Chapter I: Saw Three Ships Come Sailing by

[Music:

1. I saw three ships come sailing by,
Sailing by, sailing by;
I saw three ships come sailing by
On New Year’s Day in the morning.]

2. And what do you think was in them then, etc.

3. Three pretty girls were in them then, etc.

4. And one could whistle, and one could sing,
The other could play on the violin;
Such joy there was at my wedding
On New Year’s Day in the morning.

CURLY LOCKS.

[Music:

Curly Locks, Curly Locks, wilt thou be mine?
Thou shalt not wash dishes, nor feed the swine;
But sit on a cushion and sew up a seam,
And eat fine strawberries, sugar and cream.
Curly Locks, Curly Locks, wilt thou be mine?
Thou shalt not wash dishes, nor feed the swine.]

LONDON BRIDGE IS BROKEN DOWN.

[Music:

1. London Bridge is broken down,
Dance over my Ladye Lea;
London Bridge is broken down
With a gay ladye!]

2. How shall we build it up again?
Dance over my Ladye Lea!
How shall we build it up again?
With a gay ladye!

3. Silver and gold will be stole away, etc.

4. Build it up with iron and steel, etc.

5. Iron and steel will bend and bow, etc.

6. Build it up with wood and clay, etc.

7. Wood and clay will wash away, etc.

8. Build it up with stone so strong, etc.

LITTLE JUMPING JOAN.

[Music:

Here am I, little jumping Joan,
When nobody’s with me I’m always alone.]

OH! DEAR, WHAT CAN THE MATTER BE?

[Music:

Oh! dear, what can the matter be?
Oh! dear, what can the matter be?
Oh! dear, what can the matter be?
Johnny’s so long at the fair.

He promised to bring me a basket of posies,
A garland of lilies, a garland of roses.
He promised to bring me a bunch of blue ribbons
To tie up my bonny brown hair.

Oh! dear, what can the matter be?
Oh! dear, what can the matter be?
Oh! dear, what can the matter be?
Johnny’s so long at the fair.]

THERE CAME TO MY WINDOW.

[Music:

1. There came to my window one morning in spring
A sweet little robin, she came there to sing;
The tune that she sang it was prettier far
Than any I heard on the flute or guitar.]

2. Her wings she was spreading to soar far away,
Then resting a moment seem’d sweetly to say:—
“Oh happy, how happy the world seems to be,
Awake, little girl, and be happy with me!”

3. But just as she finished her beautiful song,
A thoughtless young man with his gun came along;
He killed and he carried my robin away,
She’ll never sing more at the break of the day.

THE BABES IN THE WOOD.

[Music:

1. My dears, you must know,
That a long time ago,
Two poor little children, Whose names I don’t know,
Were stolen away
On a fine summer’s day,
And left in the wood, as I’ve heard the folk say.
Poor Babes in the Wood!
Poor Babes in the Wood!
Don’t you remember the Babes in the Wood?]

2. And when it was night,
So sad was their plight,
The sun it went down, and the moon gave no light;
They sobb’d and they sigh’d
And they bitterly cried,
And the poor little things they then lay down and died.
Poor Babes in the Wood! etc.

3. And when they were dead,
The robins so red,
Brought strawberry leaves to over them spread,
Then all the day long,
The branches among,
They mournfully whistled, and this was their song:
Poor Babes in the Wood! etc.

SIMPLE SIMON.

[Music:

Simple Simon met a Pieman
Going to the fair;
Said Simple Simon to the Pieman
“Let me taste your ware.”
Said the Pieman unto Simon
“Show me first your penny,”
Said Simple Simon to the Pieman
“Indeed, I have not any.”]

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO, MY PRETTY MAID?

[Music:

1. “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, Sir,” she said.]

2. ||:“May I go with you, my pretty maid?:||
“You’re kindly welcome, Sir,” she said.

3. ||:“What is your fortune, my pretty maid?:||
“My face is my fortune, Sir,” she said.

4. ||:“Then I can’t marry you, my pretty maid?:||
“Nobody asked you, Sir,” she said.

LAZY SHEEP, PRAY TELL ME WHY?

[Music:

Lazy sheep, pray tell me why
In the pleasant field you lie,
Eating grass and daisies white
From the morning till the night?
Ev’rything can something do,
But what kind of use are you?]

2. “Nay, my little master, nay,
Do not serve me so, I pray;
Don’t you see the wool that grows
On my back to make your clothes?
Cold, ah, very cold you’d be
If you had not wool from me.”

THREE MICE WENT INTO A HOLE TO SPIN.

[Music:

1. Three mice went into a hole to spin;
Puss passed by, and Puss looked in;
“What are you doing, my little men?”
“Weaving coats for Gentlemen”
“Please let me help you to wind off your threads;”
“Ah, no, Mistress Pussy, you’d bite off our heads!
Ah, no, Mistress Pussy, you’d bite off our heads!”]

2. Says Puss: “You look so wondrous wise,
I like your whiskers and bright black eyes;
Your house is the nicest house I see,
I think there is room for you and me.”
The mice were so pleased that they opened the door.
And Pussy soon laid them all dead on the floor.
And Pussy soon laid them all dead on the floor.

FOUR-AND-TWENTY TAILORS.

[Music:

Four-and-twenty tailors
Went to kill a snail;
The best man among them
Durst not touch her tail
She put out her horns
Like a little Kyloe cow;
Run, tailors, run!
Or she’ll kill you all e’en now!]

SEE-SAW, MARJORIE DAW.

[Music:

See saw, Marjorie Daw,
Jacky shall have a new master.
Jacky shall have but a penny a day
Because he can’t work any faster.]

THERE WAS A CROOKED MAN.

[Music:

There was a crooked man
And he went a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence
Upon a crooked stile.
He bought a crooked cat
Which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together
In a little crooked house.]

LAVENDER’S BLUE.

[Music:

1. Lavender’s blue, diddle, diddle!
Lavender’s green;
When I am King diddle, diddle!
You shall be Queen.]

2. Call up your men, diddle, diddle!
Set them to work.
Some to the plough, diddle, diddle!
Some to the cart

3. Some to make hay, diddle, diddle!
Some to cut corn;
While you and I, diddle, diddle!
Keep ourselves warm

LITTLE TOM TUCKER.

[Music:

Little Tom Tucker
Sings for his supper;
What shall we give him?
White bread and butter.
How can he cut it
Without e’er a knife?
How can he marry
Without e’er a wife?]

A FROG HE WOULD A-WOOING GO

[Music:

1 A frog he would a wooing go
“Heigh-ho!” said Rowley;
A frog he would a wooing go,
Whether his mother would let him, or no,
With a rowly, powly, gammon and spinach,
“Heigh-ho!” said Anthony Rowley]

Off he set with his opera hat,
“Heigh-ho!” said Rowley;
Off he set with his opera hat,
And on the road he met with a rat,
With a rowly, powly, &c

Soon they arrived at the mouse’s hall,
They gave a loud tap, and they gave a loud call,
With a rowly, powly, &c.

“Pray Mr. Frog will you give us a song?
Let the subject be something that’s not over long,”
With a rowly, powly, &c

“Indeed, Mrs. Mouse!” replied the frog,
“A cold has made me as hoarse as a hog,”
With a rowly, powly, &c

“Since you have caught cold, Mr. Frog,” mousy said,
“I’ll sing you a song that I have just made,”
With a rowly, powly, &c

As they were in glee and merry making
A cat and her kittens came tumbling in
With a rowly, powly, &c.

The cat she seized the rat by the crown
The kittens they pulled the little mouse down,
With a rowly, powly, &c.

This put Mr. Frog in a terrible fright,
He took up his hat and he wished them good-night,
With a rowly, powly, &c

As froggy was crossing it over a brook,
A lily-white duck came and gobbled him up
With a rowly, powly, &c

So here is an end of one, two and three,
“Heigh-ho!” said Rowley;
So here is an end of one, two and three
The rat, the mouse, and the little froggy,
With a rowly, powly, &c.

THE SPIDER AND THE FLY.

[Music:

1. “Will you walk into my parlour?” Said the Spider to the Fly.
“’Tis the prettiest little parlour That ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I have many pretty things to show you when you’re there.”
“Oh, no, no!” said the little Fly. “To ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair, shall ne’er come down again.”

2. I am sure you must be weary, dear! with soaring up so high,
Will you rest up on my little bed?” said the Spider to the Fly;
“There are pretty curtains drawn around, the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest awhile, I’ll snugly tuck you in:”
“Oh, no, no!” said the little Fly, “For I have heard it said,
They never, never wake again who sleep upon your bed.”]

The Spider turned him round about and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly Fly would soon come back again;
So he wove a subtle web in a little corner sly,
And he set his table ready to dine upon the Fly:
Then he came out to his door again and merrily did sing,
“Come hither, hither, pretty Fly with the pearl and silver wing.”

Alas! alas! how very soon this silly little Fly,
Hearing all these flattering speeches came quickly buzzing by;
With gauzy wing she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew,
Thinking only of her crested head and gold and purple hue:
Thinking only of her brilliant wings poor silly thing, at last
Up jumped the wicked Spider and fiercely held her fast!