Hickory Dickory Dock
| "Hickory Dickory Dock" | |
|---|---|
 Illustration by William Wallace Denslow, from a 1901 Mother Goose collection | |
| Nursery rhyme | |
| Published | c. 1744 |
| Songwriter(s) | Unknown |
"Hickory Dickory Dock" or "Hickety Dickety Dock" is a popular English-language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 6489.
Lyrics and music[edit]
The most common modern version is:
Hickory, dickory, dock.
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock.
An ant.
Hickory, dickory, dock.
The ant ran up the clock.
The clock struck two,
The ant ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock.
A beaver
Hickory, dickory, dock.
The beaver ran up clock.
The clock struck three,
The beaver ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock.
A frog
Hickory, dickory, dock.
The frog jump up the clock.
The clock struck four,
The frog jump down,
Hickory, dickory, dock.
A fox
Hickory, dickory, dock.
The fox ran up clock.
The clock struck five,
The fox ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock.
A cat
Hickory, dickory, dock.
The cat ran up the clock.
The clock struck six,
The cat ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock.
A dog
Hickory, dickory, dock.
The dog ran up clock.
The clock struck seven,
The dog ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock.
A rabbit
Hickory, dickory, dock.
The rabbit hop up clock.
The clock struck eight,
The rabbit hop down,
Hickory, dickory, dock.[1]
Other variants include "down the mouse ran"[2] or "down the mouse run"[3] or "and down he ran" or "and down he run" in place of "the mouse ran down".
Score[edit]
Origins and meaning[edit]
The earliest recorded version of the rhyme is in Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book, published in London in about 1744, which uses the opening line: 'Hickere, Dickere Dock'.[1] The next recorded version in Mother Goose's Melody (c. 1765), uses 'Dickery, Dickery Dock'.[1]
The rhyme is thought by some commentators to have originated as a counting-out rhyme.[1] Westmorland shepherds in the nineteenth century used the numbers Hevera (8), Devera (9) and Dick (10) which are from the language Cumbric.[1]
The rhyme is thought to have been based on the astronomical clock at Exeter Cathedral. The clock has a small hole in the door below the face for the resident cat to hunt mice.[4]
External Links[edit]
- PDF http://www.kizclub.com/rhymes/hickory/hickorymini.pdf[5]
- Educational and crafts https://www.dltk-teach.com/RHYMES/hickory/index.htm[6]
- Audible books http://www.loyalbooks.com/book/mother-goose-in-prose-by-l-frank-baum[7]
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
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Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
- ^ a b c d e Iona and Peter Opie (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 185–186.
- ^ The American Mercury, Volume 77, p. 105
- ^ "Mother Goose's chimes, rhymes & melodies". H.B. Ashmead. c. 1861. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
- ^ Cathedral Cats. Richard Surman. HarperCollins. 2004
- ^ http://www.kizclub.com/rhymes/hickory/hickorymini.pdf
- ^ https://www.dltk-teach.com/RHYMES/hickory/index.htm
- ^ http://www.loyalbooks.com/book/mother-goose-in-prose-by-l-frank-baum