS
Patters had a gallant band, An army made of clay. But Tatters took the garden hose And washed them all away.
View larger image
View larger image
CROWN THE KING WITH CARROT TOPS
Crown the king with carrot tops, Dress him in sateen, Give him lots of licorice drops, With suckers in between. For he’s a king with lots of power And awful, awful fierce, He kills a pirate every hour And washes in his tears. He rides a charger ten feet high, A dashing, dappled gray; Has ginger pop and lemon pie For breakfast every day. So get a royal canopy, The finest ever seen, And whiskers for his majesty, And tresses for the queen.
THE CANADA GOOSE
A Canada goose On the South Palouse Is singing her summer song. Her words are wise, And she greets the skies With a voice like a steamer gong: “If you harbor your wealth And keep your health, You’ll always be rich and strong.”
View larger image
HIPPERTY, CLICKERTY, CLACKERTY, BANG
Hipperty, clickerty, clackerty, bang, Get in a corner as fast as you can! The sideboard is tipsy, the table is mad, The chairs have lost all the sense that they had. So hipperty, clickerty, clackerty, bang, Get in a corner as fast as you can!
View larger image
SONNY
A sailor gave his sonny Nearly half a pint of money And sent him out to buy a ton of coal; But he met a poor old miser Who told him it were wiser To bury all his money in a hole. A sailor gave his sonny Nearly half a pint of money And told him he should buy a suit of clothes; But he saw a pretty maiden With all kinds of posies laden, And he gave her all his money for a rose. Then the sailor gave his sonny Nearly half a pint of money To buy a little garden and a house; But he found him the next day, In a shop on Yesler Way, A-buying cheese and crackers for a mouse.
HE GAVE HER ALL HIS MONEY FOR A ROSE View larger image
THE STOVE
A stove is a thing that gets awfully hot, And fries up your meat, or whatever you’ve got. It’s made out of iron and hinges and screws, And filled up with shakers, and dampers, and flues. It’s not very long and it’s not very wide; It’s got black’ning on top and ashes inside.
View larger image
THE THUNDER BABY
Have you heard of the Thunder Baby Way up in the big blue sky? You’ve seen his cradle, maybe, And maybe you’ve heard him cry. Most of the time he’s sleeping, Rolled up in a big white cloud, But when he’s awake and hungry He bellows awfully loud. And when he’s crying, sometimes You can hear his teardrops fall With a patter, patter, patter, Against the garden wall. But when he’s madder’n mischief, He rolls, and growls, and spits, And kicks the clouds all forty ways, And gives the weather fits. Then tears come down in bucketfuls, And children dance for joy, Till the sun comes out and soundly spanks Her Thunder Baby Boy.
View larger image
View larger image
HINKY, PINKY, PEARLY EARL
Hinky, pinky, pearly earl, Twenty nobles and a churl; Some are fat and some are lean, One in red and one in green— Prior, priest, and pearly earl, Twenty nobles and a churl.
View larger image
TIPSY TOM
Tipsy Tom, the naughty fellow, Dressed his wife in pink and yellow, Set her in an apple tree, And said: “Now catch a bumblebee.”
JOLLY JINKS
Jolly Jinks, the sailor man, Went to sea in an oyster can. But he found the water wet, Fishes got into his net, So he pulled his boat to shore And vowed he’d sail the seas no more.
TRANSFORMATION
Auntie Ellen found her poodle— Mercy! Goodness sake!— Playing with the mully-wumps Down along the lake. And when she called him tenderly He didn’t want to come; It took her over half an hour To get the rascal home. She washed him well with shaving-soap, Pumice stone and lye, She showered him and she scoured him And she hung him up to dry. And now he sits there quite serene, The sweetest poodle ever seen.
TRANSFORMATION View larger image
View larger image
THE THIEF CHASE
Bricks and bones! Sticks and stones! I chased a thief through twenty zones. I found his hat On Ararat, And hurried on as quick as scat. In a day or two I found his shoe Where he had sailed for Timbuktu. I met the goat That ate his coat Upon the road to Terre Haute. At last all worn And quite forlorn I chased him up the Matterhorn.
SOMEBODY
Somebody give me a peanut, Somebody give me a pear; I want to go down to the circus And feed all the animals there.
View larger image
CONSOLATION
A dime and a dollar Took me by the collar And whispered this word in my ear: “We must leave you to-morrow, But prithee don’t sorrow, We’ll come back to see you next year.”
THE ROBIN AND THE SQUIRREL
Said the Robin to the Squirrel, “How d’ you do?” Said the Squirrel to the Robin, “How are you?” “Oh, I’ve got some cherry pies, And a half a dozen flies, And a kettle full of beetles on to stew.”
View larger image
Said the Squirrel to the Robin, “How d’ you do?” Said the Robin to the Squirrel, “How are you?” “I’ve a nest that’s nice and neat, And a wife that can’t be beat, And I’m every bit as happy now as you.”
THE KING HAD A PLATTER
The King had a platter Of brisket and batter, The Prince had a Bellington bun, The Queen had a rose To put to her nose As soon as the dinner was done.
View larger image
RAIN
The lightning split the sky in two And set the clouds to leaking Just as dear old Pastor Brown Began his Sunday speaking. He told about the awful rain That fell in Noah’s day, And one by one the happy smiles Began to fade away. In half an hour the people all Put on their rubber coats, And when he finished everyone Was out and building boats.
OLD FATHER McNETHER
Old Father McNether He sorts out the weather And takes what he pleases, I’m told, With a big turkey-feather He mixes the weather, And makes it blow hot and blow cold.
OLD FATHER McNETHER View larger image
JERRY WAS A JOKER
Jerry was a joker. He carried off the poker And dressed it up from head to heel In clover-tops and orange-peel And fed it bones and barley meal. Poor old Rusty Poker!
View larger image
KING KOKEM
King Kokem lay snoozing upon his brass bed— Oh, play an old tune on your fiddle! With shoes on his feet, and a crown on his head— Oh, tune up your rusty old fiddle! He dreamed of a land where the lions were tame, Where they fried their lamb-chops on a griddle, Where they called all the parrots and monkeys by name— Oh, play us a tune on your fiddle! He dreamed of a sea filled with raspberry pop, With a cocoanut isle in the middle, Where the stones and the boulders had icing on top— Go strike up a tune on your fiddle! He dreamed of a sky where the moonbeams all danced While a comet was telling a riddle, Where the stars and the planets and sun-dogs all pranced While the moon played his fiddle de diddle.
View larger image
View larger image
OLD MISSUS SKINNER
Old Missus Skinner Had dumplings for dinner And sat on a very high stool; When she cut thru the hide There was nothing inside, Which I’m sure was not often the rule.
OH MOTHER, OH MOTHER, COME QUICKLY AND SEE View larger image
OH, MOTHER
Oh, Mother, Oh, Mother, Come quickly and see, The house and the farmyard Have gone on a spree. The pig’s in the pantry, The chickens are out, The parrot is perched On the tea kettle spout. And mercy, Oh, mercy, Oh, what shall I do? A rat has run off With my very best shoe.
CELLA REE AND TOMMY TO
Two funny friends that you all know Are Cella Ree and Tommy To. About as queer as friends can be, Are Tommy To and Cella Ree. For hours they sit there grim and stable Side by side upon the table. Tom is red and Cella pale, His blushes are of no avail; She sits, in spite of his endeavor, As firm and undisturbed as ever, A funny pair, you must agree, This Tommy To and Cella Ree.
View larger image
View larger image
IF I WERE RICHER
If I were richer I’d buy a pitcher With scenery on it. ’Jolica ware— Storks here and there, And a funny affair With ladies on it. In half a minute I’d mix up in it A wonderful drink— Peppermint, ice, Lemons and spice— Taste pretty nice, What do you think?
THE ARMY OF THE QUEEN
O the Army of the Queen, The Army of the Queen, Some are dressed in turkey-red And some are dressed in green; A colonel and a captain, A corporal in between, Their guns are filled with powder And their swords are bright and keen; So toot your little trumpet For the Army of the Queen.
TOOT YOUR LITTLE TRUMPET FOR THE ARMY OF THE QUEEN View larger image
ROMULUS
Romulus, Romulus, Father of Rome, Ran off with a wolf And he wouldn’t come home. When he grew up He founded a city With an eagle, a bear, And a tortoise-shell kitty.
View larger image
THE HERO
My dad was a soldier and fought in the wars, My grandfather fought on the sea, And the tales of their daring and valor of course Put the sand and the ginger in me. I’m not scared of tigers or any wild beast, I could fight with a lion all right, I wouldn’t be ’fraid of a bear in the least— Excepting, perhaps, in the night. But sister, she’s skeery as skeery can be, She’s even afraid of the bark of a tree.
PENSIVE PERCY
Percy when a little boy Was quiet as a mouse, He never set the barn afire Nor battered down the house. He used to sit for hours and hours Just gazing at the moon, And feeding little fishes Sarsaparilla from a spoon.
View larger image
View larger image
MOON, O MOON IN THE EMPTY SKY
Moon, O Moon in the empty sky, Why do you swing so low? Pretty moon with the silver ring And the long bright beams where the fairies cling, Where do you always go? I go to the land of the Siamese, Ceylon and the Great Plateau, Over the seas where Sinbad sailed, Where Moses crossed and Pharaoh failed,— There’s where I always go.
RAG-MAN, RAG-MAN, TAGGY, TAGGY, RAG-MAN View larger image
THE RAG-MAN
“Rag-man, rag-man, Taggy, taggy, rag-man, Tell us what you’ve got there in your sack.” “Oh—it’s full of rimes and riddles, Jingles, jokes, and hi-de-diddles— This bundle that I carry on my back.” “O tell us, funny rag-man, Grinny, skinny rag-man, Where did you pick up your funny rimes?” “Some were dancing with corn-flowers, Some were hiding in church-towers, And sprinkled helter-skelter by the chimes.” “Rag-man, rag-man, Nice old taggy rag-man, Sing us just one jingle, tingle song.” “Why, my dears, I’ve got a plenty, Sing you one? I’ll sing you twenty— I’ve been hoping you would ask me all along.”
WHENEVER I GO OUT TO WALK
Whenever I go out to walk, All the geese begin to gawk; And when I start to wander back, All the ducks begin to quack.
View larger image
View larger image
A FREE SHOW
Mister McCune Can whistle a tune, Old Uncle Strong Can sing us a song, Benjamin Biddle Can play on the fiddle, Captain O’Trigg Can dance us a jig, And I, if I’m able, Will tell you a fable.
BILLY BUMPKINS
Heigho, Billy Bumpkins, How d’ you grow your pumpkins? “At six o’clock I sows ’em, At ten o’clock I hoes ’em, An’ jes before I goes to bed I puts ’em in the pumpkin shed.” Tell us, Billy Bumpkins, How d’ you sell your pumpkins? “I lends ’em to the ladies, I gives ’em to the babies, An’ trades a hundred for a kiss To any pretty little miss.”
View larger image
BLUE FLAMES AND RED FLAMES
Blue flames and red flames In a world all dark; Blue flames and red flames, And a tiny spark Hurrying to heaven, lest it should be late; Lest the cautious seraphim close the shining gate, And leave the little wanderer forevermore to fly Like an orphan angel through the endless sky.
TIMOTHY GRADY
Poor little Timothy Grady Screwed up his face at a lady, And, jiminy jack! It wouldn’t come back. The louder he hollered The tighter it grew, His eyes are all red And his lips are all blue. Oh, mercy me, what in the world will he do? Poor little Timothy Grady!
CAPTAIN TICKLE AND HIS NICKEL
Captain Tickle had a nickel In a paper sack, He threw it in the river And he couldn’t get it back. Captain Tickle spent his nickel For a rubber ball, And when he cut it open There was nothing there at all.
View larger image
View larger image
GRANDMOTHER GRUNDY
O Grandmother Grundy, Now what would you say If the katydids carried Your glasses away— Carried them off To the top of the sky And used them to watch The eclipses go by?
NEEDLES AND PINS
Needles and pins, hooks and eyes! I saw a doughnut in the skies. Flipperjinks the circus clown Climbed a tree and got it down.
NEEDLES AND PINS, HOOKS AND EYES! View larger image
A TOE RIME
Tassle is a captain, Tinsel is a mayor, Tony is a baker-boy With ’lasses in his hair, Tipsy is a sailor, With anchors on his chest, And Tiny is the baby boy Who bosses all the rest.
HARRY HOOKER
Harry Hooker had a book And couldn’t find a teacher. But still he managed very well, He climbed a box and rang a bell And turned into a preacher.
View larger image
JELLY JAKE AND BUTTER BILL
View larger image
Jelly Jake and Butter Bill One dark night when all was still Pattered down the long, dark stair, And no one saw the guilty pair; Pushed aside the pantry-door And there found everything galore,— Honey, raisins, orange-peel, Cold chicken aplenty for a meal, Gingerbread enough to fill Two such boys as Jake and Bill. Well, they ate and ate and ate, Gobbled at an awful rate Till I’m sure they soon weighed more Than double what they did before. And then, it’s awful, still it’s true, The floor gave way and they went thru. Filled so full they couldn’t fight. Slowly they sank out of sight. Father, Mother, Cousin Ann, Cook and nurse and furnace man Fished in forty-dozen ways After them, for twenty days; But not a soul has chanced to get A glimpse or glimmer of them yet. And I’m afraid we never will— Poor Jelly Jake and Butter Bill.
View larger image
CUT UP A CAPER
Cut up a caper, You’ve got a paper And I’ve got a widget of string. You be the army And let nothing harm me For I am the captain and king.
View larger image
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A TREAT View larger image
EAT, EAT, EAT
Here come the sweet potatoes And here’s the Sunday meat, I guess we must be ready now To eat, eat, eat. I’m going to have the nicey plate And Daddy’s leather seat, And wear my patent-leather shoes To eat, eat, eat. My Daddy’s talking all about The war, and some old fleet, I wonder if he never, never, Never wants to eat. We’re going to have some apple-cake, We’re going to have a treat. O hurry, hurry, Daddy, Let us eat, eat, eat.
View larger image
HETTY HUTTON
Hetty Hutton, Here’s a button, Sew it on your dress. Willie Waller, Here’s a dollar, Maybe more or less. Mister Shuster, Here’s a rooster, Put him in a pen. Mister Saxon, Get an ax an’ Let him out again.
View larger image
A BIG, FAT POTATO
A big, fat potato lay down on a clod In the shade of some burdock and tall goldenrod, And he dreamed he were king of the whole garden plot, With a palace and throne, and a crown with a lot Of jewels and diamonds and gold till it shone Like the front of a show when the lights are turned on. He had to be minded by all of the plants; When he whistled the radishes knew they must dance; When he tooted his horn the cucumbers must sing To a vegetable crowd gathered round in a ring. He made all the cabbages stand in a row While a sunflower instructed them just how to grow; The bright yellow pumpkins he painted light blue; Took the clothes off the scare-crow and made him buy new. He strutted and sputtered and thought it was grand To be king and commander o’er all the wide land. But at last he woke up with an awful surprise And found a blind mole kicking sand in his eyes.
View larger image
A BUNDLE OF HAY
A bundle of hay From Baffin’s Bay, A johnny-cake from Rome, A man and a mule From Ultima Thule To carry the cargo home.
View larger image
View larger image
PETER, POPPER
Peter, popper, dopper, Dan, Catch a moonbeam if you can; Climb a cedar ten feet high And pick the planets from the sky. You’re a wonder, little man— Peter, popper, dopper, Dan.
OLD FATHER ANNUM
Old Father Annum on New Year’s Day Picked up his bag of months and years, Thrust in his hand in a careless way, And pulled a wee fellow out by the ears. “There you are,” said he to the waiting crowd, “He’s as good as any I have in my pack. I never can tell, but I hope to be proud Of the little rascal when I come back.”
OLD FATHER ANNUM View larger image
THE TIPPANY FLOWER
O what will you take for a tippany flower, And what will you take for a pansy? I’ll take a smile for the tippany flower, And a kiss for the pretty pansy.
View larger image
HERE COMES A CABBAGE
Here comes a cabbage with a bonnet on its head, A pretty purple bonnet with a bow of blue and red; And here comes a bottle with a collar ’round its neck, A handsome linen collar, too, without a spot or speck; Next comes a meat-saw, his job is biting beef, And according to the cleaver he has gold in all his teeth; And last of all there comes along, amid the ringing cheers, A princely Indian corn-stalk with rings in both his ears.
View larger image
PLENTY
There are plenty feathers on a hen And prickers on a rose, There is plenty roaring in a den Of lions, goodness knows; There are plenty fishes in the lake And islands in the sea; There are plenty raisins in this cake For even you and me.
THE RUNAWAYS
A pipe and a spoon and a tenpenny nail Stole a tin dishpan and went for a sail. But the cook he grew curious, Fussy, and furious; Gathered his trappings, and went on their trail. He found them that night in a pitiful plight, And sent them all home on the ten o’clock mail.
View larger image
HI! HI! WHO WILL BUY A WEE LITTLE CLOUD View larger image
THE SALESMAN
Hi! Hi! Who will buy A wee little cloud for the pretty blue sky? Some are purple, some are red, And all are soft as a feather bed. Hi! Little children, won’t any one buy One little cloud for the pretty blue sky?
A RACE, A RACE TO MOSCOW
A race, a race to Moscow, Before the close of day! A race, a race to Moscow, A long, long way! First comes a butterfly a-riding on a frog, Next comes a water rat a-floating on a log; A caterpillar on the fence, a hopper in the hay— Who’ll get to Moscow before the close of day?
View larger image
A PRINCE FROM PEPPERVILLE
A prince came down from Pepperville In satin and in lace, He wore a bonnet on his head And whiskers on his face. And when he came to Battleburg This is what befell: He gave the king and cabinet A half a peanut shell.
View larger image
BOATS
Hitch up your cattle And drive to Seattle To see all the boats come in,— From Kibi and Kobi And Panama Dobi And some from the Islands of Myn. They’re bringing us rices And cocoa and spices And pineapples done up in tin, And maybe Aunt Dinah Will come back from China If ever the boats get in.
PRETTY THINGS
Pretty poppies, Pretty trees, Pretty little lettuce-leaves, Pretty pebbles, Red and brown, Pretty floating thistle-down. Pretty baby, Curly head, Standing in a pansy-bed, Pretty clouds All white and curled— O the great, big pretty world!
PRETTY THINGS View larger image
DID YOU EVER?
Did you ever go to the watering trough And watch the sparrows drink? Did you ever go to Potter’s pond And see the divers sink? Did you ever steal to the barn at night And watch the hoot-owls think?
View larger image
HOOTEM, TOOTEM, CLEAR THE TRACK
Hootem, tootem, clear the track! I caught a coon on Kamiak! Colonel Clapp and Uncle Rome Have hired a hack to bring it home.
DOCTOR DRAKE
On a hummock by the lake Stands the home of Doctor Drake, Poor old doctor, how he works! Week by week he never shirks— Pulling teeth for guinea-fowl, Soothing puppies when they howl, Whittling out a hickory peg For a gander’s broken leg, Giving medicine away About a hundred times a day, Linseed oil and elder-bark To a croaking meadowlark, Nasty, bitter yarrow-tea To a tipsy bumble-bee, A poultice made of plantain leaves To cure a rabbit with the heaves. Fever, colic, cramp, or stitch, Kitten-croup or beaver’s-itch, Any kind of pain or ache Is cured by dear, old Doctor Drake.
View larger image
BABIES
Come to the land where the babies grow, Like flowers in the green, green grass. Tiny babes that swing and crow Whenever the warm winds pass, And laugh at their own bright eyes aglow In a fairy looking-glass. Come to the sea where the babies sail In ships of shining pearl, Borne to the west by a golden gale Of sun-beams all awhirl; And perhaps a baby brother will sail To you, my little girl.
TWENTY THIEVES FROM ALBION
Twenty thieves from Albion, All with butcher knives, Coming on the dead run, Fighting for their lives. See the man from our town. In a fancy vest, Knocking all the big ones down, Chasing all the rest.
View larger image
View larger image
AS I CAME OUT OF GRUNDY GREET
As I came out of Grundy Greet Four cats were marching down the street One was long and gray and thin With lots of whiskers on his chin, And one was round and sleek and fat (He must have been a butcher’s cat). One was dapper, slight, and frail, With bells and tassels on his tail, And one had starey yellow eyes Almost as big as pumpkin pies. These four came marching down the street As I came out of Grundy Greet.
View larger image
