Aiken Drum Lyrics
He lives in the moon, plays a ladle for a banjo and dresses entirely in food. Aiken Drum is a Scottish song that invites children to make up new verses about what he wears.
Aiken Drum
There was a man lived in the moon, lived in the moon, lived in the moon,
There was a man lived in the moon,
And his name was Aiken Drum,
And he played upon a ladle, a ladle, a ladle,
And he played upon a ladle,
And his name was Aiken Drum.
And his hat was made of good cream cheese,
And his name was Aiken Drum.
And his coat was made of good roast beef,
And his name was Aiken Drum.
And his buttons were made of penny loaves,
And his name was Aiken Drum.
His waistcoat was made of crust of pies,
And his name was Aiken Drum.
His breeches were made of haggis bags,
And his name was Aiken Drum.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/aiken-drum/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Traditional Scottish tune
- Best for ages
- 2 to 8 years
What Does Aiken Drum Mean?
Each verse describes one piece of Aiken Drum's outfit, and every piece is something to eat: a hat of cream cheese, a coat of roast beef, buttons of little loaves, a waistcoat of pie crust and breeches (trousers) of haggis bags. Haggis is a Scottish savory pudding. A ladle is a big serving spoon, which makes a very strange musical instrument.
History and Origin
This version is from Walter Crane's The Baby's Bouquet (1878), a picture book of songs with music. Older versions go on to a second man, Willy Wood, who eats up all of Aiken Drum's clothes. Most children today sing only the Aiken Drum verses and add their own, so the song keeps changing from classroom to classroom.
Learning Activities
- Draw Aiken Drum: sketch a big round moon face and add each piece of food clothing as you sing the verses.
- New verses: ask what his shoes or scarf are made of. Spaghetti hair and pizza shoes are common answers.
- Kitchen band: play along with a wooden spoon and a pan, the ladle's modern cousins.
- Food sort: talk about which foods in the song your child has eaten and which are new.