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Little Robin Redbreast
Traditional song From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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‘Little Robin Redbreast’ is an English language nursery rhyme, chiefly notable as evidence of the way traditional rhymes are changed and edited. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 20612.[1]
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Lyrics
This rhyme is one of the most varied English nursery rhymes, probably because of its crude early version. Common modern versions include:
- Little Robin Redbreast
- Came to visit me;
- This is what he whistled,
- Thank you for my tea.[2]
and:
- Little Robin Redbreast
- Sat upon a tree,
- Up went the Pussy-Cat,
- And down went he;
- Down came Pussy-Cat,
- Away Robin ran,
- Says little Robin Redbreast—
- Catch me if you can.
- Little Robin Redbreast jumped upon a wall,
- Pussy-Cat jumped after him, and almost got a fall.
- Little Robin chirped and sung, and what did pussy say?
- Pussy-Cat said Mew, mew mew,—and Robin jumped away.[3]
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Origins
The earliest versions of this rhyme reveal a more basic humour. The earliest recorded is from Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book (1744), which has the lyric:
- Little Robin Red breast,
- Sitting on a pole,
- Nidde, Noddle, Went his head.
- And poop[4] went his Hole.[2]
By the late eighteenth century the last line was being rendered 'And wag went his tail,' and other variations were used in nineteenth-century children's books, in one of the clearest cases of bowdlerisation in nursery rhymes.[2]
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Fingerplay
The rhyme has been used as a fingerplay. A version from 1920 included instructions with the lyrics:
- Little Robin Redbreast
- Sat upon a rail,
- (Right hand extended in shape of a bird is poised on extended forefinger of left hand.)
- Niddle noddle went his head,
- And waggle went his tail.
- (Little finger of right hand waggles from side to side.)[5]
Notes
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