Frere Jacques

Here are the lyrics to the traditional French nursery rhyme “Frère Jacques”:

French Lyrics: Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?
Sonnez les matines, Sonnez les matines,
Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong.

English Translation: Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
Brother John, Brother John?
Morning bells are ringing, Morning bells are ringing,
Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong.

This song is often sung as a round, where different voices sing the same melody but start at different times.

Yankee Doodle

Here are the modern-day lyrics to “Yankee Doodle,” which are typically sung today:

Verse 1: Yankee Doodle went to town
Riding on a pony,
Stuck a feather in his cap
And called it macaroni.

Chorus: Yankee Doodle, keep it up,
Yankee Doodle dandy,
Mind the music and the step,
And with the girls be handy.

Verse 2: Father and I went down to camp,
Along with Captain Good’in,
And there we saw the men and boys
As thick as hasty puddin’.

(Chorus)

This is the most well-known version today, commonly sung in a simplified form, especially among children. Many of the older verses from the original song are not included in modern renditions.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O,
And on that farm he had a cow,
E-I-E-I-O,
With a moo moo here and a moo moo there,
Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo,
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.

(Repeat with different animals and their sounds.)

And on that farm he had a pig,
E-I-E-I-O,
With an oink oink here and an oink oink there,
Here an oink, there an oink, everywhere an oink oink,
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.

And on that farm he had a duck,
E-I-E-I-O,
With a quack quack here and a quack quack there,
Here a quack, there a quack, everywhere a quack quack,
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.

You can continue with other animals, such as sheep, horses, chickens, etc.

Mary Had a Little Lamb

This rhyme is based on an actual incident in the early 19th century involving a girl named Mary Sawyer and her pet lamb. The poem was written by Sarah Josepha Hale in 1830.

Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow;
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.

He followed her to school one day,
Which was against the rule;
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned it out,
But still it lingered near,
And waited patiently about
Till Mary did appear.

“Why does the lamb love Mary so?”
The eager children cry;
“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,”
The teacher did reply.

Three Blind Mice

This nursery rhyme dates back to at least the early 17th century, and like many traditional rhymes, it has undergone slight variations over time.

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?

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

This simple rhyme is often sung in a round, where different groups of people start singing at different times to create a layered effect.

Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.