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This Old ManThis
Old Man is a traditional English nursery rhyme. It's easy to remember:
the verses repeat, except for the increasing number and its
rhyming word.
It's a lot of fun to sing, and growing up, kids love to invent new words rhyming with the numbers. Sung softly, it works well as a lullaby exactly because of the repetition. As with most traditional lullabies and nursery rhymes, the true origin is not well known. The oldest traces go back to Wales in the late 19th century. Interesting note: in the US, paddy-whack is often replaced by patty-whack. The reason is that paddywhack used to refer to "an angry Irish man" and could be interpreted as racist. [1] This old man, he played one
He played knick-knack on my thumb With a knick-knack, paddy whack Give your dog a bone This old man came rolling home. This old man, he played two He played knick-knack on my shoe With a knick-knack, paddy whack Give your dog a bone This old man came rolling home This old man, he played three He played knick-knack on my knee With a knick-knack, paddy whack Give your dog a bone This old man came rolling home This old man, he played four He played knick-knack on my door With a knick-knack, paddy whack Give your dog a bone This old man came rolling home This old man, he played five He played knick-knack on my hive With a knick-knack, paddy whack Give your dog a bone This old man came rolling home This old man, he played six He played knick-knack with some sticks With a knick-knack, paddy whack Give your dog a bone This old man came rolling home This old man, he played seven He played knick-knack up in heaven With a knick-knack, paddy whack Give your dog a bone This old man came rolling home This old man, he played eight He played knick-knack on my gate With a knick-knack, paddy whack Give your dog a bone This old man came rolling home This old man, he played nine He played knick-knack on my spine With a knick-knack, paddy whack Give your dog a bone This old man came rolling home This old man, he played ten He played knick-knack now and then With a knick-knack, paddy whack Give your dog a bone This old man came rolling home [1] A History of Cant and Slang Dictionaries J. Coleman, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004 Return from This Old Man to Lullaby Lyrics Return from This Old Man to Baby Sleep Advice Home
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