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Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book
''Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song-Book'' is the first extant anthology of English nursery rhymes, published in London in 1744. It contains the oldest printed texts of many well-known and popular rhymes, as well as several that eventually dropped out of the canon of rhymes for children. A copy is held in the British Library. In 2013 a facsimile edition with an introduction by Andrea Immel and Brian Alderson was published by the Cotsen Occasional Press. Publication With the full title of ''Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book Voll.'' ic''II'', this was a sequel to the now lost '' Tommy Thumb's Song Book'', published in London by Mary Cooper in 1744. For many years, it was thought that there was only a single copy in existence, now in the British Library, but in 2001 another copy appeared and was sold for £45,000. As a result, this is the oldest printed collection of English nursery rhymes that is available. Henry Carey's 1725 satire on Ambrose Philips, Namby Pamby, quotes or alludes to some ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nursery Rhyme
A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes. From the mid-16th century nursery rhymes begin to be recorded in English plays, and most popular rhymes date from the 17th and 18th centuries. The first English collections, ''Tommy Thumb's Song Book'' and a sequel, ''Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book'', were published by Mary Cooper (publisher), Mary Cooper in 1744. Publisher John Newbery's stepson, Thomas Carnan, was the first to use the term Mother Goose for nursery rhymes when he published a compilation of English rhymes, ''Mother Goose's Melody, or, Sonnets for the Cradle'' (London, 1780). History Lullabies The oldest children's songs of which we have records are Lullaby, lullabies, intended to help a child fall asleep. Lullabies can be found in every human culture. The English term lullaby i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ladybird Ladybird
"Ladybird! Ladybird!" is the first line of an English-language nursery rhyme that also has German analogues. It is included in the Roud Folk Song Index as number of 16215. The rhyme This traditional verse relates to Coccinellidae, ladybirds, brightly coloured insects commonly viewed as lucky. The English version has been dated to at least 1744, when it appeared in ''Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book, Tommy Thumb's Pretty Songbook'' Vol. 2. The verse has several popular forms, including: :Ladybird, ladybird fly away home, :Your house is on fire and your children are gone, :All except one, and her name is Ann, :And she hid under the baking pan. A shorter, grimmer version concludes: :Your house is on fire, :Your children shall burn! The child who hides may also be named ''Nan'', ''Anne'' and ''Little Anne'' and she has hidden under a "warming pan", "porridge pan", "frying pan" or even a "pudding pan". Alternatively, her name may be ''Aileen'' and her hiding place a "soup tureen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Books
British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, the English language as spoken and written in the United Kingdom or, more broadly, throughout the British Isles * Celtic Britons, an ancient ethno-linguistic group * Brittonic languages, a branch of the Insular Celtic language family (formerly called British) ** Common Brittonic, an ancient language Other uses *''Brit(ish)'', a 2018 memoir by Afua Hirsch *People or things associated with: ** Great Britain, an island ** United Kingdom, a sovereign state ** Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) ** United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922) See also * Terminology of the British Isles * Alternative names for the British * English (other) * Britannic (other) * British Isles * Brit (other) * Briton (d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cock Robin
"Who Killed Cock Robin" is an English nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 494. Lyrics The earliest record of the rhyme is in ''Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book'', published in 1744, which noted only the first four verses. The extended version given below was not printed until c. 1770.I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' (Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), pp. 130–3. :Who killed Cock Robin? :I, said the Sparrow, :with my bow and arrow, :I killed Cock Robin. : :Who saw him die? :I, said the Fly, :with my little teeny eye, :I saw him die. : :Who caught his blood? :I, said the Duck, :it was just my luck, :I caught his blood. : :Who'll make the shroud? :I, said the Beetle, :with my thread and needle, :I'll make the shroud. : :Who'll dig his grave? :I, said the Owl, :with my pick and trowel, :I'll dig his grave. : :Who'll be the parson? :I, said the Rook, :with my little book, :I'll be the parson. : :Who'll be the clerk? :I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
There Was An Old Woman Who Lived Under A Hill
"There was an old woman lived under a hill" is a nursery rhyme which dates back to at least its first known printing in 1714. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 797. Lyrics :There was an old woman lived under the hill, :And if she's not gone she lives there still. :Baked apples she sold, and cranberry pies, :And she's the old woman that never told lies. Origins and development In 1714 these lines: :There was an old woman :Liv'd under a hill, :And if she ben't gone, :She lives there still— appeared as part of a catch in ''The Academy of Complements''. In 1744 these lines appeared by themselves (in a slightly different form) in ''Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book'', the first extant collection of nursery rhymes. One eighteenth-century editor, possibly Oliver Goldsmith, added a note: "This is a self evident Proposition which is the very Essence of Truth. 'She lived under the hill, and if she is not gone she lives there still', Nobody will presume to contradict this." The 1810 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sing A Song Of Sixpence
"Sing a Song of Sixpence" is an English nursery rhyme, perhaps originating in the 18th century. It is listed in the Roud Folk Song Index as number 13191. The sixpence in the rhyme is a British coin that was first minted in 1551. Origins The rhyme's origins are uncertain. References have been inferred in Shakespeare's ''Twelfth Night'' (c. 1602), (), where Sir Toby Belch tells a clown: "Come on; there is sixpence for you: let's have a song" and in Beaumont and Fletcher's 1614 play ''Bonduca'', which contains the line "Whoa, here's a stir now! Sing a song o' sixpence!" In the past it has often been attributed to George Steevens (1736–1800), who used it in a pun at the expense of Poet Laureate Henry James Pye (1745–1813) in 1790, but the first verse had already appeared in print in ''Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book'', published in London around 1744, in the form: Sing a Song of Sixpence, A bag full of Rye, Four and twenty Naughty Boys, Baked in a Pye. The next printed versio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ride A Cock Horse To Banbury Cross
"Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross" is an English language nursery rhyme connected with the English town Banbury in Oxfordshire. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 21143. Lyrics Common modern versions include: Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross, To see a fine lady upon a white horse; Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, And she shall have music wherever she goes. Alternative version: Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross, To buy little Johnny a galloping horse; It trots behind and it ambles before, And Johnny shall ride till he can ride no more. Origins The modern rhyme is the best known of a number of verses beginning with the line "Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross", some of which are recorded earlier. These include a verse printed in ''Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book'' (c. 1744), with the lyrics: Ride a cock-horse To Banbury Cross, To see what Tommy can buy; A penny white loaf, A penny white cake, And a two-penny apple-pie. A reference in 1725 to 'Now on Coc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oranges And Lemons
"Oranges and Lemons" is a traditional English nursery rhyme, folksong, and singing game which refers to the bells of several churches, all within or close to the City of London. It is listed in the Roud Folk Song Index as No 13190. The earliest known printed version appeared c. 1744. Lyrics 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 at Old Bailey. When I grow rich, Say the bells at Shoreditch. When will that be? Say the bells of Stepney. I do not know, Says the great bell at Bow. Here comes a candle to light you to bed, And here comes a chopper to chop off your head! Chip chop chip chop the last man is deadI. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' (Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), pp. 337–8. Alternative versions Gay go up, and gay go down, To ring the bells of London town. Bull's eyes and targets, Say the bells of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mary Mary Quite Contrary
"Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary" is an English nursery rhyme. The rhyme has been seen as having religious and historical significance, but its origins and meaning are disputed. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19626. Lyrics The most common modern version is: Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle shells, And pretty maids all in a row. The oldest known version was first published in ''Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book'' (1744) with the lyrics that are shown here: Mistress Mary, Quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With Silver Bells, And Cockle Shells, And so my garden grows. Several printed versions of the 18th century have the lyrics: Mistress Mary, Quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With Silver Bells, And Cockle Shells, Sing cuckolds all in a row. The last line has the most variation including: Cowslips all in a row ic and With lady bells all in a row. Meaning No proof has been found that the rhyme was known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
London Bridge Is Falling Down
"London Bridge Is Falling Down" (also known as "My Fair Lady" or "London Bridge") is a traditional English nursery rhyme and singing game, which is found in different versions all over the world. It deals with the dilapidation of London Bridge and attempts, realistic or fanciful, to repair it. It may date back to bridge-related rhymes and games of the Late Middle Ages, but the earliest records of the rhyme in English are from the 17th century. The lyrics were first printed in close to their modern form in the mid-18th century and became popular, particularly in Britain and the United States, during the 19th century. The modern melody was first recorded in the late 19th century. It has Roud Folk Song Index number 502. Several explanations have been advanced to explain the meaning of the rhyme and the identity of the "fair lady" of the refrain. The rhyme is well known and has been referenced in a variety of works of literature and popular culture. Lyrics ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Little Tommy Tucker
"Little Tommy Tucker" is an English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19618. Lyrics Common modern versions include: :Little Tommy Tucker ::Sings for his supper. :What shall we give him? ::White bread and butter. :How shall he cut it ::Without a knife? :How will he be married ::Without a wife?I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' (Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), pp. 416–7. Origins According to Peter and Iona Opie, the earliest version of this rhyme appeared in ''Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book'' (c. 1744), which recorded only the first four lines. The full version was included in ''Mother Goose's Melody'' (c. 1765). To 'sing for one's supper' was a proverbial phrase by the seventeenth century. Early in that century, too, possible evidence of the rhyme's prior existence is suggested by the appearance of the line "Tom would eat meat but wants a knife" in ''An excellent new Medley'' (c. 1620), a composite wo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Little Robin Redbreast
‘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. 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. I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' (Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), pp. 371-2. 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. Origins The earliest versions of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
