Mother Goose


General Information


Dear readers,

Mother Goose as Nursery Rhymes by Various Authors was published probably in 1780.

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Because of the website design, I've grouped the rhymes into 22 sections.



K. C. Lee
Story Collector
May 12, 2011

From Project Gutenberg: This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net.


















Hark! Hark! The Dogs Bark




Hark! hark! the dogs bark,

The beggars are coming to town;

Some in rags and some in tags,

And some in a silken gown.

Some gave them white bread,

And some gave them brown,

And some gave them a good horse-whip,

And sent them out of the town.



Little Jack Horner sat in the corner





Little Jack Horner sat in the corner,

Eating a Christmas pie;

He put in his thumb, and pulled out a plum,

And said, oh! what a good boy am I.

There Was An Old Woman




There was an old woman

Lived under a hill;

And if she's not gone,

She lives there still.



Diddlty, Diddlty, Dumpty





Diddlty, diddlty, dumpty,

The cat ran up the plum tree,

Give her a plum, and down she'll come,

Diddlty, diddlty, dumpty.

We're All Jolly Boys




We're all jolly boys, and we're coming with a noise,

Our stockings shall be made

Of the finest silk,

And our tails shall trail the ground.



To Market, To Market





To market, to market, to buy a plum cake,

Home again, home again, market is late;

To market, to market, to buy a plum bun,

Home again, home again, market is done.

Elsie Marley Has Grown So Fine




Elsie Marley has grown so fine,

She won't get up to serve the swine;

But lies in bed till eight or nine,

And surely she does take her time.



Daffy-Down-Dilly





Daffy-down-dilly has come up to town,

In a yellow petticoat and a green gown.

Jack Sprat Could Eat No Fat




Jack Sprat could eat no fat,

His wife could eat no lean;

And so between them both,

They licked the platter clean.



Daffy-Down-Dilly





Lucy Locket, lost her pocket,

Kitty Fisher found it;

There was not a penny in it,

But a ribbon round it.

Cross Patch, Lift The Latch




Cross Patch, lift the latch,

Sit by the fire and spin;

Take a cup, and drink it up,

Then call your neighbours in.



Johnny Shall Have A New Bonnet





Johnny shall have a new bonnet,

And Johnny shall go to the fair;

And Johnny shall have a blue ribbon,

To tie up his bonny brown hair.

There Was A Little Boy




There was a little boy and a little girl

Lived in an alley;

Says the little boy to the little girl,

"Shall I, oh, shall I?"

Says the little girl to the little boy,

"What shall we do?"

Says the little boy to the little girl,

"I will kiss you!"



Draw A Pail Of Water





Draw a pail of water,

For my lady's daughter;

My father's a king, and my mother's a queen,

My two little sisters are dressed in green,

Stamping grass and parsley,

Marigold leaves and daisies.

One rush! two rush!

Pray thee, fine lady, come under my bush.

Jack And Jill




Jack and Jill

Went up the hill,

To fetch a pail of water;

Jack fell down

And broke his crown,

And Jill came tumbling after.



Little Bo-Peep





Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,

And can't tell where to find them;

Leave them alone, and they'll come home,

And bring their tails behind them.

Polly Put The Kettle On




Polly put the kettle on,

Polly put the kettle on,

Polly put the kettle on,

We'll all have tea.

Sukey take it off again,

Sukey take it off again,

Sukey take it off again,

They're all gone away.



Little Tommy Tittlemouse





Little Tommy Tittlemouse,

Lived in a little house;

He caught fishes

In other men's ditches.

Tell Tale Tit




Tell Tale Tit,

Your tongue shall be slit;

And all the dogs in the town

Shall have a little bit.



Goosey, Goosey, Gander





Goosey, goosey, gander,

Where shall I wander?

Up stairs, down stairs,

And in my lady's chamber:

There I met an old man,

Who would not say his prayers;

Take him by the left leg,

Throw him down the stairs.

Willy Boy, Willy Boy




Willy boy, Willy boy, where are you going?

I will go with you, if I may.

I'm going to the meadow to see them a mowing,

I'm going to help them make the hay.



Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary





Mary, Mary, quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells, and cockle shells,

And cowslips all of a row.

Bonny Lass, Pretty Lass




Bonny lass, pretty lass, wilt thou be mine?

Thou shall not wash dishes,

Nor yet serve the swine;

Thou shalt sit on a cushion, and sew a fine seam,

And thou shalt eat strawberries, sugar, and cream!



A Dillar, A Dollar





A dillar, a dollar,

A ten o'clock scholar;

What makes you come so soon?

You used to come at ten o'clock,

But now you come at noon!

Little Betty Blue




Little Betty Blue,

Lost her holiday shoe.

What will poor Betty do?

Why, give her another,

To match the other,

And then she will walk in two.



Billy Boy Blue





Billy boy blue, come blow me your horn,

The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn;

Is that the way you mind your sheep,

Under the haycock fast asleep!

Girls And Boys Come Out To Play




Girls and boys come out to play,

The moon it shines as bright as day;

Leave your supper, and leave your sleep,

And come to your playmates in the street;

Come with a whoop, come with a call,

Come with a good will, or come not at all;

Up the ladder and down the wall,

A halfpenny loaf will serve us all.



Here Am I, Little Jumping Joan





Here am I, little jumping Joan,

When nobody's with me,

I'm always alone.

Ride A Cock-Horse




Ride a cock-horse,

To Banbury-cross,

To see little Johnny

Get on a white horse.



Rock-A-Bye Baby





Rock-a-bye baby,

Thy cradle is green;

Father's a nobleman,

Mother's a queen.

And Betty's a lady,

And wears a gold ring;

And Johnny's a drummer,

And drums for the king.

Little Tom Tucker




Little Tom Tucker,

He sang for his supper.

What did he sing for?

Why, white bread and butter.

How can I cut it without a knife?

How can I marry without a wife?



Little Miss Muffet





Little Miss Muffet,

Sat on a tuffet,

Eating some curds and whey;

There came a great spider,

And sat down beside her,

And frightened Miss Muffet away.

Humpty Dumpty Sat On A Wall




Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.



See-Saw-Jack In The Hedge





See-Saw-Jack in the hedge,

Which is the way to London Bridge?

Little Lad, Little Lad




Little lad, little lad,

Where wast thou born?

Far off in Lancashire,

Under a thorn;

Where they sup sour milk

From a ram's horn.



As I Was Going Up Pippin Hill





As I was going up Pippin Hill,

Pippin Hill was dirty;

There I met a sweet pretty lass,

And she dropped me a curtsey.

Little Maid, Little Maid




Little maid, little maid,

Whither goest thou?

Down in the meadow

To milk my cow.



My Mother, And Your Mother





My mother, and your mother,

Went over the way;

Said my mother, to your mother,

"It's chop-a-nose day."

All Around The Green Gravel




All around the green gravel,

The grass grows so green,

And all the pretty maids are fit to be seen;

Wash them in milk,

Dress them in silk,

And the first to go down shall be married.



One Foot Up





One foot up, the other foot down,

That's the way to London town.

Georgie Peorgie, Pudding And Pie




Georgie Peorgie, pudding and pie,

Kissed the girls and made them cry;

When the girls begin to play,

Georgie Peorgie runs away.



As Tommy Snooks





As Tommy Snooks, and Bessie Brooks

Were walking out one Sunday;

Says Tommy Snooks to Bessie Brooks,

"To-morrow--will be Monday."

Tom, Tom, The Piper's Son




Tom, Tom, the piper's son,

He learnt to play when he was young,

He with his pipe made such a noise,

That he pleased all the girls and boys.



Ring-A-Ring-A-Roses





Ring-a-ring-a-roses,

A pocket full of posies;

Hush! hush! hush! hush!

We're all tumbled down.




(End)