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My Mother Goose pages:
Mother Goose favorites
- a personal selection.
Mother Goose differences
- a look at how the same rhyme can vary.
(You are HERE.)
Mother Goose modernized
- a look at some rhymes touched up for kids of today.
Mother Goose rarities
- appearing for the first time on the world-wide web!
Mother Goose and the Beatles
- not to mention Bob Dylan and miscellaneous popsters.
Mother Goose in classic literature
- Edgar Allan Poe, Washington Irving, Winnie the Pooh, et al.
Mother Goose glossary
- compare your vocabulary with a three-year-old's.
Mother Goose first lines
- a huge index.
Part of the fun of Mother Goose, for me, is comparing alternate versions of the same rhyme. It's actually kind of hard to find two published versions of the same rhyme which are identical in every respect from beginning to end. You may have noticed this already in my page of Mother Goose favorites. For example, I included "Mistress Mary, quite contrary...", which I think is a touch nicer than the more familiar "Mary, Mary..." A sidelight of my big Mother Goose index is that it shows tons of examples of variations right in the opening lines.
What this all says to me is that the old lady is still alive and kicking. The editors of the Mother Goose books, and their consultants, must have all heard slightly different rhymes when they were children, or remember them differently. And that's cool. It wouldn't be the same if there were some big, standardized archive of Mother Goose rhymes out there, and every time a publisher decides to put out a new Mother Goose book he just turns to the archives, pecks a few keys, and downloads the ones he wants.
To fully document the variations would basically involve reprinting all the Mother Goose books ever published in their entirety, but here are a few samples.
***
One, two, buckle my shoe | Three, four shut the door
One, two, buckle my shoe | Three, four open the door
One, two, buckle my shoe | Three, four knock at the door***
Hickory, dickery, dock!
Dickery, dickery, dock!***
Goosey, goosey gander, | Whither shall I wander?
Goosey, goosey gander, | Where dost thou wander?
***
Charley, Charley, stole the barley...
Charlie, Charlie, stole some barley...
Charley Parley stole the barley...***
Little Nancy Etticoat | In a white petticoat...
Little Nanny Etticoat | In a white petticoat...
Little Nannie Netticoat | In a white petticoat...
Little Nancy Etticote | In a white petticoat...***
Girls and boys, come out to play | The moon doth shine as bright as day...
Boys and girls, come out to play | The moon is shining bright as day...***
Little Tom Tucker... How will he be married | Without e'er a wife?
Little Tommy Tucker... How can he marry without a wife?***
From Little Miss Muffet:
There came a big spider, | And sat down beside her...
There came a little spider, | Who sat down beside her...***
From Baa, Baa, Black Sheep:
And one for the little boy | that lives in our lane.
But none for the little boy | Who cries in the lane.***
From Georgie Porgie:
When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgy ran away.
When the girls came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away.***
And what are little boys made of?
Snips and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails.
Snaps and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails.
Snakes and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails.
Slugs and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails.
Frogs and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails.***
How about Rub-a-dub-dub? Which one did you grow up with? If you're like me, you'll be all at sea after scanning these versions in my collection:
Rub-a-dub-dub, three men in a tub,
And who do you think they be?
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker,
And all of them gone to sea.
***
Hey, rub-a-dub-dub, three men in a tub,
And who do you think they were?
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker,
And all had come from the fair.
***
The butcher,
The baker,
The candlestick-maker,
They all went to sea,
In a great big potato.
***
Rub-a-dub-dub,
Three men in a tub;
The butcher, the baker,
The candlestick-maker;
And they all jumped out of a rotten potato.
***
Rub-a-dub-dub, three men in a tub,
And how do you think they got there?
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker,
They all jumped out of a rotten potato,
'Twas enough to make a man stare.
***
Rub-a-dub-dub,
Three men in a tub,
And who do you think they be?
The butcher, the baker,
The candlestick-maker;
Turn 'em out, knaves all three!***
Sometimes, you have the "same" Mother Goose rhyme even though there's hardly two words in a row the same:
"Fire! Fire!" said Mrs. Dyer.
"Where? Where?" said Mrs. Dare.
"Down the town," said Mrs. Brown.
"Any damage?" said Mrs. Gamage.
"None at all," said Mrs. Hall.
vs.
"Fire, fire!" said the town crier;
"Where? where?" said Goody Blair;
"Down the town," said Goody Brown;
"I'll go and see't," said Goody Fleet;
"So will I," said Goody Fry.
***
Elsie Marley has grown so fine,
She won't get up to feed the swine:
She lies in bed till half-past nine!
Lazy Elsie Marley.
vs.
Nancy Dawson was so fine
She wouldn't get up to serve the swine;
She lies in bed till eight or nine,
So it's Oh, poor Nancy Dawson.
***
Two little dicky birds,
Sitting on a wall;
One named Peter,
The other named Paul.
Fly away, Peter!
Fly away, Paul!
Come back, Peter!
Come back, Paul!
vs.
There were two black birds
Sat upon a hill.
The one nam'd Jack,
The other nam'd Gill;
Fly away Jack,
Fly away Gill,
Come again Jack,
Come again, Gill.
This one has a sleight of hand trick to go with it, by the way.
***
On the other hand, you might end up with two completely different rhymes starting with the same first line, such as with the old woman who lived under a hill:
There was an old woman
Lived under a hill;
And if she's not gone,
She lives there still.
***
There was an old woman
Lived under a hill;
She put a mouse in the bag,
And sent it to the mill.
The miller did swear
By the point of his knife,
He never took toll
Of a mouse in his life.***
. . . and with Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son:
Tom, Tom, the piper's son,
Stole a pig, and away he run,
The pig was eat and Tom was beat,
And Tom ran crying down the street
***
Tom, Tom, the piper's son,
He learn'd to play when he was young;
But all the tunes that he could play
Was "Over the hills and far away."
Over the hills and a great way off,
And the wind will blow my top-knot off.Now, Tom with his pipe made such a noise,
That he pleased both the girls and the boys,
And they stopp'd to hear him play
"Over the hills and far away."Tom with his pipe did play with such skill
That those who heard him could never keep still;
Whenever they heard they began for to dance,
Even pigs on their hind legs would after him prance.As Dolly was milking her cow one day,
Tom took out his pipe and began for to play;
So Doll and the cow danced "the Cheshire round,"
Till the pail was broke, and the milk ran on the ground.He met old Dame Trot with a basket of eggs,
He used his pipe and she used her legs;
She danced about till the eggs were all broke,
She began for to fret, but he laughed at the joke.He saw a cross fellow was beating an ass,
Heavy laden with pots, pans, dishes and glass,
He took out his pipe and played them a tune,
And the jackass's load was lightened full soon.***
. . . and with See-saw, Margery Daw:
See-saw, Margery Daw,
Sold her bed and lay upon straw.
***
See-saw, Margery Daw,
Jenny shall have a new master;
She shall have but a penny a day,
Because she can't work any faster.
***
See-saw, Margery Daw,
The old hen flew over the malt-house.
She counted her chickens one by one,
Still she missed the little white one,
And this is it, this is it, this is it!***
That last one sounds pretty weird, doesn't it? Actually, it's for playing with Baby's toes.
The rhyme which runs through The Bells of London provides another example of how differently the same Mother Goose rhyme can be presented. Here are 3 versions. The first two are actually given separately in the same book. One contains a logical exchange about collecting a debt; the other names household items. Together, they contain most of the material which make up the other versions in my collection.
***
Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement's,
You owe me five farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin's,
When will you pay me?
Say the bells of Old Bailey,
When I grow rich,
Say the bells of Shoreditch,
When will that be?
Say the bells of Stepney.
I'm sure I don't know,
Says the big bell at Bow.
Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
Here comes a chopper to chop off your head.
Chip-chop, chip-chop,
Last man's head.
***
Gay go up and gay go down,
Ring the bells of London town,
"Pokers and tongs,"
Say the bells of St. John's;
"Kettles and pans,"
Say the bells of St. Ann's;
"Brickbats and tiles,"
Say the bells of St. Giles.
***
Think of this third version as your "one-stop shopping" for Oranges and Lemons. I started with a version that was already relatively complete and simply tacked on "missing" bells found in the others - see the two couplets after "St. Ann's." The main deviation from above is the "You owe me..." verse.
Gay go up and gay go down,
To ring the bells of London town."Oranges and lemons,"
Say the bells of St. Clement's."You owe me ten shillin's,"
Say the bells of St. Helen's."When will you pay me?"
Say the bells of Old Bailey."When I grow rich,"
Say the bells of Shoreditch."Pray when will that be?"
Say the bells of Stepney."I am sure I don't know."
Says the great bell at Bow."Brickbats and tiles,"
Say the bells of St. Giles'."Halfpence and farthings,"
Say the bells of St. Martin's."Pancakes and fritters,"
Say the bells of St. Peter's."Two sticks and an apple,"
Say the bells of Whitechapel."Pokers and tongs,"
Say the bells of St. John's."Kettles and pans,"
Say the bells of St. Ann's."Bull's eyes and targets,"
Say the bells of St. Marg'ret's."Old Father Baldpate,"
Say the slow bells of Aldgate.Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
Here comes a chopper to chop off your head.
Chip-chop, chip-chop,
Last man's head.
***
Here's one more comparison; I hope that's not overdoing it. This one's kind of sweet and kind of funny. The basic version is just fine, but seems lacking once you've heard the full-blown version.
"Where are you going to, my pretty maid?"
"I'm going a-milking, sir," she said."May I go with you, my pretty maid?"
"You're kindly welcome, sir," she said."What is your father, my pretty maid?"
"My father's a farmer, sir," she said."What is your fortune, my pretty maid?"
"My face is my fortune, sir," she said."Then I cannot marry you, my pretty maid."
"Nobody asked you, sir," she said.***
And now, the grand opera version. If you're just sort of skimming over these, let me direct your attention to the use of the word "kind" below. Nice touch.
Where are you going to,
My pretty maid?
Where are you going to,
My pretty maid?
I'm going a-milking, sir, she said;
Sir, she said; sir, she said;
I'm going a-milking, kind sir, she said.May I go with you,
My pretty maid?
May I go with you,
My pretty maid?
Oh yes, if you wish to, sir, she said;
Sir, she said; sir, she said;
Oh yes, if you wish to, kind sir, she said.What is your father,
My pretty maid?
What is your father,
My pretty maid?
My father's a farmer, sir, she said.
Sir, she said; sir, she said.
My father's a farmer, kind sir, she said.What is your fortune,
My pretty maid?
What is your fortune,
My pretty maid?
My face is my fortune, sir, she said;
Sir, she said; sir, she said;
My face is my fortune, kind sir, she said.Then I cannot marry you,
My pretty maid.
Then I cannot marry you,
My pretty maid.
Well, nobody axed you to, sir, she said;
Sir, she said; sir, she said;
Well, nobody axed you, kind sir, she said.***
Axed??? Sound like prim and proper British English to you?
Even when one version is a clear favorite, I often want to swap in a word or punctuation mark from another. In fact, I did that occasionally on my Mother Goose favorites page. We'll see if any of my little adjustments make their way into an "official" Mother Goose compilation some day.
In one case, I'd like to make a more significant alteration. I kind of like the rhyme, but it always seems to fall short of making a point. Here are the three main variants in my collection:
***
If all the world were water,
And all the water were ink,
What should we do for bread and cheese?
What should we do for drink?
***
If all the world were apple pie,
And all the sea were ink,
And all the trees were bread and cheese,
What should we have for drink?
***
If all the world were paper,
And all the sea were ink,
And all the trees were bread and cheese,
What should we have to drink?***
This is the "new, improved" cut and paste:
If all the world were paper,
And all the sea were ink,
What should we do for bread and cheese?
What should we do for drink?
More balanced now? Make sense? There's a lesson here, kiddies: git yer noses outta yer books! If you waste your life reading and writing such nonsense (Mother Goose web pages, for instance), and never get to work, you're gonna starve!
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