"Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" is a children's song. The song was documented as early as 1961. It is often sung to the tune of " There Is a Tavern in the Town", although it is sometimes sung to the tune of " London Bridge Is Falling Down".

Description

There is generally only one verse with lyrics similar to those below. The second line repeats the first line both in words and in melody, the third line has a rising tone, and the fourth line repeats the first two. Children might dance while they sing the song and touch their head, shoulders, knees, and toes in sequence to the words.

Lyrics

Head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

, shoulders,

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

s and toes, ::knees and toes ::Head, shoulders, knees and toes, ::knees and toes ::And

eye Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...

s and ears and

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

and nose ::Head, shoulders, knees and toes, ::knees and toes. The lyrics can also be sung in reverse, like this: ::Toes, knees and shoulders, head, ::shoulders, head ::Toes, knees and shoulders, head, ::shoulders, head ::And nose and mouth and ears and eyes ::Toes, knees and shoulders, head, ::shoulders, head. Each verse is repeated, with one word being omitted each time, just touching their

body Body may refer to: In science * Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space * Body (biology), the physical material of an organism * Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of anima ...

parts, without actually saying the word. For example: ::Verse 2 ::----, shoulders, knees and toes ::Verse 3 ::----, ----, knees and toes ::Verse 4 ::----, ----, ----, and toes ::Verse 5 ::----, ----, ----, and ---- This pattern continues until all the words are omitted. The last verse consists of no actual singing or singing all lyrics, but sometimes at a much faster tempo. There is a song that was adapted from the traditional; it uses another tune and says, "Eyes and ears", "Chin/Mouth and nose" and suggests touching the body parts as in the traditional song. Another alternative from the traditional starts the line with "Eyes" and includes "chin;" however, it has the words in an order that causes the motions to zig zag. Today there are many derivative songs that similarly teach the vocabulary of body parts. One example, using the same tune, as featured on the '' Kidsongs'' video entitled, "Boppin' with the Biggles" is as follows: :: Feet and tummies arms and chins, :: arms and chins :: Feet and tummies arms and chins, :: arms and chins :: And eyes and ears and mouth and shins :: Feet and tummies arms and chins, :: arms and chins :: Hands and fingers legs and lips, :: legs and lips :: Hands and fingers legs and lips, :: legs and lips :: And eyes and ears and mouth and hips :: Hands and fingers legs and lips, :: legs and lips

References

{{Authority control English folk songs English children's songs Traditional children's songs Singing games