A Little Boy Ran to the End of the Sky Lyrics
A boy runs all the way to the end of the sky carrying a rag, a pole and a gooseberry pie. He cheers for the Fourth of July, tickles three donkeys to hear them bray, and does not come back until Christmas Day. Eight lines with a refrain.
A Little Boy Ran to the End of the Sky
A little boy ran to the end of the sky
With a rag and a pole and a gooseberry pie.
He cried: "Three cheers for the Fourth of July!"
With a rag and a pole and a gooseberry pie.
He saw three little donkeys at play,
He tickled their noses to make them bray,
And he didn't come back until Christmas Day -
With a rag and a pole and a gooseberry pie.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/a-little-boy-ran-to-the-end-of-the-sky/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Leroy F. Jackson
- Tune
- A galloping chant, with the rag, pole and pie line sung out the same each time
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| A little boy ran to the end of the sky | Run on the spot, then stretch both arms up high. |
| He tickled their noses to make them bray | Wiggle your fingers in the air, then say hee-haw. |
| With a rag and a pole and a gooseberry pie | Hold up one finger for each thing: rag, pole, pie. |
What Does A Little Boy Ran to the End of the Sky Mean?
The boy's trip is a tall tale that makes no effort to be believable. The boy runs to the end of the sky, which has no end, and carries three odd things: a rag, a pole and a gooseberry pie. Gooseberries are small, sour green berries that are often baked into pies. At the end of the sky he calls out a cheer for the Fourth of July, the United States' Independence Day, and meets three donkeys. He tickles their noses "to make them bray", which is the loud hee-haw a donkey makes, and he does not come back until Christmas Day, so the trip took months.
The line about the rag, the pole and the pie closes the first verse and the second. Because it is the same, children soon sing it with you. It is also the rhyme word: sky, pie and July all end in the same sound, which makes the whole poem easy to learn.
It is a good one for children who like silly details, because every line adds one more thing that could not happen.
History and Origin
Jackson published this verse in 1918. The cheer for the Fourth of July points to American readers.
The collection it comes from is dedicated to Andrew, Pudge and Bobby, whom the dedication calls the author's first appreciative audience.
Learning Activities
- Pack a bag: choose three odd things to take to the end of the sky and say why.
- Donkey voices: take turns being the donkeys and braying when the boy tickles their noses.
- Draw the end of the sky: draw what the boy might see there, and what the donkeys look like.
- Taste a berry: if you have gooseberries or a similar sour fruit, let the children see and smell one with an adult nearby.