The Nursery Rhyme Book

Chapter 12

PETER PIPER picked a peck of pickled pepper; A peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked;

[Ill.u.s.tration: Peter Piper]

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper, Where"s the peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked?

[Ill.u.s.tration: Peter Piper]

MATTHEW, Mark, Luke, and John, Guard the bed that I lay on!



Four corners to my bed, Four angels round my head; One to watch, one to pray, And two to bear my soul away!

[Ill.u.s.tration: Decoration]

COME, b.u.t.ter, come, Come, b.u.t.ter, come!

Peter stands at the gate, Waiting for a b.u.t.ter"d cake; Come, b.u.t.ter, come!

[Ill.u.s.tration: Decoration]

BYE, baby bunting, Daddy"s gone a hunting, To get a little hare"s skin To wrap a baby bunting in.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Decoration]

HUSHY baby, my doll, I pray you don"t cry, And I"ll give you some bread and some milk by-and-by; Or perhaps you like custard, or maybe a tart,-- Then to either you"re welcome, with all my whole heart.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Decoration]

DANCE to your daddy, My little babby; Dance to your daddy, My little lamb.

You shall have a fishy, In a little dishy; You shall have a fishy When the boat comes in.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Hush-a-bye, Baby]

HUSH-A-BYE, baby, on the tree top; When the wind blows, the cradle will rock; When the bough bends, the cradle will fall; Down will come baby, bough, cradle, and all.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Decoration]

RABBIT, rabbit, rabbit-pie!

Come, my ladies, come and buy, Else your babies they will cry.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Decoration]

HEY, my kitten, my kitten, And hey, my kitten, my deary!

Such a sweet pet as this Was neither far nor neary.

Here we go up, up, up, And here we go down, down, downy; And here we go backwards and forwards, And here we go round, round, roundy.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Decoration]

YOUNG lambs to sell!

Young lambs to sell!

If I"d as much money as I can tell, I never would cry, Young lambs to sell!

[Ill.u.s.tration: Decoration]

Rock-a-bye, baby, thy cradle is green; Father"s a n.o.bleman, mother"s a queen; And Betty"s a lady, and wears a gold ring; And Johnny"s a drummer, and drums for the king.

[Ill.u.s.tration: To market, to market]

To market, to market, To buy a plum bun; Home again, come again, Market is done.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Decoration]

Hickup, hickup, go away!

Come again another day; Hickup, hickup, when I bake, I"ll give to you a b.u.t.ter-cake.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Decoration]

Hickup, snicup, Rise up, right up, Three drops in the cup Are good for the hiccup.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Decoration]

Swan swam over the sea-- Swim, swan, swim, Swan swam back again, Well swam swan.

[Ill.u.s.tration: GAFFERS & GAMMERS]

[Ill.u.s.tration: There was an old woman]

THERE was an old woman Lived under a hill, And if she"s not gone She lives there still.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Decoration]

THERE was an old woman, as I"ve heard tell, She went to market her eggs for to sell; She went to market all on a market-day, And she fell asleep on the king"s highway.

There came by a pedlar whose name was Stout; He cut her petticoats all round about; He cut her petticoats up to the knees, Which made the old woman to shiver and freeze.

When this little woman first did wake, She began to shiver and she began to shake; She began to wonder and she began to cry, "Oh! deary, deary me, this is none of I!

"But if it be I, as I do hope it be, I"ve a little dog at home, and he"ll know me; If it be I, he"ll wag his little tail, And if it be not I, he"ll loudly bark and wail."

Home went the little woman all in the dark; Up got the little dog, and he began to bark; He began to bark, so she began to cry, "Oh! deary, deary me, this is none of I!"

[Ill.u.s.tration: Decoration]

"OLD woman, old woman, shall we go a shearing?"

"Speak a little louder, sir, I am very thick of hearing."

"Old woman, old woman, shall I love you dearly?"