Baa Baa Black Sheep Lyrics
Sung to the same tune as Twinkle Twinkle and the Alphabet Song, Baa Baa Black Sheep is often the first rhyme toddlers can get all the way through. It was printed around 1744.
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full;
One for the master,
One for the dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.
The older wording (The Real Mother Goose, 1916)
Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, marry, have I,
Three bags full;
One for my master,
One for my dame,
But none for the little boy
Who cries in the lane.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/baa-baa-black-sheep/
- Type
- Animal Rhymes, Mother Goose
- First published
- c. 1744
- Tune
- Ah! vous dirai-je, maman (same as Twinkle Twinkle)
- Best for ages
- 1 to 5 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Baa, baa, black sheep | Put your hands on your head like curly sheep ears. |
| Have you any wool? | Hold out your hands with palms up, asking. |
| Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full | Nod your head, then hold up three fingers. |
| One for the master, one for the dame | Pretend to hand out a bag to one side, then the other. |
| And one for the little boy who lives down the lane | Point far away down the road, then wave. |
What Does Baa Baa Black Sheep Mean?
The rhyme is a simple conversation with a sheep, who happily shares its wool with three people. Black sheep were less common than white ones, and their wool could be used without dyeing.
Some people link the rhyme to a medieval tax on wool, and in the 1980s a few people claimed it was about race. Historians have found nothing to support either idea.
History and Origin
Baa Baa Black Sheep was first printed around 1744 in Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book, one of the earliest English nursery rhyme collections. The older text, shown below, has the sheep answer "Yes, marry, have I", an old expression of agreement.
It shares its melody with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and the Alphabet Song, all sung to the 18th-century French tune Ah! vous dirai-je, maman.
Learning Activities
- Same tune game: sing Baa Baa Black Sheep, then Twinkle Twinkle. Can your child hear they are the same?
- Wool touch: feel a piece of real wool or a wool sweater and talk about where wool comes from.
- Counting bags: use three paper bags and share out cotton balls between the master, the dame and the little boy.
- Other sheep rhymes: Little Bo-Peep and Little Boy Blue.