A Red Sky at Night Lyrics
An old weather rhyme for shepherds: a red sky in the evening means fine weather tomorrow, and a red sky in the morning means trouble on the way.
A Red Sky at Night
A red sky at night
Is the shepherd's delight.
A red sky in the morning
Is the shepherd's warning.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/a-red-sky-at-night/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken weather rhyme
- Best for ages
- 4 to 10 years
What Does A Red Sky at Night Mean?
Shepherds spent their days outdoors, so they watched the sky closely. In places like Britain, most weather moves from west to east. A red sunset means the sky to the west, where tomorrow's weather comes from, is clear enough for the setting sun to shine through, so fine weather is likely. A red sunrise can mean the clear sky has already passed east and clouds and rain are coming in behind it.
History and Origin
The rhyme comes from The Little Mother Goose (1912), but the saying is far older, and a version of it appears in the Bible. Sailors have their own version: "red sky at night, sailor's delight".
Learning Activities
- Sky watch: look at the sky at sunset and sunrise for a week and check if the rhyme works.
- Weather chart: draw the sky each evening and the weather the next day.
- Sailor's version: say it again with sailor instead of shepherd.