"Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake, Baker’s Man", "Pat-a-Cake", "Patty-cake" or "Pattycake" is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 6486.

Verse

:Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man. :Bake me a cake as fast as you can :Roll it, pat it, and mark it with a B :Throw it in the oven for Baby and me. I. Opie and P. Opie,
The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes
' (Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), pp. 341–2. .

Origins

The earliest recorded version of the rhyme appears in

Thomas D'Urfey Thomas d'Urfey (a.k.a. Tom Durfey; 165326 February 1723) was an English writer and wit. He wrote plays, songs, jokes, and poems. He was an important innovator and contributor in the evolution of the ballad opera. Life D'Urfey was born in Devonsh ...

's play ''The Campaigners'' from 1698, where a nurse says to her charges: ...and pat a cake Bakers man, so I will master as I can, and prick it, and prick it, and prick it, and prick it, and prick it, and throw't into the Oven. The next appearance is in ''Mother Goose's Melody'' (c. 1765) in the form: :Patty Cake, Patty Cake, :Baker's Man; :That I will Master, :As fast as I can; :Pat it and prick it, :And mark it with a T, :And there will be enough for Tommy and me. Marking pastry or baked goods with an identifiable mark may stem from a time when households without an oven of their own could take their items to a local baker or bake house, paying to have their items finished for a small fee. Marking the pastry would have been a way to ensure the return of the proper item. The earliest version set to music appears in

James Hook James Hook may refer to: * Captain Hook, the villain of J. M. Barrie's play and novel ''Peter Pan'' * James Hook (composer) (1746–1827), English composer and organist * James Hook (priest) (1771–1828), English priest, Dean of Worcester * Jame ...

's "A Christmas Box" (1796).

Game

The rhyme often accompanies a

clapping game A clapping game (or hand game) is a type of usually cooperative (i.e., non-competitive) game which is generally played by two players and involves clapping as a rhythmic accompaniment to a singing game or reciting of a rhyme, often nursery rh ...

between two people. It alternates between a normal individual clap by one person with two-handed claps with the other person. The hands may be crossed as well. This allows for a possibly complex sequence of clapping that must be coordinated between the two. If told by a parent to a child, the "B" and "baby" in the last two lines are sometimes replaced by the child's first initial and

first name First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

. The "pat-a-cake" song and clapping game was used by

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

and Bing Crosby in their series of "

Road to ''Road to ...'' is a series of seven comedy films starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour. They are also often referred to as the "''Road''" pictures or the "''Road''" series. The movies were a combination of adventure, comedy, ...

" films as a means of distraction. The gag worked by means of adding a synchronised punch into the clapping game routine, allowing them to make their escape.''The "Road..." Films of Hope, Crosby and Lamour''
/ref>

References

{{Hand games Clapping games English children's songs English folk songs English nursery rhymes Children's games Songs about occupations Songwriter unknown Year of song unknown

Verse

Origins

Game

See also

References